Timeless, classic songs wrecked by tuneless, howling drunks: the karaoke machine is the most annoying gadget in Britain, a survey for the government found.

    A TNS Omnibus poll found that the Japanese invention topped a list of gadgets that people wished had never been invented. Nearly a quarter （22 percent） of those surveyed chose the karaoke machine. 17 percent said 24-hour sports channels, 12 percent chose video games consoles, while 11 percent said mobile phones and seven percent said alarm clocks.

    "When people are singing karaoke they are enjoying themselves, but as a member of the audience you are just watching somebody who can't perform -- and isn't particularly pleasant to listen to -- for as long as you can bear it." It is anti-social. You might have 10 people who want to sing some karaoke, which means 150 people have to suffer it."But the crazy thing is that people still do go just to be a spectator at other people's inability to sing." After a short while -- unless they're very drunk -- they're going to find that listening to performers failing to perform for two hours is not the best way to spend the evening."

    Karaoke has turned into a multibillion-dollar industry since being invented in 1971 by Daisuke Inoue, a Japanese club keyboardist looking to provide music for a customer who wanted to sing on a company trip.

    Asked which gadgets people would like to see invented in the future, 18 percent said a robot cleaner, 16 percent said a time machine and 12 percent said a teleporter. Asked what the most important safety gadgets were, 69 percent said the smoke alarm, 64 percent said seat belts and 29 percent said baby seats. Pollsters TNS Omnibus surveyed 2,584 adults in England online.

1. Which is not the question put forward by the pollsters TNS Omnibus?

A．Which gadget is the one people wished had never been invented?

B．Which gadget would people like to see invented in the future?

C．What is the most important safety gadget?

D．How was the karaoke machine invented?

2. How many people surveyed chose the karaoke machine to be the most annoying machine?

   A．About 150 people                     B．Some 568 people

   C．Over a quarter of those surveyed              D．Less than 22% of those surveyed

3. Which is not the reason why the karaoke machine is the most annoying gadget in Britain?

   A．Unless drunk, they will not find listening to people who can’t perform is the best way to spend the evening

   B．Classic songs are wrecked by those who are out of tunes.

   C．Only those singing are enjoying themselves while the members of audience have to bear it

   D．It is against social rules.

4. The following are all safety gadgets except_______.

   A．the smoke alarm              B．seat belts           C．teleported            D．baby seats

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科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解

       Say you are a 17th century construction worker who’s worked long and hard to build a splendid tower for the dead wife of your emperor.

       Now say that the emperor orders your fingertips cut off so you can never build another one. Yes, that is the Taj Mahal, one of the most famous buildings in the world. And the tale behind the construction is just as impressive（印象深刻的）as the building itself.

       First, there’s the emperor of northern India, Shah Jehan, also called the King of the World. In 1612, Shah Jehan married Mumtaz Mahal. Madly in love, they had 14 children over the next 20 years. But then sadness came. As Mumtaz was about to give birth to child number 14, she said she had heard her unborn baby cry out. It was a sign of death. And as Mumtaz lay dying, she asked Jehan to build a lasting memorial（紀念物） to celebrate their love.

       When the heartbroken Jehan appeared eight days after his wife’s death, his people were shocked to see that his coal-black hair had turned snow-white.

Putting away his sadness, Jehan ordered his wife’s dying wish carried out. More than 20,000 workers labored nearly 22 years to complete the construction. In 1653, Jehan placed Mumtaz’s remains in the center under the building.

       And then, son number five, Aurangzeb, murdered his brothers and took over the power from his aging father. Hehan lived the rest of his days－eight years, to be exact － imprisoned not far from the Taj Mahal. Jehan was only allowed to climb onto the top of his prison to see the timeless treasure from a distance. But never again would he be allowed to visit it－until he was buried next to his wife.

       Today 25,000 people visit the Taj Mahal each day. Though the reason for building the tower was a strange, sad story, those who see its breath-taking beauty are reminded of the happiness that inspired（激發(fā)……的靈感） its construction.

59．The first two paragraphs were written to show that _____.

       A.the Taj Mahal is an unusual historic building

       B. ancient Indian emperors were cruel

       C. construction workers led a hard life in ancient India

       D. India has some of the most famous buildings in the world

60．The Taj Mahal was first built as _____.

       A. a prison           B. a gift to Mumtaz     

       C. a memorial building        D. a tourist attraction

61．We learn from the text that Mumtaz probably died in _____.

       A. 1626           B. 1632            C. 1634            D. 1653

62．The underlined word “happiness” in the last sentence refers to _____.

       A. the married happiness of the emperor and his wife

       B. the great pleasure Jehan once found in exercising his power

       C. the happiness Jehan felt on completing the Taj Mahal

       D. the pleasure tourists experience when visiting the Taj Mahal

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科目：高中英語 來源：2013-2014學年四川儀隴縣第二中學高二9月月考卷（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解

Say you are a 17th century construction worker who’s worked hard to build a splendid tower for the dead wife of your emperor.

    Now say that the emperor orders your fingertips cut off so you can never build another one. Yes, this story is about the Taj Mahal, one of the most famous buildings in the world. And the tale behind the construction is just as impressive (令人贊嘆的) as the building itself.

    First, there’s the emperor of northern India, Shah Jehan, also called the King of the World. In 1612, Shah Jehan married Mumtaz Mahal. Mad in love, they had 14 children over the next 20 years. But then sadness came. As Mumtaz was about to give birth to child number 14, she said she heard her unborn baby cry out. It was a sign of death. And as Mumtaz lay dying, she asked Jehan to build a lasting memorial (紀念物) to celebrate their love.

    The heartbroken Jehan ordered his wife’s dying wish carried out, and more than 20,000 workers worked nearly 22 years to complete the construction. In 1653, Jehan placed Mumtaz’s remains under the center of the building.

    Later, son number five, Aurangzeb, murdered his brothers and took over the power from his aging father. Jehan lived the rest of his days, eight years, imprisoned not far from the Taj Mahal. Jehan was only allowed to climb onto the top of his prison to see the timeless treasure from a distance. But never again would he be allowed to visit it until he was buried next to his wife.

    Today 25,000 people visit the Taj Mahal each day. Though the reason for building the tower was a strange and sad story, people who see its breath-taking beauty are reminded of the happiness that inspired its construction.

1.The first two paragraphs were written mainly to show that ______.

A. the Taj Mahal is an unusual historic building

B. India has some of the most famous buildings in the world

C. ancient Indian emperors were cruel

D. construction workers led a hard life in ancient India

2.The Taj Mahal was first built as ______.

A. a memorial building          B. a tourist attraction

C. a prison                   D. a gift to Mumtaz

3.From the passage we can learn that Mumtaz probably died in ______.

A. 1626            B. 1653    C. 1632        D. 1634

4.The underlined word “happiness” in the last paragraph refers to “______”.

A. the happiness Jehan felt on completing the Taj Mahal

B. the pleasure tourists experience when visiting the Taj Mahal

C. the married happiness of the emperor and his wife

D. the great pleasure Jehan once found in exercising his power

 

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科目：高中英語 來源：2011-2012學年安徽省高三最后一卷英語試卷（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解

“Tomorrow is another day”---- this line has impressed various people at various times. It's now 70 years after it appeared in the film, but it still seems to hold its power especially during an economic downturn.

The phrase comes from a film adaptation of Margaret Mitchell's successful 1936 novel Gone With the Wind. It's set in the American South and tells the story of a strong heroine, Scarlett O' Hara, who struggles to find love during the Civil War and, afterwards, of her strength in surviving the war and its hardships.

Love story 

In a moment of despair, Scarlett finally realizes that her love belongs to Rhett Butler. For many audiences, it is the theme of love and struggle that has kept the movie alive. While the burning of Atlanta might seem irrelevant to today's viewers, the timeless theme of love keeps its ability to touch people.

With a promise to her lover still in her mind, Scarlett chooses to stay in the midst of war and take care of Melanie. But her heart is broken when Rhett just walks away, leaving the woman that he once loved with cruel words, "Frankly, dear, I don' t give a damn."

Great epic

The film shows the love-hate relationship of these characters, but also American history, the fall of the Confederacy and the following period of Reconstruction in the South. The background made this film a true classic in the epic genre.

When the film opened after World War II, French viewers loved it, and it reminded them of their fight against the Nazis. In 1940 Shanghai, during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, people stood in line for hours to watch this film, and saw the same suffering they were having as well as the hope and possibility of building a new homeland from the ruins.

Each nationality could identify with the story and see it as a victory. In fact, Gone With the Wind never lost its charm and ability to inspire and amaze.

Biggest of all time

The film had five directors, 15-plus screenwriters, and an unexpected $3.9 million budget. The film brought in $ 200 million, which makes it the biggest selling film of all times in North America. It also won 10 Academy awards in 1940.

1.The underlined "it" in the first paragraph refers to _______.

A．the novel Gone with the Wind

B．"tomorrow is another day"

C．the movie Gone with the Wind

D．the Academy Award

2.The text is written mainly to _______.

A．celebrate the anniversary of Margaret Mitchell

B．introduce how the film was directed and filmed

C．throw light on the charm of the movie "Gone with the Wind"

D．inspire people to struggle the economic downturn

3.It can be concluded that Scarlett O' Hara is _______.

A．optimistic and lucky

B．childish and realistic

C．caring and stubborn

D．strong-minded and persistent

4.The passage mentions Shanghai in order to _______.

A．prove that the background of the movie touched viewers

B．describe how popular the movie was at that time

C．point out that Shanghai was a center of entertainment

D．tell us that Chinese were suffering the War then.

 

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科目：高中英語 來源：2009-2010學年長海高二期末考試 題型：閱讀理解

 

         I once heard someone say, “We don’t remember days; we remember moments.” However, in today’s busy life we often forget to enjoy small pleasures while we make big plans.

         In the race to be better or best, we sometimes lose sight of “just being”. And just being and enjoying a beautiful moment can provide some of life’s greatest pleasures. A fire on a cold winter night, a good book, an impressive sunset, a great meal, or a timeless moment with your child or a friend ．．． these moments, if we stop long enough to enjoy, are the essence (本質(zhì)) of life.

         I love to fish, especially for large-mouth bass (鱸魚). About three years ago I was watching television late at night and got this crazy idea to go fishing in the lake behind my house. Of course, my wife thought I was nuts. It was almost midnight! I told her I was fine and took off.

         I walked out to a warm summer breeze and looked up at the starry sky and breathtaking full moon. I allowed my senses to soak (浸泡) in every second — the sweet smell of flowers, the sound of every cricket (蟋蟀), the moon’s reflection dancing off the water — it was a perfect night.

         After walking across a small field, I took out a flashlight, and selected a lure (餌). On my first cast I got a bass weighing over five pounds, one of the largest I had ever caught. I gently put it back into the water and continued my midnight adventure. During the next two hours I caught seventeen bass, all between two and five pounds. Although I’ve fished for almost fifty years, no fishing memory can top that night.

         But that night provided far more than a fishing memory. It was a life memory. It provided me a picture of what life could be like if I just slowed down enough to enjoy the moments. On my way back to the house, as I walked through the tall grass, I took one last look at the sky and stopped to say, “Thank you, God, for giving me this night.”

64. The purpose of the passage is to ______.

A. suggest people should make big plans                                   

B. tell people to do what they like

C. advise people to enjoy beautiful moments

D. encourage people to follow their dreams

65. What does the underlined word “nuts” in Paragraph 3 mean?

A. Determined.                       B. Ill.         C. Tired.                           D. Crazy.

66. The fourth paragraph is mainly about ______.

A. the description of the night

B. the author’s fishing experience

C. the author’s attitude towards life

D. what the author did that night

67. We can learn from the passage that night the author ______.

A. caught fewer fish than before

B. enjoyed real small pleasures

C. went to bed around 1:00 am

D. went fishing with his wife

 

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科目：高中英語 來源：2006年高考試題（湖南卷）解析版 題型：閱讀理解

 

For the first time in modern history, less than half of the U.S. adult population now reads literature, according to a recent survey. Reading at Risk: A survey of Literary Reading in America presents a detailed review of the decline of reading’s role in the nation’s culture.

Reading at Risk is a survey of national fashion in adult literary reading. The data source for Reading at Risk is as reliable and objective (客觀的) as any such survey can be. The key results of the survey are presented in the “Summary”, but the report can be further explained as: literary reading in America is not only declining rapidly among all groups, but the rate of decline has been speeded up, especially among the young. Reading at Risk merely shows a great cultural change that most Americans have already noted － our society’s great turn to electronic media for entertainment and information.

Reading a book requires a degree of active attention and devotion. Indeed, reading itself is a progressive skill that depends on years of education and practice. On the contrary, most electronic media such as television, recordings, and radio make fewer demands on their audiences, and indeed often require no more than passive participation. While oral culture has a rich reality and electronic media offer the considerable advantages of variety, print culture affords irreplaceable forms of focused attention and thought that make various communications and views possible. The decline in reading, therefore, equals a larger retreat (減少) from participation in public and cultural life.

What is to be done? There is surely no single solution to the present problem, just as there is no single cause. The important thing now is to understand that America can no longer take active and devoted reading for granted.

Reading is not a timeless, common ability. As more Americans lose that ability, our nation becomes less informed, active, and independent minded. These are not qualities that a free, inventive, or productive society can afford to lose.

1.The main purpose of the survey is to __________.

A. focus on the role of electronic media and reading

B. show that American young people read less and less

C. give a report of the national fashion of literary reading

D. review that less than half of the population now reads literature

2.According to the passage, reading __________.

A. requires less attention and devotion

B. demands no more than passive participation

C. limits various communications and views

D. means active participation in public and cultural life

3.The underlined phrase “cultural change” in Paragraph 2 refers to the change __________.

A. from oral culture to electronic media

B. from print culture to electronic media

C. from electronic media to oral culture

D. from electronic media to print culture

4.The author of the passage __________.

A. misunderstands oral culture

B. doubts the results of the survey

C. encourages the Americans to read more

D. agrees to the solution to the present problem in reading

 

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