One summer I was driving from my hometown of Tahoe City,Calif.,to New Orleans.In the middle of the desert, I came upon a young man standing by the roadside. He had his thumb out and held a gas can in his other hand. I drove right by him.There was a time in the country when you'd be considered a jerk if you passed by somebody in need. Now you are a fool for helping. With gangs, drug addicts, murderers, rapists, thieves lurking everywhere, “I don't want to get involved” has become a national motto.
Several states later I was still thinking about the hitchhiker.Leaving him stranded in the desert did not bother me so much.What bothered me was how easily I had reached the decision.I never even lifted my foot off the accelerator.
Does anyone stop any more? I wondered.I recalled Blanche DuBois's famous line:“I have always depended on the kindness of strangers”. Could anyone rely on the kindness of strangers these days? One way to test this would be for a person to journey from coast to coast without any money, relying solely on the goodwill of his fellow Americans.What kind of Americans would he find? Who would feed him, shelter him,carry him down the road?
The idea intrigued me.
The week I turned 37,I realized that I had never taken a gamble in my life.So I decided to travel from the Pacific to the Atlantic without a penny.It would be a cashless journey through the land of the almighty dollar.I would only accept offers of rides, food and a place to rest my head.My final destination would be Cape Fear in North Carolina,a symbol of all the fears I'd have to conquer during the trip.
I rose early on September 6, 1994, and headed for the Golden Gate Bridge with a 50pound pack on my back and a sign displaying my destination to passing vehicles:“America”.
For six weeks I hitched 82 rides and covered 4,223 miles across 14 states.As I traveled, folks were always warning me about someplace else.In Montana they told me to watch out for the cowboys in Wyoming; in Nebraska they said people would not be as nice in Iowa. Yet I was treated with kindness everywhere I went.I was amazed by people's readiness to help a stranger, even when it seemed to run contrary to their own best interests.
【小题1】Why did the author drive past the young man in the desert without stopping?
| A.Because he failed to notice this man. |
| B.Because he was driving too fast. |
| C.Because he thought the young man didn't need help. |
| D.Because he was afraid of being tricked. |
| A.Leaving the young man alone in the desert. |
| B.Being considered a fool. |
| C.Making the decision of not offering help so easily. |
| D.Keeping thinking about the young man. |
| A.find out how long he could survive without help |
| B.go through the great difficulty in surviving unexpected environment |
| C.find out whether strangers would offer help to him |
| D.figure out how strangers thought of his plan |
| A.he was not so sure of the outlook of the journey |
| B.he had no money to give to strangers |
| C.he was sure of the coming sufferings |
| D.he wasn't sure whether to make the journey |
| A.describe how he fooled strangers |
| B.describe how strangers went out of their way to help him |
| C.explain why people refused to help strangers |
| D.explain how he overcame his difficulties on the way |
科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
It was Thanksgiving morning. I was busy preparing the traditional Thanksgiving turkey when the doorbell rang. I opened the front door and saw two small children in rags huddling together on the top step.
“Any old papers, lady?” asked one of them.
I was busy. I wanted to say “no” until I looked down at their feet. They were wearing thin little sandals (凉鞋), wet with heavy snow.
“Come in and I’ll make you a cup of hot cocoa.”
They walked over and sat down at the table. Their wet sandals left marks upon the floor. I saved them cocoa and bread to fight against the cold outside. Then I went back to the kitchen and started cooking. [来源:学§科§网]
The silence in the front room struck me. I looked in. The girl held the empty cup in her hands, looking at it. The boy asked in a flat voice, “Lady, are you rich?”
“Am I rich? Pity, no!”
I looked at my worn-out slipcovers (椅套). The girl put her cup back in its saucer (茶碟)carefully and said, “Your cups match your saucers.” They left after that, holding their papers against the wind. They had reminded me that I had so much for which to be grateful.
Plain blue china cups and saucers were only worth five pence. But they matched.
I tasted the potatoes and stirred the meat soup. Potatoes and brown meat soup, a roof over our heads, my man with a regular job, these matched, too.
I moved the chairs back from the fire and cleaned the living room. The muddy marks of little sandals were still wet upon my floor. Let them be for a while, I thought, just in case I should begin to forget how rich I am.
【小题1】The writer let the two children come in and served them well because ______.
| A.she wanted to sell old papers to them |
| B.she wanted to give them some presents |
| C.she showed great pity and care on them |
| D.she wanted to show her thanks to them |
| A.show that she was a kind-hearted lady |
| B.remind her she shouldn’t forget how rich she was |
| C.leave room for readers to think about what being rich is |
| D.call up her memories of the good old days |
| A.how much money you have made |
| B.what attitude you have had toward life |
| C.the way you help others |
| D.your social relationship |
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
When I was young I wanted to be a model,so when a national contest was staged,I convinced my parents to take me for an audition (试演).I was selected and told I had potential.They said that for only $900 I could attend a weekend event which dozens of the most prestigious (有声望的) modeling agencies from around the world would attend.At 13,my hopes of fame and fortune clouded all judgement and I begged my parents to let me go.We have never been rich,but they saw my enthusiasm and agreed.
I imagined being signed by some famous model companies.For months,any boredom or disappointment I faced was pushed aside because I knew I would soon have the chance to be real model.I thought I would grace the covers of famous magazines!
Of course,I wasn't signed,but what hurt the most was being told that if I grew to 5′9″(about 1.75 metres) I could be a success.I prayed for a growth spurt (冲刺) because I could not imagine giving up my dream.I made an appointment with a local modeling agency and the agent demanded $500 for classes.$500 for a photo shoot,and $300 for other expenses.My parents only agreed after hours and hours of my begging.
The agency sent me out on a few auditions,but with every day I didn't receive a call,I grew more depressed.The_final_straw came in July after I had decided to focus on commercial modeling.There was an open call in New York City.We spent hours driving and another few hours waiting,only to be told that I was too short.I was devastated (极度不安的).
Years later,I realized that the trip to New York was good as it made me notice I didn't actually love modeling,just the idea of it.I wanted to be special and I was innocently determined to reach an impossible goal.The experience has made me stronger and that will help me in the future.
【小题1】What's the main reason why the author wanted to be a model?
| A.She won a national contest. |
| B.She wanted to get reputation and wealth. |
| C.She was urged by some modeling agencies. |
| D.She had full potential to be a successful model. |
| A.Encouraging. | B.Worried. |
| C.Doubtful. | D.Enthusiastic. |
| A.Her parents were strongly against it. |
| B.She realized that it was impossible for her. |
| C.Even a local modeling agency turned her down. |
| D.She realized that she didn't actually love the idea of modeling. |
| A.the last in a series of bad things that happen to make someone very upset,angry,etc... |
| B.the final result that she was admitted by the model company. |
| C.the final audition given by the agency. |
| D.the decision that she made at last not to be a model any more. |
| A.Where there's a will there's way. |
| B.Being a model is not that easy. |
| C.We should have our own judgement and should not just follow others. |
| D.We might set unpractical goals but the experience can help us grow. |
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
To err is human. To blame the other guy is even more human.
Common sense is not all that common.
Why tell the truth when you can come up with a good excuse?
These three popular misquotes(戏谑的引语)are meant to be jokes, and yet they tell us a lot about human nature .To err, or to make mistakes, is indeed a part of being human, but it seems that most people don’t want to accept the responsibility for the problem. Perhaps it is the natural thing to do .The original quote about human nature went like this: “ To err is human, to forgive, divine(神圣的).”This saying mirrors an ideal people should be forgiving of others’ mistakes. Instead, we tend to do the opposite –find someone else to pass the blame on to. However, taking responsibility for something that went wrong is a making of great maturity.
Common sense is what we call clear thought. Having common sense means having a good general plan that will make things work well, and it also means staying with the plan. Common sense tells you that you take an umbrella out into a rainstorm, but you leave the umbrella home when you hear a weather forecast for sunshine.Common sense does not seem to be common for large organizations, because there are so many things going on that one person cannot be in charge of everything. People say that in a large company, “the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing.”
And what is wrong with a society that thinks that making up a good excuse is like creating a work of art? One of the common problems with making excuses is that people, especially young people, get the idea that it’s okay not to be totally honest all the time. There is a corollary(直接推论)to that: if good excuse is “good” even if it isn’t honest, then where is the place of the truth?
【小题1】According to tile passage, which of following seems the most human?
| A.To search for truth. |
| B.To achieve one’s ideal |
| C.To make fun of others’ mistakes. |
| D.To criticize others for one’s own error. |
| A.Doing things his own way. |
| B.Bearing responsibility for his mistakes. |
| C.Making as few mistakes as possible. |
| D.Thinking seriously about his wrongdoing. |
| A.A man tries to take charge of everything in a large company. |
| B.A student goes out with an umbrella in stormy weather. |
| C.A company’s next move follows a good plan. |
| D.A lawyer acts on fine judgments. |
| A.Making a good excuse is sometimes a better policy. |
| B.Inventing a good excuse needs creative ideas. |
| C.A good excuse is as rewarding as honesty. |
| D.Bitter truth is better than a good excuse. |
| A.A Mirror of Human Nature | B.To Blame or to Forgive |
| C.A Mark of Maturity | D.Truth or Excuse |
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
Have you ever made contact with the creative spirit, that certain something hard to describe, but full of good—and sometimes great—ideas? It is more than an occasional great thought. When we feel the moving of the creative spirit, it brings to life a style of being: a lifetime filled with the desire to invent, to explore new ways of doing things, and to turn dreams into reality.
That flash of inspiration is the final moment of a process marked by unique stages—the basic steps in creative problem-solving. The first stage is preparation, when you look for any information that might be important. It's when you let your imagination run free.
But one barrier(障碍) is the inside voice of judgment that locks up our creative spirit within the limits of what we think acceptable. It's the voice that whispers to you, "They'll think I'm foolish," or "That will never work." But we can learn to recognize this voice of judgment and have the courage to discount its unhelpful advice.
Once you have thought about all the relevant(相关的) pieces and pushed your mind to the limits, you can let the problem remain and take in all you have gathered. It's a stage when much of what goes on occurs outside your focused awareness. As the saying goes, "You sleep on it."
We are more open to creative thoughts from the unknowing mind when we are not really thinking of anything. That is why daydreams are so useful in the search for creativity. Anytime you can just daydream and relax is useful in the creative process: a shower, long drives, a quiet walk, etc.
With luck, daydreaming will lead to a light turning on above your head, when all of a sudden the answer will come to you as if from nowhere. This is the popular stage—the one that usually gets all the glory and attention, the moment that people sweat and long for, the feeling "This is it!" But the thought alone is still not a creative act. The final stage is translation, when you take your creative thought and transform it into action; it becomes useful to you and others.
【小题1】In Paragraph 1, “the moving of the creative spirit” probably means ________.
| A.preparation | B.exploration | C.problem-solving | D.inspiration |
| A.Having less information to form a good idea. |
| B.Relying on others during the creative process. |
| C.Caring about other people’s opinions about us. |
| D.Thinking about too many ideas at the same time. |
| A.The unknowing mind is very difficult for us to understand. |
| B.Creativity arrives when we aren’t focused on any one thing. |
| C.Daydreaming is useless and has nothing to do with creativity. |
| D.Showers, long drives and quiet walk are good for our bodies. |
| A.When thought is turned into action. |
| B.When people understand our ideas. |
| C.When the popular stage is reached. |
| D.When we think “This is it!”. |
| A.The creative spirit means an occasional great thought. |
| B.Others’ voice of judgment allows us to ignore barriers. |
| C.Creative problem-solving calls for barrier-free imagination. |
| D.Daydreaming is sure to bring a sudden answer to a problem. |
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
My grandmother often said to me, “You can count the number of your true friends on the fingers of one hand.” For a long time I thought this was true. However, I’ve now discovered my grandmother was only half right. Maybe we do only make a few “best” friends in our lifetime, but those aren’t the only people that we can call friends. There are many different types. Let me tell you about a few of them.
One type of friends is the type I call the “football mom friend”. My neighbor Sally is a good example. We both have kids who play football in a football club, and someone has to take them to practice and pick them up. Sally and I and two other mothers take turns to do this. We meet sometimes and have tea and talk about what our kids are doing, but those are the only times that we meet each other. I enjoy being with these women, but we don’t do anything else together.
Another type is called the “hobby friend”. That’s the person you share an interest or a hobby with. Michael and Cater, who are brothers, are a good example of this type. We’re all in a bird watching club. Every few weekends the members of the club go on a trip to watch different kinds of birds. There’s nothing romantic(浪漫的)about my relationship with Michael and Cater, of course. We just share interest in birds.
Then there’s the “other half of the couple” type of friends. Jim is married to Rose, a friend that I’ve known since college. When Rose married Jim, I realized that I would have to be Jim’s friend if I want to continue to be Rose’s. Jim and I don’t share so many interests, but we do have a friendly relationship.
【小题1】What does the first paragraph tell us about?
| A.We need true friends in our lifetime. |
| B.We have few best friends in our lifetime. |
| C.We should make new friends. |
| D.We must be friendly to all our friends. |
| A.Sally. | B. Michael. | C. Jim. | D. Rose. |
| A.Finally the writer agrees with her grandmother. |
| B.Michael and Cater both fall in love with the writer. |
| C.The writer herself sometimes takes her kid to the football club. |
| D.Sally and the writer are close friends. |
| A.2. | B. 3. | C. 4. | D.5 |
| A.the writer made friends with Jim only because of Rose |
| B.Jim was the writer’s good friend at college |
| C.Rose didn’t want the writer to be a friend of her husband |
| D.the writer made friends with Rose because of Jim |
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
Silk production has a long and colourful history unknown to most people. Scientific discoveries have shown that silk production existed in China from around 2500 B.C., although it could be much older. For hundreds of years, China kept the secret of silk to itself as one for the most closely protected secrets in history. Anyone revealing the secret of silkworms or trying to take silkworm eggs out of ancient China was punished by death.
At one time silk was reserved only for the Chinese emperor. Gradually, others began wearing silk. In addition to being used for clothing, silk came to have industrial uses in ancient China, something that happened in the West only in modern times. Silk was used to make musical instruments, fishing lines, weapons, ropes and even paper. During the Han Dynasty silk became a form of money. Farmers paid taxes in both rice and silk. The prices of goods were calculated in lengths of silk just as they had once been calculated in gold. The importance of silk is even reflected in the Chinese language. For example, of the 5000 most common Chinese characters, around 500 have silk as their “key”.
In spite of their secrecy, the Chinese eventually lost their monopoly on silk production. It reached Korea in around 200 B.C. when immigrants from China arrived there. Silk production came to India in 300 A.D.. It was not until 500 A.D. that silk production came to Europe when travellers smuggled out silkworms in hollow tubes of bamboo. These were used to establish silk industry in Rome (modern-day Italy), although Chinese silk was still considered to be the best.
Silk was brought to Rome from China by means of the Silk Road. There were actually two Silk Roads, one over land and one on the sea. The land route in particular had a huge effect in history. All sorts of trade goods — silver, gold, jade, porcelain — passed along this road. Ideas travelled the Silk Road too. For example the religion of Buddhism was carried to China from India by traders on the Silk Road. The Silk Road created the first international culture, exposing many people to the ideas and treasures of both Western and Chinese cultures.
【小题1】How was China able to keep the secret of silk production?
| A.It refused to sell its silk to other countries. |
| B.Foreigners were not permitted to enter China. |
| C.The silkworms needed were not able to survive outside China. |
| D.Chinese passing on the secret to foreigners were seriously punished. |
| A.A way of purchasing goods people sold. |
| B.A material used for making different products. |
| C.A method of paying money to the government. |
| D.A valuable gift given to foreigners travelling in China. |
| A.Europe àIndia àKorea àChina. | B.China àKorea àIndia àEurope. |
| C.China àIndia àKorea àEurope. | D.China àEurope àIndia àKorea. |
| A.quietly traded | B.openly removed |
| C.illegally transported | D.violently stole |
| A.It allowed for economic and cultural exchanges between countries. |
| B.It made China the most powerful country in the ancient world. |
| C.It could only be completed by travellers with access to a boat. |
| D.It was first developed for transferring religious ideas. |
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
Fat and shy, Ben Saunders was the last kid in his class picked for any sports team. “Football, tennis, cricket--- anything with a round ball, I was useless,” he says now with a laugh. But back then he was the one always made fun of in school gym classes in Devonshire, England.
It was a mountain bike he received for his 15th birthday that changed him. At first he went biking alone in a nearby forest. Then he began to ride the bike along with a runner friend. Gradually, Saunders set up his mind on building up his body, increasing his speed and strength. At the age of 18, he ran his first marathon.
The following year he met John Ridgway and was hired as an instructor at Ridgway’s school of adventure in Scotland, where he learnt about Ridgway’s cold-water exploits. Greatly interested, Saunders read all he could about North Pole explorers and adventures, then decided that this would be his future.
In 2001, after becoming a skillful skier, Saunders started his first long-distance expedition(探险) towards the North Pole. It took unbelievable energy. He suffered frostbite(冻疮), ran into a polar bear and pushed his body to the limit, pulling his supply-loaded sled(雪橇) up and over rocky ice. www.zxxk.com
Saunders has since become the youngest person to ski alone to the North Pole, and he’s skied more of the North Pole by himself than any other British man. His old playmates would not believe the change.
Next October, Saunders, 27, heads south from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole and back, a 2900-kilometer journey that has never been completed on skis.
【小题1】What change happened to Saunders after he was 15 years old?
| A.He became good at most sports. | B.He made friends with a runner. |
| C.He joined a sports team. | D.He began to build up his body. |
| A.journeys | B.adventures | C.researches | D.operations |
| A.a c d b | B.c d a b | C.c a b d | D.a c b d |
| A.He is a success in sports. | B.He is the best British skier. |
| C.He is Ridgway’s best student. ` | D.He is a good instructor at school. |
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
One Sunday, my family had gathered at my parents’ house to feast upon Mom’s wonderful cooking. During the normal dinner chatter (闲聊), I noticed that my father was slurring (说话含混) his words. No one mentioned this during dinner, but I felt compelled to discuss it with my mother afterward.
We decided that there was something seriously wrong and that Dad needed to see the doctor.
Mom phoned me two days later. “The doctor found a brain tumor (肿瘤). It’s too large at this point to operate. Maybe they can do something then, but the odds are long.”
Even with the treatment, my father’s condition worsened, and the doctor finally informed us that this condition was terminal (晚期的). During one of his stays in the hospital, we brought our baby daughter Chelsey with us when we visited him. By this time he had great difficulty speaking. I finally figured out that he wanted Chelsey to sit on his stomach so he could make faces at her.
Watching the two of them together, I realized I was living an experience that would stay with me forever. Though grateful for the times they could share, I couldn’t shake the feeling of a clock ticking in the background.?
On the visit to my parents’ home during what we all know was my father’s last days, my mother took Chelsey from my arms and announced, “Your father would like to see you alone for a minute.”
I entered the bedroom where my father lay on a rented hospital bed. He appeared even weaker than the day before.
“How are you feeling, Dad?” I asked. “Can I do anything for you?”
He tried to speak, but he couldn’t make out a word.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t understand you,” I said.
With great difficulty he said, “I love you.”
We don’t learn courage from heroes on the evening news. We learn true courage from watching ordinary people rise above hopeless situations. In many ways my father was a strict, uncommunicative man. He found it difficult to show emotion. The bravest thing I ever saw him do was overcome that barrier to open his heart to his son and family at the end of his life.
【小题1】Which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A.The writer accompanied his father to a medical examination. |
| B.The writer’s father got worse after the removal of the brain tumor. |
| C.The writer was quick to notice the strange condition of his father. |
| D.The writer’s father had known about his illness before the writer discovered it. |
| A.There’s little possibility for Father to recover. |
| B.It takes a long time for Father to recover. |
| C.Father needs love and care from his family. |
| D.They need a proper time to operate on Father. |
| A.he believed in strictness and punishment |
| B.he was not so attached to the writer |
| C.he thought there was no need to tell the writer |
| D.he was not used to openly showing his emotions |
| A.We don’t often value health until we lose it. |
| B.Don’t wait to see a doctor till it is too late. |
| C.Life is short, so live your life to the fullest. |
| D.Bravely express your love for your family. |
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