1 . Remote controls are one of the most common symbols of our modern technologies. In fact, remote controls are an invention born in the 1800s. Famous inventor Nikola Tesla created one of the world’s first wireless remote controls, which he exhibited in public at Madison Square Garden in New York City in 1898.
Tesla called his system a “teleautomaton”, which could be used to control a mechanical device. For his demonstration, Tesla employed a minitype boat, which had a metal air wire that could receive exactly one radio frequency. He showed how his remote-controlled boat worked and whole process attracted many people. However, financially, Tesla’s remote-controlled boat was a failure. His intended client, the U.S. Navy, thought the technology was too easily damaged during use. But the concept of remote control caught on and quickly spread to many other types of equipment.
In the 1930s and 1940s, a new consumer electronics, such as garage door openers and model airplanes, arrived with remote controls. In the mid-1950s, Zenith engineer Eugene Polley designed his Flashmatic TV remote control, which used directional flashes of light to control the television. In 1956, Polley’s colleague, Robert Adler, created the Space Command control, which employed high-frequency, ultrasonic (超声的) sounds instead of light. This style of remote control increased the price of a new TV by a third, but that didn’t stop people from buying in mass quantities. Remote controls kept evolving, too. Ultrasonic sound remote controls were the standard for TVs until the 1980s, when remote controls began using the infrared (红外线) light signals that are very common today.
These days, you can find remote control capability built into a huge array of products such as toy cars and helicopters, video game consoles (控制台), ceiling fans, etc. There’s a good chance you can find a version that’s controlled by remote control. You can even buy a remote-controlled toilet.
Remote controls have allowed humans to perform many tasks that would be difficult, if not impossible. And although remote controls have a long history, they are anything but over. As we continue to introduce technology to every aspect of our lives, it’s very likely that we’ll need remote controls to keep things under control.
1. What made the U.S. Navy think poorly of Tesla’s remote-controlled boat?A.Its high cost. |
B.Its unsatisfactory quality. |
C.Its damage to people’s health. |
D.Its inaccuracy in sending signals. |
A.Directional flashes of light. | B.Infrared light signals. |
C.Various metal air wires. | D.High-frequency, ultrasonic sounds. |
A.To advertise some modern inventions. |
B.To prove the rapid evolution of kids’ toy. |
C.To show the wide application of remote controls. |
D.To show the principle of some high-tech products. |
A.Human are too dependent on technology. |
B.Remote controls are necessary in our life |
C.Humans are trying to keep everything under control. |
D.Remote controls will probably fade away in the future. |
A.The history of remote controls. |
B.The developments of our modern technologies. |
C.The achievements of some great inventors. |
D.The popularity of remote controls in our daily life. |
2 . London has already hosted the Olympics twice before and the 2021 Olympics will make it the first city in history to have held three Olympic games.
The first London Olympics in 1908
These games were going to be held in Rome but, because of a volcano, Rome wasn’t ready. London agreed to stage the games and the White City Olympic Stadium was built in just 10 months. What was new at these Olympics was the opening ceremony where athletes paraded (列队行进) with their teams behind their national flags. Only 22 countries took part and the profits were just over £21,000!
The second London Olympics
Because of the Second World War, the 1944 Olympics were cancelled. Four years later the war was over and London was able to hold the Games in 1948.Things were very different in London during these Olympic Games and many years of war had left the UK poor and hungry. People called them the “Austerity Games”. But there were still some great sports and some exciting events!
59 countries took part, more than at any other Olympics before and the USA won the most medals with 84. For the first time, cameras filmed the games and broadcast them on television so that people could watch them in their own homes.
The third London Olympics in 2021
The Games this year are going to be bigger, better and more exciting than ever before. There will be more than 10,000 athletes from 204 countries taking part!
London wants to make sure that the benefits of the Olympics don’t just last for a few weeks in summer but go on much longer. The buildings have been designed and constructed so that they can be used for different things when the Games are over.
1. The text is mainly about _____.A.London will host the Olympics again | B.London’s Olympic history |
C.London’s Olympics will last much longer | D.London is ready for the Olympics |
A.London could build a stadium in 10 months | B.only 22 countries took part |
C.there was a volcano eruption in Rome | D.London could make more profits than Rome |
A.the UK were poor and hungry then | B.there were some great sports |
C.the previous Olympic Games was cancelled | D.about 59 countries took part |
A.the 59 countries | B.the 84 gold medals |
C.all the athletes | D.the games |
A.the benefits of the Olympics used to last for months afterwards |
B.the 2nd London Olympics attracted more countries than any other Olympics |
C.the buildings for the 3rd London Olympics have more functions for future use |
D.the 2nd London Olympics were cancelled because of the Second World War |
Marco Polo came from a wealthy family and received a good education. He was only six years old when his father and uncle left for a journey to China or Cathay, as it was called at that time. At the age of 17, Marco followed his father and uncle on their second journey to Asia.
The Polos traveled through many countries, over mountains and along the Silk Road, the main travel route for traders. Marco would keep detailed journals and record his findings. The Polos also stopped for a year in the Mongol region. There they learnt about the lives and culture of the people. This was useful as Marco was able to share what he had learnt with the Emperor of China, Kublai Khab. The Emperor was impressed with him. The Polos traveled 9,000 kilometres in more than three and a half years before reaching China. There Marco was most surprised to find the stones that burnt like logs. The Chinese had found a source of fuel that nobody in Europe could have imagined. It was called coal.
In 1298, Marco wrote a book called The Travels of Marco Polo which was a record of his travels in Asia. The book enabled the Europeans to understand and carry out trading activities more easily with Asians.
1. What was China also called in the past? (1 word)2. What was the Silk Road mainly used as in ancient times? (no more than 10 words)
3. What did the Polos do during their stay in the Mongol region? (no more than 12 words)
4. Why was Marco impressed with the stones? (no more than 6 words)
5. What is the main idea of the last paragraph? (no more than 10 words)
4 . I'm Victor Bobra from Belarus. When I was three years old, a nuclear explosion (核爆炸) blew up in Chernobyl, Ukraine. At the time, I was living on the border with Ukraine.When the explosion happened, my dad, was looking after the trucks at the station. When he heard about the disaster, he took us to Brest on the truck. After that, my family moved to Minsk.
Many years have passed since the explosion. Different places were affected differently. If you live in an area like Minsk, it's not as polluted as other areas. Kids there were born normally. Maybe they were underweight or something, but this was because of the problems of the economic situation. If kids were born around the Brest area, they were, born almost perfectly, because it's the cleanest area in Belarus. But if kids were born around the area to the east of Belarus,most of the kids were born deformed (畸形的).
I don't know much about how it has affected my health. But what happened was that everybody had a medical check-up after the disaster. The doctors found that I had got some protein inside me: So they thought there was something wrong with me, and suggested I should be treated.
My mum set up 'a charity, Chernobyl Children Lifeline, which raised some money for me. I've stayed here for treatment since then. The reason I can't go to Belarus is because of the radiation (辐射). If I go back, I might get radiation and get ill. Certainly there isn't any medical care, because the country is very poor. At the moment I can't even see my parents for a holiday. My parents probably miss me. I think the fault (过失) that Chernobyl blew up is the government's.
1. What can we learn from the second paragraph?A.People in Minsk were rich before the disaster. |
B.Victor Bobra lived in the cleanest area in Belarus. |
C.The east of Belarus was seriously affected by the disaster. |
D.Kids born in Minsk were underweight because of the disaster. |
A.provide home for the homeless |
B.collect money for his treatment |
C.raise money for deformed kids |
D.help those suffering from radiation |
A.The author's father didn't survive the disaster. |
B.The author lived in Minsk when the disaster happened. |
C.The author was given good treatment with the help of the government. |
D.The author thought the government should take responsibility for the disaster. |
A.everybody had a medical examination after the nuclear explosion |
B.the doctors did not think it necessary to have the author treated |
C.the author's country can afford to provide medical care |
D.the author is living with his parents now |
A.To prove the great force of the nuclear explosion. |
B.To tell readers the nuclear explosion in Chernobyl. |
C.To show the bad effects of the nuclear explosion. |
D.To find out the truth of the nuclear explosion. |
5 . A study of art history might be a good way to learn more about a culture than is possible to learn in general classes. Most typical history courses concentrate on politics, economics, and wars. But art history focuses on much more than this because art reflects not only the political values of a people, but also religious beliefs, emotions, and psychology. In addition, information about the daily activities of our ancestors ― or of people very different from our own ― can be provided by art. In short, art expresses the essential qualities of a time and a place, and a study of it clearly offers us a deeper understanding than what can be found in most history books.
In history books, objective information about the political life of a country is presented: that is, facts about politics are given, but opinions are not expressed. Art, on the other hand, is subjective: it reflects emotions and opinions. The great Spanish painter Franciso Goya was perhaps the first truly political artist. In his well-known painting The Third of May, 1808, he criticized the Spanish government for its misuse of power over people. Over a hundred years later, symbolic images were used in Pablo Picasso’s Guernica to express the horror of war. Meanwhile, on another continent, the powerful paintings of Diego Rivera, Jose Clements Orozco, and David Alfaro Siqueiros ― as well as the works of Alfredo Ramos Martinez ― showed these Mexican artists’ deep anger and sadness about social problems.
In the same way, art can reflect a culture’s religious beliefs. Four hundreds of years in Europe, religious art was almost the only type of art that existed. Churches and other religious buildings were filled with paintings that depicted people and stories from the Bible. Although most people couldn’t read, they could still understand biblical stories in the pictures on church walls. By contrast, one of the main characteristics of art in the Middle East was (and still is) its absence of human and animal images. This reflects the Islamic(伊斯兰教的)belief that statues are unholy(不神圣的;亵渎的).
1. Which of the following sentences is WRONG according to the passage?A.Art history concentrates on religious beliefs, emotions and psychology only. |
B.Art can provide information about the everyday activities of ancient people. |
C.Information and facts about politics are given objectively in history. |
D.Franciso Goya was perhaps the first truly political artist. |
A.personal and emotional opinions are expressed through it |
B.it will make the viewers angry and sad about history |
C.it can help us understand historical facts better |
D.opinions about facts are not expressed |
A.art is subjective |
B.artists are very similar even over a hundred years |
C.art can reflect political life of a country |
D.history books present objective information |
A.Europe | B.America |
C.Mexico | D.Middle East |
A.the difference between general history and art history |
B.the development of art history |
C.the influence of artists on art history |
D.what we can learn from art |
A.Islamic artists focus on creating architectural decorations with pictures of flowers or geometric (几何) forms |
B.history teachers are more objective than artists |
C.it is more difficult to study art history than general history |
D.people and stories from the Bible were painted on churches and other buildings in order to popularize the Bible |