If you’re reading this, it’s safe to assume y...

If you’re reading this, it’s safe to assume you arrived by internet.

Maybe you caught the headline as it raced by on Twitter. Or you might be taking a break from watching a boring movie on Netflix.

It doesn’t matter. Because according to a new study, it all adds up to the same thing: one distraction（分心的事情）after another.

And the thing is, they’re welcome distractions. Because, as the research — published this week in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology — notes, people will do just about anything to avoid being left to their own thoughts.

For their study, researchers designed a sample test for more than 2,557 participants in 11 countries. They divided their test subjects into two groups. In the first group, people were asked to spend 10 to 15 minutes “entertaining themselves with their thoughts as best they could.”

Just sit back and think about things. Sounds good, doesn’t it? Well, not really. The second group — the one where people were told to surf the Net, play a video game, or even read a book — reported having much more fun. They scored more highly on entertainment and lower on boredom. And the preference for distraction seemed to be a global phenomenon, which may come as a surprise to Italians who are famously brilliant at doing nothing.

“The preference for doing external（外部的）activities such as reading, watching TV, or surfing the internet rather than ‘just thinking’ appears to be strong throughout the world,” the researchers note in the study.

But there does seem to be an important thing that hasn’t been included in the study. Shouldn’t the quality of thoughts matter? If you’ve got something positive to think about — say, how you’re going to spend your vacation or the great screenplay you’ve already half-written in your head — why are you reading this?

On the other hand, if you are always bothered by negative thoughts — a sad or painful experience, perhaps — by all means, keep scrolling（翻网页）.

Unfortunately, we won’t be able to take up much of your time here; it’s a short study that gets to the point in a hurry. Don’t worry though. There’s a whole world of distractions out there. Say, have you seen that ship teetering at the brink of Niagara Falls? And how about those charming cows? Bet you didn’t know they could smell you from six miles away.

And that’s something to think about.

1.Why would the Italians be surprised at the phenomenon?

A.They prefer reading books to surfing the Net.

B.They’re convinced that thinking is significant.

C.They are used to being left to their own thoughts.

D.They seldom entertain themselves by surfing the Net.

2.How was the study conducted?

A.By reference research. B.By comparative study.

C.By theoretical analysis. D.By experimental study.

3.What seems to have been ignored in the study?

A.The quality of thoughts. B.The cause of the phenomenon.

C.The solution to the problem. D.The kinds of distractions.

4.What’s the tone of the passage?

A.Worried. B.Disappointed.

C.Serious. D.Humorous.

高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

I'll have all of the readings ______ by the end of this term if my plan goes well．

高二英语单项填空困难题查看答案及解析

I'll have all of the readings ______ by the end of this term if my plan goes well．

高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

If you need glasses to read this, you are among the majority of Chinese students. That’s because most students in China are short-sighted which means they can only see things close up and distant things will be blurry. Four-fifths of high school students wear glasses and now more and more children in primary school need glasses, too.

This epidemic of poor eyesight has two very simple causes: too much time spent indoors studying and too little time spent outdoors playing. Reading and writing for hours and hours, sometimes in poorly lighted rooms, causes eyesight to weaken. But students have to do this because there is so much pressure on them to succeed in school. And because they spend so much time indoors at school and at home, they have less time to spend outdoors enjoying the sun.

The sun, as a consequence, is important in developing good eyesight. Exposure to daylight releases a chemical in the eyes that prevents, or at least delays, short-sightedness. According to a study by Ian Morgan of Australian National University, Australian children and Chinese children have the same level of eyesight before they start school, but once they enter primary school, Chinese children only spend about an hour a day outside, while Australian children spend three to four hours each day in the sunshine. The result is that while about 40 percent of Chinese primary school students need glasses, only three percent of Australian children do.

Wearing glasses may not seem like a big deal. For some, wearing glasses can even be an opportunity to make a fashion statement. But poor eyesight at a young age can have serious long term consequences. As you get older, your eyesight can worsen and lead to things like macular degeneration(黄斑变性), a condition of the eyes for which there is no cure and which can eventually lead to blindness.

With all that in mind, don’t you think it’s time to give your eyes a break? Try spending a little less time inside and go for a walk in the park, instead. It’s the healthy thing to do and your eyes will thank you for it.

1.What does the underlined word “blurry” mean?

A. unpopular.　　 B. unpleasant.

C. unclear.　　 D. unconscious.

2.How should the students protect their eyesight according to the passage?

A. They should study less and less.　　 B. They should stay longer outdoors.

C. They should wear sun-glasses.　　 D. They should have a longer rest in bed.

3.It can be inferred from the passage that _____ is to blame for the poor eyesight of Chinese children.

A. the ever-worsening bad weather　　 B. the ever-increasing burden of study

C. the ever-decreasing sunny days　　 D. the ever-decreasing period of study time

4.What is the purpose of this article?

A. To explain why Chinese students are poor-sighted.

B. To admire Australian children’s good eyesight.

C. To criticizethe present education system.

D. To call on people to protect Chinese children’s eyesight

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

If you’re a male and you’re reading this, congratulations! You’re a survivor. According to statistics，you’re more than twice as likely to die of skin cancer than a woman，and nine times more likely to die of AIDS. Assuming you make it to the end of your natural term，about 78 years for men in Australia，you’ll die on average five years before a woman.

There're many reasons for this--typically，men take more risks than women and are more likely to drink and smoke but perhaps more importantly, men don’t go to the doctor.

“Men aren't seeing doctors as often as they should，” says Dr. Gullotta.“This is particularly so

for the over-40s, when diseases tend to strike. According to a recent survey, 95％of women aged between 15 and early 49s see a doctor once a year, compared to 70％of men in the same age group.

“A lot of men think they’re unbeatable，”Gullotta says．“They only come in when a friend drops dead on the golf course and they think, Geez, if it could happen to him …”

Then there’s the ostrich（鸵鸟）approach．“Some men are scared of what might be there and would rather not know,” says Dr. Ross Cartmill.

“Most men get their cars serviced more regularly than they service their bodies,” Cartmill says. He believes most diseases that commonly affect men could be addressed by preventive check-ups.

“Prevention is cheaper in the long run than having to treat the diseases．Besides, the final cost is far greater，it’s called premature death.”

1.Why does the author congratulate male readers at the beginning of the passage?

A.They can live longer than they expected．

B.They are sure to enjoy a longer and happier life.

C.They have lived long enough to read this article.

D.They are more likely to survive serious diseases now．

2.Which of the author’s statements is the most important reason that men die five years earlier on average than women according to the passage?

A.Men drink and smoke much more than women.

B.Men don’t seek medical care as often as women.

C.Men are more likely to suffer from deadly diseases.

D.Men aren’t as cautious as women in face of danger.

3.Which of the following best completes the underlined sentence “Geez, if it could happen to him…” （in Para 4） ?

A.it could happen to me，too.

B.it would be a big misfortune.

C.I should avoid playing golf.

D.I should consider myself lucky.

4.What does Dr．Ross Cartmill mean by“the ostrich approach”（in Para 5）?

A.A casual attitude towards one’s health conditions.

B.A new treatment for certain psychological problems．

C.Refusal to get medical treatment for fear of the pain involved.

D.Unwillingness to find out about one’s disease because of fear.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

If you’re a male and you’re reading this, congratulations! You’re a survivor．According to statistics, you’re more than twice as likely to die of skin cancer than a woman, a nine times more likely to die of AIDS．Assuming you make it to the end of your natural term, about 78 years for men in Australia, you’ll die on average five years before a woman．

There’re many reasons for this——typically, men take more risks than women and are more likely to drink and smoke——but perhaps more importantly, men don’t go to the doctor．

“Men aren’t seeing doctors as often as they should,” says Dr．Gullotta．“This is particularly so for the over-40s, when diseases tend to strike．

Gullotta says a healthy man should visit the doctor every year or two．For those over 45, it should be at least once a year．

“When I finally saw him it had already spread and he has since died from lung cancer,” he says, “Earlier detection and treatment may not have cured him, but it would have prolonged his life．”

According to a recent survey, 95% of women aged between 15 and early 40s see a doctor once a year, compared to 70% of men in the same age group．

“A lot of men think they’re invincible,” Gullotta says．“They only come in when a friend drops dead on the golf course and they think, “Geez, if it could happen to him…”

Then there’s the ostrich approach．“Some men are scared of what might be there and would rather not know,” says Dr．Ross Cartmill．

“Most men get their cars serviced more regularly than they service their bodies,” Cartmill says．He believes most diseases that commonly affect men could be addressed by preventive check-ups．

Regular check-ups for men would inevitably place strain on the public purse, Cartmill says．“But prevention is cheaper in the long run than having to treat the diseases．Besides, the ultimate cost is far greater, it’s called premature death．”

1.Why does the author congratulate his male readers at the beginning of the passage?

A．They are more likely to survive serious diseases today．

B．Their average life span has been considerably extended．

C．They have lived long enough to read this article．

D．They are sure to enjoy a longer and happier life．

2.Which of the author’s statement is the most important reason men die five years earlier on average than women according to the passage?

A．Men drink and smoke much more than women．

B．Men don’t seek medical care as often as women．

C．Men aren’t as cautious as women in face of danger．

D．Men are more likely to suffer from fatal diseases．

3.What does Dr．Ross Cartmill mean by “the ostrich approach” ?

A．A casual attitude towards one’s health conditions．

B．A new therapy for certain psychological problems．

C．Refusal to get medical treatment for fear of the pain involved．

D．Unwillingness to find out about one’s disease because of fear．

4.What does Cartmill say about regular check-ups for men?

A．They may increase public expenses．

B．They will save money in the long run．

C．They may cause psychological strains on men．

D．They will enable men to live as long as women．

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

“Croeso I Gymru!,” If you don't know what this means, read on to find out more.

When you cross over the border from England into Wales, you don't have to show your passport but you do notice a difference immediately. All the road markings and signs are shown in two languages — English and Welsh (威尔士语）. Not all visitors to Britain know that other languages are spoken here. There's the Gaelic (盖尔语) language in Scotland and a few people speak Cornish (康沃尔语）in the southwest of England, but the most widely spoken language in the UK besides English is Welsh.

Perhaps the first Welsh word you'll see on the road into Wales is ARAF. There's a helpful English translation next to it — SLOW. As you can see, Welsh looks quite different from English. It sounds very different, too. Welsh looks and sounds so different from English because it’s a Celtic language. Celtic cultures still exist around the edges of the UK — in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and also in parts of France. For hundreds of years, almost everyone in Wales spoke Welsh, but nowadays there are about 600 thousand Welsh speakers — around 20% of the population.

So is Welsh dying out? Not at all! Nowadays, all school children in Wales study Welsh and many choose to go to an all Welsh-speaking school. You can get public information in Welsh, speak Welsh in court or take a course at university in Welsh. People surf the Internet in Welsh, keep up with friends on Facebook and write blogs in Welsh.

By the way, “Croeso I Gymru!" means “Welcome to Wales!” 一 I hope you'll be able to visit it one day.

1.According to the passage, Welsh ________.

A. has developed from Cornish

B. is still widely used in the UK

C. sounds a little similar to English

D. is more widely spoken than before

2.How does the author feel about the future of Welsh?

A. Optimistic.            B. Curious.            C. Worried.            D. Confused.

3.What is the author's purpose of writing the passage?

A. To explain a typical Welsh term.

B. To compare English with Welsh.

C. To give an introduction to Welsh.

D. To encourage people to visit Wales.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Tips to stay safe and make smart choices

Even if you’re a genius (天才) at school, you still might be lost when it comes to getting from point A to point B. Don’t get caught in a strange place without these basic safety tips.

★Know where you’re going.

Before you set out in an unfamiliar area, go to Google Maps to plan your journey and print it out. 1. Make sure that the location services are turned on on your phone, just in case you get lost.

★Know where your stuff is.

Never leave your backpack or shopping bags out of your sight. Carry your wallet in your front pocket or keep it close to your body. 2. A fun day out can turn into the worst headache ever if you realize you’ve left something behind.

★3.

If you have the choice between a busy street and a deserted one, always pick the busy one. You are more likely to be attacked on dark, empty sidewalks than on ones with a crowd.

★Travel in packs.

Don’t go anywhere — especially an unfamiliar place — without a friend or two. 4.

★Don’t let your music drown you out.

There’s nothing wrong with listening to your iPod as you walk around town, but keep it at a low enough volume (音量) so you can still hear passing cars. Losing concentration puts you at risk from accidents, attacks and getting lost. 5. Don’t do it. Keep your head up and pay attention to the people and things going on around you.

A.Pick your streets smart.

B.Always choose your own ways.

C.Be sure you’ve got everything at all times.

D.Take out your phone and call the police.

E.This also goes for texting while walking.

F.You can also use your phone’s GPS to map the route.

G.If you must go out alone, be sure to tell someone where you’re going.

高二英语七选五简单题查看答案及解析

If you are _______ about Australian cities, just read the book by Dr. Johnson, which introduces them in detail.

高二英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析

If you are _______ about Australian cities, just read the book written by Dr. Johnson.

A.interested                      B.anxious                      C.upset                          D.curious

高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析