The garden city was largely the invention of Ebenezer Howard (1850-1928). After immigrating from
England to the USA, and an unsuccessful attempt to make a living as a farmer, he moved to Chicago,
where he saw the reconstruction of the city after the disastrous fire of 1871.In those days, it was
nicknamed "the Garden City",almost certainly the source of Howard"s name for his later building plan
of towns.Returning to London, Howard developed his design in the 1880s and 1890s, drawing_on ideas
that were popular at the time, but creating a unique combination of designs.
The nineteenthcentury poor city was in many ways a terrible place, dirty and crowded; but it offered
economic and social opportunities.At the same time, the British countryside was in fact equally unattractive: though it promised fresh air and nature, it suffered from agricultural depression(萧条) and it offered neither enough work and wages, nor much social life.Howard"s idea was to combine the best of town and country in a new kind of settlement,the garden city.Howard"s idea was that a group of people should set up a
company, borrowing money to establish a garden city in the depressed countryside, far enough from
existing cities to make sure that the land was bought at the bottom price.
Garden cities would provide a central public open space, radial avenues and connecting industries.
They would be surrounded by a much larger area of green belt, also owned by the company, containing
not merely farms but also some industrial institutions.As more and more people moved in, the garden city would reach its planned limit-Howard suggested 32,000 people; then, another would be started a short
distance away.Thus, over time, there would develop a vast planned house collection, extending almost
without limit; within it, each garden city would offer a wide range of jobs and services, but each would
also be connected to the others by a rapid transportation system,thus giving all the economic and social
opportunities of a big city.
1. How did Howard get the name for his building plan of garden cities?
A. Through his observation of the country life.
B. Through the combination of different ideas.
C. By taking other people"s advice.
D. By using the nickname of the reconstructed Chicago.
2. The underlined phrase "drawing on" in Paragraph 1 probably means________.
A. making use of
B. making comments on
C. giving an explanation of
D. giving a description of
3. According to Howard, garden cities should be built______.
A. as far as possible from existing cities
B. in the countryside where the land was cheap
C. in the countryside where agriculture was developed
D. near cities where employment opportunities already existed
4. What can we learn about garden cities from the last paragraph?
A. Their number would continue to rise.
B. Each one would continue to become larger.
C. People would live and work in the same place.
D. Each one would contain a certain type of business.
added-a communications blackout caused by solar storms.
After a period of calm within the Sun, scientists have detected the signs of a fresh cycle of sunspots
that could peak in 2012, just in time for the arrival of the Olympic torch in London.
Now scientists believe that this peak could result in vast solar explosions that could throw billions
of tons of charged matter towards the Earth, causing strong solar storms that could jam the
telecommunications satellites and Internet links sending live Olympic broadcast from London.
"The Sun"s activity has a strong influence on the Earth.The Olympics could be in the middle of the
next solar maximum which could affect the functions of communications satellites," said Professor
Richard Harrison, head of space physics at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire.
At the peak of the cycle, violent outbursts called coronal mass ejections (日冕物质抛射) occur
in the Sun"s atmosphere, throwing out great quantities of electricallycharged matter."A coronal mass
ejection can carry a billion tons of solar material into space at over a million kilometers per hour.Such
events can expose astronauts to a deadly amount, can disable satellites, cause power failures on Earth
and disturb communications," Professor Harrison added.The risk is greatest during a solar maximum
when there is the greatest number of sunspots.
Next week in America, NASA is scheduled to launch a satellite for monitoring solar activity called
the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), which will take images of the Sun that are 10 times clearer
than the most advanced televisions available.
The Rutherford Appleton Laboratory helped to make the hightech cameras that will capture images
of the solar flares (太阳耀斑) and explosions as they occur.
Professor Richard Holdaway, the lab"s director, said that the SDO should be able to provide early
warning of a solar flare or explosion big enough to affect satellite communications on Earth "If we have
advance warning, we"ll be able to reduce the damage.What you don"t want is things switching off for a
week with no idea of what"s caused the problem," he said.
1. The phrase "communications blackout" in Paragraph 1 most probably refers to________during the
2012 Olympics.
A. the extinguishing of the Olympic torch
B. the collapse of broadcasting systems
C. the transportation breakdown in London
D. the destruction of weather satellites
2. What can be inferred about the solar activity described in the passage?
A. The most fatal matter from the coronal falls onto Earth.
B. The solar storm peak occurs in the middle of each cycle.
C. It takes several seconds for the charged matter to reach Earth.
D. The number of sunspots declines after coronal mass ejections.
3. According to the passage, NASA will launch a satellite to________.
A. take images of the solar system
B. provide early warning of thunderstorms
C. keep track of solar activities
D. improve the communications on Earth
4. Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?
A. Solar Storms: An Invisible Killer
B. Solar Storms: Earth Environment in Danger
C. Solar Storms: Threatening the Human Race
D. Solar Storms: Human Activities to Be Troubled
Mallery invited me.And because dinner parties in London are very different from those back in New
York.There, "I"m having a dinner party" means:"I"m booking a table for 12 at a restaurant you can"t
afford and we"ll be sharing the cheque evenly, no matter what you eat."Worse, in Manhattan there is
always someone who leaves before the bill arrives.They"ll throw down cash, half of what they owe, and
then people like me, who don"t drink,end up paying even more.But if I try to use the same trick,the
hostess will shout:"Where are you going?"And it"s not like I can say I have somewhere to go:everyone
knows I have nowhere to go.
But in London, dinner parties are in people"s homes.Not only that, the guests are an interesting mix.
The last time I went to one, the guests were from France, India, Denmark and Nigeria; it was like a
gathering at the United Nations.In New York, the mix is less striking.It"s like a gathering at Bloomingdale"s, a wellknown department store.
For New Yorkers,talking about other parts of the world means Brooklyn and Queens in New York
.But at Mallery"s, when I said that I had been to Myanmar recently, people knew where it was.In New
York people would think it was a usual new club.
1. What does the word "shot" in Paragraph 1 probably mean?
A. Choice.
B. Try.
C. Style.
D. Goal.
2. What does the writer dislike most about dinner parties in New York?
A. There is a strange mix of people.
B. The restaurants are expensive.
C. The bill is not fairly shared.
D. People have to pay cash.
3. What does the author think of the parties in London?
A. A bit unusual.
B. Full of tricks.
C. Less costly.
D. More interesting.
4. What is the author"s opinion of some New Yorkers from her experience?
A. Easygoing.
B. Selfcentred.
C. Generous.
D. Conservative.
The Parthenon in Athens is a building with a long and complex history.Built nearly 2,500 years ago
as a temple celebrating the Greek goddess Athena, it was for thousands of years the church of the
Virgin Mary of the Athenians, then a mosque (清真寺), and finally a ruin.The building was changed
and the sculptures were much damaged over the centuries.By 1800 only about half of the original
sculptural decoration remained.
Between 1801 and 1805, Lord Elgin, the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, which
controlled Athens, acting with the full knowledge and permission of the Ottoman authorities, removed
about half of the remaining sculptures from the fallen ruins and from the building itself.Lord Elgin loved
Greek history and transported the sculptures back to Britain.The arrival of the sculptures in London
had a huge effect on the European public, greatly increasing interest in ancient Greek culture and
influencing contemporary artistic trends.These sculptures were acquired from Lord Elgin by the British
Museum in 1816 and since then they have all been on display to the public, free of charge.
Since the early 1980s, however, the Greek government has argued for the permanent removal to
Athens of all the Parthenon sculptures in the British Museum.They have also challenged the British
Museum Board of Trustees" legal title to the sculptures.
The British Museum, however, insists that it exists to tell the story of cultural achievement throughout
the world, from the dawn of human history over two million years ago until the present day.The museum
considers itself an important resource for the world: the breadth and depth of its collection allows the world public to reexamine cultural identities and explore the complex network of interconnected world cultures.
It also says that, within the context of this unparalleled collection, the Parthenon sculptures are an
important representation of ancient Athenian civilization.Each year millions of visitors admire the artistry
of the sculptures and gain insights on how ancient Greece influenced-and was influenced by the other
civilizations that it encountered(遭遇).
B.pray to their god
C.search for sculptures
D.learn about its complex history
B.the Greek government
C.the Parthenon
D.the British Museum Board of Trustees
B.He worked for the Ottoman Empire.
C.He saved the Parthenon sculptures from being destroyed.
D.He had a deep interest in Greek culture.
B.what people can see in the British Museum
C.why the British Museum refuses to return the sculptures
D.the influence of Greece on British culture
each other.These tricks are usually silly rather than mean.Classmates sometimes tie each other"s shoelaces
to their chairs.Teachers might hand out an impossibly difficult surprise test that scares students before they realize it"s only a joke.Newspapers announce fake contests (such as "Win an elephant!") and report on
fake stories (like "UFO" lands in New York City).
Forget gifts, songs and special foods-those are for the other holidays of the year.On April Fool"s Day,
the only tradition is to laugh (and maybe to cause a little bit of trouble).
One April Fool"s Day, when I was in high school, a group of students in my class played a very clever
and funny trick on the teachers.They bought some chickens and set them free in our school cafeteria.The
chickens ran all round the school, in and out of classrooms and under our feet. Feathers were flying
everywhere.
Teachers began running after the chickens, trying to catch them.Finally, they caught four of them.But
the chickens were wearing numbered tags (商标) around their necks, and the teachers discovered that
they had only caught chickens No.1, 2, 3, and 5.Where was chicken No.4?
The teachers looked and looked.They couldn"t find another chicken.After a few hours, they realized
that the students had played another joke on them: There were only four chickens in the first place!
They"ve been tricked by the numbers on the chickens.
It"s been a long time since I was in high school, but that April Fool"s Day remains one of my favorite
memories from those years.
1. What can we infer from the first paragraph on April Fool"s Day?
A. Everyone is hard to avoid being fooled on April Fool"s Day.
B. Students play jokes on teachers on April Fool"s Day.
C. Teachers play tricks on students on April Fool"s Day.
D. Newspapers often cheat people.
2. Why did students set chickens free?
A. They wanted to let chickens free.
B. They wanted to let chickens run all round the school.
C. They wanted to see feathers flying.
D. They wanted to play a trick on teachers.
3. How many jokes did the students play on teachers?
A. One.
B. Two.
C. Three.
D. Four.
4. What"s the title of the passage?
A. An unforgettable April Fool"s Day
B. April Fool"s Day
C. The origin of April Fool"s Day
D. What do people do on April Fool"s Day?
is in the south of the earth. Australia is big, but its population is not large. The population of Australia is
nearly as large as that of Shanghai.
The government has made enough laws to fight pollution. The cities in Australia have got little air or
water pollution. The sky is blue and the water is clean. You can clearly see fish swimming in the rivers.
Plants grow very well.
Last month we visited Perth, the biggest city in Western Australia, and went to a wild flowers"
exhibition. There we saw a large number of wild flowers we had never seen before. We had a wonderful
time. Perth is famous for its beautiful wild flowers. In spring every year Perth has the wild flowers"
exhibition. After visiting Perth, we spent the day in the countryside. We sat down and had a rest near a
path at the foot of a hill. It was quiet and we enjoyed ourselves. Suddenly we heard bells ringing at the
top of the hill. What we saw made us pick up all our things and run back to the car as quickly as we
could. There were about three hundred sheep coming towards us down the path.
Australia is famous for its sheep and kangaroos(袋鼠). After a short drive from any town, you will
find yourself in the middle of white sheep. Sheep, sheep, everywhere are sheep.
1. Australia is ________.
A. the largest country in the world
B. as large as Shanghai
C. not as large as China
D. the largest island in the north of the earth
2. The government had made ________.
A. few laws to fight pollution
B. so many laws that it can fight pollution
C. enough laws that it can hardly fight pollution
D. enough laws because the pollution is very serious
3. Which of the following is NOT true?
A. Perth is famous for its beautiful wild flowers.
B. Perth is bigger than any other city in Western Australia.
C. Perth lies in the west of Australia.
D. No other city is larger than Perth in Australia.
4. In Perth you may visit a wild flowers" show in ________.
A. October
B. January
C. May
D. July
- 1 There ____an old clock on the wall.A. be B. are
- 2下面短文中共有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: 在缺词处加一个漏字符
- 3计算:(13)-1-(3-2)0-4cos30°+23
- 4椭圆x2a2+y2b2=1(a>b>0)的一个顶点为A(0,3),离心率e=45(1)求椭圆方程;(2)若直线ℓ:y=k
- 5一次函数y=kx+b中,若k>0,b<0,则它的图象不经过( )A.第一象限B.第二象限C.第三象限D.第四象限
- 6下列说法正确的是 ( )A.化合反应只生成一种物质B.分解反应的生成物一定只有两种C.氧化反应都是化合反应D.人
- 7如图所示,在光滑水平面上,质量为m的小球在绳的拉力作用下做半径为r的匀速圆周运动,小球运动的角速度为ω,则绳的拉力F大小
- 8切取动物控制合成生长激素的基因,注入鲇鱼受精卵中,与其DNA整合后产生生长激素,从而使鲇鱼比同种正常鱼增大3~4倍。此项
- 9已知点P(2,-1),求:(1)过P点与原点距离为2的直线l的方程;(2)过P点与原点距离最大的直线l的方程,最大距离是
- 10填空。《***的少年时代》选自____________,作者_________,美国记者,作家。
- 1水的密度是_______,读为______________ ,其物理意义是________________ ,将1000
- 2设(x,y)在映射f下的象是(x+y2,x-y2),则(2,0)在f下的原象是______.
- 3已知,一曲线上的动点到距离之差为6,则双曲线的方程为
- 42001年12月11日,中国加入 [ ]A、联合国 B、红十字会 C、世界贸易组织 D、北大西洋公约组织
- 5有这样一道选择题,女儿回家看见妈妈正准备去拿放在高处的东西:女儿:妈妈,我来拿吧。 妈妈: A:不用了,谢谢! B:
- 6如图所示,一横截面为半圆形的玻璃柱体,三种颜色不同的可见光细光束a、b、c,垂直于直径从空气射向玻璃,b正好过圆心O,a
- 7如图所示,圆形区域内有垂直纸面向内的匀强磁场,三个质量和电荷量都相同的带电粒子a、b、c,以不同的速率对准圆心O沿着AO
- 8下列对原子构成的理解错误的是 [ ]A.原子整体不显电性B.原子核比原子小得多 C.原子核是不可分割的实心球体D
- 9The Foreign Ministry spokeswoman on Thursday urged Japan to
- 10如图是显微镜结构图,请据图回答.(1)转动______,使光线通过通光孔反射到镜简内.(2)使用显微镜观察玻片,当镜筒下