To us it seems so natural to put up an umbrella to keep the water off when it rains, but actually the umbrella was not invented as protection against the rain, Its first use was as a shade against the sun!

Nobody knows who first invented it, but the umbrella was used in very ancient times. Probably the first to use it were the Chinese in the 11th century BC.

We know that the umbrella was used in ancient Egypt and Babylon as a sunshade. And there was a strange thing connected with its use: it became a symbol of honor. In the Far East in ancient times, the umbrella was allowed to be used only by those in high office.

In Europe, the Greeks were the first to use the umbrella as a sunshade. And the umbrella was in commonly used in ancient Greece. But it is believed that the first persons in Europe to use the umbrella as protection against the rain were the ancient Romans.

During the Middle Ages, the use of the umbrella practically disappeared. Then it appeared again in Italy in the late sixteenth century. And again it was considered as a symbol of power. By 1680, the umbrella appeared in France and later in England.

By the eighteenth century, the umbrella was used against rain throughout most of Europe.

Umbrellas have not changed much in style during all this time, though they have become much lighter in weight. It wasn’t until the twentieth century that women’s umbrellas began to be made , in a whole variety of colors.

76．According to this passage, the umbrella was probably first invented in ancient_______.

　　　 A．China　　　 B．Egypt　 　　　 C．Greece　 　　 D．Rome

77．Which of the following statements is not true about the umbrella?

　　　 A．No one exactly knows who the inventor of the umbrella was

　　　 B．The umbrella was first invented to be used as protection against the sun.

　　　 C．The umbrella changed much in style in the eighteenth century

　　 D．In Europe, the Greeks were the first to use the umbrella as a sunshade.

78．A strange feature of the umbrella’s use is that it was used as__________.

　　　 A．protection against rain　　　 　　 　B. a symbol of honor and power

　　　 C．a(chǎn) shade against the sun　 　　 　 D．women’s decoration

79．In Europe, the umbrella was first used against the rain_______________.

　　 A. during the Middle Ages B. in Rome　 C. by the 18th D. in Greece

80．This passage talks mainly about_______________.

　　 A．when and how the umbrella was invented

　　 B．why the umbrella was so popular in Europe

　　　C．the development of the umbrella

　　 D．The history and use of the umbrella

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科目：高中英語 來源：河南省焦作市2010屆高三下學(xué)期第一次質(zhì)量檢測 題型：閱讀理解


When we think about happiness, we usually think of something extraordinary, a top great delight.
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62. The author implies that when one dreams wealth and finally gets it he____.
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C. may consider it extreme happiness 
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63. The passage aims to tell_______.
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C. the constant dream of happiness    D. the changing concept of happiness

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科目：高中英語 來源：2013年全國普通高等學(xué)校招生統(tǒng)一考試英語（天津卷帶解析） 題型：閱讀理解

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B．a(chǎn)ssociate their happiness less with others
C．will take fewer risks in pursuing happiness
D．tend to believe responsibility means happiness
【小題2】What can we learn about the author from Paragraphs 5 and 6?
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C．Grandma often found time for social gatherings.
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C．a(chǎn)re at a loss to make correct choices
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【小題5】What can be concluded from the passage?
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科目：高中英語 來源：2013-2014學(xué)年陜西西安鐵一中國際合作學(xué)校高三上學(xué)期11月模擬考試英語試卷（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解

 A funny thing happened on the way to the communications revolution: we stopped talking to one another.

I was walking in the park with a friend recently, and his cell phone rang, interrupting our conversation. There we were walking and talking on a beautiful sunny day and... I became invisible, absent from the conversation. The telephone used to connect you to the absent. Now it makes people sitting next to you feel absent. Why is it that the more connected we get, the more disconnected I feel? Every advance in communications technology is a tragedy to the closeness of human interaction（互動）. With email and instant messaging over the internet, we can now communicate without seeing or talking to one another. With voice mail, you can conduct  entire conversations without ever reaching anyone. If my mom  has a question, I just leave the answer on her machine.

As almost every contact we can imagine between human  beings gets automated（自動化）, the alienation index（疏遠(yuǎn)指數(shù)） goes up. You can't  even call a person to get the phone number of another person  any more. Directory assistance is almost always fully automated.

I am not against modern technology. I own a cell phone,  an ATM card, a voice mail system, and an email account. Giving them up isn't wise... they're a great help to us. It's some of  their possible consequences that make me feel uneasy.

More and more. I find myself hiding behind e­mail to do a job meant for conversation. Or being relieved that voice mail   picked up because I didn't really have time to talk. The industry devoted to helping me keep in touch is making me lonelier ...or at least facilitating my antisocial instincts.

 So I've put myself on technology restriction: no instant   messaging with people who live near me, no cell phoning in the presence of friends, no letting the voice mail pick up when I'm at home.

1.Which of the following would be the best title of the passage?

A. The Advance of Communications Technology

B. The Consequences of modern Technology

C. The Story of Communications Revolution

D. The Automation of Modern Communications

2.The sentence “Now it makes people sitting next to you feel absent” means that ________.

A. the people sitting beside you have to go away to receive a phone call

B. you can hardly get in touch with the people sitting beside you

C. modern technology makes it hard for people to have a face-­to­-face talk

D. people can now go to work without going to the office

3.The writer feels that the use of modern communications is ________.

A. satisfying   B. encouraging  C. disappointing D. embarrassing

4.The passage implies that ________.

A. modern technology is bridging the people

B. modern technology is separating the people

C. modern technology is developing too fast

D. modern technology is interrupting our communication

 

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科目：高中英語 來源：2014屆四川成都石室中學(xué)高三10月月考英語試卷（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解

A funny thing happened on the way to the communication revolution: we stopped talking to one another.

I was walking in the park with a friend recently, and his cell phone rang, interrupting our conversation. There we were, walking and talking on a beautiful sunny day and suddenly, I became invisible, absent from the conversation.

The telephone used to connect you to the absent. Now it makes people sitting next to you feel absent. Why is it that the more connected we get, the more disconnected I feel? Every advance in communication technology is a tragedy to the closeness of human interaction. With email and instant messaging over the Internet, we can now communicate without seeing or talking to one another. With voice-mail, you can conduct entire conversations without ever reaching anyone. If my mom has a question, I just leave the answer on her machine.

As almost every contact we can imagine between human beings gets automated, the emotional distance index goes up. You can’t even call a person to get the phone number of another person any more. Directory assistance is almost always fully automated.

I am not against modern technology. I own a cell phone, an ATM card, a voice-mail system, and an email account. Giving them up isn’t wise. They’re a great help to us. It's some of their possible consequences that make me feel uneasy.

More and more, I find myself hiding behind e­mail to do a job meant for conversations or being relieved with voice-mail picking up because I don't really have time to talk. The industry devoted to helping me keep in touch is making me lonelier.

1.Which of the following would be the best title of the passage?

A. The Advance of Modern Technology

B. The Consequences of Communication Technology

C. The Story of Communication Revolution

D. The Automation of Modern Communication

2.Which is NOT TURE according to the passage?

A. The author has decided not to use his phone when he is with his friend.

B. Modern technology makes it hard for people to have a face-to-face talk.

C. The limited use of communication device brings much inconvenience to the author.

D. The industry intended to keep people in touch is taking them away from each other.

3.The writer feels that the use of modern communication is ______.

A. satisfying          B. encouraging

C. disappointing       D. embarrassing

4.The passage implies that ______.

A. modern technology is bridging the people   

B. modern technology is separating the people

C. modern technology is developing too fast

D. modern technology is interrupting people

 

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