As she ran her eyes over the flight-test calc...

As she ran her eyes over the flight-test calculation sheets the engineer had given her, Katherine Goble could see there was something wrong with them. The engineer had made an error with a square root (平方根). And it was going to be tricky to tell him so. It was her first day on this assignment, when she and another girl had been picked out of the computing pool at the Langley aeronautical laboratory, to help the all-male flight research unit.

But there were other, more significant snags (障碍) than simply being new—he was a man and she was a woman. In 1953 women did not question men. They stayed in their place, in this case usually the computing pool, tapping away on their desktop calculators or filling sheets with figures, she as neatly turned out as all the rest. Men were the grand designers, the engineers; the women were “computers in skirts”, who were handed a set of equations (方程式) and exhaustively, diligently checked them. Men were not interested in things as small as that.

Nonetheless, this engineer’s calculation was wrong. If she did not ask the question, an aircraft might not fly, or might fly and crash.

So, very carefully, she asked it. Was it possible that he could have made a mistake? He did not admit it but, by turning the colour of a cough drop, he ceded (屈服) the point. She asked more such questions, and they got her noticed. As the weeks passed, the men “forgot” to return her to the pool. Her incessant “why?” and “how?” made their work sharper. It also challenged them. Why were their calculations of aerodynamic forces so often out? Because they were maths graduates who had forgotten their geometry, whereas she had not; her high-school brilliance at maths had led to special classes on analytic geometry in which she, at 13, had been the only pupil.

Why was she not allowed to get her name on a flight-trajectory report when she had done most of the work? Because women didn’t. That was no answer, so she got her name on the report, the first woman to be so credited. Why was she not allowed into the engineers’ lectures on orbital mechanics and rocket propulsion? Because “the girls don’t go”. Why? Did she not read Aviation Week, like them? She soon became the first woman there.

As NASA’s focus turned from supersonic flight to flights in space, she was therefore deeply involved, though still behind the scenes. She ensured that Alan Shepards mercury capsule splashed down where it could be found quickly in 1961, and that John Glenn in 1962 could return safely from his first orbits of the earth. Indeed, until she had checked the figures by hand against those of the newfangled electronic computer, he refused to go.

Later she calculated the timings for the first moon landing (with the astronauts’ return), and worked on the space shuttle. But in the galaxy of space-programme heroes, despite her 33 years in the flight research unit, for a long time she featured nowhere.

It did not trouble her. First, she also had other things to do: Raise her three daughters, cook, sew their clothes, care for her sick first husband. Second, she knew in her own mind how good she was—as good as anybody. She could hardly be unaware of it, when she had graduated from high school at 14 and college at 18, expert at all the maths anyone knew how to teach her.

But when their story emerged in the 21st century, most notably in a book and a film called “hidden figure”, she had a NASA building named after her and a shower of honorary doctorates.

Do your best, she always said Love what you do. Be constantly curious. And learn that it is not dumb to ask a question; it is dumb not to ask it. Not least, because it might lead to the small but significant victory of making a self-proclaimed (自称的) superior realise he can make a mistake.

1.Why did Katherine hesitate about pointing out the engineer’s error?

A.Because she lacked working experience and wasn’t sure of the error.

B.Because she was worried about being sent back to the computing pool.

C.Because men played a dominant role in the lab and couldn’t be questioned.

D.Because the man was an authority in that field and wouldn’t admit his error.

2.Women took on the calculation work in the lab because ________.

A.they were more careful and diligent than men B.men showed great respect for them

C.they were fond of doing lighter work D.men were unwilling to do such minor thing

3.What happened after Katherine Goble asked many questions in the flight research unit?

A.Male engineers ignored her deliberately. B.She gave male engineers a deep impression.

C.She made small errors occasionally. D.Special classes on analytic geometry were arranged.

4.The example of John Glenn is given in Paragraph 6 to show that ________.

A.Katherine Goble was considered reliable

B.he was a stubborn but cautious person

C.computers were of less significance at that time

D.male engineers preferred checking figures by hand

5.Katherine Goble didn’t get troubled by being nameless, because ________.

A.she led a relatively busy life and was confident about her ability

B.she devoted all her time to taking care of her children

C.she received a good education at an early age

D.she was ordinary among mathematicians

6.What’s the best title of the passage?

A.a girl who asked questions B.A figure who worked up to her fame

C.A woman who was ignored by male workmates D.A scientist who was crazy about maths

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

When Christina Brouder was five years old, a drunk driver ran over her as she and her father were crossing the street in front of their home．Hurt badly, the young girl was forced to spend a long time in a full-body cast（ 石膏） to recover from her injuries．Mostly, she traveled between the hospital and her home．Once out of the cast, Brouder sat in a wheelchair for almost a year.

In spite of the horrible accident, Christina was grateful for her recovery．She was so grateful, in fact, that she and her four talented siblings（ 兄弟姐妹） （ three sisters and a brother） started a music group, Gilbride．The group performed at local hospitals and nursing homes, performing for the patients．Among them, the children could sing, dance and play about 20 different musical instruments．At their first show in 1988, held at Montefiore Hospital, the kids were 2,3,6,8 and 9 years old．That year alone, the group made over a hundred appearances．

From the local public entertainment places, the group expanded to charity performances．They also entertained people at Disney World, Radio City Music Hall, and even the White House．

Christina balanced her happy and successful musical career with academics．First graduating from New York City’s High School of Music and Art，and then from Fordham．In 2000，as t he youngest graduate from Fordham，1 8一year—old Christina and her siblings went on tour for a year．Not pleased with the applause she received from the audience, she entered Pace University Law School．On May 19，Christina Brouder realized part of her dream when at only 22，she received Health Law Certificate（ 文凭）．

1.What happened to Christina when she was five years old?

A．She was coldly deserted by her father．

B．She got a strange and serious disease．

C．She had to give performances to make a living．

D．She was seriously injured in a traffic accident．

2.According to the text，Christina was________.

A．thankful and hardworking                    B．a little shy but gentle

C．a 1ittle stupid and 1azy                         D．sad and bored with her 1ife

3.According to the passage，the siblings________.

A．were talented in music

B．were interested in sports

C．were enthusiastic about writing

D．had the ability to draw very well

4.In terms of time，what is the correct order of the things Christina did?

a．She graduated from Fordham．

b．Christina received Health Law Certificate．

c．Their first show was held at Montefiore Hospital．

d．She and her siblings entertained at the White House．

A．d，a，b，c    B．d，c，b，a      C．c，d，a，b        D．c，b，d，a

高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

The scar ran down her leg from the knee to the ankle. She brushed her fingertips over its surface, remembering.

Jerry was only seven when he started surfing; by the age of eleven, he was positively incredible, moving over the face of big waves like there wasn’t even a slightest bit of efforts involved in.

On that day in Bah, though, the ocean had seemed strange. The waves broke like water in a washing machine, and the breaks had been heavy too, making it tough to tell whether it was better to try to catch one or to get out of its way. That was how he’d misjudged.

Ella had seen her brother lose control, his board was thrown out of the water riderless high into the air, but she hadn’t seen him surface. She’d waited for the space of a breath. Nothing. Something, clearly, was wrong.

She dashed into the water, swimming faster even than the competitions at school. Lung burning. Heart Piping-Focused.

She’d found him floating just beyond the reef (暗礁), face up but knocked out cold. Just as she was paddling the water hard, her leg was hurt by the reef, a short, sharp instant of pain.

No matter. She had kept Jerry’s head above water, swimming all the way back to shore. That day had been the worst, scariest moment in Jerry’s surfing career, which has seen him rise from a no-name kid who loved the ocean to a young star, winning competitions around the world.

For Ella, her life had changed as well. She had learned something about who she was, about what she could achieve. She ran her fingers again over the scar, the physical map of the person she had become.

1.Why did Ella think something was wrong?

A. She didn’t see Jerry come out of water.

B. She had not seen Jerry lose control before.

C. She saw Jerry’s board high into the air.

D. She noticed Jerry held his breath longer.

2.What does the underlined part “positively incredible” probably mean?

A. Terribly excited.　　 B. Extremely good.

C. Relatively young.　　 D. Hardly talented.

3.For Ella, the scar represents 　　　　 .

A. her skill at saving lives　　 B. her discovery of self-value

C. her envy of her brother　　 D. her love for swimming career

4.What can be inferred from the text?

A. Ella was as outstanding an athlete as Jerry.

B. Jerry learned how to surf all by himself.

C. Ella was grateful for this terrible experience.

D. Jerry had his leg injured in the surfing accident.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

The scar ran down her leg from the knee to the ankle. She brushed her fingertips over its surface, remembering.

Jerry was only seven when he started surfing; by the age of eleven, he was positively incredible, moving over the face of big waves like there wasn’t even a slightest bit of efforts involved in.

On that day in Bah, though, the ocean had seemed strange. The waves broke like water in a washing machine, and the breaks had been heavy too, making it tough to tell whether it was better to try to catch one or to get out of its way. That was how he’d misjudged.

Ella had seen her brother lose control, his board was thrown out of the water riderless high into the air, but she hadn’t seen him surface. She’d waited for the space of a breath. Nothing. Something, clearly, was wrong.

She dashed into the water, swimming faster even than the competitions at school. Lung burning. Heart Piping-Focused.

She’d found him floating just beyond the reef (暗礁), face up but knocked out cold. Just as she was paddling the water hard, her leg was hurt by the reef, a short, sharp instant of pain.

No matter. She had kept Jerry5s head above water, swimming all the way back to shore. That day had been the worst, scariest moment in Jerry’s surfing career, which has seen him rise from a no-name kid who loved the ocean to a young star, winning competitions around the world.

For Ella, her life had changed as well. She had learned something about who she was, about what she could achieve. She ran her fingers again over the scar, the physical map of the person she had become.

1.Why did Ella think something was wrong?

A. She didn’t see Jerry come out of water.

B. She had not seen Jerry lose control before.

C. She saw Jerry’s board high into the air.

D. She noticed Jerry held his breath longer.

2.What does the underlined part “positively incredible” probably mean?

A. Terribly excited.　　 B. Extremely good.

C. Relatively young.　　 D. Hardly talented.

3.For Ella, the scar represents 　　　　 .

A. her skill at saving lives　　 B. her discovery of self-value

C. her envy of her brother　　 D. her love for swimming career

4.What can be inferred from the text?

A. Ella was as outstanding an athlete as Jerry.

B. Jerry learned how to surf all by himself.

C. Ella was grateful for this terrible experience.

D. Jerry had his leg injured in the surfing accident.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

My mom was one-eyed. I hated her... She was such an embarrassment. She ran a small shop at a flea market to sell anything for the money we needed.

I remember it was field day, and my mom came. I was so embarrassed. I threw her a hateful look and ran out. The next day at school..., “Your mom only has one eye?!” and they teased me.

I wished my mom would disappear from this world, so I said to her, “Why don’t you have the other eye?! You’re only going to make me a laughing stock. Why don’t you just die?” She didn’t respond. I guess I felt a little bad, but meanwhile, it felt good to think I said what I’d wanted to say.

That night, I woke up, and went to the kitchen to get water. My mom was crying quietly. I looked at her, and turned away. Because of what I had said to her earlier, there was something hurting in my heart. Even so, I hated my mother who was crying from her one eye. So I told myself I would grow up and become successful, because I hated my one-eyed mom and our poverty.

Then I left her and got accepted in the Seoul University. Then, I got married. I bought a house then had kids. Now I’m living happily as a successful man. I like it here because it’s a place that doesn’t remind me of my mom.

This happiness was getting bigger when someone unexpected came to see me. It was my mom... Still with her one eye. My little girl ran away, scared of her eye.

I screamed at her, “How dare you come to my house and scare my daughter! Get out of here now!!” And to this, my mother quietly answered, “Sorry. I may have gotten the wrong address.” and she disappeared. Thank goodness. She doesn’t recognize me. I was relieved. I told myself I wasn’t going to think about this for the rest of my life.

One day, a letter regarding a school reunion came to me. I lied to my wife saying I was going on a business trip. After the reunion, I went down to what I used to call a house. I found my mother fallen on the ground. She had a piece of paper in her hand. It was to me.

My son, I was glad when I heard you were coming for the reunion. But I decided not to go to the school. For you... sorry I only have one eye. When you were little, you lost your eye. As a mother, I couldn’t stand watching you grow up with only one eye, so I gave you mine. I was so proud of my son seeing a whole new world for me with that eye. I was never upset at you for anything you did. You mean the world to me.

My world fell apart. I hated the person who only lived for me. I didn’t know of any way that will make up for my worst deeds.

1.How did the author feel when he saw his mother crying quietly in the kitchen?

A. He felt guilty of what he had said to her.

B. He felt good to speak out all he’d wanted to say.

C. He felt sympathetic to what his mother had suffered.

D. He felt anxious about his mother’s health.

2.From the letter of the author’s mother, we can infer that _______.

A. she lost one eye in an accident

B. she donated one of her eyes to her son

C. she felt angry with her son sometimes

D. she attended the school reunion

3.The writer’s mother can be best described as ________.

A. kindhearted and helpful　　 B. disabled and mean

C. graceful and respectable　　 D. painstaking and tolerant

4.Which is the best title for this passage?

A. My one-eyed Mother　　 B. Love Between Mother and Son

C. My Poor Family　　 D. A Letter From My Mother

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

My mom only had one eye. I hated her... she was such an embarrassment. My mom ran a small shop at a flea market. She collected little weeds and such to sell... anything for the money we needed she was such an embarrassment. There was this one day during elementary school.

I remember that it was field day, and my mom came. I was so embarrassed. How could she do this to me? I threw her a hateful look and ran out. The next day at school... “Your mom only has one eye?!” and they taunted me.

I wished that my mom would just disappear from this world so I said to my mom. “Why don’t you just die?” My mom did not respond. I guess I felt a little bad, but at the same time, it felt good to think that I had said what I’d wanted to say all this time. Maybe it was because my mom hadn’t punished me, but I didn’t think that I had hurt her feelings very badly.

That night... I woke up, and went to the kitchen to get a glass of water. My mom was crying there, so quietly, as if she was afraid that she might wake me. I hated my mother who was crying out of her one eye. So I told myself that I would grow up and become successful, because I hated my one-eyed mom and our desperate poverty.

Then I studied really hard. I left my mother and came to Seoul and studied, and got accepted in the Seoul University with all the confidence I had. Then, I got married. I bought a house of my own. Then I had kids, too. Now I’m living happily as a successful man. I like it here because it’s a place that doesn’t remind me of my mom.

This happiness was getting bigger and bigger, when someone unexpected came to see me “What?! Who’s this?!” It was my mother... Still wither one eye. It felt as if the whole sky was falling apart on me. My little girl ran away, scared of my mom’s eye.

And I asked her, “Who are you? I don’t know you!!” as if I tried to make that real. I screamed at her “How dare you come to my house and scare my daughter! Get out of here now!!” And to this, my mother quietly answered, “oh, I’m so sorry. I may have gotten the wrong address,” and she disappeared. Thank goodness... she doesn’t recognize me. I was quite relieved. I told myself that I wasn’t going to care, or think about this for the rest of my life.

Then a wave of relief came upon me... one day, a letter regarding a school reunion came to my house. I lied to my wife saying that I was going on a business trip. After the reunion, I went down to the old shack, that I used to call a house, just out of curiosity there, I found my mother fallen on the cold ground. She had a piece of paper in her hand. It was a letter to me.

She wrote:

My son, I think my life has been long enough now. For you... I’m sorry that I only have one eye, and I was an embarrassment for you. You see, when you were very little, you got into an accident, and lost your eye. As a mother, I couldn't stand watching you having to grow up with only one eye… so I gave you mine... I was so proud of my son that was seeing a whole new world for me, in my place, with that eye. I was never upset at you for anything you did. The couple times that you were angry with me I thought to myself, ‘it’s because he loves me.’ I miss you so much. I love you. You mean the world to me. So I gave you mine. With all my love to you! Your mom.

My World Shattered. I hated the person who only lived for me. I cried for My Mother, I didn’t know of any way that will make up for my worst deeds...

1.What did the writer's mother do when he was young?

A. A cook.　　 B. A worker.

C. A businesswoman　　 D. A cleaner.

2.The writer wished his mom to die, which made his mom　　　　 .

A. sad　　 B. happy　　 C. calm　　 D. quiet

3.The writer studied very hard in order to　　　　 .

A. go to a famous university　　 B. become a successful man

C. live far away from his mother　　 D. make his mother live happily

4.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A. The writer’s mother gave him one of her eyes.

B. The writer got married after he had finished school in another city.

C. The writer’s classmate laughed at him because of his mother.

D. The writer’s mother got a wrong address, and couldn’t find her son.

5.The writer lived in Seoul happily because　　　　 .

A. he got a good job here

B. he had a good wife

C. the place was beautiful

D. the place didn't make him think of his mother

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

She was over the age limit and ________, her application for the job was rejected.

A. as a result       B. in conclusion        C. worse still      D. what’s more

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Mary clapped her hand over her mouth _______ she realized what she had said.

高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析

_______ could be judged from her eyes that she was terribly sorry for what she _______.

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

The truth was written all over her face. The eyes are the window to the soul. From those sayings, you would think that we could read faces. In fact, people tend to overestimate their ability to do it.

Most of us can’t distinguish between certain expressions without contextual clues. In one study, participants were unable to tell whether faces in photos were showing pain or pleasure about a quarter of the time. In another, when people watched silent videos of the same person experiencing pain and faking pain, they couldn’t tell which was which.

And yet, as bad as we are at reading expressions, we jump to all kinds of conclusions based on people’s faces. We might scoff at the ancient physiognomy—assessing character on the basis of facial feature—but we unknowingly practice it daily. Recent research shows that while there’s practically no evidence that faces reveal character, we nonetheless behave as if certain features signal certain traits. People with typically “female” facial features seem more trustworthy; those with lower eyebrows appear more controlling. In another study, people were ready to decide whether an unfamiliar face should be trusted after looking at it for just 200 milliseconds. Even when given a chance to look longer, they rarely changed their mind.

Such judgments can defy logic. Subjects playing a trust game invested more money with a player who had a trustworthy face than with one who didn’t—even when the two players had the same fame. Another study reported that judges needed less evidence to sentence a person with an untrustworthy face. And a researcher focusing on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict found that a Palestinian peace offering was more likely to be accepted by Jewish Israeli if it was attributed to a politician with “babyfacedness”.

Which brings us to a contradiction. A person’s face may not reflect her nature, and yet research finds that specific facial features do seem to influence futures. U.S. Army War College graduates with controlling-looking faces are more likely than their peers to become generals; people with obvious cheekbones, appearing strong and　 competent, are more likely to become CEOs of successful companies. This makes a certain sense. If everyone assumes strong-chinned Daniel is an ambitious person, he’s more likely to become one. Perhaps by treating others as though their face reveals their character, we motivate them to become the people we assume them to be.

1.Miss Green wants to find a pet shop for her dog while she is on holiday. She is most likely to choose the shop’s owner with ________.

A. a strong chin　　　　　 B. “female” facial features

C. low eyebrows　　　　　 D. obvious cheekbones

2.Which of the following is TRUE according to the author?

A. People rush to judgments based on facial features.

B. People are better at telling “pain” than “delight” from faces.

C. People consider it instructive to study the ancient physiognomy.

D. People would change their first impression if given more chances.

3.In Paragraph 4, the examples are used to show ________.

A. facial features reveal minds

B. trust is essential in big issues

C. baby faces are more trustworthy

D. decisions are easily influenced by faces

4.According to the last paragraph, the author believes ________.

A. facial features mirror character

B. people’s behavior is contradictory

C. people won’t be judged by appearance

D. facial features can influence eventual character

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析