I have been wondering lately why I should teach my newborn son English. Everyone I know speaks English, but would Peter be better off learning a more sensible, mellifluous（流畅的）language, like maybe Italian? It is, I admit, a stupid question. But stupid questions can contain the seeds of great insights. This particular stupid question leads to the frontier of economic theory, as well as to the intellectual foundation for the government's antitrust（反垄断）case against Microsoft.
Why are American children taught English? The answer is that everyone learns English because everyone else learns it. In this respect, language is a perfect example of what economic theorists call a network. In a network, the benefit one person gets from using some good - in this case, English -- depends on the number of other people using it.
Networks fascinate economic theorists because they don't fit nearby into the standard model of how markets work. In most cases, economists are defenders of free markets. People left to their own devices, we argue, will typically achieve an outcome that is good society as a whole - the vaunted（被大肆吹捧的）invisible hand.
In the case of networks, however, this logic doesn't seem to work. It is easy to imagine that people might get stuck with a network that, once established, is hard to replace. Parents deciding what language to teach their children, for instance, don't really have much choice. How else can we explain why the Chinese keep speaking Chinese when less complicated languages are available?
For a while supporters of the new economics of networks pointed to what seemed to be a compelling example of the problem - the QWERTY keyboard. As the story goes, this arrangement of letters was originally designed to prevent typists from jamming the keys on early typewriters. Despite the availability of superior designs and the fact that jamming keys is no longer an issue, QWERTY remains the standard. This, theorists argued, was a network-driven market failure: People still type on this inefficient keyboard just because that's what everybody else does.
This debate over networks, keyboards, and market failure might seem like arcana（奥秘）only economists can love, but it is having a profound influence on public policy. Many academics who have written about the theory of networks have worked for the Justice Department and other federal agencies. A frequent claim is that computer operating system are like languages: Once a standard becomes dominant, it is practically impossible for anyone to consider an alternative, even a better one. The only difference between English and Windows, the argument goes, is that English is free.
1.Which of the following examples best illustrates the idea "network" mentioned in the passage?
A.Microsoft limits reasonable competition through its aggressive pricing mechanism.
B.Some scholars speak out against the fundamental economic theory in a journal.
C.Peter chooses to learn Italian for the purpose of an early promotion in his company.
D.Families sit together to watch the Spring Festival Gala on New Year's Eve.
2.The underlined phrase "this logic" in Paragraph 4 refers to the idea that ________.
A.networks don't fit into the standard model of how markets work
B.less governmental intervention is good for society
C.what language we learn depends on the environment we live in
D.the market wouldn't operate properly without the "invisible hand"
3.What can we infer from the passage?
A.Free market contributes most to a prosperous economy.
B.The QWERTY keyboard reflects a network failure in business.
C.Convenience gave way to efficiency in the design of the keyboard.
D.Personal preferences may well be determined by how others act.
4.Which of the following can be the best title for this passage?
A.The Dominance of Microsoft Is to Blame
B.Networks Make Substitutes Impossible
C.The Language We Use Depends on Networks
D.Policy-making Is Subject to Public Opinions
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题
I have been wondering lately why I should teach my newborn son English. Everyone I know speaks English, but would Peter be better off learning a more sensible, mellifluous（流畅的）language, like maybe Italian? It is, I admit, a stupid question. But stupid questions can contain the seeds of great insights. This particular stupid question leads to the frontier of economic theory, as well as to the intellectual foundation for the government's antitrust（反垄断）case against Microsoft.
Why are American children taught English? The answer is that everyone learns English because everyone else learns it. In this respect, language is a perfect example of what economic theorists call a network. In a network, the benefit one person gets from using some good - in this case, English -- depends on the number of other people using it.
Networks fascinate economic theorists because they don't fit nearby into the standard model of how markets work. In most cases, economists are defenders of free markets. People left to their own devices, we argue, will typically achieve an outcome that is good society as a whole - the vaunted（被大肆吹捧的）invisible hand.
In the case of networks, however, this logic doesn't seem to work. It is easy to imagine that people might get stuck with a network that, once established, is hard to replace. Parents deciding what language to teach their children, for instance, don't really have much choice. How else can we explain why the Chinese keep speaking Chinese when less complicated languages are available?
For a while supporters of the new economics of networks pointed to what seemed to be a compelling example of the problem - the QWERTY keyboard. As the story goes, this arrangement of letters was originally designed to prevent typists from jamming the keys on early typewriters. Despite the availability of superior designs and the fact that jamming keys is no longer an issue, QWERTY remains the standard. This, theorists argued, was a network-driven market failure: People still type on this inefficient keyboard just because that's what everybody else does.
This debate over networks, keyboards, and market failure might seem like arcana（奥秘）only economists can love, but it is having a profound influence on public policy. Many academics who have written about the theory of networks have worked for the Justice Department and other federal agencies. A frequent claim is that computer operating system are like languages: Once a standard becomes dominant, it is practically impossible for anyone to consider an alternative, even a better one. The only difference between English and Windows, the argument goes, is that English is free.
1.Which of the following examples best illustrates the idea "network" mentioned in the passage?
A.Microsoft limits reasonable competition through its aggressive pricing mechanism.
B.Some scholars speak out against the fundamental economic theory in a journal.
C.Peter chooses to learn Italian for the purpose of an early promotion in his company.
D.Families sit together to watch the Spring Festival Gala on New Year's Eve.
2.The underlined phrase "this logic" in Paragraph 4 refers to the idea that ________.
A.networks don't fit into the standard model of how markets work
B.less governmental intervention is good for society
C.what language we learn depends on the environment we live in
D.the market wouldn't operate properly without the "invisible hand"
3.What can we infer from the passage?
A.Free market contributes most to a prosperous economy.
B.The QWERTY keyboard reflects a network failure in business.
C.Convenience gave way to efficiency in the design of the keyboard.
D.Personal preferences may well be determined by how others act.
4.Which of the following can be the best title for this passage?
A.The Dominance of Microsoft Is to Blame
B.Networks Make Substitutes Impossible
C.The Language We Use Depends on Networks
D.Policy-making Is Subject to Public Opinions
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
I wonder why they’re so late. They ______ here an hour ago.
A. should be B. might be
C. should have been D. might have been
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
（2010·安徽模拟）
Why should I teach my children history? That sounds like a stupid question to even ask. But, as I hear different home schooling teachers discuss history, I get the idea that there may be different reasons for teaching history. Let me briefly explain the three good reasons for studying history and two bad reasons for studying history.
The major reason I see for studying history is that we can learn from the past. I am convinced that the world would be a much better place if more people understood the successes and failures of the past and the things that made these successes and failures. However, as the unfortunately true statement goes “the one thing we seem to learn from history is that we don’t seem to learn from history ”.Perhaps at least in teaching history, to my children I can do a small part in changing this.
A second major reason for studying history is that it is hard to understand the current political climate in the absence of an understanding of its historical context. We can not even understand who we are and where we are without history, much less try to figure out where we are going or how we should get where we want to be.
I teach my children history, for one more reason. I purchased a set of historical audio tapes for our children. My seven-year-old son listened to them over and over. It was my hope that he would become inspired by the accomplishments of people like the Wright brothers to accomplish things by himself. I think that it is good that we celebrate the accomplishments of people like Martin Luther King Jr. In doing so, young people are called on to stand for the principles that he stood for and accomplish what he accomplished. I also think that by studying people like Adolph Hitler, people can learn to stand against the things that he stood for.
1.What message can we get from the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2?
A. Many people aren’t clever enough to learn well from the past.
B. Many people fail to make good use of history and make the same mistakes.
C. Many people feel it hard to understand history.
D. Many people have no interest in studying history.
2.In Paragraph 3, the author shows that history is useful because_____.
A. it makes the current political situation go smoothly
B. it helps us realize the importance of historical events
C. it helps us understand why things are the way they are
D. it helps people accept the present situation where they live
3. Some historical figures are mentioned in the last paragraph to show_____.
A. people can be inspired to do good, while also learning to fight against evil
B. people may also learn from bad historical figures
C. more celebrations should be held to honor their achievements
D. today’s people can also achieve what they achieved
4.What would be talked about in the following paragraph?
A. How to teach history effectively.
B. Some negative reasons for studying history.
C. How to get more people to study history.
D. Some bad historical figures.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Why should I teach my children history? That sounds like a stupid question to even ask．But, as I hear different home schooling teachers discuss history, I get the idea that there may be different reasons for teaching history．Let me briefly explain the three good reasons for studying history and two bad reasons for studying history．
The major reason I see for studying history is that we can learn from the past．I am convinced that the world would be a much better place if more people understood the successes and failures of the past and the thifigs that made these successes and failures．However, as the unfortunately true statement goes "the one thing we seem to learn from history is that we don't seem to learn from history．" Perhaps at least in teaching history, to my children I can do a small part in changing this．
A second major reason for studying history is that it is hard to understand the current political climate in the absence of an understanding of its historical context．We can- not even understand why we are and where we are without history, much less （更不必说） try to figure out where we are going or how we should get where we want to be．
I teach my children history, for one more reason．I purchased a set of historical audio （录音机） tapes for our children．My seven-year-old son listened to them over and over．It was my hope that he would become inspired by the accomplishments of people like the Wright brothers to accomplish things by himself．I think that it is good that we celebrate the accomplishments of people like Martin Luther King Jr．if, in doing so, young people are called on to stand for the principles that he stood for and accomplish what he accomplished．I also think that by studying people like Adolph Hitler, people can learn to stand against the things that he stood for．
1.What message can we get from the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 ?
A．Many people aren't clever enough to learn well from the past．
B．Many people fail to make good use of history and make the same mistakes．
C．Many people feel it hard to understand history．
D．Many people have no interest in studying history．
2.In Paragraph 3, the author shows that history is useful because _______________．
A．it makes the current political situation go smoothly
B．it helps us realize the importance of historical events
C．it helps us understand why things are the way they are
D．it helps people accept the present situation where they live
3.Some historical figures are mentioned in the last paragraph to show ______________．
A．people can be inspired to do good, while also learning to fight against evil
B．people may also learn from bad historical figures
C．more celebrations should be held to honor their achievements
D．today’s people can also achieve what they achieved
4.What would be talked about in the following paragraph?
A．How to teach history effectively．
B．Some negative reasons for studying history．
C．How to get more people to study history．
D．Some bad historical figures．
5.The main purpose of this passage is to ____________．
A．ins[me the parents to teach their children history
B．show the importance of history in politics
C．explain the reasons why children study history
D．introduce the writer' s own way of teaching history
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Why should I teach my children history? That sounds like a stupid question to even ask. But, as I hear different home schooling teachers discuss history, I get the idea that there may be different reasons for teaching history. Let me briefly explain the three good reasons for studying history and two bad reasons for studying history.
The major reason I see for studying history is that we can learn from the past. I am convinced that the world would be a much better place if more people understood the successes and failures of the past and the things that made these successes and failures. However, as the unfortunately true statement goes “the one thing we seem to learn from history is that we don’t seem to learn from history. ”Perhaps at least in teaching history, to my children I can do a small part in changing this.
A second major reason for studying history is that it is hard to understand the current political climate in the absence of an understanding of its historical context. We can not even understand who we are and where we are without history, much less try to figure out where we are going or how we should get where we want to be.
I teach my children history, for one more reason. I purchased a set of historical audio tapes for our children. My seven-year-old son listened to them over and over. It was my hope that he would become inspired by the accomplishments of people like the Wright brothers to accomplish things by himself. I think that it is good that we celebrate the accomplishments of people like Martin Luther King Jr. In doing so, young people are called on to stand for the principles that he stood for and accomplish what he accomplished. I also think that by studying people like Adolph Hitler, people can learn to stand against the things that he stood for.
1. What message can we get from the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2?
A. Many people aren’t clever enough to learn well from the past.
B. Many people fail to make good use of history and make the same mistakes.
C. Many people feel it hard to understand history.
D. Many people have no interest in studying history.
2. In Paragraph 3, the author shows that history is useful because
A. it makes the current political situation go smoothly
B. it helps us realize the importance of historical events
C. it helps us understand why things are the way they are
D. it helps people accept the present situation where they live
3. Some historical figures are mentioned in the last paragraph to show
A. people can be inspired to do good, while also learning to fight against evil
B. people may also learn from bad historical figures
C. more celebrations should be held to honor their achievements
D. today’s people can also achieve what they achieved
4. What would be talked about in the following paragraph?
A. How to teach history effectively.
B. Some negative reasons for studying history.
C. How to get more people to study history.
D. Some bad historical figures.
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
Why should I teach my children history? That sounds like a stupid question to even ask. But, as I hear different home schooling teachers discuss history, I get the idea that there may be different reasons for teaching history. Let me briefly explain the three good reasons for studying history and two bad reasons for studying history.
The major reason I see for studying history is that we can learn from the past. I am convinced that the world would be a much better place if more people understood the successes and failures of the past and the things that made these successes and failures. However, as the unfortunately true statement goes “the one thing we seem to learn from history is that we don’t seem to learn from history ”. Perhaps at least in teaching history, to my children I can do a small part in changing this.
A second major reason for studying history is that it is hard to understand the current political climate in the absence of an understanding of its historical context. We can not even understand who we are and where we are without history, much less try to figure out where we are going or how we should get where we want to be.
I teach my children history, for one more reason. I purchased a set of historical audio tapes for our children. My seven-year-old son listened to them over and over. It was my hope that he would become inspired by the accomplishments of people like the Wright brothers to accomplish things by himself. I think that it is good that we celebrate the accomplishments of people like Martin Luther King Jr. In doing so, young people are called on to stand for the principles that he stood for and accomplish what he accomplished. I also think that by studying people like Adolph Hitler, people can learn to stand against the things that he stood for.(325words)
1. What message can we get from the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2?
A. Many people aren’t clever enough to learn well from the past.
B. Many people fail to make good use of history and make the same mistakes.
C. Many people feel it hard to understand history.
D. Many people have no interest in studying history.
2. Some historical figures （人物）are mentioned in the last paragraph to show_____.
A. people can be inspired to do good, while also learning to fight against evil
B. people may also learn from bad historical figures
C. more celebrations should be held to honor their achievements
D. today’s people can also achieve what they achieved
3.What would be talked about in the following paragraph?
A. How to teach history effectively.
B. Some negative reasons for studying history.
C. How to get more people to study history.
D. Some bad historical figures.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Why should I teach my children history? That sounds like a stupid question to even ask. But, as I hear different home schooling teachers discuss history, I get the idea that there may be different reasons for teaching history. Let me briefly explain the three good reasons for studying history and two bad reasons for studying history.
The major reason I see for studying history is that we can learn from the past. I am convinced that the world would be a much better place if more people understood the successes and failures of the past and the thifigs that made these successes and failures. However, as the unfortunately true statement goes "the one thing we seem to learn from history is that we don't seem to learn from history." Perhaps at least in teaching history, to my children I can do a small part in changing this.
A second major reason for studying history is that it is hard to understand the current political climate in the absence of an understanding of its historical context. We can- not even understand why we are and where we are without history, much less (更不必说) try to figure out where we are going or how we should get where we want to be.
I teach my children history, for one more reason. I purchased a set of historical audio (录音机) tapes for our children. My seven-year-old son listened to them over and over. It was my hope that he would become inspired by the accomplishments of people like the Wright brothers to accomplish things by himself. I think that it is good that we celebrate the accomplishments of people like Martin Luther King Jr. if, in doing so, young people are called on to stand for the principles that he stood for and accomplish what he accomplished. I also think that by studying people like Adolph Hitler, people can learn to stand against the things that he stood for.
1. What message can we get from the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 ?
A. Many people aren't clever enough to learn well from the past.
B. Many people fail to make good use of history and make the same mistakes.
C. Many people feel it hard to understand history.
D. Many people have no interest in studying history.
2. In Paragraph 3, the author shows that history is useful because _______________.
A. it makes the current political situation go smoothly
B. it helps us realize the importance of historical events
C. it helps us understand why things are the way they are
D. it helps people accept the present situation where they live
3. Some historical figures are mentioned in the last paragraph to show ______________.
A. people can be inspired to do good, while also learning to fight against evil
B. people may also learn from bad historical figures
C. more celebrations should be held to honor their achievements
D. today’s people can also achieve what they achieved
4. What would be talked about in the following paragraph?
A. How to teach history effectively.
B. Some negative reasons for studying history.
C. How to get more people to study history.
D. Some bad historical figures.
5. The main purpose of this passage is to ____________.
A. ins[me the parents to teach their children history
B. show the importance of history in politics
C. explain the reasons why children study history
D. introduce the writer' s own way of teaching history
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
Why should I teach my children history? That sounds like a stupid question to even ask. But, as I hear different home schooling teachers discuss history, I get the idea that there may be different reasons for teaching history. Let me briefly explain the three good reasons for studying history and two bad reasons for studying history.
The major reason I see for studying history is that we can learn from the past. I am convinced that the world would be a much better place if more people understood the successes and failures of the past and the things that made these successes and failures. However, as the unfortunately true statement goes "the one thing we seem to learn from history is that we don't seem to learn from history." Perhaps at least in teaching history, to my children I can do a small part in changing this.
A second major reason for studying history is that it is hard to understand the current political climate in the absence of an understanding of its historical context. We can- not even understand why we are and where we are without history, much less (更不必说) try to figure out where we are going or how we should get where we want to be.
I teach my children history, for one more reason. I purchased a set of historical audio (录音机) tapes for our children. My seven-year-old son listened to them over and over. It was my hope that he would become inspired by the accomplishments of people like the Wright brothers to accomplish things by himself. I think that it is good that we celebrate the accomplishments of people like Martin Luther King Jr. if, in doing so, young people are called on to stand for the principles that he stood for and accomplish what he accomplishe D．I also think that by studying people like Adolph Hitler, people can learn to stand against the things that he stood for.
1.What message can we get from the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 ?
A．Many people fail to make good use of history and make the same mistakes.
B．Many people aren't clever enough to learn well from the past.
C．Many people feel it hard to understand history.
D．Many people have no interest in studying history.
2.Some historical figures are mentioned in the last paragraph to show ______________.
A．people can be inspired to do good, while also learning to fight against evil
B．people may also learn from bad historical figures
C．more celebrations should be held to honor their achievements
D．today’s people can also achieve what they achieved
3.What would be talked about in the following paragraph?
A．How to teach history effectively.
B．How to get more people to study history.
C．Some negative reasons for studying history.
D．Some bad historical figures.
4.The main purpose of this passage is to ____________.
A．inspire the parents to teach their children history
B．show the importance of history in politics
C．explain the reasons why children study history
D．introduce the writer' s own way of teaching history
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
You should avoid _______ for your class.
A. to be late B. late
C. being late D. to have been late
高三英语单项填空困难题查看答案及解析
the morning train，he would not have been late for the meeting．
A．Did he catch B．Should he catch
C．Had he caught D．Has he caught
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析