Everyone knows that the French are romantic, the Italian are fashionable and the Germans are serious. Or do they? Are these just stereotypes or is there really such a thing as national character? And if there is, can it affect how a nation succeed or fail?
At least one group of people is certain that it can. A recent survey of the top 500 entrepreneurs (实业家) in the UK found that 70 percent felt that their efforts were not appreciated by the B
ritish public .
Britain is hostile to success, they said. It has a culture of jealousy (嫉妒) . As a result, the survey said, entrepreneurs were “unloved, unwanted and misunderstood”. Jealousy is sometimes known as the “green-eyed monster” and the UK is its home. Scientists at Warwich University in the UK recently tested this idea. They gathered a group of people together and gave each an imaginary amount of money. Some were given a little, others a great deal. Those given a little money were given the chance to destroy the large amounts of money given to others—but at the cost of losing their own. Two thirds of the people tested agreed to do this.
This seems to prove the entrepreneurs were right to complain. But there is also conflicting evidence. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) recently reported that the UK was now the world’s fourth largest economy .That is not bad for people who are supposed to hate success. People in the UK also work longer hours than anyone else in Europe. So the British people are not lazy , either .
“It’s not really success that the British dislike,” says Carey Cooper, a Professor of management at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology. “It’s people using their success in
a way that seems arrogant (傲慢) or unfair or which separates them from their roots .”
Perhaps it is the entrepreneurs who are the problem. They set out to do things in their way. They work long hours. By their own efforts they become millionaires. But instead of being happy they complain that nobody loves them. It hardly seems worth following their example. If they were more friendly, people would like them more. And more people want to be like them.
【小题1】What does the underlined “it” in the second paragraph refer to?
| A．One group of people | B．A great survey |
| C．National character | D．A nation |
| A．they are not popular simply because they are successful |
| B．the British public are hardworking |
| C．love of success is Britain’s national character |
| D．they are considered as “green-eyed monsters” |
| A．Two thirds of the people tested didn’t love money |
| B．Most people would rather fail than see others succeed |
| C．An imaginary amount of money does not attract people |
| D．Most people are willing to enjoy success with others |
A．Jealousy is Brit ain’s national character |
| B．British entrepreneurs are not fairly treated |
| C．the scientists are Warwich University did a successful test |
| D．the British dislike the entrepreneurs because they do not behave properly |
科目：高中英语 来源：河北省邢台一中09-10学年高一下学期第一次月考（英语） 题型：阅读理解
The First of May is a Bank Holiday—the first public holiday of the year in England. Most people consider it a special day, the beginning of summer, a day when the light lasts long into the evening, and when we can look for warm weather. We don't always get it. We feel disappointed, but not surprised if there are cold winds and frosts at night in May. Winter should be over. Most people know that in the past, when farming occupied almost everyone, the changing seasons were of great importance. In that older time there was every reason to celebrate May Day. Customs of those celebrations remain.?
Of these customs, the best known is the choosing of a May Queen and the dancing round Maypole. Even these customs are little more than memories now—but in the last century it was quite common in villages and small towns, and even in schools and colleges, for a pretty and popular girl to be chosen Queen of the May. It was a great honour to be chosen. For a day she wore a light and flowery dress, carried garlands（花环）, and was ceremonially crowned with flowers. She presided over a procession, as a rule with a number of attendants, and over the Maypole dancing and all kinds of entertainment. The Maypole was slender（苗条的w.w.^w.k.&s.5*u.c.#o） tree trunk, cut off its branches, with beautiful ribbons fastened to the top. The dancing was designed in such a way that the dancer's movements move the ribbons into a pattern. This, as you can imagine, required skill from the dancer, and was not achieved without practice.
It's the Celtic people who celebrated the First of May as a spring festival. Their celebration seems to have had little to do with taking pleasure in early, beautiful flowers and in warmer weather! They called it Beltane—the fire of the god Bel. They lit fires, in the expectation that their blaze would help the sun in its struggle to regain its strength. They drove their cattle between banks of flame in the expectation that the terrified beasts would be purified and protected from disease. A tree, which must have been blackened with smoke, stood in the middle of the fires, and is thought to have been the origin of the Maypole. Their priests（牧师） made sacrifices to the goods in the hope of good harvests and sufficient store of food for the winter. There was dancing certainly, but it was noisy and cheerful, since its purpose was not to weave a pattern of colored ribbons, but to drive out evil spirits from the earth and to arouse those kind spirits.?
57. The main purpose of the passage is to show ________.?
A. the reason why they celebrate May Day
B. the start and customs of May Day
C. the way they celebrate May Day
D. the choosing of a May Queen during May Day
58. According to the passage, which sentence is NOT true??
A. In the old days they celebrated May Day for the changing of the seasons.?
B. In England summer begins at the first of May.?
C. The custom of the choosing of a May Queen still exists in the present May Day celebration.?D. The Celtic people celebrated the first of May as a spring festival.??
59. From the surrounding words and sentences we know that the word “presided” means ____.
A. 管理 B. 越过 C. 指挥 D. 主持?
60. The best title for this passage is ________.
A. The First of May B. The Beginning of Summer
C. May Queen D. The Holiday of the Year?
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科目：高中英语 来源：2010年高考英语试题分类汇编——故事类阅读理解 题型：阅读理解
请阅读下列短文，从每题 所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该选项的标号涂黑。
A
One morning more than thirty years ago. I entered the Track Kitehen, a reandeant where everyone from the humblest (卑微的) to the most powerful came for breakfast. I noticed and empty chair next to an elderly. Unshaven man, who looked somewhat disheveled. He was wearing a worn-out hat and was alone, I asked if I might join him. He agreed quietly and I sat down to have my breakfast.
We cautiously began a conversation and spoke about a wide range of things. We never introduced ourselves. I was concemed that he might are no money and not be able to afford something to eat. So as I rose to go back to the counter and buy a second cup of coffee , I asked.
“ May I get you something ? ”
“ A coffee would he nice . ”
Then I bought him a cup of coffee. We talked more, and he accepted another cup of coffee. Finally, I rose to leave, wished him well, and beaded for the exit. At the door I met one of my friends. He asked.
“ How did yountre to know Mr.Galbreath? ”
“ XXX ? ”
“ The man you were sitting with. He is chairman of the Board of Churchill Downs. ”
I could hardly believe it . I wa
s buying, offering a free breakfast, and feeling pity for one of the world’s richest and most powerful men ! ”
My few minutes with Mr. Galbreath changed my life. Now I try to treat everyone with respect .no matter who I think they are, and to meet another human being with kindness and XXX.
56.wint ar underhand word “dishevcled mean?
A.ybtendly
B.unndy
C.centle
D.kned
57.The author beght coffce for the old man because ______.
A.he wought the old man was poor
B.he wanted to start a conserstion
C.he intended to how his politeness
D.he would like to thank the old man
58.How did the auther probabl
y feel after he talked with his friend?
A.Proud
B.Pitiful
C.Surpricd
D.Rectful
59.What is the inegge mainly expressed in the story?
A.we should learn to he generous
B.It is honorable to help those in need.
C.People in high postans are not like what we expect[来源:学&科&网Z&X&X&K]
D.We should avoid judging people by their appearances.
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科目：高中英语 来源：2012届安徽省省城名校高三上学期第二次联考英语卷 题型：阅读理解
Oh, boy! Time for a game now． oldest brother is the seeker so k have to hide extra good because he’s smart and will find me quickly．But where? Behind the garage won’t work. The barn is too easy. Wait, I know. The door leading under the porch is perfect. No one would look for me under there.
It smells unpleasant under this porch． Wish I had picked another place to hide． Smelly cats! Too late now, I can hear brother seeking everyone out. I’ll just sit here quiet as a mouse. Hah hah hah! I can hear you out by the barn! You’ll never find me over t
here!
It’s been a while and he hasn’t found me yet. What’s that I hear? Now all my brothers are looking for me. They’ve all been caught, but not me. They’ll never trick me into coming out to catch me. Wait, is that Dad I hear calling my name? Oh no, now I hear someone going to call Grandpa to help look for me. I’m not coming out now because I’m in really big trouble.
What to do? If I come out and say I heard them calling me, I’ll be in big trouble. Think, think! How do I get out of trouble? I know what to do! I’ll tell them I fell asleep while waiting. Is that Grandpa’s voice? Heh heh heh! Now’s my chance. I’ll crawl out slowly and rub my eyes. Now that I see Grandpa go towards me quickly, I say. “I feel asleep.”
“Oh! You had us all worried!” says Grandpa. “You little devil, I’m just glad you’re all right, but next time try not to fall asleep and scare us like that, okay?” says Dad. Whew! I pulled it off (成功). Now to keep my mo
uth shut. And I did, for over 42 years. Once in a while, a kid pulls the wool over people’s eyes. So that’s one of my little secrets I’ve never revealed before. Don’t tell anyone now!
【小题1】The place where the boy was hiding smelt terrible because it .
| A．was too wet there | B．was used as a barn |
| C．was dirtied by animals | D．was just under the garage |
| A．Happy – excited – nervous. | B．Regretted – happy – anxious. |
| C．Excited – nervous – disappointed. | D．Happy – nervous – regretted. |
| A．Children can win others’ trust more easily than adults. |
| B．Children can tell a lie that others believe to be true. |
| C．Children can be easily fooled by adults. |
| D．Children are good at telling lies. |
| A．a teenager | B．a naughty boy child |
| C．a young adult | D．a middle – aged man |
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科目：高中英语 来源：2012届福建省福州三中高三第五次月考英语试卷（带解析） 题型：阅读理解
In Greek mythology（神话）, the gods punished Sisyphus by forcing him to roll a rock up a steep hill for eternity（来世）. But he was probably better off than if they’d forced him to sit and stare into space until the end of time, conclude the authors of a new study on keeping busy. They found that people who have something to do, even something pointless, are happier than people who sit around.
“The general phenomenon I’m interested in is why people are too busy doing what they are doing in modern society,” says Christopher K. Hsee, of the University of Chicago. “People are running around, working hard, the way beyond the basic level.” Sure, there are reasons, like making a living, earning money, and so on. But, Hsee says, “I think there’s something deeper: We have extra energy and we want to avoid idleness.”
In a study 98 students were asked to complete two surveys. After they had completed the first they were made to wait 15 minutes to receive the next one. They were given a choice of either handing in the first survey nearby or at a more distant location they had to walk to. Whichever option they chose, they received a chocolate bar. Not everyone chose to go to the faraway location. Two-thirds chose the lazy option. Yet those who chose to stay busy by going to the faraway location were found to be happier than those who had stayed put.
But if the chocolate bars offered at the two locations were different, they were more likely to choose the far location—because they could make up a good and acceptable reason for the trip, Hsee and his colleagues say.
Hsee thinks it may be possible to use this principle—people like being busy, and they like being able to show being busy right or reasonable—to benefit society. “If we can find a way for idle people to engage in activity that is at least not harmful, I think it is better than destructive business,” he says. Hsee himself has been known to give a research assistant a useless task when he doesn’t have anything to do, so he isn’t sitting around the office getting bored and depressed.
【小题1】The author starts the passage with the Greek mythology story to ________.
| A．make it easier to understand the passage |
| B．draw readers’ attention to Greek culture |
| C．show Greek people enjoyed being busy |
| D．bring about the subject of the passage |
| A．make others think they are not lazy |
| B．keep their energy at the basic level |
| C．earn more money to support their family |
| D．avoid the state of having nothing to do |
| A．remained there | B．kept occupied | C．got around | D．stayed awake |
| A．Blue. | B．Empty. | C．Contented. | D．Trapped. |
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科目：高中英语 来源：2010年高考英语试题分类汇编--非谓语动词 题型：阅读理解
请阅读下列短文，从每题 所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该选项的标号涂黑。
A
One morning more than thirty years ago. I entered the Track Kitehen, a reandeant where everyone from the humblest (卑微的) to the most powerful came for breakfast. I noticed and empty chair next to an elderly. Unshaven man, who looked somewhat disheveled. He was wearing a worn-out hat and was alone, I asked if I might join him. He agreed quietly and I sat down to have my breakfast.
We cautiously began a conversation and spoke about a wide range of things. We never introduced ourselves. I was concemed that he might are no money and not be able to afford something to eat. So as I rose to go back to the counter and buy a second cup of coffee , I asked.
“ May I get you something ? ”
“ A coffee would he nice . ”
Then I bought him a cup of coffee. We talked more, and he accepted another cup of coffee. Finally, I rose to leave, wished him well, and beaded for the exit. At the door I met one of my friends. He asked.
“ How did yountre to know Mr.Galbreath? ”
“ XXX ? ”
“ The man you were sitting with. He is chairman of the Board of Churchill Downs. ”
I could hardly believe it . I was buying, offering a free breakfast, and feeling pity for one of the world’s richest and most powerful men ! ”
My few minutes with Mr. Galbreath changed my life. Now I try to treat everyone with respect .no matter who I think they are, and to meet another human being with kindness and XXX.
56. wint ar underhand word “dishevcled mean?
A.ybtendly
B.unndy
C.centle
D.kned
57.The author beght coffce for the old man because ______.
A.he wought the old man was poor
B.he wanted to start a conserstion
C.he intended to how his politeness
D.he would like to thank the old man
58.How did the auther probably feel after he talked with his friend?
A.Proud
B.Pitiful
C.Surpricd
D.Rectful
59.What is the inegge mainly expressed in the story?
A.we should learn to he generous
B.It is honorable to help those in need.
C.People in high postans are not like what we expect[来源:学&科&网Z&X&X&K]
D.We should avoid judging people by their appearances.
查看答案和解析>>
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