In its early history, Chicago had floods frequently, especially in the spring, making the streets so muddy that people, horses, and carts got stuck. An old joke that was popular at the time went something like this: A man is stuck up to his waist in a muddy Chicago street. Asked if he needs help, he replies, "No, thanks. I've got a good horse under me."
The city planner decided to build an underground drainage (排水) system, but there simply wasn't enough difference between the height of the ground level and the water level. The only two options were to lower the Chicago River or raise the city.
An engineer named Ellis Chesbrough convinced me the city that it had no choice but to build the pipes above ground and then cover them with dirt. This raised the level of the city's streets by as much as 12 feet.
This of course created a new problem: dirt practically buried the first floors of every building in Chicago. Building owners were faced with a choice: either change the first floors of their buildings into basements, and the second stories into main floors, or hoist the entire buildings to meet the new street level. Small wood-frame buildings could be lifted fairly easily. But what about large, heavy structures like Tremont Hotel, which was a six-story brick building?
That's where George Pullman came in. He had developed some house-moving skills successfully. To lift a big structure like the Tremont Hotel, Pullman would place thousands of jackscrews (螺旋千斤顶) beneath the building's foundation. One man was assigned to operate each section of roughly 10 jackscrews. At Pullman's signal each man turned his jackscrew the same amount at the same time, thereby raising the building slowly and evenly. Astonishingly, the Tremont Hotel stay open during the entire operation, and many of its guests didn't even notice anything was happening. Some people like to say that every problem has a solution. But in Chicago's early history, every engineering solution seemed to create a new problem. Now that Chicago's waste water was draining efficiently into the Chicago River, the city's next step was to clean the polluted river.
1. The author mentions the joke to show ______.| A．horses were fairly useful in Chicago |
| B．Chicago's streets were extremely muddy |
| C．Chicago was very dangerous in the spring |
| D．the Chicago people were particularly humorous |
| A．decorate | B．change | C．repair | D．lift |
| A．It went on smoothly as intended. |
| B．It interrupted the business of the hotel. |
| C．It involved Pullman turning ten jackscrews. |
| D．It separated the building from its foundation. |
| A．popular life styles and their influences |
| B．environmental disasters and their causes |
| C．engineering problems and their solutions |
| D．successful businessmen and their achievements |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Animals enrich our lives. By caring for pets and domesticated(驯养的)animals and respecting animals in the wild, you can show your kindness to the animals.
Promote your animal’s health. A healthy animal is a happy animal. Taking care of your animal’s and other domesticated animals’ health with regular vet visits and watching for signs of illness can promote their health, well-being, and show your kindness towards them. Regular vaccinations(疫苗)are important for your animals.
Give your animals a comfortable personal space. Just like people, pets and other domesticated animals like horses enjoy sleeping, having separate time, playing, and cleanliness,
Feed your animals regularly. Part of an animal’s health is related to daily food and water.
Show your love. Always show your animals how much you love them.
| A．Make a lifelong promise |
| B．Interact at the right time |
| C．Use proper ways to show such an emotion |
| D．Unfortunately, not every person is kind to animals |
| E．Do make sure your animals receive yearly vaccinations |
| F．Make your animals a personal space that is comfortable and clean |
| G．Mealtimes also help you establish a bond between you and your animal |
【推荐2】Sweet Dreams While You Sleep
Did you sleep the day away on Friday March 21? Well, you should have done that because it was World Sleeping Day.
This is the day of the year when people around the world care about their sleep and ask themselves questions about sleep.
Why do we need sleep?
Nobody as yet can give a perfect answer to this question. However, lab tests on rats have shown that lack (缺少) of sleep over about four weeks leads to a strong drop in body temperature, great weight loss and finally, death.
How much sleep?
Different people need different amounts of sleep. Eight hours a night is considered the average amount of sleep. For teenagers, the least number of sleeping hours advised by doctors are 10 hours for primary school students, nine for junior highs and eight for senior highs.
Some people seem to get along just well with very little sleep at night. Leading American scientist Thomas Edison, for example thought of sleep to be a waste of time. He did, however take naps (打盹) during the day. On the other hand, Albert Einstein, another great scientist, said he needed at least ten hours sleep a night.
How can we sleep well?
Here are some of the most popular tips for a good night's sleep:
*Listen to your body clock, not your alarm clock (闹钟).
*Use your bed only to sleep.
*Get up and go to bed at the same time (also on weekends).
*Exercise in the morning and in the early afternoon. Don't exercise in the evening.
*Stop looking at that clock while you can't sleep! And don't worry.
*Avoid alcohol (酒精), caffeine (咖啡因) and smoking before going to bed.
*Keep the bedroom dark, quiet, and cool.
1. Which of the following is true according to the passage?| A．Thomas Edison slept very long hours every day. |
| B．Albert Einstein needed very little sleep. |
| C．Doctors suggested that primary school students have ten hours of sleep. |
| D．Doctors suggested that junior highs have eight hours of sleep. |
| A．Have a cup of alcohol before going to bed. |
| B．Keep the bedroom dark, quiet and cool. |
| C．Get up and go to bed at the same time. |
| D．Listen to your body clock. |
| A．Bedrooms can be used for other purposes. |
| B．Great scientists need less sleep than ordinary people. |
| C．World sleeping day is the only time when people become concerned about sleep. |
| D．Results from lab tests on rats may be applicable to humans. |
【推荐3】I vividly remember the first time a teacher told me how to learn. Not what to learn. One Friday afternoon our history teacher showed us a way to learn lists of key words and ideas-using images and stories. In just a few minutes he proved how easy it was to take charge of the memory process.
What a pity I didn’t meet him until I was 15! Even more depressing is that many students are never shown how to learn.
Don’t check your memory too soon. There’s not much point in testing yourself straightaway.
Learners don’t need to be loners. Did you get many chances to learn collaboratively (合作地) ? If not, what a shame! It plays a big part in remembering well.
Above all, don’t be held back by any memory myths you picked up at school. Take steps like these to start remembering more, and be a “class act” in all your learning from here!
| A．Reading isn’t great for memory. |
| B．Learn in company when you can. |
| C．Learning isn’t an event: it’s a process. |
| D．That’s just short-term memory, and it quickly fades. |
| E．We hoped to know how to do it in a fun, fast and effective way. |
| F．In fact they often end up with some very unhelpful ideas about memory. |
| G．He sparked an interest in the art and science of learning that still inspires me today. |
【推荐1】With the broader application of the facial recognition technology, related disputes, too, are on the rise.
Facial information can be collected when one is completely unaware maybe at one point or another, the surveillance (监视) cameras have collected one’s facial information. Once such information is leaked (泄露), the consequences can be terrible because unlike digital passwords, which can be changed, hardly can people change their faces.
The illegal collection of face-based information has unlocked new space for criminal activities. In 2019, a new mobile app called ZAO turned into a hit within only weeks of its release. People could upload photos of their faces and then replace their own facial features with those of TV and movie stars. However, the app soon aroused concern, with some users worrying that their image could be used by criminals to trick facial recognition payment software-resulting in massive economic losses. One experiment saw an individual using a photo print of a face to trick the facial recognition system of a self-service package locker, succeeding in opening it and getting the parcel out.
This risk of information leakage caught the attention of the Supreme People’s Court (SPC). On July 28, it published a set of rules to provide a legal solution to the increasingly pressing problem. When online platforms or apps gain user approval to process facial information, they should present the specific clauses to users for special consideration rather than leave them buried in the general terms (条款) of use, says the SPC document. In addition, the newly issued protocols forbid the practice of forcing users to agree to facial recognition terms if they want to obtain services that do not rely on the access to facial data.
Yang Wanming, Vice President of the SPC, concluded that the strengthening of the protection of personal information meets the people’s expectations and is also a priority of the people’s courts. The SPC will carry on its efforts to promote the legal, proper and efficient use of data and support a healthy development of the digital economy.
1. Why can facial information leakage lead to serious results?| A．People are tired of passwords. |
| B．People are familiar with cameras. |
| C．People are unlikely to vary the faces. |
| D．People are unaware of a new technology. |
| A．Apps should not be popular too soon. |
| B．Criminals could be forgiven for playing tricks. |
| C．Payment software should not be applied in package lockers. |
| D．Hidden threats could be caused by the misuse of facial information. |
| A．How the SPC supplies better protections. |
| B．How the SPC deals with legal cases. |
| C．Why the SPC proposes specific clauses. |
| D．Why the SPC updates former rules. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Cautious. | C．Positive. | D．Unclear. |
【推荐2】Although it may be uncomfortable to admit, many parents play favorites among their children. Is that “bad” parenting? Having a favorite child might be the greatest taboo (禁忌) of parenthood, yet research shows that the majority of parents do indeed have a favorite.
With plenty of evidence to suggest that being the least-favored child can fundamentally shape the personality and lead to sibling (兄弟姐妹) competitions, it’s no wonder that parents might worry about letting their preferences slip.
“Data suggests that mothers, in particular, show favoritism to children who have similar values to them and that engage more with family, over qualities such as being highly ambitious or career driven.” says Jessica Griffin, an associate professor at the University of Massachusetts.
In one study, up to 74% of mothers and 70% of fathers in the UK have been shown to exhibit preferential treatment towards one child. Parents admitting having a favorite child showed an overwhelming preference towards the baby of the family, with 62% of parents who have several children preferring their youngest. Griffin says that a favoritism towards a youngest child is often to do with the social and emotional skills associated with birth order — as parents gain more practice in child-raising, they have a better idea of how they want to shape the childhood of the children, and what qualities are most important to pass on.
“Children who grow up in families where they feel that they are treated unfairly may experience a deep sense of unworthiness,” says Griffin. “They might feel that they are unlovable in some way. But for most parents, their worries are misplaced. In fact, in most cases children might not even know that their parents prefer their sibling in the first place. In one study, a shocking four out of five claimed that their sibling was favored over them — a seemingly improbable statistic.
Griffin argues that it’s perfectly OK for parents to have favorites. “The important thing to remember is that having a favorite child does not mean that you love your other children less.” Griffin says.
1. What does the underlined word “slip” in second paragraph mean？| A．Cause trouble. | B．Make no difference. |
| C．Bring benefits. | D．Become obvious. |
| A．Their social skills are much better. |
| B．They want to pass on more knowledge to it. |
| C．Their childhood experience gives them more ideas. |
| D．They have learned more about how to raise a child. |
| A．Compete with each other. | B．Turn a deaf ear to it. |
| C．Become self-denying. | D．Be annoying. |
| A．Uncertain. | B．Objective. | C．Indifferent. | D．Critical. |
【推荐3】As temperatures approached 90 degrees in New York City last July 4th, three police officers walked into a Whole Foods Market to get something cold to drink.
Once inside, the cops, Louis Sojo and Officers Ricky Cuevas and Michael Rivera, were approached by a store security guard who asked for help with a suspected shoplifter. The woman in question didn’t have the look of a career criminal. She was obviously scared, and her cheeks were wet with tears.
The cops went through her bag. “All we saw was containers of food. We didn’t See anything else,” Cuevas told CBS New York.
“I’m hungry,” she explained quietly.
Caught on the scene, the woman no doubt expected to be cuffed and put to prison for the crime of being hungry while poor. But the cops had other ideas. “We’ll pay for her food, Sojo told the surprised security guard.
There’d been no discussion among the three men. It went unsaid. Instead, they picked up the woman’s bag and accompanied her to a cash register, where each chipped in $10 to pay the bill. She would not be taken to the police station.
All the woman could do was weep in gratitude. Covering her face with a handkerchief and drying her eyes, she repeated, “Thank you, thank you.”
Paul Jones, who was at the store was so taken by what he’d witnessed that he posted a photo on Twitter for all to see.
But attention was never what the officers sought. They were driven by a far more common emotion. When you look at someone’s face and see that they need you and they’re actually hungry, it’s pretty difficult as a human being to walk away from something like this.
1. What do we know about the woman according to Paragraph 2?| A．She spent her entire career in shoplifting. | B．She was fearless in the face of the police. |
| C．She felt frightened and ashamed of shoplifting. | D．She was familiar to the store security guard. |
| A．Gave some money. | B．Joined in a discussion. |
| C．Asked for a lower price. | D．Cut something into pieces. |
| A．Job duties and responsibilities. | B．Understanding and pity for the poor. |
| C．The desire for media attention. | D．Prevention and control of further crime. |
【推荐1】A conference was held with former technology industry leaders calling for urgent measures to protect children from smartphone addiction(上瘾).
Among those urging major changes is Tristan Harris--- a former high-level employee at Google. He just launched a group that will seek to gather and publish evidence of how digital devices and social media can harm children and young people. Harris says he believes companies like Google, Facebook and Apple have a “moral responsibility” not to create technology products that can “hijack how the mind works”.
The conference where Harris spoke was sponsored by Common Sense Media, a child and family activist group. The organization says research suggests that half of all teenagers feel addicted to their mobile devices, while about 60 percent of parents believe their kids are addicted.
The group also cites a recent study of eighth graders that found heavy users of technology were 56 percent more likely to say they are unhappy, while 27 percent more likely to be depressed. Even Facebook cited research last year suggesting that social media use can harm mental health when used in certain ways.
James Steyer is the founder of Common Sense. He says more than half of schools in the US are already members of the organization. The group provides teachers and parents with learning materials intended to help students develop critical thinking skills and balance their digital lives.
Some US schools, however, have tried to limit or remove technology to improve learning. One of them is in Silicon Valley, the center of the American tech-industry.
The Waldorf School of the Peninsula does not use any computers or digital technology in its education programs up to the seventh grade. The schools’ website says while Waldorf teachers recognize the role technology can play in the classroom, it must wait until the student reaches the right developmental age. Normally when students reach high school, they are allowed to use computers and digital tools in the classroom.
1. What is Facebook, Google and Apple’s “moral responsibility” according to Tristan Harris?| A．Preventing children from chatting on social media. |
| B．Finding a way to get children away from addiction. |
| C．Providing parents with materials to help their children. |
| D．Stopping making products that do harm to young people. |
| A．control | B．exercise |
| C．benefit | D．entertain |
| A．Waldorf School bans technology from its education programs. |
| B．Waldorf School limits the use of digital tools in its classrooms. |
| C．Waldorf School pays much attention to improving learning. |
| D．Waldorf School doesn’t believe that computers can improve learning. |
| A．Computer Companies Should Live up to Their Moral Responsibility |
| B．Digital Addiction Does Harm to Children’s Mental Health |
| C．A Conference Calls for Actions to Protect Children from Digital Addiction |
| D．Waldorf School Doesn’t Use Digital Tools in Its Education Program |
This was an age before telephones. Someone was delivering a message. When Coleridge got back to his poem, he had lost his inspiration. His poetic mood had been broken by the knock on his door. His unfinished poem, which could otherwise have been a masterpiece, would now never be more than a fragment.
This story tells how unexpected communication can destroy an important thought, which bring us to the cellphone.
The most common complaint about cellphones is that people talk on them to the annoyance of people around them. But more damaging may be the cellphone’s interruption of our thoughts.
We have already entered a golden age of little white lies about our cellphones, and this is by and large(大体上)a healthy, protective development. “I didn’t hear it ring” or “I didn’t realize my phone had shut off” are among the lies we tell to give ourselves space where we’re beyond reach.
The notion of being unreachable is not a new concept—we have “Do Not Disturb” sign on the doors of hotel rooms. So why must we feel guilty when it comes to cellphones? Why must we apologize if we decide to shut off the phone for a while?
Now time alone, or a conversation with someone next to us which cannot be interrupted by a phone, is something to be cherished. Even cellphone devotees（信徒）, myself usually included, can’t help at times wanting to throw their phone away, or curse the day they were invented.
But we don’t and won’t, and there really is no need. All that’s required to take back our private time is a general social recognition that we have the right to it. In other words, we have to develop a healthy contempt for the rings of our own phones.
A cellphone call deserves no greater priority than a random word from the person next to us，though the call on my cellphone may be the one-in-a-million from Steven Spielberg—who has finally read my novel and wants to make it his next movie. But most likely it is not, and I’m better off thinking about the idea I just had for a new story, or the slice of pizza I’ll eat for lunch.
1. What is the point of the anecdote(轶事)about the poet Coleridge in the first three paragraphs?
| A．To direct readers’ attention to the main topic. |
| B．To show how important inspiration is to a poet. |
| C．To emphasize the disadvantage of not having a cellphone. |
| D．To encourage readers to read the works of this poet. |
| A．It is a way of signaling that you don’t like the caller. |
| B．It is natural to tell lies about small things |
| C．It is basically a good way to protect one’s privacy. |
| D．We should feel guilty when we can’t tell the truth. |
| A．People get so obsessed (着迷) with the cellphone rings that they fail to notice anything else. |
| B．People feel guilty when they are not able to answer their cellphones. |
| C．Cellphones interrupt people’s private time. |
| D．With cellphones it is no longer possible to be unreachable. |
| A．A person who calls us from afar deserves more of our attention. |
| B．Steven Spielberg once called the author to talk about the author’s novel. |
| C．You should always finish your lunch before you answer a call on the cellphone. |
| D．Never let cellphones disturb your life too much. |
For example , some might say, “I just won a hundred dollars on the lottery (彩票) . It was great. Itook that dollar ticket back to the store and turned it in for one hundred dollars! ”
This guy is a winner , right? Maybe , maybe not. We then discover that he bought $200 worth oftickets, and only one was a winner. He’s really a big loser!
He didn’t say anything that was false, but he left out important information on purpose. That’s called a half-truth. Half-truths are not technically lies, but they are just as dishonest.
Some politicians often use this trick. Let’s say that during Governor Smith's last term, her state lostone million jobs and gained three million jobs. Then she seeks another term. One of her opponents says, “ During Governor Smith’s term, the state lost one million jobs !” That’s true. However, anhonest statement would have been , “During Governor Smith’s term, the state had a net gain of two million jobs. ”
Advertisers will sometimes use half-truths. It’s against the law to make false statements, so they try to mislead you with the truth. An advertisement might say, “Nine out of ten doctors advised their patients to take Yucky Pills to cure toothache.” It fails to mention that they only asked ten doctors and nine of them work for the Yucky Company.
This kind of deception happens too often. It’s a sad fact of life: Lies are lies, and sometimes the truthcan lie as well.
1. We may infer that the author believes people should _______.
| A．buy lottery tickets if possible |
| B．make use of half-truths |
| C．be careful about what they are told |
| D．not trust the Yucky Company |
| A．one | B．Two | C．Three | D．Four |
| A．Using half truths is against the law. |
| B．Technically, half truths are in fact lies. |
| C．Yucky Pills is a very good medicine for toothache. |
| D．Governor Smith did a good job during her last term. |
【推荐1】Cycling or even walking in city areas can be a little dangerous, thanks to the fact that one is sharing the road with vehicles that are increasingly getting larger and heavier. A recent study proves that of the 1.27 million people that die in road traffic crashes each year, about half are walkers, motorcyclists and cyclists. Now there may be a solution that could provide at least some help to protect this helpless group… an airbag!
If you are worried that this safety measure will involve you taking around a heavy package or worse still, wrapping yourself inside an ugly plastic bag, the bag is fitted not on the human, but on the outside of the vehicle. And, while there are several versions of the idea in the works, the one most recently unveiled (揭露) by Dutch car company TNO, seems to be the most advanced and ready to go into production.
In the works since 2011, the airbag covers only the lower part of the windshield. This will provide the much needed buffer (缓冲) between the person’s head and the pane of glass he/she would otherwise meet.
The chain of events leading to an airbag cause are quite simple---A camera fitted beneath the rear-view mirror monitors the vehicle’s closeness to a walker or cyclist. Any contact with either one of them sets off the sensors in the car’s bumper and quickly blows up the airbag. In addition to that the sensors also set off the car’s automatic brake, reducing the chances if an even worse injury.
In tests conducted using a model, the success of not getting injured after being hit by a car travelling at about 40km/h was about 50-50! While not perfect, it will still result in reducing the number of deaths by a huge amount.
With TNO ready to license its technology to car makers and many more companies trying to develop similar concepts, we would not be surprised if outer airbags become a standard feature in every car pretty soon.
1. Why does the airbag cover the lower part of the windshield?| A．To protect the windshield from being destroyed. |
| B．To make the vehicle look beautiful. |
| C．To reduce the weight of walkers. |
| D．To prevent people’s head crashing on the glass. |
| A．how the airbag works | B．where the airbag is fixed |
| C．why the airbag is safe | D．what the airbag is made up of |
| A．perfect | B．practical |
| C．expensive | D．useless |
| A．Airbags are a new standard feature in cars. |
| B．Airbags are much safer for drivers now. |
| C．Airbags are practical for walkers and cyclists. |
| D．Airbags are a solution to higher car accident rates. |
【推荐2】In an effort to keep a little poetry in my life long after National Poetry Month passed, I decide to read at least one poem a day after scanning the newspaper over breakfast. Thanks to the free online poetry-in-your-inbox services, it’s been an easy resolution（解决办法）to keep.
Poem-a-Day was started during National Poetry Month in 2016, and it focuses on new and previously unpublished poems by contemporary poets on weekdays and classic poems on weekends.
Ted Kooser offers a similar service through his American Life in Poetry Series, though it’s a weekly, rather than a daily. Kooser briefly introduces each week’s poem, offering a little bit of information about the selection, the writer, and books where readers can turn to if they want more work from the featured poet.
Reading at least one poem a day has been like an intellectual vitamin, giving me a small dose（剂量）of literature even on busy days when I can’t get to the novels and non-fiction on my desk beside the bed. Another benefit has been connecting with a lot of talented poets I wouldn’t otherwise know about. Poetry being what it is, even the best talents in the style can work in relative obscurity（朦胧）. Maybe the biggest benefit of reading a poem every morning has been the chance to see the familiar in new ways.
Last April, I wondered if I could remind myself to read a poem each morning. Now, deep in summer, I wonder if I could ever do without it.
1. The author intends to read a poem every morning by means of ________.| A．scanning the newspaper over breakfast |
| B．the free online poetry-in-your-inbox services |
| C．starting Poem-a-Day during National Poetry Month |
| D．focusing on new poems and contemporary poets on weekdays |
| A．A daily online newspaper. |
| B．A weekly for publishing poems. |
| C．A free online service for reading lovers. |
| D．A social online platform for poem lovers. |
| A．The best way of reading poems. |
| B．The poems that the author likes best. |
| C．The author enjoys reading poems on busy days. |
| D．The benefits from reading a poem a day. |
| A．the author starts to love reading a poem in the morning |
| B．the author reminded himself to read a poem each morning |
| C．the author didn’t like reading poems last April |
| D．the author decides to give up reading poems in summer |
【推荐3】According to the International Ecotourism Society, eco-travel is “responsible travel to natural areas that protects the environment, maintains the well-beings and involves education”. Eco-travel is on the rise, as more and more people become conscious about their carbon footprint.
Expert from Boundless Journeys, Matt Holmes, who works-on travel experiences towards conserving areas said, “As scientists and non-scientists learn more about how we human beings are impacting the planet, I think. more people want to do what they can while still exploring the world. Our guests are definitely interested in that aspect of our journeys. Travelers can farm their own food in Italy, managing their use of water and using solar or wind power. They can also visit n family-run camp that cares for retired logging elephants in Myanmar, know a park entry fee goes to a conservation organization in Costa Rica, employ and train members of the local community or partner with a protection group. There are lots of options for seeking out greener holiday.”
Most people believe that eco-travel is expensive and it is true. Matt explained “Anti-poaching patrols (巡逻) need to be paid, solar energy equipment costs a lot to install, building with environmentally friendly, materials is more expensive and so on. The extra cost is necessary, as you re paying to minimize your footprint and protect the places you visit, which is exactly what eco-travel is about. The financial success and sustainability (可持续性) of an eco- focused operation doesn’t come from thin air.” The industry is trying to make eco-travel affordable and make it accessible to the common people.
1. What is the positive influence of eco-friendly travel?| A．It enables travelers to protect the environment while traveling |
| B．It keeps human beings healthy and happy in a friendly atmosphere. |
| C．It teaches us to be responsible for the development of economy. |
| D．It offers some valuable education about the knowledge of gardening. |
| A．eating delicious food in Italy | B．visiting elephants in the zoo |
| C．working together with a protection group | D．raising park entry fee in Costa Rica |
| A．Why eco-travel is expensive. |
| B．How we can make eco-travel less expensive. |
| C．What material are used in eco-travel. |
| D．Where we can go for eco-travel. |
