I was desperately nervous about becoming car-free. But eight months ago our car was hit by a passing vehicle and it was destroyed. No problem, I thought: we’ll buy another. But the insurance payout didn’t even begin to cover the costs of buying a new car—I worked out that, with the loan (贷款) we’d need plus petrol, insurance, parking permits and tax, we would make a payment as much as £600 a month.
And that’s when I had my fancy idea. Why not just give up having a car at all? I live in London. We have a railway station behind our house, a tube station 10 minutes’ walk away, and a bus stop at the end of the street. A new car club had just opened in our area, and one of its shiny little red Peugeots was parked nearby. If any family in Britain could live without a car, I reasoned, then surely we were that family.
But my new car-free idea, sadly, wasn’t shared by my family. My teenage daughters were horrified. What would their friends think about our family being “too poor to afford a car”? (I wasn’t that bothered what they thought, and I suggested the girls should take the same approach.)
My friends, too, were astonished at our plan. What would happen if someone got seriously ill overnight and needed to go to hospital? (an ambulance) How would the children get to and from their many events? (buses and trains) People smiled as though this was another of my mad ideas, before saying they were sure I’d soon realize that a car was a necessity.
Eight months on, I wonder whether we’ll ever own a car again. The idea that you “have to” own a car, especially if you live in a city, is all in the mind. I live—and many other citizens do too—in a place that has never been better served by public transport, and yet car ownership has never been higher. We worry about rising car costs, but we’d be better off asking something much more basic: do I really need a car? Certainly the answer is no, and I’m a lot richer because I dared to ask the question.
1.The author decided to live a car-free life partly because ______.
A. he was hurt in a terrible car accident
B. most families chose to go car-free
C. the traffic jam was unbearable for him
D. the cost of a new car was too much
2.What is the attitude of the author’s family toward his plan?
A. Disapproving.B. Supportive.
C. Unconcerned.D. Optimistic.
3.What did the author suggest his daughters do about their friends’ opinion?
A. Take their advice.B. Argue against it.
C. Leave it alone.D. Think it over.
4.What conclusion did the author draw after the eight-month car-free life?
A. Life without a car is a little bit hard.
B. Life cannot go without a car.
C. A car-free life does not suit everyone.
D. His life gets improved without a car.
科目:高中英语 来源:2017届重庆市高三9月考英语试卷(解析版) 题型:阅读理解
Are you looking for something to do? You might like to try one of these four experiences.
Crocodile watching
Do you fancy getting up close to some of the most terrifying animals on earth? Crocosaurus Cove, in Darwin (Australia) has the “Cage of Death”. It’s an enclosure(围场) that’s lowered into a pool. This gives you a 360 degree view of a crocodile as it’s being fed. The cable broke once and the cage sank to the bottom, but they’ve fixed it since then.
Edge walk
How about walking along the edge of a building several hundred meters up in the air? If that sounds like fun, head off to the CN Tower in Toronto (Ontario, Canada). Built in 1976, the tower is 553.33 meters tall.
The Edge walk consists of a 20-30 minute stroll along a 1.5 meter wide platform that runs around the tower’s restaurant roof. During the walk, you’re encouraged to lean forwards as you look over Toronto’s skyline (轮廓线).
Plastic ball rolling
Do you fancy rolling down a hill in a plastic ball?
Plastic ball rolling is popular all over the world, but the place to give it a go is in Rotorua (New Zealand). Brother David and Andrew Akers came up with the idea in 1994. A typical orb (球) is about 3 meters in diameter, with an inner orb size of about 2 meters. There’s no brake or steering mechanism, but the inner layer of the plastic ball helps absorb the shock.
Volcano bungee jumping
If you’re looking for the adventure of a lifetime, how about going bungee jumping off a helicopter into the crater of a live volcano? As part of the jumping, a helicopter ride takes you to the Villarreal volcano, one of the most active in Chile. Once you’re at the drop zone, you leap off the helicopter and fall into the volcano. Finally, you enjoy the ride back to the airport flying at 130kph.
Attracted by the above? If so, please contact us. Only half price from March 22 to April 25th For more information, please click here.
1.According to the passage, there was an accident once when people _____.
A. jumped into the Villarreal volcano
B. walked along the platform of the CN Tower
C. rolled down a hill in a plastic ball in Rotorua
D. watched crocodiles in the “Cage of Death” in Darwin
2.Which of the following was first invented in New Zealand?
A. Edge walk. B. Crocodile watching.
C. Plastic ball rolling. D. Volcano bungee jumping.
3.It can be inferred that all the four experiences are ______.
A. interesting sports B. exciting and extreme
C. held on high places D. fit for middle to old people
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科目:高中英语 来源:2017届广东佛山一中高三上期第一次月考考试英语卷(解析版) 题型:完形填空
阅读下面短文,从短文后各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中,选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Travis laughed as he tore at the wrapping paper on his birthday present. He was so ________! Finally, he would have the coolest pair of name-brand basketball shoes.
All the guys on his team were wearing the name-brand shoes of a popular basketball ________, Chuck Hart. ________ Hart was criticized for his poor sportsmanship and infamous ________, he was a great player. In fact, Travis wasn't thinking about Hart's behavior; he had only expected to see Hart’s ________ on the side of the box. The first indication that something was ________ came as he tore away the last piece of paper. Not Hart’s. The new shoes were the name-brand of another player, Robert Ryann, who was ________ for his amazing work in the community.
Travis’s hands ________; his heart stopped. It wasn't that the Ryann shoes weren’t nice, but what would his friends think? They were the wrong shoes and Travis would be ________ by the other players. When he looked up into his dad’s eyes, however, Travis ________ he would not tell him. "Thanks, Dad. I was really hoping for shoes," Travis said as he pulled the shoes out of the box.
Next morning his dad drove him to school. When they ________ in front of his destination, Travis slowly opened the car door. Just then, his dad stopped him.
“Hey, Travis, wait a minute, look...” his dad said ________, “Travis, I know those aren’t the shoes you had hoped for, but I saw the names of the two guys and made a(n)________. The guy whose name is on those shoes,” he said, pointing down at Travis’s feet, “is someone I ________. Do you know how often Ryann has found himself in ________?”
“No,” Travis said.
“Never. He’s never talked back to his coach or started a fight, and he’s a team player. You could have acted like a (n) ________ when you didn’t get the shoes you wanted, Travis, but you were ________ and made the best of it. You have such a good ________, like the guy whose name is on these shoes. I’m hoping that someday, your name will be on the coolest pair of shoes I’ll ever see.”
When Travis looked down at his feet, he saw the shoes ________. His dad had used his mind and heart to give the son a thoughtful ________.
1.A.surprisedB.ashamedC.excitedD.worried
2.A.teamB.playerC.coachD.game
3.A.UnlessB.IfC.BecauseD.Although
4.A.skillB.performanceC.behaviorD.action
5.A.nameB.photoC.signD.model
6.A.strangeB.wrongC.trueD.funny
7.A.knownB.encouragedC.adoptedD.influenced
8.A.fellB.frozeC.shookD.folded
9.A.questionedB.noticedC.teasedD.attacked
10.A.hopedB.believedC. decidedD.wished
11.A.pulled upB.put upC.took upD.turned up
12.A.peacefullyB.hesitantlyC.delightedlyD.naturally
13.A.choiceB.effortC.commentD.mistake
14.A.believeB.missC.admireD.remember
15.A.dangerB.surpriseC.sorrowD.trouble
16.A.teammateB.adultC.kidD.student
17.A.upsetB.rudeC.politeD.glad
18.A.qualityB.courageC.dreamD.belief
19.A.clearlyB.carefullyC. patientlyD.differently
20.A.giftB.lookC.hopeD.lesson
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科目:高中英语 来源:2017届黑龙江牡丹江一中高三9月考英语试卷(解析版) 题型:短文改错
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文,请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。作文中共有10处语言错误,每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加:在缺词处加一个漏子符号(∧)并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除:在错的词下划一横线,并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意:1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词;
2.只允许修改10处,多者(从第11处起)不计分。
One of my happiest childhood memories were having dinner with my parents and two sisters. As a result, found that we seldom had a chance to get together, then we decided we would set aside three evenings the week for a sit-down dinner. First we tried setting three fixed days for our experiment—Mondays, Wednesdays or Fridays. After a couple of week of trying this plan, almost everyone was unhappy. For a while, the kids began to resist the idea. They said they would rather to spend the time with their friends or take part in some activities. Gradual, though, they began to see these evenings together for a very different way. We laughed a lot and we discussed about each other’s problems. Since a few months, we all felt that we had been able to build much strong relationships with the family than we had before.
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科目:高中英语 来源:2017届内蒙古高三上期第一次月考英语卷(解析版) 题型:短文改错
短文改错
Some students don’t like talking about their parents often as if their parents love them very much. Are you get on well with your parents? You and your parents will be very happily if you can be friends. Here are some way to have a good talk with them. Find a good time to talk, like when you’re having dinner, going out for walk and watching TV. Tell them something you’re interested in, and ask them about their lives when they are young. They love to talk about our past! Meet them face to face and listen to them carefully. Be honesty, and your parents will trust you more.
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科目:高中英语 来源:2017届山东枣庄三中高三9月质量检测英语试卷(解析版) 题型:语法填空
When my brother and I said we were going to spend our Christmas holidays abroad, the whole family objected violently. But nothing could persuade us 1. (stay). Two days 2. Christmas, we went to a small town in Southern Germany. We 3. (spend) the whole of Christmas Eve sightseeing.
There were 4. many activities in the town that they added to our excitement. The streets were crowded with people 5. the shops were full of wonderful things. In the evening. We went to listen to Christmas songs 6. (sing) by children around the 7. (bright) decorated Christmas tree in the main street. We planned to have 8. meal at the best restaurant in town the next day. However, in the morning the streets were empty. What’s worse, all the shops including the restaurants were shut. As last we had to return to our hotel, 9. (feel) very miserable. Our Christmas “feast” was a bag of fruits, 10. my brother had happened to buy the day before.
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科目:高中英语 来源:2017届江西丰城中学高三上期第一次段考英语试卷(解析版) 题型:书面表达
假定你是中学生李华。高三将是辛苦忙碌的一年,不管自己还是父母都会很辛苦。每个家长都是望子成龙的,处在这一重要的学习阶段,父母会对你的生活学习倍加关心。现在请你按照以下内容要点给自己的父母写一封感谢信。
内容要点:
1. 感谢父母这么多年来无微不至的关心;
2. 近段时间自己的学习情况及取得的进步,自己会继续努力,希望父母放心;
3. 高三过后一定多帮父母做家务。
注意:
1. 词数100左右;
2. 可以适当增加细节,以使行文连贯;
3. 开头和结尾已给出。
Dear parents,
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Love from,
Your son
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科目:高中英语 来源:2015-2016学年四川成都外国语校高二下期末考试英语卷(解析版) 题型:阅读理解
Hank Viscardi was born without legs. He had not legs but stumps(残肢) that could be fitted with a kind of special boots. People stared at him with cruel interest. Children laughed at him and called him ‘Ape Man’ (猿人) because his arms practically dragged on the ground.
Hank went to school like other boys. His grades were good and he needed only eight years to finish his schooling instead of the usual twelve. After graduating from school, he worked his way through college. He swept floors, waited on table, or worked in one of the college offices. During all this busy life, he had been moving around on his stumps. But one day the doctor told him even the stumps were not going to last much longer. He would soon have to use a wheel chair.
Hank felt himself got cold all over. However, the doctor said there was a chance that he could be fitted with artificial legs(假腿). Finally a leg maker was found and the day came when Hank stood up before the mirror. For the first time he saw himself as he has always wanted to be—a full five feet eight inches tall. By this time he was already 26 years old.
Hank had to learn to use his new legs. Again and again he marched the length of the room, and marched back again. There were times when he fell down on the floor, but he pulled himself up and went back to the endless marching. He went out on the street. He climbed stairs and learned to dance. He built a boat and learned to sail it.
When World War II came, he talked the Red Cross into giving him a job. He took the regular training. He marched and drilled along with the other soldiers. Few knew that he was legless. This was the true story of Hank Viscardi, a man without legs.
1.Children laughed at Hank and called him ‘Ape Man’ because ______.
A. he didn’t talk to them
B. he kept away from them
C. his arms touched the ground when he moved
D. he couldn’t use his arms
2.It can be inferred from the story that five feet eight inches tall is ______.
A. an average height for a fully grown person
B. too tall for an average person
C. too short for an average person
D. none of the above
3.The sentence “he talked the Red Cross into giving him a job” implies that the Red Cross _____.
A. was only glad to give him a job
B. gave him a job because he was a good soldier
C. gave him a job after he talked to someone whom he knew in the organization
D. was not willing to give him a job at first
4.When Hank marched and drilled along with the other soldiers, he ______.
A. did everything the other soldiers did
B. did most of the things the other soldiers did
C. did some of the things the other soldiers did
D. took some special training
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科目:高中英语 来源:2017届湖北沙市高三上第三次考试英语试卷(解析版) 题型:阅读理解
Imagine a mass of floating waste is two times the size of the state of Texas. Texas has a land area of more than 678, 000 square kilometers. So it might be difficult to imagine anything twice as big.
All together, this mass of waste flowing in the North Pacific Ocean is known as the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch. It weighs about 3, 500, 000 tons. The waste includes bags,bottles and containers—plastic products of all kinds.
The eastern part of the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch is about l,600 kilometers west of California. The western part is west of the Hawaiian Islands and east of Japan. The area has been described as a kind of oceanic desert,with light winds and slow moving water currents. The water moves so slow that garbage from all over the world collects there.
In recent years, there have been growing concerns about the floating garbage and its effect on sea creatures and human health. Scientists say thousands of animals get trapped in the floating waste, resulting in death or injury. Even more die from a lack of food or water after swallowing pieces of plastic. The trash can also make animals feel full, lessening their desire to eat or drink.
The floating garbage also can have harmful effects on people. There is an increased threat of infection of disease from polluted waste, and from eating fish that swallowed waste. Divers can also get trapped in the plastic.
Its existence first gained public attention in l997. That was when racing boat captain and oceanographer Charles Moore and his crew sailed into the garbage while returning from a racing event. Five years earlier,another oceanographer learned of the trash after a shipment of rubber duckies got lost at sea. Many of those toys are now part of the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch.
In August,2009,a team from the University of California,San Diego became the latest group to travel to it. They were shocked by the amount of waste they saw. They gathered hundreds of sea creatures and water samples to measure the garbage patch’s effect on ocean environment.
1.How did the writer introduce the topic of the passage?
A. By giving an example.B. By listing the facts.
C. By telling a story.D. By giving a comparison.
2.What do we know about the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch?
A. It is made up of various kinds of plastic products.
B. It is a solid mass of floating waste materials.
C. It lies l60, 000 kilometers east of California.
D. It is described as a kind of oceanic desert.
3.Why do people pay attention to the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch?
A. Because it may prevent the flow of ocean water.
B. Because the polluted plastic articles will move up the food chain.
C. Because it may be from an island in the pacific
D. Because ships may be trapped in the floating waste.
4.The purpose of writing this passage is to ____________.
A. warn people of the danger to travel in the pacific
B. analyze what caused the waste patch in the pacific
C. give advice on how to recycle waste in the ocean
D. introduce the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch
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