The Hawaiian Islands are in the Pacific Ocean almost 4,000, kilometres west of California. Tourism is very important to Hawaii. The tropical weather and beaches bring people from all over the world. But Hawaii is also experiencing problems from the downturn(经济衰退).
Last year was the first year since 2004 that Hawaii has had fewer than seven million visitors. The state had 6,800,000 arrivals in 2008. That was a decrease of 10% from the year before. State officials expect a decrease this year of another 2%. And they expect no growth in the economy through most of the year.
The Hawaiian Islands were formed millions of years ago by hot liquid rock flowing from undersea volcanoes. Visitors can still watch the process take place on the largest island, which like the state is named Hawaii. People usually just call it the Big Island.
Experts say Polynesian people first sailed to Hawaii about 2,000 years ago. A king ruled the islands when the 18th century British explorer James Cook arrived. At first, Hawaiians treated Captain Cook like a god. But in the end, he was killed on the Big Island in 1779.
Britain gave the islands their independence in 1843. Then, fifty years later, a group of American businessmen ousted the ruler and founded the Republic of Hawaii. It became an American territory in 1900.
That was three years after the United States set up a naval base at Pearl Harbor, on the island of Oahu, which served as the command base for American operations in the Pacific during World War Two.
After the war, most Hawaiians required that Hawaii should be an independent state. In Congress(国会), though, there was resistance from southern states because of Hawaii’s non-white native population. But Congress passed the Hawaii Statehood Bill in 1959. Hawaiians accepted it, and on August 21st, President Eisenhower declared Hawaii the fiftieth state.
1..The number of visitors to Hawaii in 2009 is expected to be about _________.
A. 5,984,000 B. 6,664,000 C. 6,800,000 D. 6,936,000
2..When did the US set up a naval base at Pearl Harbor?
A. In 1893. B. In 1897. C. In 1900. D. In 1959.
3..What does the underlined word “ousted” in Paragraph 5 mean?
A. Forced out. B. Picked out. C. Elected. D. Became.
4..Which of the following is the correct order in the history of Hawaii?
a. It was ruled by a Polynesian king. b. It became an American territory.
c. The Republic of Hawaii was founded. d. It was under the rule of the British.
e. It became independent in 1843. f. It joined the United States.
A. a, b, d, c, e, f B. a, e, d, c, b, f C. a, d, e, c, b, f D. a, e, e, d, b, f
科目:高中英语 来源:读想用 高二英语(下) 题型:050
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The basic flag of the United States is one of the world's oldest national flags.Only the basic flags of Austria,Denmark,Great Britain,the Netherlands,Sweden,and Switzerland are older.
During the discovery and settlement of hat is now the United States,the flags of various European nations were flown over the land,as symbols of possession.later,in the Colonial and Revolutionary War periods,flags representing famous persons,place,and events were flown in the American Colonies.
The first official flag of the United States was created by Congress on June 14,1777.It consisted of 13 alternate red and white stripes and 13 white stars in a field of blue,representing the 13 colonies that had declared their independence in 1776.Congress adopted a new flag of 15 stars and 15 stripes in 1795,to give representation to the two new states admitted into the Union,Vermont and Kentucky.
By 1817,there were 20 states in the Union,and it became apparent that adding one stripe for each new state would destroy the shape of the flag.As a result,Congress in 1818 restored the original design of 13 stripes and provided that each state was to be represented by one star.In 1912 President William H.Taft made the first official provision for the arrangement of the stars.He ordered that there be six even rows of eight stars each Previously the arrangement of the stars had been left to the flag-maker fancy.
The evolution of the Stars and Stripes reflects the growth of the United States.After the admission of Hawaii into the Union in 1959,the flag was officially changed for the 26th time since its creation.
There are many government flown in the United states in addition to the national flag.Among them are the president's and vice-president's flags and those of the federal departments and some federal agencies.Each state in the Union has an official flag.The United States Navy uses special flags for signaling.
1.According to the passage,which of the following possesses one of the world's oldest national flags?
[ ]
2.In the United States,why were the flags of various European nations were flown over the land initially?
[ ]
A.Because then the United States was the European nations'colony.
B.Because they were representing famous person,place and events.C.Because the United States wanted to show friendship to the European nations.
D.The passage don't tell us.
3.From the passage,which of the following is not true?
[ ]
A.Congress designed the first national flag.
B.Because of the two new states admitted into the Union,the national flag became fifteen stars and fifteen stripes.
C.From the evolution of the stars and stripes,we can understand the history of the United States.
D.The flag was officially changed for the 26th time before the Hawaii admitted into the Union.
4.Which flags now don't exist in the United States?
[ ]
A.The president's and vice-president's flags.
B.Each state's official flag in the Union.
C.Children's flags.
D.The United States Navy's flags.
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
Experts say the American state of Hawaii has been invaded (入侵)by a small frog called the coqui (ko--kee). There may be millions of the small frogs in Hawaii. However, they do not belong there. They are normally found in the southeastern United States. The coqui frogs are harming Hawaii’s environment. And the extremely loud noise they make is causing problems for Hawaiian citizens and visitors.
The coqui invaders arrived in Hawaii about ten years ago. They were believed to have been brought in accidentally in shipments of plants from Florida. Their number has sharply increased. They have quickly spread around the Hawaii Islands hidden in plants.
The coqui is a brown frog about five centimeters long. During the day, the frogs hide in wet protected areas, such as under plant leaves. At night, the frogs move onto trees to feed, call to females and mates. The call of the male coqui sounds like. Ko kee! Ko kee!
In the southeastern United States, local people celebrate coqui frogs. But in Hawaii, the foreign frog has been considered as a harmful animal. The coqui frogs are a major danger to Hawaii’s environmental system. The frogs eat thousands of insects (昆虫)every night. These insects are important for the reproduction of plants. The insects also are important food for Hawaii’s native rare birds. The frogs also are affecting the tourism industry in Hawaii. Increasing numbers of hotels, visitors and local people have been annoyed by the loud calls made by male coqui frogs to female frogs. At night, the noise often makes it difficult for people to sleep.
The frogs do not have any natural enemies in Hawaii to reduce their population size. The warm weather permits them to lay eggs all year long. There are many efforts in Hawaii designed to stop the spread of the coqui. It is a crime to transport ,sell or release(释放)the frogs there.
The Hawaii Department of Agriculture is trying to find an effective chemical that can be safely used to kill the frogs. For now, the frogs may only be caught by hand. The Hawaii Department of Agriculture says the greatest danger to the economy and environment of the state is from harmful species, like the coqui.
The statement that can best summarize the main idea of the passage is .
A.the coqui invaders have seriously affected the tourism industry in Hawaii
B.it is not permitted to transport, sell or release the coqui frogs in Hawaii
C.the coqui invasion has serious effects on the economy and environment in Hawaii
D.great efforts have been made by the Hawaii people to kill the coqui
The coqui frogs originally arrived in Hawaii .
A.by chance B.at the request of all the local citizens
C.as a gift D.as goods demanded in the local market
Visitors to Hawaii don’t like the coqui frogs mainly because .
A.they are a big danger to the environmental system there
B.the loud noise made by the frogs bother their rest at night
C.they affect the reproduction of the local plants and insects
D.visitors could no longer see the native rare birds because of them
The two factors leading to the rapid spread of coqui frogs in Hawaii are .
A.the frogs’ habit and the environment in Hawaii
B.the large number of the insects and the plants in Hawaii
C.the geographic location of Hawaii and its tourism industry
D.the warm weather there and the frogs’ lack of natural enemies
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
ISLANDS in the world are famous for different things. But Hawaii is special for its variety of features. Beautiful sandy beaches, active volcanoes, a great canyon and special history and culture add up to create its famously romantic atmosphere.
Formed by volcanoes at the bottom of the sea, the Hawaii islands are like a necklace(项链) in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, 6,000 kilometres off the west coast of Mexico. There are eight main islands in the group Hawaii (or Big Island), Maui, Kahoolawe, Lanai, Molokai, Oahu, Kauai, and Niihau.
The youngest and biggest island, also called Hawaii was formed 430,000 years ago and is still growing. Kauai, the oldest was formed 5.1 million years ago. For tourists, the sight of the lava that still flows from some of the volcanoes down to the sea, is a major attraction.
Hawaii is the newest and smallest state in the US. In 1900 the islands joined the US. In modern history it will always be remembered for the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese air force 1941.
About 1,000 years ago the islands were settled by Polynesians Captain James Cook led the first group of Westerners there in 1778.
Native Hawaiians have a special culture and languages. Although nowadays English is the official language of Hawaii, folk music and dancing are still widely practiced. The traditional dance of the islands is the hula, a Hawaiian word that means dance.
Hawaii's reputation for romance was spread when Hollywood started to use its typical music in movies in the 1960s.
Today, Hawaii is famous for its mix of cultures. Chinese, Japanese and Filipinos all live there. Chinese arrived in the islands as early as the late 18th century. Dr Sun Yat-sen, the famous Chinese revolutionary, grew up there.
Everyone in Hawaii is a member of an ethnic minority and generally they exist in a pleasant harmony of races and cultures.
6. Which of the following directly led to the formation of the Hawaii islands?
A. The sea.
B. The volcanoes.
C. The violent meeting of the earth's different plates.
D. The nonstop turning of the earth.
7. Which of the following shows the correct order of the listed events?
a. Japan attacked Hawaii.
b. The Hawaii islands became part of the US.
c. Hawaii began to be known for romance.
d. First group of Chinese settled there.
A. d, b, c, a B. b, d, a, c
C. d, b, a, c D. b, a, d, c
8. What's the official language of Hawaii nowadays?
A. English. B. Japanese.
C. Polynesian. D. Chinese.
9. Native Hawaiians come from ________.
A. Asia B. the West
C. South America D. Polynesia
10. The main idea of the story is about Hawaii's ________.
A. history B. geography
C. culture D. features
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科目:高中英语 来源:2011年四川省2012级第四学期半期考试英语试题 题型:阅读理解
Plastics are considered one of the most serious pollutants causing environmental problems. The garbage containing plastics end up in the waterways that eventually flow into the oceans. Accumulation (聚集)of plastic in the ocean endangers marine life and pollutes the water.
Does a plastic continent exist? Yes, a plastic continent does exist and was discovered by Captain Charles Moore a decade ago. The plastic continent is twice the size of Britain and it is the region between the Hawaii Islands and California in the central Pacific Ocean.
One of the causes of the lack of marine life in this region is due to pollution and pollutants are none other than plastics. Captain Charles Moore believes plastic waste started accumulating in the 1950s.
The plastic continent is the man-made continent of floating plastic waste. The fisher men and the sailors have avoided this region for years. The reasons are:
1. There are no fish here because of the lack of nutrients.
2. The zone also lacks the wind that is essential for sailing.
To do research on the ocean pollution, Captain Moore founded Algalita Marine Research Foundation. Other organizations such as Greenpeace supported his cause. The reports of The United Nations Environment Program show that millions of seabirds and marine animals are dying due to the invasion(入侵)of plastics. The waste plastics can be recycled, but in fact they are being thrown into the oceans. The marine animals mistake these for food and eat them. This leads to their death that affects the marine food chain.
To save the oceans from the plastic continent you need to reduce the use of plastics, reuse plastic bags and recycle plastics.
1. What can we learn from the first paragraph?
A.A plastic continent does exist in the Pacific Ocean |
B.Endangered marine life is well protected. |
C.Plastics are one of the main causes of water pollution. |
D.Plastics should be forbidden in people’s daily life. |
2. What is the direct influence of the plastic continent?
A.Local fishermen have to fish in other areas. |
B.The water becomes shallow and fish have to move away. |
C.The wind is too strong there and it makes sailing more difficult. |
D.It makes people realize the importance of protecting the environment. |
3. It is implied that the work of plastic recycling proves to be ______.
A.effective |
B.expensive |
C.a difficult task |
D.not good enough |
4.What can we learn from the passage?
A.Many marine animals are dying due to the broken marine food chain. |
B.Captain Moore founded Greenpeace to do research on the ocean pollution. |
C.The marine animals have no choice but to eat plastics for lack of food. |
D.There are three ways to prevent the oceans from becoming a plastic continent. |
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