The coast of the State of Maine is one of the most irregular in the world. A straight line running from the southernmost coastal city to the northernmost coastal city would measure about 225 miles. If you followed the coastline between these points, you would travel more than ten times as far. This irregularity is the result of what is called a drowned coastline. The term comes from the glacial(冰川的)activity of the Ice Age. At that time, the whole area that is now Maine was part of a mountain range that towered above the sea. As the glacier descended, however, it applied enormous force on those mountains, and they sank into the sea.

As the mountains sank, ocean water charged over the lowest parts of the remaining land. And the highest parts of the former mountain range, nearest the shore, remained as islands. Marine fossils found here are 225 feet above sea level indicating the level of the shoreline prior to the glacier.

The 2,500-mile-long rocky and jagged coastline of Maine keeps watch over nearly 2,000 islands. Many of these islands are tiny and uninhabited, but many are home to blooming communities. Mt. Desert Island is one of the largest, most beautiful of the Maine coast islands left behind by the glacier. Measuring 16 miles by 12 miles, Mt. Desert was very nearly formed as two distinct islands. It is split almost in half by Somes Sound, a very deep and very narrow stretch of water seven miles long.

For years, Mt. Desert Island, particularly its major settlement, Bar Harbor, has afforded summer homes for the wealthy. Recently, though, Bar Harbor has become a new arts community as well. But the best part of the island is the unspoiled forest land known as Acadia National Park. Since the island sits on the border between two different geographical zones, the park supports the plants and animals of both zones. It also lies in a major bird migration lane and is a resting spot for many birds.

The establishment of Acadia National park in 1916 means that this natural monument will be preserved and that it will be available to all people, not just the wealthy. Visitors to Acadia may receive nature instruction from the park naturalists as well as enjoy camping, hiking, cycling, and boating. Or they may choose to spend time at the museum learning about the Stone Age inhabitants of the island.

72.The large number of small islands along the coast of Maine is the result of __________.

A. the drowning of the Maine coastline       

B. glacier’s forcing mountains into the sea

C. the irregularity of the Maine coastline

D. ocean water’s flooding the mountain range

73.From the passage, we learn that __________.

A. the coastline of Maine is ten times longer after the Ice Age

B. there are more than 2500 islands along the Maine coastline

C. Mt. Desert Island has been broken apart by a 7-mile-long water stretch

D. an arts community gave way to the summer homes on Mt. Desert Island      

74.What CANNOT be inferred about the Acadia Nation Park?

A. It welcomes all the people, rich or poor.

B. It has much appeal for bird-watching lovers.

C. It offers visitors both entertainment and education.

D. It is a border between the two geographical zones.

75.Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?

A. The past and the present of Maine          B. The formation of Maine coastline

C. Efforts for preserving national parks       D. Tourist attractions on Mt. Desert Island

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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:

So far, many ships have been reported missing________the coast of Bermuda.

A.off       B.along      C.on           D.around

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科目:高中英語 來源:2013屆山東省聊城市某重點高中高三上學期1月份模塊檢測英語試卷(帶解析) 題型:閱讀理解

Given Australia’s size and the fact that early settlements were far apart, Australian society is remarkably homogeneous (同種的). Its citizens are fundamentally prosperous and the way of life in the major cities and towns is much the same however many miles divide them. It takes a sharp ear to identify regional accents. However, there is some difference in lifestyle between city dwellers and the country people. Almost 90 per cent of the population lives in the fast-paced cities along the coast and has little more than a passing familiarity with the desert. The major cities preserve pockets of colonial heritage, but the overall impression is modern, with new buildings reflecting the country’s youth. In contrast, the rural communities tend to be slow-moving and conservative. For many years, Australia was said to have “ridden on the sheep’s back”, a reference to wool being the country’s main money earner. However, the wool industry is no longer dominant. Much of Australia’s relatively sound economy is now achieved from natural coal and wheat, and by being the largest diamond producer in the world. Newer industries such as tourism and wine making are also increasingly important. Australians are generally friendly and relaxed, with a self-deprecating sense of humor. On the whole, Australia is a society without hierarchies (等級制度), an attitude generally held to stem from its prisoner beginnings.
Yet, contrary to widespread belief, very few Australians have true prisoner origins. Within only one generation of the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788, Australia had become a nation of immigrants. Originally coming almost entirely from the British Isles, today one in three Australians comes from elsewhere. Australia’s liberal postwar immigration policies led to an influx of survivors from war-torn Europe, most notably Greeks, Italians, Poles and Germans.
The emphasis has shifted in recent years and today the majority of new immigrants are from Southeast Asia. Today Australia is a ‘blend of nations’ and although some racism exists, it has generally been a successful experiment and the country is justifiably proud to have one of the most harmonious multicultural communities in the world.
【小題1】What does the writer mean by saying “It takes a sharp ear to identify regional accents.” in the first paragraph?

A.Australians speak Standard English with no local accents whatsoever.
B.You have to practice a lot to learn to understand the different accents.
C.The Australian regional accents are very difficult to understand indeed.
D.There is not much difference between the accents in different areas of Australia.
【小題2】Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A.Most Australians have ancestors who were prisoners.
B.The Australian economy is dependent on sheep exports.
C.The majority of people living in Australia come from Europe.
D.The pace of life is different in the city and in the country.
【小題3】The underlined pronoun ‘it’ in the final paragraph refers to “_______”.
A.CommunityB.racismC.blend of NationsD.Southeast Asia
【小題4】We can infer from the passage that _____.
A.there are no signs of Australia’s colonial past in its modern cities
B.Australia’s recent immigration policy encourages immigrants from Southeast Asia
C.immigrants from Southeast Asia have brought racial problems
D.“riding on sheep’s back” resulted in slow development in rural communities

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科目:高中英語 來源:2011年江蘇普通高等學校招生統(tǒng)一考試英語試題 題型:閱讀理解

According to the US government, wind farms off the Pacific coast could produce 900 gig watts of electricity every year. Unfortunately, the water there is far too deep for even the tallest windmills(see picture)to touch bottom. An experiment under way off the coast of Norway, however, could help put them anywhere.

The project, called Hywind, is the world’s first large-scale deepwater wind turbine(渦輪發(fā)電機).Although it uses a fairly standard 152-ton,2.3-megawatt turbine, Hywind represents totally new technology. The turbine will be fixed 213 feet above the water on a floating spar(see picture),a technology Hywind’s creator, the Norwegian company StatoilHydro, has developed recently. The steel spar, which is filled with stones and goes 328 feet below the sea surface, will be tied to the ocean floor by three cable(纜索);these will keep the spar stable and prevent the turbine from moving up and down in the waves. Hywind’s stability(穩(wěn)定性)in the cold and rough sea would prove that even the deepest corners of the ocean are suitable for wind power. If all goes according to plan, the turbine will start producing electricity six miles off the coast of southwestern Norway as early as September.

To produce electricity on a large scale, a commercial wind farm will have to use bigger turbines than Hywind does, but it’s difficult enough to balance such a large turbine so high on a floating spar in the middle of the ocean. To make that turbine heavier, the whole spar’s to design a new kind of wind turbine, one whose gearbox(變速箱) sits at sea level rather than behind the blades (see picture )

Hywind is a test run, but the benefits for perfecting floating wind-farm technology could be extremely large. Out at sea, the wind is often stronger and steadier than close to shore, where all existing offshore windmills are planted. Deep-sea farms are invisible from land, which helps overcome the windmill-as-eyesore objection. If the technology catches on, it will open up vast areas of the planet’s surface to one of the best low-carbon power sources available.

1.

 The Hywind project uses totally new technology to ensure the stability of _______.

A. the cables which tie the spar to the ocean floor

B. the spar which is floating in deep-sea water

C. the blades driven by strong and steady sea wind

D. the stones filled in the spar below the sea surface

2.

To balance a bigger turbine high on a flatting spar, a new type of turbine is to be designed with its gearbox sitting ____________.

A. on the sea floor       B. on the spar top

C. at sea level           D. behind the blades

3.

Wide applications of deepwater wind power technology can ____________.

A. solve the technical problems of deepwater windmills

B. make financial profits by producing more turbines

C. settle the arguments about environmental problems

D. explore low-carbon power resources available at sea

 

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科目:高中英語 來源:2010-2011學年湖北省黃岡市3月份高三質(zhì)量檢測英語卷 題型:閱讀理解

  Dolphins and sharks are showing up in surprisingly shallow water just off the Florida coast.Mullets,crabs,rays and small fish gather by the thousands off an Alabama pier.Birds covered in oil are crawling(爬)deep into marshes(沼澤),never to be seen again.

    Marine scientists studying the effects of the BP disaster(英國石油公司漏油事件)are seeing some strange phenomena.Fish and other wildlife seem to be fleeing the oil out in the Gulf and gathering in cleaner waters along the coast in a trend that some researchers see as a potentially troubling sign.The animals.presence close to shore means their usual habitat is badly polluted,and the crowding could result in mass die-offs as fish run out of oxygen.Also,the animals could easily be captured by their enemies.

    The nearly two-month-old spill(漏油)has created an environmental disaster in US history as tens of millions of gallons have flown into the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem.Scienfists are seeing some unusual things as they try to understand the effects on thousands of species of marine life.For nearly four hours Monday,a three-person crew with Greenpeace cruised(巡航)past delicate islands and mangrove-dotted inlets in Barataria Bay off southern Louisiana.They saw dolphins by the dozen frolicking(嬉戲)in the oily sheen(光澤)and oil-tinged pelicans feeding their young.But they spotted no dead animals.

    “I think part of the reason why we’re not seeing more yet is that the impacts of this crisis are really just beginning,”Greenpeace marine biologist John Hocevar said.

    The counting of dead wildlife in the Gulf is more than an academic exercise;the deaths will help determine how much BP pays in damages.

1.What do the marine life react to the BP disaster?

    A.Dolphins and sharks show up in deep water.

    B.Tens of thousands of marine animals are found dead.

    C.Sea creatures flee from oil spill,gathering near seashore.

    D.Birds crawl(爬)deep into caves.

2.The environmental disaster was caused by       

    A.the lack of environmental sense of BP

    B.the nearly two-mouth-old oil spill

    C.the crowding marine life

    D.the damage of Mexico Gulf ecosystem

3.What is John Hocevar’s attitude towards the disaster?

    A.Disappointed  B.Depressed      C.Neutral        D.Worried 

4.From the passage,we can infer that         

    A.marine scientists have seen some strange phenomena.

    B.the disaster has little influence on dolphins.

    C.a(chǎn) three-person crew reached no conclusion.

    D.BP will pay much money according to the number of dead wildlife there.

 

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科目:高中英語 來源:2010-2011學年河南省高三上學期第一次月考英語卷 題型:閱讀理解

Australia -a huge island continent that lies to the south of Asia. Australia-more than two hundred years old, a nation that is still growing.

Its big cities lie on the southeast coast, this is where most Australians live. Australians prefer to own their own houses, though some live in apartments. Australians are a suburban(郊區(qū)的) people. The suburbs surround the cities for many miles, and so efficient transport is of great importance. As the economy grows, so do its industries- a higher level of production, a wider range of products.

   The Australian works hard, but he likes his leisure. The climate makes outdoor activities the most popular.

   Canberra, the capital of Australia, is a planned modern city located inland. Australia is governed by a parliamentary democracy(議會民主). The representatives of other countries have their embassies here. Australia wants to strengthen relations with her neighbors.

Australia is a strange land, a land of vast expanses- fertile valleys, snow fields and deserts- also a land with unique animal, many that can not be found on any other continent in the world today.

Much of the continent is dry, but man has utilized the land, made it productive, with its tools, with its technology. This is the driest continent of all, and water is a precious possession, more precious than all other natural resources. Large dams are built to collect the water, there to irrigate the fields of pastures(牧場) and crops.

But Australia is changing. The land of wool and wheat is now a land of large-scale industry and mining. The costs of developing the new mineral discoveries are enormous, but the rewards are great too.

Australia — a young and developing nation. Australia — a nation that wants to communicate with its neighbors.

1.Australia is an island located ______ of Asia and its big cities lie ____ of the coast.

A. to the south; on the southeast             B. to the north; on the southwest

C. to the east; on the northeast          D. to the east; on the southwest

2.We can infer from the passage that the Australian likes outdoor activities for the _____ climate.

A. dull and wet    B. fine and shiny  C. gloomy and rainy                 D. wet and cold

3.____ is the most precious source in Australia.

A. Mineral resource                       B. Animal         C. Desert                  D. Water

4.Which of the following statements about Australia is wrong?

A. Australians are a suburban people

B. Australia is governed by a parliamentary democracy.

C. Australia prefers to live in the downtown of big cities.

D. Wool and wheat used to be the main products of Australia.

 

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