"Colour" and "color"，"favourite" and "favorite"... Have you ever wondered why Americans spell those words without a "u"? Is it because they are lazy?
Of course not. In fact，the difference in spelling was created by Noah Webster (1758-1843). He is a teacher who reformed English to make American identity stronger. Linguists (语言学家) celebrated his 250th birthday on October 16. After the Revolutionary War (1775~ 1783)，Webster believed that Americans should have their own dictionary，rather than rely on British versions (版本). He dropped the British "u" in some words. And he changed "centre" into "center" for children to learn English by spelling words more like they sounded.
Webster wasn't shy about expressing his opinions. In defining (定义) preposterous (unreasonable)，he wrote: "A republican government in the hands of females is preposterous."
Webster spent 28 years on the project before completing the 70,000-word dictionary in 1828 with his American-style spellings. He also added local words. His dictionary was widely used in schools. Linguists believed it helped a new nation achieve unity and cultural independence at a time when most were focused on political freedom.
"He was the shaper of our language and the shaper of American identity，"said Joshua Kendall，who is working on a biography (传记) about Webster. "He at last bonded (联合)us through our language."
【小题1】Which of the following would probably be the best title for the passage?
| A．The shaper of American English. |
| B．American identity. |
| C．Webster's dictionary. |
| D．Spelling differences between American and British English. |
| A．voicing his opinion | B．changing "centre" into "center" |
| C．adding local words | D．dropping "u" in all the British words |
| A．Interesting. | B．Meaningful. | C．Unfinished. | D．Boring. |
| A．Because he wanted to make English simple and easy. |
| B．Because he wanted to show that the USA is stronger than the UK. |
| C．Because he wanted to achieve political freedom. |
| D．Because he wanted American English to have its own characteristics. |
| A．In 1758. | B．In 1783. | C．In 1800. | D．In 1828. |
【小题1】A
【小题2】D
【小题3】B
【小题4】D
【小题5】C
解析试题分析：文章介绍了Noah Webster希望美式英语有自己的特点而改变美式英语的故事。
【小题1】主旨题：文章介绍了Noah Webster 如何改变美式英语的，最后一段对他的评价是He was the shaper of our language and the shaper of American identity ，所以选A
【小题2】细节题：文章第二，三，四段提到ABC的内容，D项是错误的，因为只有部分单词的u被去掉了。选D。
【小题3】推理题：从第四段的句子：His dictionary was widely used in schools. Linguists believed it helped a new nation achieve unity and cultural independence at a time when most were focused on political freedom. 可知Webster的工作是很有意义的。选B。
【小题4】推理题：从第二段的句子：He is a teacher who reformed English to make American identity stronger.可知是希望美式英语有自己的特点。选D
【小题5】推理题：文章第二段的时间After the Revolutionary War (1775~ 1783)可知答案是C
考点：考查人物传记类短文
点评：文章篇幅较短，内容易懂，除了细节题和主旨题，主要考查了推理题，注重综合语言能力的运用，结合语境，做出准确的判断。
阅读快车系列答案科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Have you ever noticed the colour of the water in a river or stream after a heavy rainfall? What do you think caused this change in colour? It is soil that has been washed into the river from the riverbank or from t}le nearby fields．
Components of Soft
Soil is made up of a number of layers(层)，each having its own distinctive colour and texture．The upper layer is known as the litter．It acts like a blanket．limiting temperature changes and reducing water loss．The topsoil layer is made up of small particles of rock mixed with rotten plant and animal matter called humus(腐殖质)，which is black and gives the topsoil its dark colour．This layer is usually rich in nutrients，oxygen，and water．Below the topsoil is the subsoil，a layer that contains more stones mixed with only small amounts of organic matter．This layer is lighter in colour because of the lack of humus．Beneath the soil lies a layer of bedrock．
Soil forms from the bottom up．Over time bedrock is attacked by rain, wind，frost, and snow．It is gradually broken down into smaller particles in a process called weathering．Plants begin to grow，and rotten materials enrich the topsoil．Most of the soil in Eastern Canada．for example．Was formed from weathered rock that was exposed when the ice disappeared l2．000 years ag0．
Water Beneath the Soil
Surface water collects and flows above the ground in lakes．ponds．and rivers．Once in the soil or rock，it is called groundwater．Gravity pulls groundwater through the soil in a process called percolation(渗透)．Eventually the water reaches a layer called the water table．Under this is bedrock through which water cannot percolate．
As water percolates downward，it dissolves organic matter and minerals from the soil and carries them to deeper layers．This causes a serious problem because plants require these nutrients for growth.
Soil pH
Soil can be acidic．neutral．or basic．The pH of the soil is determined by the nature of the rock
from which it was formed．and by the nature of t}le plants that grow and rot in it．
The acidity of rain and snow can lower the pH of the groundwater that enters the soil．By burning fossil fuels such as coal，oil and gasoline，humans have been contributing to higher levels of acidity in many soils．When fossil fuels are burned．gases are released into the air and then fall back to earth as acid rain．Acid soil increases出e problem of carrying nutrients to lower soil levels．As nutrients are removed，soil is less fertile．Plants grow more slowly in acidic soil，and also become easily attacked by diseases．
67．The layer of soil that provides necessary nutrients for plant growth is called．
A．1itter B．topsoil C．humus D．subsoil
68．According to the text．which of the following is NOT true?
A．Soil forms from weathered rock on the earth surface．
B．The deeper layer of soil is darker in colour than t}le surface soil．
C．Air pollution is partially responsible for acid soil．
D．Groundwater tends to carry away nutrients for plant growth．
69．We can infer from the passage that the water table lies ．
A．between the topsoil layer and the subsoil layer
B．in the subsoil layer above bedrock
C．between the subsoil layer and bedrock
D．in the bedrock layer beneath the subsoil
70．The underlined word “dissolve” is used to express the idea that organic matter and minerals from soil are ．
A．rushed away into the river
B．cleaned and purified by water
C．destroyed and carried away by water
D．mixed with water and become part of it
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科目：高中英语 来源：2012-2013学年安徽省宿州市泗县二中高二第二次月考英语试卷（带解析） 题型：阅读理解
If you see someone drowning, speed is very important. Once you get him out of the water, if he isn't breathing, you have four minutes before his brain is completely destroyed. Support his neck, move his head back and press his chin upwards. This stops the tongue blocking the airway in the throat and is sometimes enough to get him breathing again. If that doesn't work, start mouth-to-mouth breathing. Press his nostrils (the two holes at the end of your nose, through which you breathe and smell things) together with your fingers. Open your mouth and take a deep breath. Blow into his lungs until his chest rises, then remove your mouth and watch his chest fall. Repeat twelve times a minute. Keep doing until professional help arrives.
To bring a child back to life, keep your lips around his mouth and gently blow into his mouth. Give the first four breaths as quickly as possible to fill the blood with oxygen. If, in spite of your efforts, he starts turning a blue-grey colour, and you can feel no pulse(脉搏), then pressing is the last chance of saving his life.
With arms straight, rock forwards, pressing down on the lower half of the breastbone. Don't be too hard or you may break a rib. Check how effective you are by seeing if his colour improves or his pulse becomes independent to your chest pressing. If this happens, stop the pressing. Otherwise continue until rescue arrives.
【小题1】If you want to save someone drowning, you __________.
| A．have to pull off his clothes first . |
| B．should try to get him out of water as quickly as possible. |
| C．should first make out who he is. |
| D．ought to throw a life coat to him first . |
| A．you have no more than 4 minutes to bring him to life again . |
| B．his brain is completely damaged . |
| C．he has passed away. |
| D．there is no way to save his life . |
| A．keep the tongue from blocking the airway in the throat . |
| B．prevent the tongue from stopping the airway in the throat . |
| C．wipe the tongue out of the throat . |
| D．see if he can possibly be saved . |
| A．press his chin upwards is enough to get him breathing . |
| B．blow air into his mouth is sure to save his life . |
| C．press his nostrils together with your fingers can work . |
| D．press is the last chance of saving his life . |
| A．Don’t stop pressing his chest, if the drowning man starts breathing again. |
| B．If you see someone drowning, you must give him mouth-to-mouth breathing. |
| C．If a man does not breathe for four minutes, his brain will be completely destroyed. |
| D．When pressing, you can do it as hard as you can. |
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科目：高中英语 来源：2012-2013学年辽宁朝阳柳城高级中学高二上学期期末考试英语试卷（带解析） 题型：阅读理解
The tea gardens in Sri Lanka are actually large estates(种植园). The best tea usually comes from plants grown on high grounds, the cool hilltops with rows and rows of tea plants. The plants are about one metre apart. The plant is often pruned so that it remains only 60 to 90 centimetres high. Pruning is important because it encourages the growth of tender hoots, or young leaves. It is from these shoots that the best in got.
Practically all the tea pickers are women. The estates like to employ women pickers because they are more careful. Their thin fingers can easily remove the twin leaves and new shoots from the plant, which are the parts used for processing(加工)tea. The pickers carry large baskets into which they throw their pickings. A skilled worker can harvest between 9 to 14 kilogrammes of tea leaves a day. Usually new shoots can be picked from the plants about every ten or fifteen days.
Processing tea shoots into the familiar dry tea leaves requires great care and skill. There are various methods of processing depending on the type of tea required. For black tea, the young green leaves are first spread out on shelves to dry. This process removes much of its water and the leaves become soft. After this, the leaves are passed through heavy rollers. This operation will press the leaves for juices which give the tea both its colour and taste. Then the leaves are spread out on floors and left to ferment(发酵)under wet conditions. Fermentation develops the rich taste of black tea. The fermented leaves are then dried with a hotair blower until they become rolledup black leaves. The final step is to sort and grade them before the black tea is ready for sale to countries all over the world.
【小题1】In the first paragraph, the word“pruning”means______.
| A．regular cutting of the plants. | B．frequent watering |
| C．regular use of chemicals | D．growing the plants high in the mountain |
| A．they work harder than men do in picking |
| B．they can throw their picking more easily into the baskets |
| C．their fingers fit them better for the job |
| D．they can move easily find the twin leaves |
| A．Three. | B．Four. | C．Five. | D．Six. |
| A．To introduce various methods of tea processing. |
| B．To persuade readers to buy tea from Sri Lanka. |
| C．To tell a story that had happened in the tea gardens. |
| D．To inform readers of tea growing, picking and processing. |
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科目：高中英语 来源：2012-2013学年江西上饶中学高一第一次月考零班实验班英语试卷（带解析） 题型：阅读理解
“Colour” and “color”, “favourite” and “favorite”···Have you ever wondered why Americans spell those words without a “u”? Is it because they are lazy?
Of course not. In fact, the difference in spelling was created by Noah Webster (1758—1843). He is a teacher who reformed English to make American identity stronger. Linguists（语言学家） celebrated his 250th birthday on October 16. After the Revolutionary War(1775—1783), Webster believed that Americans should have their own dictionary, rather than rely on British versions（版本）. He dropped the British “u” in some words. And he changed “centre” into “center” for children to learn English by spelling words more like they sounded.
Webster wasn’t shy about expressing his opinions. In defining（定义） preposterous, he wrote: “A republican government in the hands of females is preposterous.”
Webster spent 28 years on the project before completing the 70,000-word dictionary in 1828 with his American-style spellings. He also added local words. His dictionary was widely used in schools. Linguists believed it helped a new nation achieve unity and cultural independence at a time when most were focused on political freedom.
“He was the shaper of our language and the shaper of American identity,” said Joshua Kendall, who is working on a biography（传记） about Webster. “He at last bonded（联合） us through our language.”
【小题1】 According to the passage, when he worked on his dictionary, Noah Webster did all of the following EXCEPT______.
| A．dropping “u” in all the British words |
| B．changing “centre” into “center” |
| C．adding local words |
| D．expressing his opinion. |
| A．In 1758 | B．In 1783 | C．In 1800 | D．In 1828 |
| A．Because he wanted to make English simple and easy. |
| B．Because he wanted American English to have it own characteristics（特征）. |
| C．Because he wanted to make American English the best in the world. |
| D．Because he wanted to show that the USA is stronger than the UK. |
| A．Interesting | B．Boring | C．Unfinished | D．Meaningful |
| A．Webster |
| B．American identity |
| C．The shaper of American English |
| D．Spelling difference between American and British English. |
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科目：高中英语 来源：2015届福建省高一上学期期中考试英语试卷（解析版） 题型：阅读理解
The Peppered Moth, a kind of insect(昆虫), is found in England. It is light brown in colour and likes to settle(栖息) on trees which are also light brown. This makes the moth difficult to be seen and birds are less likely to notice and eat it.
But with the development of industry(工业) , smoke from factories began to reach the trees where the moth settled. It made the trees blacker. Then something very strange took place: in industrial areas, the Peppered Moth began to change colour. It became darker as well. Though the change took several years, some scientists soon notice that newly-born moths were a little darker than usual.
A scientist with the name Kettlewell decided to make a careful study of this phenomenon(现象). He marked some of the light moths and some of the darker ones, and set them free in the woods near Bermingham, an industrial city. Later, he recaptured(重新捕获) as many as the marked moths as possible. The results were as follows.
|
|
light moths |
darker moths |
|
Moths set free |
201 |
601 |
|
moths recaptured |
34(16%) |
206(34%) |
Kettlewell's research (研究) was done in the early 1950s. Soon afterwards Britain introduced new laws to reduce smoke and factory pollution.
Can you imagine what would happen to the Peppered Moth as the air became cleaner again?
1.The Peppered Moth began to change its colour in industrial areas because .
A．it itself liked to
B．it could be like the colour of its living-place
C．it had to keep the balance of nature
D．it was usually dark brown
2.From the results of Kettlewell's research, we can see that .
A．many more of the light moths were killed or eaten
B．more than one-fifth of the light moths was not killed
C．three times as many dark moths were kept safe as light ones
D．more dark moths were killed in industrial areas
3.As the air became cleaner, .
A．the number of the light moths became larger
B．the total number of the light moths remained unchanged
C．there were more of the darker moths and fewer of the light ones
D．the darker moths changed into the light ones suddenly
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