One of the important subjects in contemporary poetry is identity—with an open-ended explanation of that word. Poets, young and old, are exploring what identity is, using their own lives as the background.
British poet Phoebe Power, in her first collection of poems, Shrines of Upper Austria, explores a different aspect of identity: a personal understanding of national identity. The collection received the Forward Prize for Best First Collection and was on the final list for the T.S. Eliot Prize.
Power was born in Newcastle-on-Tyne and raised in Cumbria. She has taken part in a number of performance art and video art projects. She received a Northern Writers’ Award in 2014 and an Eric Gregory Award from the Society of Authors in 2012. Now she lives in York in northern England.
Power’s starting point is her grandmother. She came to England from Austria as a new bride married to a British soldier in 1946, the first year after the end of World WarⅡ. Imagine the reactions of her British neighbors and her new British family. Imagine what she had left behind. The grandmother’s experiences influenced Power greatly.
In Shrines of Upper Austria, we walk with the poet to see her grandmother’s life before Britain. We can learn about the small town where she lived, the bodies of water, and buildings that existed when her grandmother lived there. Power also added some prose(散文) to the book, which tells us some stories of her grandmother’s early life. For example, it tells the stories about how her grandmother was found as a baby and given to a farmer when she was two.
The poems in the collection are pieces of a life. We can no more walk in our grandparents’ shoes than they can walk in ours. However, we can study old family photographs. We can see pieces of their lives—where they lived, perhaps; where they played as children; what lakes or rivers they swam in. Like Power, we are left with pieces. These pieces don’t all make sense, but collectively they show a life.
1.What’s the function of Paragraph 1?
A.To explain what identity is.
B.To inform us the likes of poetry.
C.To make a summary of the text.
D.To introduce what will be discussed next.
2.What do we know about Power’s collection of poems?
A.It reflects her own life.
B.It explores national identity.
C.It is similar to other collective poems.
D.It fails to be recognized by the public.
3.What does Paragraph 3 mainly talk about?
A.Power’s birthplace. B.Power’s talents.
C.Power’s basic background. D.Power’s achievements.
4.What can we find in Shrines of Upper Austria?
A.The early life of Power.
B.The life and culture in Austria.
C.The marriage of Power’s grandmother.
D.The life of Power’s grandmother in Britain.
5.What’s the purpose of the last Paragraph?
A.To persuade readers to buy Power’s poems.
B.To inform readers of the regrets of grandparents.
C.To show elderly people are a useful source of stories.
D.To show the significance of learning about the past from poems.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题
One of the important subjects in contemporary poetry is identity—with an open-ended explanation of that word. Poets, young and old, are exploring what identity is, using their own lives as the background.
British poet Phoebe Power, in her first collection of poems, Shrines of Upper Austria, explores a different aspect of identity: a personal understanding of national identity. The collection received the Forward Prize for Best First Collection and was on the final list for the T.S. Eliot Prize.
Power was born in Newcastle-on-Tyne and raised in Cumbria. She has taken part in a number of performance art and video art projects. She received a Northern Writers’ Award in 2014 and an Eric Gregory Award from the Society of Authors in 2012. Now she lives in York in northern England.
Power’s starting point is her grandmother. She came to England from Austria as a new bride married to a British soldier in 1946, the first year after the end of World WarⅡ. Imagine the reactions of her British neighbors and her new British family. Imagine what she had left behind. The grandmother’s experiences influenced Power greatly.
In Shrines of Upper Austria, we walk with the poet to see her grandmother’s life before Britain. We can learn about the small town where she lived, the bodies of water, and buildings that existed when her grandmother lived there. Power also added some prose(散文) to the book, which tells us some stories of her grandmother’s early life. For example, it tells the stories about how her grandmother was found as a baby and given to a farmer when she was two.
The poems in the collection are pieces of a life. We can no more walk in our grandparents’ shoes than they can walk in ours. However, we can study old family photographs. We can see pieces of their lives—where they lived, perhaps; where they played as children; what lakes or rivers they swam in. Like Power, we are left with pieces. These pieces don’t all make sense, but collectively they show a life.
1.What’s the function of Paragraph 1?
A.To explain what identity is.
B.To inform us the likes of poetry.
C.To make a summary of the text.
D.To introduce what will be discussed next.
2.What do we know about Power’s collection of poems?
A.It reflects her own life.
B.It explores national identity.
C.It is similar to other collective poems.
D.It fails to be recognized by the public.
3.What does Paragraph 3 mainly talk about?
A.Power’s birthplace. B.Power’s talents.
C.Power’s basic background. D.Power’s achievements.
4.What can we find in Shrines of Upper Austria?
A.The early life of Power.
B.The life and culture in Austria.
C.The marriage of Power’s grandmother.
D.The life of Power’s grandmother in Britain.
5.What’s the purpose of the last Paragraph?
A.To persuade readers to buy Power’s poems.
B.To inform readers of the regrets of grandparents.
C.To show elderly people are a useful source of stories.
D.To show the significance of learning about the past from poems.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Camaraderie over Competence
The importance of liking people is the subject of an article in the Harvard Business Review, which has carried out an experiment to find out who we’d rather work with. Hardly surprisingly, the people we want most as our workmates are both: brilliant at their jobs and delightful human beings. And the people we want least are both unpleasant and useless. More interestingly, the authors found that, given the choice between working with lovable fools and competent jerks (性情古怪的人), we irresistibly choose the former. Anyway, who likes those stupid men who annoy or hurt other people? We might insist that competence matters more, but our behavior shows we stay close to the people we like and sharing information with them.
What companies should therefore do is get people to like each other more. The trick here is apparently to make sure staffs come across each other as often as possible during the day. They also should be sent on bonding courses and so on to encourage friendliness and break down displeasure. However, more outdoor-activity weekends and shared coffee machines inspire no confidence at all.
The reality is that people either like each other or they don’t. You can’t force it. Possibly you can make offices friendlier by tolerating a lot of chat, but there is a productivity cost to that. In my experience, the question of lovable fool against competent jerk may not be the right one. The two are interrelated: we tend not to like our workmates when they are completely hopeless. I was once quite friendly with a woman whom I later worked with. I found her to be so outstandingly bad at her job that I lost respect for her and ended up not really liking her at all. Then is there anything that companies should be doing about it?
By far the most effective strategy would be to hire people who are all pretty much the same, given that similarity is one of the main determinants of whether we like each other. I think this is a pretty good idea, but no one dares recommend this anymore without offending the diversity lobby group. There is only one acceptable view on this subject: teams of similar people are bad because they stop creativity. This may be true, though I have never seen any conclusive proof of it.
Not only do we like similar people, we like people who like us. So if companies want to promote more liking, they should encourage a culture where we are all nice to each other. The trouble is that this needs to be done with some skill.
1.According to the research, which kind of colleagues would most people tend to choose?
A.Nice but unintelligent.
B.Creative but unattractive.
C.Competent but unfriendly.
D.Humorous but unambitious.
2.The author talks about her experience to show that ______.
A.people respect outstanding leaders
B.people tend to like optimistic workmates
C.a workmate’s working ability is important
D.talkative workmates makes offices friendlier
3.Some people think that similar people working together may ______
A.offend each other
B.create fewer new ideas
C.talk more and work less
D.be likely to stick together
4.To encourage workmates to like each other, companies could ______.
A.set more coffee machines in the work place
B.organize team-building activities outside the office
C.encourage a diversity of opinions in workplace
D.employ staff who have a lot in common
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
He is one of the top students in our class, who score ____ average in most subjects.
A. on B. of C. below D. above
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Age has its privileges in America, and one of the most important of them is the senior citizen discount. Eligibility(资格) is determined not by one’s need but by the date on one’s birth certificate. The discounts have become a routine part of many businesses—as common as color televisions in motel rooms and free coffee on airliners.
People with gray hair often are given the discounts without even asking for them; yet, millions of Americans above age 60 are healthy and solvent (有支付能力的). Businesses that would never dare offer discounts to college students or anyone under 30 freely offer them to older Americans. The practice is acceptable because of the widespread belief that ＂elderly＂ means ＂needy＂. Perhaps that once was true, but today elderly Americans as a group have a lower poverty rate than the rest of the population. To be sure, there is economic diversity within the elderly, and many older Americans are poor. But most of them aren’t.
It is impossible to determine the impact of the discounts on individual companies. For many firms, they are a stimulus to revenue. But in other cases, the discounts are given at the expense, directly or indirectly, of younger Americans. Moreover, they are a direct irritant(刺激物) in what some politicians and scholars see as a coming conflict between the generations.
Generational tensions are being fueled by continuing debate over Social Security benefits, which mostly involve a transfer of resources from the young to the old. Employment is another sore point. Supported by laws and court decisions, more and more older Americans are declining the retirement dinner in favor of staying on the job—thereby lessening employment and promotion opportunities for younger workers.
Far from a kind of charity they once were, senior citizen discounts have become a privilege to a group with millions of members who don’t need them.
It no longer makes sense to treat the elderly as a single group whose economic needs deserve priority over those of others. Senior citizen discounts only enhance the myth that older people can’t take care of themselves and need special treatment; and they threaten the creation of a new myth, that the elderly are ungrateful and taking for themselves at the expense of children and other age groups. Senior citizen discounts are the essence of the very thing older Americans are fighting against—discrimination by age.
| Outline | Details |
| Introduction | Age determines whether an American can be given a discount, which is a common 1. in American business life today. |
| Origin of senior citizen discount | Since the senior citizens are often treated as people who are in 2.， they are given such priority. |
| 3.situation | ●The situation has changed a lot where the majority of the elderly are not poor at all. ●Younger Americans were at a(n) 4. directly or indirectly due to the discounts given to the elderly, thus leading to conflicts between generations. ●The number of older Americans 5. to work rather than retire is on the increase, which means 6. opportunities for young workers. ●It is no longer a kind of charity because millions of senior citizens don’t need the priority 7. now. |
| Conclusion | ●It’s unwise to offer discount priority to the elderly. ●It will mislead people to think they are unable to 8. to themselves. ●People may think that they are ungrateful and they’re hurting the 9. of other age groups. ●Actually senior citizen discounts, to some extent，10. against their age. |
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
Food is extremely important to us human beings and rice is one of the main food in the world. Australian researchers have discovered a way to genetically engineer rice which would provide significant health benefits to more than half the world’s population.
A study undertaken at the University of Tasmania, published in a respected journal of the National Academy of Sciences, discovered a method to increase the resistant starch (抗性淀粉）content in rice, making it more digestible and leading to lower rate of diabetes (糖尿病）and overweight.
Steven Smith, the lead author of the study and a foreign expert for the Chinese government who has been appointed to work on crop improvement projects by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said increasing the higher resistant starch content gave this “designer” rice many added health benefits. “We have discovered that we can increase the amount of resistant starch in cooked rice, which could provide health benefits for a large number of people in Asia and beyond,” Smith said in a media release on Friday. “The same approach can be adapted for use in other cereals, including wheat. Not only can it have benefits for diabetes and obesity, but also for disorders of the bowel(肠）including cancer.”
Rice is the main food for more than half the world’s population, providing much of the world with most of their calories. Smith said that as the rate of diabetes and obesity in Asian countries continued to grow, his “designer” rice could provide a way to limit health problems.
“Not only does resistant starch reduce the possibility of a ‘sugar hit’ but it also reduces the appetite and promotes the growth of the healthy germs.” Smith said.
Smith divides his time between the University of Tasmania and his research lab in Beijing where he hopes to make significant advance in sustainable (可持续的）living.
1.What do we know about the study?
A. It is part of Chinese crop improvement projects.
B. It will have a significant effect on crop researches.
C. It was jointly（联合地）carried out by Australia and China.
D. It helps solve the food problem for over half of the world’s population.
2.Based on the text, the resistant starch ________.
A. exists in large amounts in cooked rice
B. decreases the possibility of a “sugar hit” and provides more calories
C. is helpful in digestion and lowers the rate of overweight and diabetes
D. increases people’s appetite and improves the growth of healthy germs
3.The underlined word “it” in Paragraph 3 refers to _________.
A. resistant starch B. cooked rice
C. the approach D. media release
4.Where does this text probably come from?
A. An environmental report. B. A medical journal.
C. An engineering textbook. D. An agricultural magazine.
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
One of the most important things in the world is friendship． In order to have friends， you have to be a friend． But how can you be a good friend at school？
Listen ﹣ Listen when they are talking． Don't say anything unless they ask you a question． Sometimes it's not necessary for you to have anything to say； they just need someone to talk to about their feelings．
Help them ﹣ If your friend is ever in need of something， be there to help them． You should try to put them first， but make sure you don't do everything they want you to do． Try to take an extra pencil or pen with you to classes in case they forget one． Have a little extra money in your pocket in case they forget something they need．
Be there for them ﹣ Be there for your friends to help make them feel better in hard times． Marilyn Monroe， a famous U．S． actor， once said， "I often make mistakes． Sometimes I am out of control， but if you can't stay with me at my worst， you are sure not to deserve to be with me at my best．" Always remember this! If you don't want to stay with your friends when they're in hard times， then you don't deserve to be with them when they're having a good time!
Make plans ﹣ Try to make plans with your friends． Go shopping， go for ice cream， have a party， go to a movie and so on． Take time to know each other even better by doing something you both enjoy． By planning things together， you both can have a good time． And you'll remember these things when you're all old!
1.While your friend is talking to you about his or her feelings， you should ．
A. give him or her some advice
B. calm him or her down
C. just listen unless asked
D. share your feelings as well
2.When we provide help for our friends， we should ．
A. put them before ourselves
B. try to do everything for them
C. change their bad habits first
D. ignore their faults
3.What can we learn from Marilyn Monroe's words？
A. Life without a friend is death．
B. A friend is easier lost than found．
C. A man is known by his friends．
D. A friend in need is a friend indeed．
4.What is probably the best title for the test？
A. How to find a good friend．
B. How to be a good friend．
C. How to help friends in trouble．
D. How to make more friends．
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Museums in Germany
Germany is one of the most important countries in Europe. You can visit many museums in Germany and learn about the country, its culture and people.
If you are interested in learning about the history of the country, then you can have a look at the displays in the wonderful museum in the Roman Open Air Museum in Hechingen Stein. This museum, with its large numbers of artifacts (手工艺品) like paintings, pieces of pottery, tools, jewelry and other items, provides a complete picture of Roman history in Germany. The museum is built inside an ancient Roman house called “Villa Rustica”.
Apart from this, another German museum that is worth visiting is the DB Museum, or the German Railway Museum. It is the oldest railway museum in the country, and it offers a comprehensive insight into the history of the railways in Germany. Here, you can see models of trains and engines from an ancient era. If this interests you, you can also visit the Museum of Communication, where you can learn a lot about the transport in Germany. It is a great place to visit with your family.
Another famous museum in Germany, where you can learn a lot about the culture, is the Gutenberg Museum. This museum is filled with ancient memorabilia and artifacts that deal with the history of printing, not only of Germany, but of the whole world. This, in fact, is the oldest printing museum in the world. Amongst the many displays of interesting objects, the most famous is the second Gutenberg Bible. Apart from the museums mentioned above, other museums that are worth visiting include the German Leather Museum, Kingspor Museum, Optical Museum Jena, Deutsches Museums and others. Each of the museums in Germany deals with a different theme.
You can visit the museums in Germany with your family and have a good time looking at the displays.
1.Which of the following is not displayed in the Roman Open Air Museum?
A．Pieces of pottery. B．Jewelry. C．Paintings. D．Models of trains.
2.What can we learn about the German Railway Museum?
A．It is the oldest railway museum in Europe.
B．It covers the history of the railways in Germany.
C．It offers information about the transport in Germany.
D．It is built inside an ancient Roman house.
3.If you want to learn about the history of Germany, you can go to the _______.
A．Roman Open Air Museum B．Kingspor Museum
C．Optical Museum Jena D．Deutsches Museums
4.What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?
A．To attract more visitors to the museums.
B．To act as an introduction to the history of Germany.
C．To make Germany more popular.
D．To call on people to do something for the museums.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
The Han Dynasty is one of the most important 1. (dynasty) in Chinese history. There are many 2. (wonder) achievements during this period. It was the first Chinese dynasty 3. (open) its door to other cultures 4. its foreign trade was prosperous. The Silk Road opened up in the Han Dynasty 5. (lead) to the Middle and Western Asia and 6. Rome. Various forms of art blossomed during the period 7. many great works on literature, history and philosophy appeared. The publishing of China’s first dictionary was completed in 100AD; it contains 9000 Chinese characters. At 8. same time, great progress 9. (make) in science and technology was really amazing. The Han Dynasty lasted 400 years. However, the rulers, corruption (腐败) eventually resulted in 10. (it) destruction.
高三英语短文填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
The Zhoukoudian Beijing Man Site is one of the most important world heritage sites in China．Since the discovery, which changed China’s knowledge of its history, was made in the 1920s, Zhoukoudian has become an important place for archaeologists from all over the world．At the site in the south-west suburb of Beijing, there is, for example, the earliest evidence of the use of fire by humans．It has also been proved that people lived there continuously between 500,000 and 10,000 years ago．
Today, however, Zhoukoudian is in serious danger．Parts of the cave have been badly affected by rain and exposure to the air．Some areas are almost completely covered in weeds, causing serious damage．Pollution from nearby cement factories has also contributed to the problem．
The site is extremely expensive to maintain and it will cost between three and five million yuan to repair it．At the moment, visitors are not allowed to visit the caves．
Zhoukoudian is on the World Cultural Heritage List, organized by UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization．The list is constantly checked．Any site which is seriously damaged or which is not properly protected is an endangered heritage, and UNESCO is very quick to do something about situations like this．They have recommended that the site be closed and repaired．If nothing is done to repair it, it could be removed from the list．
This is a very serious matter and the Chinese Academy of Sciences is trying to raise public awareness about it．They have suggested that the general public be encouraged to help with the problem．A professor at the Academy has proposed that a fund be established to raise money．
Dr Zhu Ming of the Academy said, “ We have requested that the government get involved, but we also need assistance from ordinary people．They can help by contributing to the cost of repairing the caves．They are a precious part of our cultural heritage—it is of vital importance that we do something．If not, it will be a catastrophe．”
1.Why is Zhoukoudian of great importance in China?
A．Because the site tells some information about how man lived in the old times．
B．Because it has brought in lots of money as a place of interest．
C．Because it is the only place in China on the World Cultural Heritage List．
D．Because it changed our knowledge of China’s history of the 1920’s．
2.What is the second paragraph about?
A．Zhoukoudian’s discovery B．Zhoukoudian’s future
C．Zhoukoudian’s in danger D．Zhoukoudian’s protection
3.The following has caused the damage of the site except________________．
A．Weeds B．Rain C．Fire D．Cement factories
4.The passage suggests that to repair Zhoukoudian, Chinese Academy of Sciences is seeking help from_________．
A．Archaeologists from all over the world
B．Government and the public
C．Experts from UNESCO
D．Visitors
5.Which of the following can replace the underlined word “catastrophe”?
A．case B．worry C．wonder D．disaster
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
The Z Hotel is in the heart of London’s West End and has comfortable accommodation in a contemporary design.
All rooms include handcrafted beds, 48-inch Samsung HD TVs with free Sky Sports and Movie channels, and free Wi-Fi. Each room also has under-bed storage for an overnight bag, and wall-mounted hanging space for clothing. The Z Hotel also offers wheelchair accessible rooms.
Continental breakfast is served in The Z Cafe every morning, including smoked salmon, fresh bread, fresh fruit salad and bacon rolls. A selection of salads, sandwiches and hot dishes are on offer throughout the day.
The hotel is a 5-minute walk from Prince of Wales Theatre and Chinatown London, Leicester Square, Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square. Heathrow Airport can be reached directly from Piccadilly Circus Underground Station.
This is our guests，favorite part of London, according to independent reviews. This area is also great for shopping, with popular brands nearby: Apple, H&M, Zara, Burberry and Chanel.
The Z Hotel is rated for the best value in London! Guests are getting more for their money when compared to other hotels in this city. Come and stay with us!
Most popular facilities:
◆ Luggage storage ◆ Heating ◆ Free Wi-Fi ◆ Air conditioning
◆ 24-hour front desk ◆ Daily maid service ◆ Parking ◆ Lift
Prices:
| Room types | Prices | Options |
| Double room—non-smoking | £179 | • Non-refundable(不退款) • Good Breakfast £ 9.50 |
| Twin Room—non-smoking | £185 | • Non-refundable • Good Breakfast £ 9.50 |
| Queen Room—disability access | £219 | • Pay at the hotel (no prepayment needed) • Good Breakfast included |
1.When staying in this hotel, you will enjoy all of the following EXCEPT ________.
A. free Wi-Fi B. a TV with some free channels
C. under-bed storage space D. airport pick-up service
2.If a man in a wheelchair wants to stay in this hotel for two nights, he should pay ________.
A. £ 404 B. £ 358
C. £ 438 D. £ 370
3.From the passage we can learn ________.
A. the hotel is close to Heathrow Airport
B. the hotel is good value for guests’ money
C. the hotel serves Chinese-style breakfast
D. there is a shop with popular brands in the hotel
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析