I must have been about fourteen then, and I put away the incident from my mind with the easy carelessness of youth. But the words, Carl Walter spoke that day, came back to me years later, and ever since have been of great value to me.
Carl Walter was my piano teacher. During one of my lessons he asked how much practicing I was doing. I said three or four hours a day.
“Do you practice in long stretches, an hour at a time?”
“I try to.”
“Well, don’t, ” he said loudly. “When you grow up, time won’t come in long stretches. Practice in minutes, whenever you can find them five or ten before school, after lunch, between household tasks. Spread the practice through the day, and piano-playing will become a part of your life.”
When I was teaching at Columbia, I wanted to write, but class periods, theme-reading, and committee meetings filled my days and evenings. For two years I got practically nothing down on paper, and my excuse was that I had no time. Then I remembered what Carl Walter had said. During the next week I conducted an experiment. Whenever I had five minutes unoccupied, I sat down and wrote a hundred words or so. To my astonishment, at the end of the week I had a rather large manuscript(手稿) ready for revision. Later on I wrote novels by the same piecemeal （零碎的）method. Though my teaching schedule had become heavier than ever, in every day there were moments which could be caught and put to use.
There is an important trick in this time-using principle: you must get into your work quickly. If you have but five minutes for writing, you can’t afford to waste it in chewing your pencil. You must make your mental preparations beforehand, and concentrate on your task almost instantly when the time comes. Fortunately, rapid concentration is easier than most of us realize.
I admit I have never learnt how to let go easily at the end of the five or ten minutes. But life can be counted on to supply interruptions. Carl Walter has had a significant influence on my life. To him I owe the discovery that even very short periods of time add up to all useful hours I need, if I throw myself into it without delay.
【小题1】The meaning of “stretch” in the underlined part is the same as that in the sentence “_______”
| A．The dog woke up, had a good stretch and wandered off. |
| B．Bob worked as a government official for a stretch of over twenty years. |
| C．My family wasn’t wealthy by any stretch of the imagination. |
| D．This material has a lot of stretch in it. |
| A．The author didn’t take the teacher’s words to heart at first. |
| B．Rapid concentration is more difficult than people imagine. |
| C．The author thanked his teacher for teaching him to work in long stretches. |
| D．Carl Walter has influenced the writer greatly since he was a student. |
| A．had new books published each year however busy his teaching is |
| B．is tired of interruptions in life because he always has much work |
| C．has formed a bad habit of chewing a pencil while writing his novels |
| D．makes mental preparations beforehand so as to focus on work quickly |
| A．Concentrate on Your Work | B．A Little at a Time |
| C．How I Became a Writer | D．Good Advice |
【小题1】B
【小题2】A
【小题3】D
【小题4】B
解析试题分析：文章通过一个故事讲述了一个大道理。作者的老师让作者不要集中练琴，而是把练习的时间分散开来。作者认识到，要做好心理准备，来迎接不期而遇的机会。
【小题1】根据“When you grow up, time won’t come in long stretches. Practice in minutes, whenever you can find them five or ten before school, after lunch, between household tasks. Spread the practice through the day, and piano-playing will become a part of your life.”可知，当你长大了，你不会一直长时间有空练习。要把练习分成一小段一小段的，上学前练，午饭后练，做家务的空当练。Stretch指一段（时间）。B项“鲍勃做了二十几年的官员”。故选B。
【小题2】根据“But the words, Carl Walter spoke that day, came back to me years later, and ever since have been of great value to me.”可知，Carl Walter老师的话，在多年以后才被作者记起来。故选A。
【小题3】根据“You must make your mental preparations beforehand, and concentrate on your task almost instantly when the time comes.”可知，你必须事先做好心理准备，时机一到，就要立即把注意力集中在你的任务上。故选D。
【小题4】根据“But life can be counted on to supply interruptions. ...very short periods of time add up to all useful hours”可知，作者对老师的教导很是感激，作者谨记教诲，把一点点的时间片段聚集起来，成为了宝贵的时光。要学会把一个目标分成一个个的小步骤，一个个的接着完成它们，并最终实现最终的目标。故选B。
考点：故事类短文阅读
轻巧夺冠周测月考直通名校系列答案科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
My mind seems always to return to the day when I met Carl. The city bus stopped at a corner to pick up the daily commuters (someone who travels regularly to and from work), a group in which I was included. Boarding the bus, I looked for a place to sit. At last, I found a place near the back.
The man in the seat next to the one I was going for was an older man in a grey suit, well-worn dress shoes, and a black hat like I always pictured reporters wearing, but without the little press card. Seated, I began to read the book I had been carrying, which was Jack Kerouac’s On the Road. The man in the seat next to me introduced himself by asking if I had read any other book like the one I was holding. When I told him I had, he seemed to become interested, and so did I. He introduced himself as Carl and asked if I liked jazz, and I told him that I didn’t really listen to it, and that I liked rock and roll. Waiting for Carl to tell me that I should listen to real music, I was shocked when he just smiled and nodded. He said, "You remind me of myself when I was your age. I remember how my parents hated jazz and how they couldn’t see how I could listen to that awful noise. I bet your parents say the same thing, don’t they?" Now it was my turn to smile, amused with how right he was.
As the bus carried us from one side of the city to the other, Carl and I talked about a lot of different things. The more we talked, the more amazed I became at how much the two of us really had in common, despite the age difference. I haven’t seen him since we parted, but the thought of our connection that day rarely leaves my mind.
Carl really made me think about how much we can learn from each other if we just break through the blocks between us we’ve got. I mean, I would have never thought before that day that I could have anything in common with someone so much older than I. But Carl taught me that no matter what we are, we are all just people, and that we should make an extra effort to try and get to know our neighbors and people we see every day, regardless of age, race, religion, sex, or anything else. If we all take the time to attempt to understand each other, I think that the world would be a much better place that we could share together, as humans.
【小题1】From the first paragraph we know that the author _____________.
| A．did not mind whether there was a seat or not |
| B．hoped to have a seat when getting on the bus |
| C．thought the bus was overcrowded |
| D．looked for a seat but failed |
| A．liked jazz music |
| B．enjoyed talking with others |
| C．liked reading Jack Kerouac’s works |
| D．usually wore a black hat and press card |
| A．older people were nice to talk to |
| B．he should have known Carl earlier |
| C．his parents were so different from Carl in listening to music |
| D．age was not necessarily a problem in heart-to-heart communication |
| A．the author hasn’t seen the old man since then |
| B．jazz music used to be more popular than rock and roll |
| C．the author was not satisfied with human relationships in the world |
| D．Carl made the author realize we humans live in peace and brotherhood |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Rachel Carson, born in rural Pennsylvania in 1907, had a great impact on the environment. Carson earned a master’s degree in zoology in 1932. It was as a writer and not as a research scientist, however, that she made her mark, sharing her view that human beings are just one element in a larger natural order.
In the articles on natural history Carson wrote for various publications, she expressed dry facts in poetic and persuasive language. She wrote five books. Two of them, The Sea Around Us and The Edge of the Sea, have been called “biographies of the ocean.”
Carson also made the world aware of how scientific discoveries can harm as well as help living things. In her best-selling book Silent Spring, Carson challenged the profligate use of chemical pesticides by large agricultural and government organizations. She was the first to detail how the pesticide DDT had entered the food chain and damaged populations of bald eagles, falcons, and brown pelicans by causing the shells of their eggs to become so thin that they could not withstand the weight of the parent bird.
Carson died of cancer in 1964. Today, the Rachel Carson Council collects and disseminates (散播) information on pesticide-related issues. In 1970, the Rachel Carson Wildlife Refuge, a large area of salt marsh and freshwater habitat in Maine, was dedicated to her memory.
【小题1】Which of the following words is closest to the meaning of the underlined word in paragraph 3 ?
| A．excessive | B．inadequate | C．authoritative | D．efficient |
| A．Carson wrote books that the average person could understand. |
| B．Dangerous properties of new chemical products may be immediately apparent. |
| C．If not for Carson, no one would have learned about the dangers of DDT. |
| D．In 1970, large quantities of salt and freshwater were dedicated to Carson’s memory by the Rachel Carson Wildlife Refuge |
| A．Writers have played an important role in the battle against pollution. |
| B．The scientist Rachel Carson taught people about environmental issues through her writing. |
| C．Carson’s book Silent Spring changed the way some pesticides were used. |
| D．Many of Carson’s books were about pesticide-related issues. |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
One day, I received a call from a colleague. He was about to give a student a zero for his answer to a physical problem, while the student claimed a perfect score. I was elected as their arbiter( 仲裁人). I read the examination problem：“Show how it is possible to determine the height of a tall building with the aid of a barometer(气压计).” The student had answered:“Take the barometer to the top of the building，attach a long rope to it，lower it to the street，and then bring it up, measuring the length of the rope. The length of it is the height of the building. ”
The student had really answered the question completely ，but the answer didn’t confirm his competence in physics. I suggested the student try again. I gave him six minutes to answer the question, warning that the answer should show some knowledge of physics. Five minutes later, he said he had many answers and clashed off one, which read：“Take the barometer to the top of the building and lean over the edge of the roof. Drop the barometer, timing its fall with a stopwatch. Then, use the physical formula (公式）to calculate the height of the building. ”
At this point, my colleague had to accept it, and then the student made almost full marks. I couldn’t help asking the student what the other answers were. He listed many others and then added “Probably the best is to take the barometer to the administrator and said to him，' Sir, here is a fine barometer. If you tell me the height of the building, I will give it to you.，”
Then, I asked the student if he really did not know the conventional answer to this question. He admitted that he did,but said that he was fed up with high school and college instructors trying to teach him how to think.
The name of the student was Bohr who later was famous all over the world. He won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1922.
【小题1】The student got a zero at the beginning because_______.
| A．the teacher wasn’t satisfied with him. |
| B．his answer wasn’t complete or correct |
| C．his answer didn’t show his knowledge of physics |
| D．the teacher didn’t fully understand his answer |
| A．the administrator told Bohr the height |
| B．the student knew the expected answer |
| C．the author preferred Bohr’s last answer |
| D．the teacher was a very stubborn person |
| A．instructors can teach students how to think |
| B．arbiters can help students to get high scores |
| C．teachers should make students use physical formulas |
| D．students should be given more freedom in thinking |
| A．Critical | B．Optimistic | C．Approving | D．Ambiguous |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
When I was about 12, I had an enemy, a girl who liked to point out my shortcomings. Week by week her list grew: I was very thin; I wasn’t a good student; I talked too much; I was too proud and so on. I tried to bear all these things as long as I could. At last, I became very angry. I ran to my father with tears in my eyes.
He listened to me quietly, then he asked, “Are the things she said true or not? Janet, didn’t you ever wonder what you are really like? Well, you now have the girl’s opinion. Go to make a list of everything she said and mark the points that are true. Pay no attention to other things she said.”
I did as he told me. To my great surprise, I discovered that about half of the things were true. some of them I couldn’t change (like being very thin), but a good number I could and suddenly I wanted to change. For the first time I got a fairly clear picture of myself.
I brought the list back to Daddy. He refused to take it, “That’s just for you,” he said. “You know better than anyone else, the truth about yourself. But you have to learn to listen, not just closing your ears in anger and feeling hurt. When something said about you is true, you’ll find it will be of help to you. Don’t shut your ears. Listen to other people’s opinions, but hear the truth and do what you know is right.”
Daddy’s advice returned to me at many important moments. In my life, I’ve never had a better piece of advice.
【小题1】Which do you think would be the best title for this passage?
| A．Not an Enemy, but a Best Friend |
| B．The Best Advice I’ve Ever Had |
| C．My Father |
| D．My Childhood |
| A．Week by Week, my shortcomings grew more serious. |
| B．She had made a list of shortcomings. |
| C．I was having more and more shortcomings as time went on. |
| D．Week by week she discovered more shortcomings of mine and pointed them out. |
| A．He believed what her daughter’s enemy said was mostly true. |
| B．He had been so angry with his daughter’s shortcomings. |
| C．He didn’t believe in his daughter. |
| D．He wasn’t quite sure which girl was telling the truth. |
| A．told her to write down what her “enemy” had said and pay attention to the true things. |
| B．criticized(批评) her and told her to overcome her shortcomings. |
| C．told her not to pay any attention to what her “enemy” said. |
| D．refused to take the list and have a look at it. |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
I wish there would be a way to describe China in simple terms but that’s impossible. For the most part Chinese people are friendly, easy-going and optimistic. They are curious and unusually patient and they are also the hardest-working people I have ever met.
In China, family is everything. In my English classes when the students were asked what they would do if they only had a few hours to live, most students told me how they would spend their last few hours with their families and parents. Many times the subjects in the classes center on families and friends. I teach many students a year, talking to them freely.
The cost of living here is very low compared with that of the US. The city of Xiang Fan I live in isn’t large and I live better. Non-imported(非出口的) foods are very cheap, so are clothing and articles of everyday use. The cost of public transportation is very low, too. Chinese value education. However, it is reported that many children can’t afford the expenses of schooling and are forced to leave school in some poor area in China. But they organized Project Hope many years age. It creates conditions for the poor children to go back to school. In my opinion, Project Hope is of great importance to the development of the rural education.
When we read news of China in the west, rarely, if ever, will we see anything mentioned of the positive changes China has gone through. While it is true that economic miracles have not reached many areas of China, but we also have the same problems.
When I am asked which country I consider better. China or the US, my answer has always been the same, “We are not worse or better than each other, we are only different.”
【小题1】What does the author think of Chinese people?
| A．He thinks most Chinese people hardly work. |
| B．He thinks most Chinese people are proud. |
| C．He praises most Chinese people a lot. |
| D．He dislikes most Chinese people. |
| A．He is visiting the places of interest. |
| B．He is teaching English in a school. |
| C．He is studying in a college. |
| D．He is on business. |
| A．Clothes and shoes made in China. | B．Local foods |
| C．Public transportation tickets. | D．Imported foods |
| A．the westerners have got to know China well |
| B．China’s economic miracles have appeared everywhere |
| C．the progress of China is seldom reported in the US |
| D．the education in rural areas is never cared about in China |
| A．China is different from the US |
| B．China is better than the US |
| C．Americans are richer than Chinese |
| D．China bears great similarities to the US |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Rocky Lyons was five years old when his mother, Kelly, was driving along the country road with him. He was asleep on the front seat of their truck, with his feet resting on her lap. As his mom drove carefully down the winding country road, she turned onto a narrow bridge. The truck hit a rock and slid off the road. She attempted to bring it back up onto the road by pressing hard on the gas pedal and turning the steering wheel to the left. But Rocky’s foot got caught between her leg and the steering wheel and she lost control of the truck.[ X.JTYJY.COM/]
The truck fell into a 20-foot ravine（峡谷）. When it hit bottom, Rocky woke up. “What happened, Mama?” he asked. “Our wheels are pointing toward the sky.”
Kelly was seriously wounded and blinded by blood. “I’ll get you out, Mama,” announced Rocky, who had surprisingly escaped injury. He climbed out from under Kelly, slid through the open window and tried to yank（用力拉）his mother out. But she didn’t move.
“Just let me sleep,” begged Kelly, who was out of consciousness. Rocky insisted, “Mom, you can’t go to sleep.”
Rocky managed to push Kelly out of the truck and told her he’d climb up to the road and stop a car to get help. Fearing that no one would be able to see her little boy in the dark, Kelly refused to let him go alone. Instead they slowly moved up to the road. The pain was so great that Kelly wanted to give up, but Rocky wouldn’t let her.
Rocky kept repeating the inspirational phrase, “I know you can, I know you can.” When they finally reached the road, Rocky broke into tears seeing his mother’s torn face clearly for the first time. Waving his arms and shouting, “Please stop!” the boy stopped a truck. His mother was sent to hospital.
It took 8 hours to rebuild Kelly’s face. She looks quite different today---“I used to have a straight long nose, thin lips and high cheekbones; now I’ve got a flat cheeks and much bigger lips”--- but she has few scars and has recovered from her injuries.
Rocky’s heroics were big news. Everyone was surprised at this little boy’s power. “It’s not like I wanted it to happen,” The boy explained. “ I just did what anyone would have done.” “If it weren’t for Rocky, I’d have died,” said his mother.
【小题1】According to the text, Rocky and Kelly _________ .
| A．were lost on a country road |
| B．had limited time to find their way |
| C．were involved in a truck accident |
| D．knew little of what happened to them |
| A．was frightened by his mother’s blood |
| B．found his mother had fallen asleep |
| C．was stuck against the door of the truck |
| D．found the car was turned over |
| A．She passed away. |
| B．She survived and recovered from injuries. |
| C．She became a hero. |
| D．She had a different life. |
| A．A Boy and His Mother | B．How to Behave Well？ |
| C．I Think I Can | D．Nothing is Lost |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
On the first day of college our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn’t already know.
I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being. She said, “Hi, handsome! My name is Rose. I’m eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?” I laughed and enthusiastically responded, “Of course you can!” and she gave me a giant squeeze.
“Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?” I asked. She jokingly replied, “I’m here to meet a rich husband, get married, have a couple of children, and then retire and travel.”
“No seriously,” I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age. “I always dreamed of having a college education and now I’m getting one!” she told me.
After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake. We instantly became friends. Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk non-stop.
I was always mesmerized(催眠) listening to this “time machine” as she shared her wisdom and experience with me. Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon(偶像) and she easily made friends wherever she went.
At the year end, Rose finished the degree she had begun all those years ago. One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep. Over two thousand college students attended her funeral to pay their respects to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it’s never too late to be all you can possible be.
【小题1】Why did Rose go to college at her age?
| A．She wanted to marry a rich husband. |
| B．It was her dream to receive college education. |
| C．She wanted to change her present situation. |
| D．She wanted to get a Bachelor Degree. |
| A．Serious, helpful and hard-working. |
| B．Outgoing, humorous and determined. |
| C．Brave, warm-hearted and optimistic. |
| D．Rich, sensitive and graceful. |
| A．Rose didn’t have any relatives when she died |
| B．Rose had lived a very hard life |
| C．the author was unwilling to understand Rose |
| D．the author learned a lot from his old friend Rose |
| A．encourage old people to receive a good education |
| B．describe the author’s college life |
| C．introduce an admirable old college student |
| D．teach young people to value their school life |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Some people will do just about anything to save money. And I am one of them. Take my family’s last vacation. It was my six-year-old son’s winter break form school, and we were heading home from Fort Lauderdale after a weeklong trip. The flight was overbooked, and Delta, the airline, offered us $400 per person in credits to give up our seats and leave the next day. I had meetings in New York，so I had to get back. But that didn't mean my husband and my son couldn't stay. I took my nine-month-old and took off for home.
The next day, my husband and son were offered more credits to take an even later flight. Yes, I encouraged—okay, ordered—them to wait it out at the airport, to "earn" more Delta Dollars. Our total take: $1,600. Not bad, huh?
Now some people may think I'm a bad mother and not such a great wife either. But as a big-time bargain hunter, I know the value of a dollar. And these days, a good deal is something few of us can afford to pass up.
I've made a living looking for the best deals and exposing(揭露)the worst tricks. I have been the consumer reporter of NBC's Today show for over a decade. I have written a couple of books including one titled Tricks of the Trade: A Consumer Survival Guide. And I really do what I believe in.
I tell you this because there is no shame in getting your money’s worth. I’m also tightfisted when it comes to shoes, clothes for my children, and expensive restaurants. But I wouldn't hesitate to spend on a good haircut. It keeps its shape longer, and it's the first thing people notice. And I will also spend on a classic piece of furniture. Quality lasts.
【小题1】Why did Delta give the author's family credits?
| A．They took a later flight. | B．They had early bookings. |
| C．Their flight had been delayed. | D．Their flight had been cancelled. |
| A．She rarely misses a good deal. |
| B．She seldom makes a compromise. |
| C．She is very strict with her children. |
| D．She is interested in cheap products. |
| A．She's a teacher. | B．She's a housewife. |
| C．She's a media person. | D．She's a business woman. |
| A．How to expose bad tricks. | B．How to reserve airline seats. |
| C．How to spend money wisely. | D．How to make a business deal. |
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