Today, bicycles are elegantly simple machines that are common around the world. Many people ride bicycles for recreation, whereas others use them as a means of transportation. The first bicycle was invented in Germany in 1818. Because it was made of wood, it wasn’t very strong nor did it have pedals (腳踏板）.Riders moved it by pushing their feet against the ground.
In 1839, Kirkpatrick Macmillan, a Scottish blacksmith, invented a much better bicycle. Macmillan’s machine had iron-covered wheels to keep them from getting worn down. He also used foot-operated levers, similar to pedals, so his bicycle could be ridden at a quick pace. It didn’t look much like the modem bicycle, though, because its back wheel was substantially larger than its front wheel. Although Macmillan’s bicycles could be ridden easily, they were never produced in large numbers.
In 1861, Frenchman Pierre Michaux and his brother Ernest invented a bicycle with an improved pedal mechanism. They called their bicycle a velocipede，but most people called it a “bone shaker” because of the effect of the wood and iron frame. Despite the impolite nickname, the velocipede was a hit. After a few years, the Michaux family was making hundreds of the machines annually, mostly for fun-seeking young people.
Ten years later, James Starley , an English inventor, made several innovations that revolutionized bicycle design. He made the front wheel many times larger than the back wheel, put a gear on the pedals to make the bicycle more efficient，and lightened the wheels by using wire spokes. Although this bicycle was much lighter and less tiring to ride, it was still clumsy, extremely top-heavy，and ridden mostly for entertainment.
It wasn’t until 1874 that the first truly modern bicycle appeared on the scene. Invented by another Englishman, H. J. Lawson, the safety bicycle would look familiar to today’s cyclists. The safety bicycle had equal-sized wheels, which made it easier to ride. Lawson also attached a chain to the pedals to drive the back wheel. By 1893，the safety bicycle had been further improved with air-filled rubber tires, a diamond-shaped frame, and easy braking. With the improvements provided by Lawson; bicycles became extremely popular and useful for transportation. Today, they are built, used, and enjoyed all over the world.
小題1:This passage was most likely written in order to _____.
A．compare bicycles used for different purposes
B．describe the problems early bicycle makers experienced
C．persuade readers to use bicycles for transportation
D．tell readers about the early history of the bicycle
小題2:Macmillan covered the wheels of his bicycle with iron to _____
A．a(chǎn)dd weight to the bicycle
B．make the bicycle easier to ride
C．a(chǎn)llow the wheels to last longer
D．let the bicycle be more comfortable
小題3:Which of the following bicycle types was invented by James Starley?

小題4:Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A．Two hundred years ago，bicycles did not exist.
B．The first bicycle could be ridden at a very quick pace.
C．The Michaux brothers called their bicycle a “bone shaker”.
D．Macmillan’s machine had wheels with rubber tires.
小題5:The information about bicycles in this passage is arranged according to _____.
A．importanceB．timeC．placeD．Interest

小題1:D
小題2:C
小題3:B
小題4:A
小題5:B

試題分析：這篇文章講述了自行車的發(fā)展歷程，如今，自行車在全世界廣泛流行。
小題1:細(xì)節(jié)題。這篇文章主要給讀者介紹了自行車的早期發(fā)展歷程。故選D
小題2:細(xì)節(jié)題。根據(jù)文章Macmillan’s machine had iron-covered wheels to keep them from getting worn down. 可知，麥克米倫給他的自行車輪子加鑄了鐵是為了減少輪子的磨損，可以使用的更長時間。故選C
小題3:細(xì)節(jié)題。根據(jù)文章He made the front wheel many times larger than the back wheel, put a gear on the pedals to make the bicycle more efficient，and lightened the wheels by using wire spokes.可知，詹姆斯·史達(dá)雷發(fā)明的自行車，前輪比后輪要大好多倍，腳踏板上加放了齒輪使自行車更方便。故選 B
小題4:細(xì)節(jié)題。根據(jù)文章可知，第一輛自行車在1818年問世，它的速度不快，米修兄弟稱他們的自行車“腳踏兩輪車”，麥克米倫的自行車沒有橡膠輪胎。故選A
小題5:細(xì)節(jié)題。這篇文章是按照時間的順序講述自行車的發(fā)展歷程的。故選B
點(diǎn)評：本文對自行車的發(fā)展進(jìn)行了說明，對于此類題，可以通過對于時間的把握來迅速的理解全文。答題過程中可以對文章的大意進(jìn)行了解，在結(jié)合題目，相信每個題目都在文章中能找到相應(yīng)的地方，把握好作者的意思準(zhǔn)確作答。
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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

ANIMALS have always been used to represent certain human characteristics. Countries also use animals as symbols. From eagles to lions, many countries use an animal to show its national spirit and character.
The image of an eagle is on the US President’s flag, and on the one-dollar bill. The bald eagle is a large, powerful, brown bird with a white head and tail. The term “bald” does not mean that this bird lacks feathers. Instead, it comes from the old word piebald, that menas, “marked with white”.
The US declared that the eagle was its national bird in 1782. It was chosen because of “its long life, great strength, and noble looks”.
A few eagles have even become American heroes. An eagle named “Old Abe”, the mascot of a Wisconsin troop of soldiers during the Civil War, traveled 14,000 miles with its men. He was often shot at by the enemy, but survived 42 battles.
But, one of the Founding Fathers, Benjamin Franklin didn’t agree with the choice. “The bald eagle … is a bird of bad moral character, like those among men who live by robbing, he is generally poor, and often very messy,” he argued. Franklin wanted the turkey as the country’s national bird.
If Americans chose their national symbol deliberately, the symbol of England arose out of history.
King Herry Ⅰ(1068-1135) was a brave warrior but also wise. His appreciation for the rule of law earned him the nickname the Lion of Justice. He was the first English King to use a lion as a royal symbol, which is popularly known as the “king of the jungle”. By the year Richard Ⅰ, known as “The Lionheart” for his bravery, came to the throne in 1189, the famous Three Lions badge had been formed. Now it can be seen on the shirts of England’s sports teams.
Although people might not think of lions when they think of England, everyone knows about the Australian kangaroo. Legend has it that the kangaroo gets its name from an early meeting between local aborigines and white settlers. When asked by the Europeans what these strange-looking animals were, a native replied “kangaroo”, meaning “I don’t understand you.”
The kangaroo is an individualistic animal. Although it does gather in groups, the kangaroo is not a herd animal. If a group is attacked, individuals run off in different directions. Australians think the kangaroo represents positive values, such as individual responsibility and pride.
小題1:The general idea of this passage should probably be __________ .
A．a(chǎn)nimals are friends of human beings
B．nearly all the countries have an animal as their national animal
C．a(chǎn)nimals’ good values are always used to show a country’s national spirit and character
D．certain human characteristics are the same as some animals, so some countries love animals
小題2:Which is NOT true about the animal of the “bald eagle”?
A. It was Benjamin Franklin who made the bald eagle as the national animal of the USA.
B. The term “bald” means “marked with white”.
C. The bald eagle can show American national spirit and character.
D. “Old Abe” was even an American hero.
小題3:The reason why the lion was made as the national animal of the United Kingdom was that ______ .
A．it could always be used to represent certain human characteristics of England
B．the Kings of England loved lions
C．there are many lions in England
D．lions are “king of the jungle”
小題4:What good values can the kangaroo show as national spirits?
A．Group.B．Respect of others.
C．Not understandingD．Positive values.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Bungee jumping is not a new activity. Men on Pentecost Island in the South Pacific have been doing land jumping for hundreds of years. The men tie long vines(藤) from plants around their ankles（踝關(guān)節(jié)）. They spend days building tall towers out of vines and logs(圓木). Then they jump off them.
According to their beliefs, the first land diver was a woman. She decided to run away from her rude husband. So she climbed up a tall tree and tied some vines around her feet. Her husband also climbed up the tree and tried to catch her, but the woman jumped and the man followed. The vines saved her life, but her husband died.
This ancient custom caught the interest of some students at Oxford University in England. In the late 1970s, they formed a group called the Dangerous Sports Club. They were some of the first people to test several of what are now called extreme sports. They are said to have invented modern bungee jumping.
In the spring of 1979, members of the group jumped off the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol, England. They were attached to the bridge by a bungee cord, a long elastic rope that stretches. The group soon received even more attention when they organized a bungee jump off the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California.
A man named A. J. Hackett of New Zealand decided to make the sport into a business. He started developing bungee ropes and material with a friend. They held a major jump in 1987 off the famous Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. They later got permission to open the first bungee jumping operation on the Kawarau Bridge in Queenstown, New Zealand. Many people paid 75 dollars to jump off the bridge with a bungee cord attached to their ankles.
小題1:The second paragraph tries to tell us________________.
A．a(chǎn) story about a woman land diver
B．the beginning of modern bungee jumping
C．the beginning of land jumping on Pentecost Island
D．a(chǎn) story about a brave woman and her rude husband
小題2:The underlined word them in the first paragraph refers to__________.
A．plantsB．tall towersC．vinesD．logs
小題3: The Dangerous Sports Club first caught people’s attention when they jumped off_________.
A．the Eiffel TowerB．the Kawarau Bridge
C．the Golden Gate BridgeD．the Clifton Suspension Bridge

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

A group of 1,309 passengers boarded the MS Balmoral on Sunday, in Southampton, England, on a voyage to retrace (重走) the path of the Titanic. The Titanic was the biggest ship in the world when it sailed on its ill-fated first voyage on April 10, 1912. Of the 2,227 passengers and crew aboard, more than l,500 died. The ship, which was headed for New York City, carried the rich and famous on its first voyage. It also carried immigrants who were seeking a better life in America.
Relatives of people who sailed on the Titanic, historians, authors and people fascinated by the story of the unsinkable ship were on the Balmoral. They wanted to remember the Titanic and those who died on her first and last voyage.
The Balmoral was following Titanic’s original route from Southampton. First, the modern-day cruise liner docked (進(jìn)港) in the port of Cherbourg, France, where the Titanic had picked up more passengers. On Monday afternoon, the Balmoral stopped in Cobh, Ireland, the Titanic’s last port of call before sailing to New York.
The Balmoral then sailed the North Atlantic Ocean to the location where the Titanic hit an iceberg. On Sunday, April 15, at 2:20 a.m. — the time the Titanic went down － passengers and crew held a memorial service. The next two days were spent in Halifax, Canada, where many victims of the Titanic are buried. Then, the Balmoral reached its final destination in New York City, where the Titanic was supposed to dock — but never did.
So far, several teams of divers have explored the site. They have recovered items such as dishes and silverware and put them on public display. And the Titanic and its passengers and crew have been remembered in books, movies and TV programs. But there’s a much more important contribution that the Titanic has given us. After she sank, lawmakers and ship builders made ships safer. It took a terrible tragedy to make ship travel safer for all.
小題1:We learn from the first paragraph that _____.
A．the Titanic sank on its second voyage
B．a(chǎn)bout 700 passengers of the Titanic survived
C．less than 2,000 passengers boarded the Titanic
D．a(chǎn)ll the passengers’ hopes of the Titanic lay in America
小題2:Which of the following shows the correct route of the Balmoral?
a. Halifax  b. New York City   c. Cobh   d. Southampton e. Cherbourg
A．d-e-c-a-bB．e-d-a-b-c C．e-c-a-b-d D．d-c-e-a-b
小題3:What might be the most important contribution of the Titanic?
A．Its site attracts many exploration teams.B．It has made later ships more secure.
C．Some of its items are on public display.D．More trips are planned to its site.
小題4:What would be the best title for the text?
A．The unsinkable shipB．The Titanic today
C．The Titanic’s route D．Sailing through history

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Barcodes (條形碼) aren’t given much thought by the majority of consumers, but these codes were fairly recently applied in a working fashion in 1970.
A small food store owner decided one day that keeping records of the inventory (存貨) of his stock and the associated prices were an extremely laborious process, and so, in 1948, he contacted the The Drexel Institute of Technology in a bid to work towards a solution. Bernard Sliver rose to the challenge and set out to study the problem, and began working on a solution involving an automatic way of keeping track of items that had been sold. Silver and a group of students from the institute realized their answer in the form of ultraviolet light (紫外線), ink and a scanner.

The system worked initially, but possessed some negatives. It was incredibly costly to carry out on a large scale and the system was also unstable. If the invention was to become commonplace (尋常的事) in grocery stores, these two problems had to be solved.
The patent (專利)for the bar code system was filed by Sliver and one of his students, Woodland. The patent was not granted immediately; in fact it took three years for the patent agency to grand their invention patent for the barcode, occurring on 7th October, 1952.
Despite the patent being issued, the system was still not welcomed by the majority of store owners. It was not until 1966 that the system began moving its way into more and more grocery stores. This system was soon criticised, as there was no central mechanism for controlling uniformly coded items. In 1970, Logicorn developed the Universal Grocery Products Identification code (UGOIC), soon shortened to Universal Identification Number (UPC). It was Marsh’s superstore, in Troy, which was the very first store to install this complex barcode reading system, and its popularity has soared (升溫) ever since, and is obviously now commonplace in all types of stores worldwide.
小題1:What is stressed in the second paragraph?
A．The heavy work of store owners.
B．The function of ultraviolet light, ink and a scanner.
C．The origination of barcodes
D．Bernard Silver’s education background.
小題2:Which of the following was NOT a drawback of Silver’s system?
A．It was expensive to be applied on a large scale.
B．It was a laborious process.
C．The system was not stable.
D．It lacked a central mechanism.
小題3:What is the purpose of the text?
A．To tell people that failure is the mother of success.
B．To praise scientists’ efforts in making people’s lives easier.
C．To describe shop owners’ opinions of barcodes.
D．To provide information about the development of barcodes.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

The casual Friday concept (星期五便裝日的概念) was one of the first signs that strict dress rules for offices were starting to relax. The principle of casual Fridays seems to have appeared around the 1950s. It was probably in response (回應(yīng)) to the changing attitudes towards workplaces. Over time, some offices have relaxed their dress rules even more by using a "business casual" dress rule.
On casual Fridays, employees (員工) may wear clothes which are considered to be "business casual", meaning they still obey certain standards (標(biāo)準(zhǔn)). Clothes must be clean and in good condition, with no spots. Men are generally allowed to wear casual trousers and bright-colored clothes, and in some offices they may be allowed to wear button-down shirts or polo shirts, with or without a tie. Women often wear neat skirts or dresses; casual trousers are common and generally allowed to wear, except in very formal workplaces.
As a general rule, extremely casual clothes, like jeans, shorts, T-shirts, tank tops, and so on, are not encouraged on casual Fridays. Employees are still expected to make an effort to look professional, out of respect for their offices and their customers.
Many people feel that casual Fridays are good for employees’mood because they encourage employees to express their individuality (個性) and feel more comfortable in the offices. Others feel that business casual clothing and the concept of casual Fridays don’t show respect for the workplaces. Casual Fridays are dealt with differently, depending on the industry and the nation. The technology industry, for example, is well known for casual clothes in general, while major financial companies still dislike casual clothes.
小題1:We can learn from the passage that ________.
A．the casual Friday concept has been out of fashion
B．people were required to wear formal clothes in offices before casual Fridays concept appeared
C．the casual Friday concept had appeared before the 1950s
D．employees who wear formal clothes lack individuality
小題2:In general, on casual Fridays, as an employee in a company you can wear ________.
A．jeansB．tank topsC．shortsD．polo shirts
小題3:Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A．The casual Friday concept changes people’s responsibility at work.
B．Button-down shirts are allowed to wear in any formal workplace.
C．In general, leading financial companies don’t prefer casual clothing.
D．The technology industry requires employees to wear formal clothing.
小題4:What does the last paragraph tell us?
A．Different kinds of casual clothes.
B．The development of the casual Friday concept.
C．People’s different opinions on casual Fridays.
D．The rules that employees must obey in companies.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


Towards the end of Middle English, a sudden change in pronunciation started, with vowels being pronounced shorter and shorter. From the 16th century the British had contact with people from around the world. This means that many new words and phrases entered the language. The invention of printing also meant that there was a common language in print. Books became cheaper and more people learned to read. Spelling and grammar became fixed and the dialect （方言）of London became the standard. In 1604, the first English dictionary was published.
The numbers of words in Early Modern English and Late Modern English differ. Late Modern English has a lot more words because of two main factors: firstly, the Industrial Revolution created a need for new words; secondly, the British Empire covered one quarter of the earth’s surface, and the English language took in foreign words from many countries.
From around 1600, the English colonization(殖民地化)of North America resulted in the creation of American English. Some English pronunciation and words  froze when they reached America. In some ways, American English is more like the English of Shakespeare than modern British English. Some expressions that the British call “ Americanisms” are in fact original （原先的）British expressions that were preserved (保存) in the colonies but were lost in Britain. Spanish also had an influence on American English, with words like canyon, ranch, stampede and vigilante being examples of Spanish words that entered English. French words and West African words also influenced American English.
Today, American English is the most influential(有影響力的). But there are many other kinds of English around the world, including Australian English, New Zealand English, Canadian English, South African English , Indian English and Caribbean English. They have differences.
小題1:What can we know from Paragraph 1?
A．The dialect of London became the standard in the year 1604.
B．Vowels were pronounced longer towards the end of Middle English
C．The first English dictionary was published in the early 17th century.
D．Many new words entered English because many people moved to Britain.
小題2:From Paragraph 2, we know that the Industrial Revolution __________.
A．required spelling and grammar to be fixed
B．required a greater number of English words
C．caused many old English words to be useless
D．led to the English colonization of North America.
小題3:The underlined word “froze” in Paragraph 3 shows that some English words in America___________.
A．became longer
B．greatly changed
C．a(chǎn) little changed
D．stayed as they were
小題4:What will the paragraph following this passage most probably discuss?
A．The development of Modern English
B．How the English vocabulary became larger
C．Differences among the different kinds of English
D．Differences between Middle English and Modern English

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

The flag, the most common symbol of a nation in the modern world, is also one of the most ancient. With a clear symbolic meaning, the flag in the traditional form is still used today to mark buildings, ships and other vehicles related to a country.
The national flag as we know it today is in no way a primitive artifact. It is, rather, the product of thousands of years’ development. Historians believe that it had two major ancestors, of which the earlier served to show wind direction.
Early human beings used very fragile houses and boats. Often strong winds would tear roofs from houses or cause high waves that endangered travelers. People’s food supplies were similarly vulnerable. Even after they had learned how to plant grains, they still needed help from nature to ensure good harvests. Therefore they feared and depended on the power of the wind, which could bring warmth from one direction and cold from another.
Using a simple piece of cloth tied to the top of a post to tell the direction of the wind was more dependable than earlier methods, such as watching the rising of smoke from a fire. The connection of the flag with heavenly power was therefore reasonable. Early human societies began to fix long pieces of cloth to the tops of totems (圖騰) before carrying them into battle. They believed that the power of the wind would be added to the good wishes of the gods and ancestors represented by the totems themselves.
These flags developed very slowly into modern flags. The first known flag of a nation or a ruler was unmarked: The king of China around 1,000 B.C. was known to have a white flag carried ahead of him. This practice might have been learned from Egyptians even further in the past, but it was from China that it spread over trade routes through India, then across Arab lands, and finally to Europe, where it met up with the other ancestor of the national flag.
小題1: The underlined word “ vulnerable” in paragraph 3 means _______.
A．easy to damage　　B．likely to be protected
C．impossible to make sure of　　D．difficult to find
小題2:The earliest flags were connected with heavenly power because they _______.
A．could tell wind direction　　B．could bring good luck to fighters
C．were believed to stand for natural forcesD．were handed down by the ancestors
小題3:What does the author know of the first national flag?
A．He knows when it was sent to Europe.B．He doubts where it started.
C．He thinks it came from China.　　D．He believes it was made in Egypt.
小題4:What will the author most probably talk about next?
A．The role of China in the spread of the national flag.
B．The importance of modern flags.
C．The use of modern flags in Europe.
D．The second ancestor of the national flag.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Animation means making things which are lifeless come alive and move.
Since earliest times, people have always been astonished by movement. But not until last century had we managed to take control of movement, to record it, and in the case of animation, to retranslate it and recreate it. To do all this, we use a movie camera and a projector (放映機(jī)).
In the world of cartoon animation, nothing is impossible. You can make the characters do exactly what you want them to do.
A famous early cartoon character was Felix the Cat, created by Pat Sullivan in America in the early nineteen twenties. Felix was a wonderful cat. He could do all sorts of things no natural cat could do like taking off his tail, using it as a handle and then putting it back.
Most of the great early animators lived and worked in America, the home of the moving picture industry. The famous Walt Disney cartoon characters came to life after 1928. Popeye the Sailor and his girl friend Olive Oyo were born at Max Flcischer in 1933.
But to be an animator, you don’t have to be a professional. It is possible for anyone to make a simple animated film without using a camera at all. All you have to do is to draw directly onto an empty film and then run the film through a projector.
小題1:What does the passage mainly discuss?
A．Animal worldB．Movie cameraC．Cartoon makingD．Movement
小題2:Which of the following statements is True?
A．People were unable to recreate the movement or record it in the nineteenth century.
B．Pat Sullivan was a famous early cartoon character.
C．It is impossible to make cartoon characters to do what they are designed to do.
D．Only professional animators can make animated films.
小題3: According to the passage, Felix the Cat _________.
A．was created by the American cartoonist Felix.
B．was designed by Pat Sullivan in the early twentieth century.
C．was unable to do what natural cats could not do.
D．was created in the United States in the nineteenth century.
小題4:It can be inferred from the passage that _________.
A．Walt Disney’s cartoon characters were born earlier than Pat Sullivan’s.
B．only professionals can create cartoon character
C．Popeye the Sailor and Olive Oyo were famous cartoonists.
D．the cartoon industry started in the United States.

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