The word, “photography”, was first used in 1839. It comes from the Greek words that mean “to write with light”. But photography could only give peoplestatic pictures. So scientists were trying hard to find ways to make pictures that can move. They made lots of experiments, but failed again and again. It was Eadweard Muybridge who finally succeeded. He was the first photographer to try this successfully. But how did he make it? It was an interesting story.
Back in 1872, people didn’t know exactly whether all four of a horse’s hooves (蹄) left the ground at the same time when it was running. A gentleman called Leland Stanford made a bet with his friend about it. Most people believed that a horse always had one hoof on the ground, or it would fall over. But Stanford didn’t think so.
At that time, it was hard to know who could win the bet, because a horse’s legs move so fast that it is impossible to tell just by looking. So they needed a way to record the movement of a running horse. Then Stanford offered $25,000 to the famous photographer, Muybridge, to help find the answer. In the beginning, Muybridge failed to get clear images, but he didn’t give up. He continued to improve his cameras. In 1878, after many experiments, he managed to get a sequence (连续) of 12 photos. One of them clearly showed that all four of the horse’s hooves were off the ground at the same time. And when the photos moved fast, people could see a horse running.
Though is usually considered as the person who created the first movie in 1889, it was the work of Eadweard Muybridge and the bet that led to Edison’s invention.The underlined word“static”in Paragraph 1 most probably means _______.
A.pretty | B.dark | C.moving | D.still |
What did Leland Stanford make a bet with his friend about?
A.Whose horse ran faster. |
B.whether a horse would fall over while running. |
C.whether it was possible for scientists to make moving pictures. |
D.Whether a horse’s hooves all left the ground at the same time while running. |
Muybridge finally found the exact answer to the bet _______.
A.next year. | B.at the same year. |
C.after six years. | D.after seventeen years. |
Which is TRUE from the passage?
A.The word, “photography” means to make pictures that can move from the Greek words . |
B.Leland Stanford made a bet with Edison in 1872. |
C.It is very easy for Muybridgea to record the movement of a running horse. |
D.Stanford believed all four of the horse’s hooves were off the ground at the same time. |
The passage mainly tells us _______.
A.that Thomas Edison created the first movie . |
B.that Eadweard Muybridge created the first static pictures |
C.how photography helped people know more about animals |
D.how Eadweard Muybridge got pictures of motion (移动) successfully |
【湖南省张家界市2015年中考英语试题】阅读技能(共20小题,满分45分)
阅读下面的材料,从A、B、C三个选项中,选出能回答所提问题或完成所给句子的最佳选项。
B
Are you a good helper in the kitchen? Flynn McGarry, from the US, does more than that.The 15-year-old boy began cooking at the age of ten.And now he has his own restaurant.
McGarry practiced his cookery skills after school. He taught himself from books and the internet.The boy really loves cooking.In his room,there are no video games but cooking tools.He turned his room into an experimental kitchen called Club Eureka.
Today,many famous people pay around $ 160 per person to eat in McGarry’s Club Eureka.The New York Times magazine described his food as “creative”.
As for the future, McGarry wants to open a Michelin-Starred restaurant. He hopes to make it one of the world’s 50 Best and “maybe top 5”.When did McGarry begin to learn cooking?
A. When he was five.
B. When he was ten.
C. When he was fifteen.Who taught McGarry cookery skills?
A. His parents.
B. His teachers.
C. He himself.Why did McGarry learn cooking?
A. Because he loves cooking.
B. Because he wanted to make money.
C. Because his parents asked him to learn cooking.Which of the following is NOT true about Club Eureka?
A. McGarry is the owner.
B. McGarry is the cook.
C. The food is free.What does McGarry want to do in the future?
A. To have an experimental kitchen.
B. To have a world’s top restaurant.
C. To cook for famous people.
【湖南省张家界市2015年中考英语试题】阅读技能(共20小题,满分45分)
阅读下面的材料,从A、B、C三个选项中,选出能回答所提问题或完成所给句子的最佳选项。
A
A thirsty crow (乌鸦)comes across(偶然遇到) a bottle of water, but the water level is out of its reach. The bird then drops some stones into it and gets the water.
“It’s just a story,” you may think. But new research has found that crows’ brains may sometimes be better than those of 6-year-old children.
In a recent experiment, American scientist Corina Logan and her team caught six crows to test them. The crows and children had to choose between two sets of tubes(试管). They had to drop stones in and get water.
With the red set, when they dropped a stone into a wide tube, the water level raised in a connected narrow tube. The blue set of tubes, however, had no connection between them.
Children aged 7 to 10 were able to learn the rule. Children aged 4-6, however, failed.Five of the six crows failed the test. But Kitty, a 6-month-old crow, passed it. She put most of the stones into the red tubes.
So, could a bird be more clever than a kindergartner? Don’t be too quick to say no.The first paragraph is ______ about crows.
A. a piece of news B. a story C. a truth_____ failed the test?
A. Kitty
B. Children aged 7 to 10
C. Children aged 4 to 6From the text, we know crows’ brains may ______ be better than those of 6-year-old children.
A. sometimes B. always C. neverHow many crows did the team do the experiment on?
A. 5 B. 6 C. 7What does the underlined word kindergartner mean?
A. 幼儿园小朋友 B. 幼儿园教师 C. 幼儿园
【黑龙江省龙东地区2015年中考英语试题】Reading comprehension (本题共40分, A, D每小题1分, B, C, E每小题2分)
Some time ago, an old businessman had a large store in Boston. He wanted a boy to work for him, and he put an advertisement in the newspaper. The next morning, many boys came to the old man's office, asking for the job.
There was a post(柱子)by his desk, and there was a nail(钉子)in it. He took a walking stick and said, "Everyone has three chances. If anyone can hit the nail on the head with this stick more than once, I will give him the job."The boys thought it was easy. They all tried, but nobody could make it. So the old man said, "I'm sorry I can't take any of you."And they left.
He kept the advertisement in the paper, and the next morning many more boys came, and among them he saw a thin boy who had been there the day before. The boy hit the nail successfully for three times. The old man felt surprised and asked how he did that. "Yes," said the boy, "I failed yesterday, but I thought that if I kept on trying a while, I could do it. So I went home and practiced hitting a nail with a stick till I could do it, and I got up very early this morning, and tried again."
The old man said, "You are the boy for me." And he gave him the job. Whatever the boy had to do, he tried to do his best. It was not very long before he became the best clerk in the store.
Answer the questions according to the passage.What could they use to hit the nail?
How many chances could everyone have to hit the nail?
Who got the job on the first day?
Did the boys know the advertisement on TV or in the newspaper?
Why could the boy hit the nail successfully?
【河北省2015年中考英语试题】阅读理解(共15小题,每小题2分,计30分)
阅读A、B、C三篇材料,然后从各小题所给的四个选项中选出最佳选项。
A
One day after school, I went to the teacher's office to see my teacher, but nobody was there. As I was about to leave, I noticed a piece of paper on the floor. I picked it up and saw the words "FINAL-TERM EXAMINATION" at the top. I put the paper into my school bag secretly and ran out of the room.
After I came back home, I took out the paper quickly. It was the exam paper of my worst subject, History. I felt excited. My heart beat fast. I took out my History book and started working on the answer. I had never answered any questions so seriously.
On the day of the History exam, I went into the exam hall confidently. When the paper was sent to me, I dreamt of getting the highest mark in the whole grade and could not help smiling. "My History teacher always encouraged me to work hard and get better grades, but I let him down time and time again. This time I will give him a big surprise," I thought.
When the teacher said we could start, I turned the paper over. To my surprise, all the questions were different. Later I felt nervous. In the end, I almost left the paper undone. After the exam. I ran to the toilet, took out the paper and carefully read it from the top. Oh! It was last year's exam paper. I read all the questions but I hadn't read the date.
This is a lesson in which I know I have to put my feet on the ground. I regretted doing such a silly thing. After that, I told my teacher the truth and I promised to be honest. From then on, I worked harder than ever before.The writer went to the teacher's office to _________.
A.take an exam | B.see his teacher |
C.get his school bag | D.ask some questions |
The writer always _________ in his History exams.
A.got high marks | B.did silly things |
C.let his teacher down | D.left the paper undone |
The writer felt _________ when he first saw all the questions were different.
A.surprised | B.excited | C.nervous | D.crazy |
When did the writer know it was last year's exam paper?
A.Before he read all the questions. |
B.As soon as he returned home. |
C.Until he went into the teacher's office. |
D.After he read the paper in the toilet. |
What might the writer write in his diary?
A.I'm glad that I did very well in the exam. I gave my teacher... |
B.After the exam, my teacher asked me to go to his office. My heart... |
C.When I turned over the paper, I couldn't help smiling. My teacher... |
D.I'm truly sorry for what I did. Everyone should be honest. I'll ... |
【海南省2015年中考英语试题】阅读理解(共 15 小题,每小题 2 分,满分 30 分)
阅读下列两篇语言材料,根据语言材料的内容,从每小题所给的 A、B、C 三个选项中 选出能回答所提问题或完成所给句子的最佳选项。
C
阅读下面短文,按要求完成各小题。
Do you often help the people who are in need?
One day, two boys were walking along the road to school when they saw an old woman carrying a large basket of pears. The old woman looked very tired. They went up and said, “Are you going to town? If you are, we’ll help you carry your basket.”
“Thank you,” said the woman. “That’s very kind of you.” Then she told them that she was going to the market to sell the pears. So the boys decided to lift the basket together. They walked slowly with the heavy basket, but they were happy.
The other day, I saw a little girl pick up a piece of banana peel(水果皮). She threw it into the dustbin(垃圾箱). “I hope nobody would throw that on the street,” she said. “Someone may slip (滑倒) and fall.”
Perhaps some people may say that these are not great things. That’s right. But almost all great things are made up of such small things. We shouldn’t wait for the time to do great things. We should begin with these things that are full of love.What was the old woman carrying?(根据短文内容回答问题)
Where were the two boys going? (根据短文内容回答问题)
Should we wait for the time to do great things?(根据短文内容回答问题)
从短文中找出与下面句子画线部分意思相同或相近的单词。
But almost all great things are made up of such small things.In the passage, the underlined word “it” refers to .