We all love to take photographs. It's a simple way to snap a special moment, an amazing view, or just to show off your artistic skills. And it's great to look back through your photo albums and share memories with your friends. In fact, they show a snapshot(快照)in time. This hasn't really changed since the invention of photography in the 1830s. But one thing that has changed is the equipment we use.
For many years, we have used traditional cameras to take our pictures with. Our images were taken onto camera film which was then processed into negatives from which photos were printed— a lengthy process. And we've had a range of cameras to choose from— from the simple compact camera to more advanced single lens reflex, or SLR cameras.
But the biggest change has come with the development of digital devices. This has made taking photo quicker and easier. It's enabled us to take a snap and review our pictures instantly. We've been able to deal with them in post-production, using software on our computer. And of course, we've been able to share them like never before— particularly on social media.
Of course, now we have the smartphone— a phone that is, well, smart because it can take photos and sometimes very good quality ones, and we can share them easily. So does that mean the traditional camera will eventually become outdated? Figures from Japan show how the market is shrinking: shipments of compact digital cameras from companies like Olympus, Canon and Nikon were down 39 percent year on year.
But Phil Hall, editor of Tech Radar magazine, told the BBC that while people are swapping their compact cameras for smartphones, "manufacturers are looking at the more higher-end cameras, high-end compacts, DSLRs, which are the ones you can attach lenses to, mirrorless cameras. In this sense, there's nothing to worry about."
1.What does the underlined word "they" in Paragraph I refer to?
A.Private memories. B.Photo albums
C.Artistic skills. D.Photographs
2.What is the biggest challenge for traditional cameras?
A.Instant access to taking photographs. B.Sharing moments on social media.
C.The development of digital technology. D.Post-production of software on computer.
3.What is Phil Hall's attitude towards the future of traditional cameras?
A.Optimistic. B.Negative. C.Worried. D.Uncertain.
4.What is the best title for the text?
A.What a dilemma for cameras! B.What can smartphones do for us?
C.Are smartphones killing cameras? D.Camera producers survive the hard times
Airports are mini cities, often with their own firefighters, doctors and even priests. But goat herders(牧工)? Passengers flying out of San Francisco International Airport recently might have caught a glimpse of something strange: nearly 600 goats chewing away at overgrown weed. Each spring the airport needs to remove the brush in a remote comer to protect nearby homes from possible fires.
For the past seven years, the airport has turned to Goats R Us, a goat-powered brush removal company, which charged US $34,900 for the service this year. A large amount, isn't it? Why not employ machines on humans? Two endangered species, the San Francisco garter snake(束带蛇)and the California red-legged frog, live there. Thus, this humane approach has been adopted to secure their peaceful life.
What do the herders and their dogs do? There's always a goat or two that would like to take a different path. "Just as a kindergarten teacher knows which kids need a little extra attention, so we will make sure the dogs can target the 'naughty goats' to keep them secure," says Terri Oyarzun, co-owner of Goats R Us. When asked how to lead goats to the next plot of plants. Terri says, "It's effortless. You know, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence? Goats were the inspiration for that philosophy."
The goats travel 30 miles each spring from their home in Orinda, California to the airport in a 16-wheel truck. They spend two weeks cutting away a 20-foot firebreak on the west side of the airport. When Oyarzun's mats aren't clearing brush at the airport, they are busy doing similar work on the side of California's free-ways, at state parks, and anywhere else with overgrown vegetation. The family has about 8,000 total active goats, nearly twice that of three years ago.
1.What can we know from Paragraph 1?
A.There is too much grass to feed goats B.Goats have successfully built firewalls.
C.Overgrown grass covers much room for planes. D.Grass is cleared annually to prevent potential fire.
2.Goats are hired to clear the grass for the purpose of .
A.cutting down the expenses B.reducing the risk of deaths
C.guarding against possible fires D.protecting certain endangered species
3.Terri's words in Paragraph 3 can be best described as .
A.critical B.humorous C.ridiculous D.objective
4.What can be inferred from the text?
A.The goats walk 30 miles to the airport every year.
B.More passengers have been attracted to the airport.
C.Oyarzun's business is now booming and promising.
D.Goats are not accustomed to life at the airport yet.
What comes to mind when you think of a museum? Perhaps you picture an impressive building in a rather traditional design made of high-quality stone? Some might consider these customary institutions the best way to safeguard the future of typical educational topics. But according to the Museums Association, a museum is traditionally defined as a place enabling "… people to have more knowledge via various collections for inspiration, learning and enjoyment."
There are about 2500 museums in the UK; a few are bound to be considered a little unconventional, unusual or even unknown. However atypical your interest is, there's a museum for you!
What about Neil Cole's Adventures? This museum was opened by founder Neil Cole. Visitors to this Allendale attraction in Northumberland can see items ranging from stage properties used in the BBC series Dr Who to part of Thor's costume from the Avengers movie. "Science fiction has now become more mainstream so I thought people might want to see this," says Mr Cole.
If clocks are more to your taste, why not visit the Cuckooland Museum? Set up by brothers Roman and Maz Piekarski, this Cheshire collection of over 600 cuckoo clocks is considered to be the largest of its kind in the world— and all from the Black Forest region in Germany.
Then, you could visit the Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities in London. This offbeat, alternative institution is against the trend of educating visitors through written descriptions alongside its collections. Instead, it displays all of its rare treasures, which include dodo bones, shrunken heads and a collection of McDonald's Happy Meal toys, with no caption at all.
There are many more wonderful institutions out there that march to the beat of their own drum. All you have to do is go and find them!
1.What do the traditional museums serve to do?
A.To educate kids more about the world. B.To help people explore more
C.To show visitors a specialized field. D.To help understand the real life.
2.What does Neil Cole's Adventures focus on?
A.Allendale scenery. B.Stage properties.
C.Science fiction. D.The Avengers movies.
3.Which of the following museums has no written explanation for visitors?
A.The Museum Association. B.Neil Cole's Adventures.
C.The Cuckooland Museum. D.The Viktor Wynd Museum.
假定你是李华,你校将在下月举办“英国文化周”系列活动。请你根据以下要点给英国朋友 Peterson写一封信,邀请他来给你们做一次讲座。
内容包括:
1.讲座目的;
2.讲座内容;
3.邀请对方的理由。
注意:1.可适当增加细节,使结构完整;
2.词数100左右,开头和结尾已给出,不计入总词数。
参考词汇:英国文化周 British Culture Week
Dear Peterson,
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文,请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误,每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加:在缺词处加一个漏字符号(),并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除:把多余的词用斜线(\)划掉。
修改:在错的词下划一横线,并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意:1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词;
2.只允许修改10处,多者(从第11处起)不计分。
The teacher I like best is Mr. Chen, my math teacher. He is 35 years old and very thin, that always wears a pair of glasses. I loved Mr. Chen for the following reasons. First, he does well in teaching the math and always tries different ways to make his teaching interested. Besides, he is strict with us students, expected us to try our best whatever we do. More important,he encourages us to explore problems on our own instead telling us the answers. As a result, we make rapid progresses in our math with her kind help.
Mr. Chen is so a good teacher that we all admire him.
Several weeks ago, my friend offered to sell some of our things for us. I thought it was a good chance to _______ my 7-year-old son’s room and _______ some toys that were no longer suitable for him to play with. We _______ that all the money we got from selling the toys would be his money.
The night before the _______, we loaded up the truck with toys and a little bike that was too _______ for him. In the yard he _______ the bike for the last time and then happily put it onto the truck. _______ this little bike had at least two previous owners, it wasn’t in the best _______ and was certainly not new, but the tyres (车胎) were _______ good.
We put a price of $10 on it, but it didn’t sell. So, after the sale was ________, my friend put it on the sidewalk with a sign that ________ “FREE BIKE”. Within five minutes her doorbell rang. A little boy was ________there. In poor English he asked whether the bike was ________ free. She said yes and that he could have it for ________. He smiled, got on the bike and rode away.
Later that evening when I told my son how much money he had made at the sale, he was very ________, shouting happily. He asked about a few of his things, wondering ________ they had been sold. When he asked about the bike, I told him about the little boy and that made him ________. He was much happier than when I told him how much he had ________. He was so happy to ________ that someone else would make good ________of that little bike!
1.A.check B.clean C.build D.display
2.A.look for B.go over C.deal with D.show around
3.A.agreed B.refused C.wrote D.lied
4.A.sale B.show C.trip D.decision
5.A.weak B.thin C.new D.small
6.A.watched B.found C.rode D.designed
7.A.So B.And C.But D.As
8.A.shape B.chance C.place D.time
9.A.also B.still C.never D.hardly
10.A.ahead B.on C.over D.near
11.A.repeated B.said C.copied D.expressed
12.A.jumping B.walking C.standing D.shouting
13.A.really B.usually C.barely D.always
14.A.something B.nothing C.everything D.anything
15.A.calm B.scared C.disappointed D.excited
16.A.when B.that C.why D.if
17.A.worry B.smile C.leave D.cry
18.A.enjoyed B.lost C.made D.bought
19.A.understand B.think C.remember D.hear
20.A.use B.money C.interest D.price