Anyone who has experienced the joy of driving through a rainstorm with the sunroof (天窗) open understands how airflow around the moving vehicles can keep him dry despite the exposure. Now a similar principle is being employed to create an umbrella that protects people from the rain using nothing more than an invisible air force field.
Air Umbrella, developed by a Chinese company and recently funded by Kickstarter, uses forced air rather than fabric to create a protective canopy that keeps people from getting wet in the rain.
It’s a clever concept and designers have done a good job of answering several questions about the product. For instance, the sound generated by the device is minimal, especially when compared to the pitter-patter of the falling rain. It can create a protective canopy wide enough for two people to fit under and it performs well even in the heavy rain. The air shield (防护) can be cut through by high winds, but given that regular umbrellas typically fold over in similar windy conditions, the air umbrella is still an upgrade.
A few concerns do remain, however. For instance, the battery life is only about 15-30 minutes depending on the model, so you’ll still want to walk briskly to your next destination when it’s raining. Also, while the air shield might keep the rain away from you, it’s likely to splash all that blown-away water onto anyone else like a sprinkler (洒水车). So the device might draw the ire of anyone else walking with you, or any helpless bystanders.
There are currently three different types to choose from if you’re interested in investing. Air Umbrella-A is the lightest model, and is apparently designed specifically for females, according to the Chinese developers. It is about 12 inches in length and weighs a little over a pound, and it runs for 15 minutes per charge. Air Umbrella-B measures nearly 20 inches long and weighs 1.7 pounds, and lasts 30 minutes per charge. Finally, Air Umbrella-C also lasts 30 minutes, but is scalable between 20 and 32 inches depending on your needs.
1.Why does the author mention a special driving experience in the first paragraph?
A. To introduce the topic of the passage.
B. To explain the need for an umbrella.
C. To share a feeling with the readers.
D. To prove a theory to the readers.
2. The Air Umbrella fails to work when ______.
A. there is little rain B. there is no wind
C. it rains heavily D. the wind is strong
3.How does the author present concerns about the Air Umbrella?
A. By giving figures.
B. By giving examples.
C. By making experiments.
D. By making comparisons.
4.The underlined word “ire” in the 4th paragraph probably means ______.
A. attention B. doubt
C. curiosity D. anger
Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was born on September 24, 1896. He was an American writer of novels and short stories, whose works are the typical writings of the Jazz Age, a term he created himself.
Born into an upper middle-class Irish Catholic family, Fitzgerald was named after his famous second cousin, Francis Scott Key. He was also named after his deceased sister Louise Scott, one of two sisters who died shortly before his birth. He spent 1898–1901 in Syracuse and 1903–1908 in Buffalo, New York, where he attended Nardin Academy. When his father was fired from his company, the family returned to Minnesota, where Fitzgerald attended St. Paul Academy from 1908 to1911.
He is widely regarded as one of the 20th century’s greatest writers. Fitzgerald is considered to be a member of the “Lost Generation” of the 1920s. He finished four novels, This Side of Paradise, The Beautiful and Damned, Tender Is the Night and his most famous classic novel, The Great Gatsby. A fifth, unfinished novel, The Love of the Last Tycoon was published after his death. Fitzgerald also wrote many short stories that dealt with themes of youth.
His first literary work, a detective story, was published in a school newspaper when he was 12. When he was 16, he was forced to leave St. Paul Academy for neglecting his studies. He attended Newman School, a prep school in Hackensack, New Jersey, in 1911–1912, and entered Princeton University in 1913 as a member of the Class of 1917. There he became friends with future critics and writers Edmund Wilson (Class of 1916) and John Peale Bishop (Class of 1917), and wrote for the Princeton Triangle Club. He was also a member of the University Cottage Club, which still displays Fitzgerald’s desk and writing materials in its library. A poor student, Fitzgerald left Princeton to enlist (入伍) in the US Army during World War I; however, the war ended shortly after Fitzgerald’s enlistment.
Fitzgerald had been an alcoholic (酒鬼) since his college days, leaving him in poor health by the late 1930s. Fitzgerald suffered a mild attack of tuberculosis in 1919, and died of a heart attack in 1940.
1.What does the passage mainly talk about?
A. The “Lost Generation” of the 1920s.
B. How Fitzgerald got his name.
C. The life and works of Fitzgerald.
D. Fitzgerald and the Jazz Age.
2.What led to Fitzgerald’s early death according to the passage?
A. His poverty.
B. His heavy drinking.
C. The poor working conditions.
D. The pressures of work.
3.Which is the most famous work of Fitzgerald?
A. This Side of Paradise.
B. The Beautiful and Damned.
C. Tender Is the Night.
D. The Great Gatsby.
4.What’s the right order of the events related to Fitzgerald?
a. He attended Nardin Academy.
b. He entered Princeton University.
c. He attended St. Paul Academy.
d. He joined the US Army during World War I.
A. a,c,b,d B. a,d,b,c
C. b,d,a,c D. b,a,c,d
假定你是李华, 你的英国朋友Peter来信向你咨询如何才能学好中文. 请你根据下列要点写回信.
要点: 1. 参加中文学习班;
2. 看中文书刊、电视；
3. 学唱中文歌曲；
4. 交中国朋友。
注意：1.词数100左右；
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
Dear Peter,
__________________________________________________________
Best wishes,
Li Hua
短文改错
此题要求改正所给短文中的错误。对标有题号的每一行作出判断：短文中有10处错误，每句中最多有两处。错误涉及一个单词的增加，删除或修改。
此行多一个词：把多余的词用斜线(＼)划掉。
此行缺一个词：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧)，在该行下边写出该加的词。
此行错一个词：在错的词下划一横线，在该行下边写出改正后的词。
注意：1.每处错误仅限1词；
2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
I often quarrel about my mother over whether I can watch TV after school. She holds view that senior three students have to make fully use of every minute to work hard at their lessons. It seems to me that once I am allowed to do that, I’ll unable to control myself and forget all about my study. She also thinks it is bad for my eye. But I really can’t accept her ideas. In my opinion, watch TV can set my mind at rest after a day’s hard works. Besides, it is important for us to know what had happened at home and at abroad. Thus, we shouldn’t be forbidden to watch TV.
Last year, my brother and I went to Miami for a vacation. Some of my friends who had been there before said1._____ was a wonderful holiday destination. Before we went, we had planned for months. When the day came, we were ready.
After our plane landed, we went to the hotel. We had made our reservation six months__2.____ （early）, but the man at the front desk said there had been a mistake. We __3.___（tell）that our rooms hadn’t been reserved for that week, __4._ for the week after. I didn’t understand _5._ this would happen and my credit card had already been charged____6.__ the reservation. What’s worse, the hotel had been fully booked. When we were wondering what to do, the manager came out. She was _7.___（surprise）helpful. She apologized for the mistake and gave us a spare VIP room on __8.___ top floor. We had never stayed in such an amazing room, and we weren’t charged extra.
The next day, my brother and I went to the beach __9._ we watched some people play volleyball. We got a little___10._（sunburn），but the day had been so relaxing that we didn’t mind.
Carolyn Stradley is the founder of C&S Paving Inc. (铺路公司) in Atlanta, USA. In the following account, she recalls the job that challenged her and skill but left her flying high.
“When the Atlanta Airport was under in 1979, we were a new company struggling to make it. National Car Rental wanted to have 2,500 square meters of dirt paved the cars could be on site the airport opened, and the official opening was only ten days away! other local paving company wanted to do the job, it couldn’t be done in such a short time.
“Because we were new and really needed the work, we were to try harder. We gave National Car Rental our offer and our best effort to get the job finished within ten days. We also them that if we failed, they would be no worse off, they had plenty to gain if we succeeded.
“We got the job and immediately went into . Working at night needed lights, so I rented a machine to produce electricity for the site. Our challenge was to keep the rock mixture enough. All the available water wagons (洒水车) were rented out for the airport construction, and we certainly couldn’t afford to buy a new one. , I got a special to rent fire engine hoses (消防水龙带) and connect them to nearby hydrants (消防栓); then I held one of those hoses to down the rock.
“Those ten days were filled with challenges that one creative idea after another. Nine days later, the night before the airport opened, National Car Rental was the company that had cars on the parking lot.
“The key to our success was having the to take on any job and then being creative in our approach to getting it done.”
1.A. kindness B. patience C. imagination D. experience
2.A. construction B. repair C. control D. development
3.A. after B. as C. for D. so
4.A. while B. since C. where D. when
5.A. Some B. Any C. No D. Every
6.A. stating B. reporting C. telling D. warning
7.A. able B. nervous C. afraid D. willing
8.A. supported B. promised C. continued D. improved
9.A. asked B. surprised C. reminded D. demanded
10.A. though B. but C. as D. unless
11.A. discussion B. action C. practice D. production
12.A. next B. first C. past D. previous
13.A. cold B. wet C. loose D. clean
14.A. Naturally B. Obviously C. Meanwhile D. Instead
15.A. excuse B. order C. permit D. reason
16.A. exactly B. personally C. angrily D. hardly
17.A. pull B. knock C. hit D. water
18.A. required B. mixed C. followed D. formed
19.A. best B. last C. second D. only
20.A. courage B. interest C. hope D. chance
