Mail carriers will be delivering some good news and some bad news this week.
The bad news: Stamp prices are expected to rise 2 cents in May to 41 cents, the Postal Regulatory Commission announced yesterday. The good news: With the introduction of a “forever stamp,” it may be the last time Americans have to use annoying 2-or-3-cent stamps to make up postage differences.
Beginning in May, people would be able to purchase the stamps in booklets of 20 at the regular rate of a first-class stamp. As the name implies, “forever stamps” will keep their first-class mailing value forever, even when the postage rate goes up.
The new “forever stamp” is the United States Postal Service’s (USPS) answer to the complaints about frequent rate increases. The May increases will be the fifth in a decade. Postal rates have risen because of inflation (通货膨胀), competition from online bill paying, and the rising costs of employee benefits, including healthcare, says Mark Saunders, a spokesman for USPS.
The USPS expects some financial gain from sales of the “forever stamp” and the savings from not printing as many 2-or-3-cent stamps. “It’s not your grandfather’s stamp,” says Mr. Saunders. “It could be your great-grandchildren’s stamp.”
Other countries, including Canada, England, and Finland use similar stamps.
Don Schilling, who has collected stamps for 50 years, says he’s interested in the public’s reaction. “This is an entirely new class of stamps.” Mr. Schilling says. He adds that he’ll buy the stamps because he will be able to use them for a long period of time, not because they could make him rich — the volume printed will be too large for collectors. “We won’t be able to send our kids to college on these,” he says, laughing.
The USPS board of governors has yet to accept the Postal Regulatory Commission’s decision, but tends to follow its recommendations. No plans have been announced yet for the design of the stamps.
1.The main purpose of introducing a “forever stamp” is ______.
A.to reduce the cost of printing 2-or-3-cent stamps
B.to help save the consumers’ cost on first-class mailing
C.to respond to the complaints about rising postal rates
D.to compete with online bill paying
2.Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A.The investment in forever stamps will bring adequate reward.
B.America will be the first country to issue forever stamps.
C.The design of the “forever stamp” remains to be revealed.
D.2-or-3-cent stamps will no longer be printed in the future.
3.What can be concluded from the passage?
A.With forever stamps, there will be no need to worry about rate changes.
B.Postal workers will benefit most from the sales of forever stamps.
C.The inflation has become a threat to the sales of first-class stamps.
D.New interest will be aroused in collecting forever stamps.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题
Mail carriers will be delivering some good news and some bad news this week.
The bad news: Stamp prices are expected to rise 2 cents in May to 41 cents, the Postal Regulatory Commission announced yesterday. The good news: With the introduction of a “forever stamp,” it may be the last time Americans have to use annoying 2-or-3-cent stamps to make up postage differences.
Beginning in May, people would be able to purchase the stamps in booklets of 20 at the regular rate of a first-class stamp. As the name implies, “forever stamps” will keep their first-class mailing value forever, even when the postage rate goes up.
The new “forever stamp” is the United States Postal Service’s (USPS) answer to the complaints about frequent rate increases. The May increases will be the fifth in a decade. Postal rates have risen because of inflation (通货膨胀), competition from online bill paying, and the rising costs of employee benefits, including healthcare, says Mark Saunders, a spokesman for USPS.
The USPS expects some financial gain from sales of the “forever stamp” and the savings from not printing as many 2-or-3-cent stamps. “It’s not your grandfather’s stamp,” says Mr. Saunders. “It could be your great-grandchildren’s stamp.”
Other countries, including Canada, England, and Finland use similar stamps.
Don Schilling, who has collected stamps for 50 years, says he’s interested in the public’s reaction. “This is an entirely new class of stamps.” Mr. Schilling says. He adds that he’ll buy the stamps because he will be able to use them for a long period of time, not because they could make him rich — the volume printed will be too large for collectors. “We won’t be able to send our kids to college on these,” he says, laughing.
The USPS board of governors has yet to accept the Postal Regulatory Commission’s decision, but tends to follow its recommendations. No plans have been announced yet for the design of the stamps.
1.The main purpose of introducing a “forever stamp” is ______.
A.to reduce the cost of printing 2-or-3-cent stamps
B.to help save the consumers’ cost on first-class mailing
C.to respond to the complaints about rising postal rates
D.to compete with online bill paying
2.Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A.The investment in forever stamps will bring adequate reward.
B.America will be the first country to issue forever stamps.
C.The design of the “forever stamp” remains to be revealed.
D.2-or-3-cent stamps will no longer be printed in the future.
3.What can be concluded from the passage?
A.With forever stamps, there will be no need to worry about rate changes.
B.Postal workers will benefit most from the sales of forever stamps.
C.The inflation has become a threat to the sales of first-class stamps.
D.New interest will be aroused in collecting forever stamps.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Some people in Manchester, Britain, will soon be paying for goods and services with so-called “smart” credit cards. These cards are more secure than the traditional magnetic-strip version and can be used to travel on buses, check bank accounts and do shopping.
The Manchester project is one of the biggest smart card schemes in the world. Every time people use the cards on a bus or train, the fare is deducted (reduced) from the value of the card. When they have no credit left, the cards can be recharged at a local shop.
A smart card looks just like a normal plastic card but it has a silicon chip in it. It is possible for the same silicon chip to perform a number of different functions, so one plastic card in your pocket could do a large number of different jobs. The card has much more memory space than a magnetic-strip card, so many more things can be recorded on it.There are two types of smart cards. One is the contact card which is used in the same way as a magnetic-strip card.
Information is transferred by running the card through a narrow opening in an electronic reader. In the slot, electronic probes make contact with the magnetic-strip or silicon ship and read the information. The other type is the contactless smart card where the electronic reader communicates with the card by short-range radio waves. This makes the card quicker and more convenient to use because it does not have to leave your wallet. It is also more reliable as it is not easily influenced by scratches or dirt. However, the biggest advantage that smart cards have over magnetic-strip cards is that they are more secure. They are much more difficult to make than conventional cards and they have to be made by specially trained manufacturers. In addition, they have a large number of extra security features on them and if a smart card gets lost or stolen a quick phone-call to the distributor ensures that its individual number is made invalid and unreadable. This can be done more quickly than with a magnetic-strip card.
1.A smart credit card can do many kinds of jobs because ____ .
A. it is smart B. it is a plastic card
C. it has a silicon chip in it D. it can be recharged
2.“ The cards can be recharged” means that ____ .
A. the card can be put into a new charge of electricity
B. the cards can be changed into new ones
C. the cards can be put to use again
D. the cards can be recycled
3.What are the advantages of smart credit cards over traditional ones?
A. they can store more information B. they are more secure
C. they are more convenient to use D. all of the above
4.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Contactless cards are more convenient to use than contact ones
B. Smart cards are more expensive to manufacturer
C. By means of long-range radio waves contactless cards can communicate with the electronic reader
D. A smart credit card and a normal plastic card are the same thing
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Bad news sells. If it bleeds, it leads. No news is good news, and good news is no news. Those are the classic rules for the evening broadcasts and the morning papers. But now that information is being spread and monitored(监控) in different ways, researchers are discovering new rules. By tracking people’s e-mails and online posts, scientists have found that good news can spread faster and farther than disasters and sob stories.
“The ‘if it bleeds’ rule works for mass media,” says Jonah Berger, a scholar at the University of Pennsylvania. “They want your eyeballs and don’t care how you’re feeling. But when you share a story with your friends, you care a lot more how they react. You don’t want them to think of you as a Debbie Downer.”
Researchers analyzing word-of-mouth communication—e-mails, Web posts and reviews, face-to-face conversations—found that it tended to be more positive than negative, but that didn’t necessarily mean people preferred positive news. Was positive news shared more often simply because people experienced more good things than bad things? To test for that possibility, Dr. Berger looked at how people spread a particular set of news stories: thousands of articles on The New York Times’ website. He and a Penn colleague analyzed the “most e-mailed” list for six months. One of his first findings was that articles in the science section were much more likely to make the list than non-science articles. He found that science amazed Times’ readers and made them want to share this positive feeling with others.
Readers also tended to share articles that were exciting or funny, or that inspired negative feelings like anger or anxiety, but not articles that left them merely sad. They needed to be aroused(激发) one way or the other, and they preferred good news to bad. The more positive an article, the more likely it was to be shared, as Dr. Berger explains in his new book, “Contagious: Why Things Catch On.”
1.What do the classic rules mentioned in the text apply to?
A. Research papers. B. Private e-mails.
C. News reports. D. Daily conversations.
2.What can we infer about people like Debbie Downer?
A. They’re socially inactive. B. They’re good at telling stories.
C. They’re careful with their words. D. They’re inconsiderate of others.
3.Which tended to Dr. B be the most e-mailed according to erger’s research?
A. Personal accounts. B. Sports news.
C. Science articles. D. Financial reviews.
4.What can be a suitable title for the text?
A. Good News Beats Bad on Social Networks
B. Reading Habits Change with the Times
C. Sad Stories Travel Far and Wide
D. Online News Attracts More People
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Bad news sells. If it bleeds, it leads. No news is good news, and good news is no news. Those are the classic rules for the evening broadcasts and the morning papers. But now that information is being spread and monitored(监控) in different ways, researchers are discovering new rules. By tracking people’s e-mails and online posts, scientists have found that good news can spread faster and farther than disasters and sob stories.
“The ‘if it bleeds’ rule works for mass media,” says Jonah Berger, a scholar at the University of Pennsylvania. “They want your eyeballs and don’t care how you’re feeling. But when you share a story with your friends, you care a lot more how they react. You don’t want them to think of you as a Debbie Downer.”
Researchers analyzing word-of-mouth communication—e-mails, Web posts and reviews, face-to-face conversations—found that it tended to be more positive than negative(消极的), but that didn’t necessarily mean people preferred positive news. Was positive news shared more often simply because people experienced more good things than bad things? To test for that possibility, Dr. Berger looked at how people spread a particular set of news stories: thousands of articles on The New York Times’ website. He and a colleague analyzed the “most e-mailed” list for six months. One of his first findings was that articles in the science section were much more likely to make the list than non-science articles. He found that science amazed Times’ readers and made them want to share this positive feeling with others.
Readers also tended to share articles that were exciting or funny, or that inspired negative feelings like anger or anxiety, but not articles that left them merely sad. They needed to be aroused(激发) one way or the other, and they preferred good news to bad. The more positive an article, the more likely it was to be shared, as Dr. Berger explains in his new book, “Contagious: Why Things Catch On.”
1.What do the classic rules mentioned in the text apply to?
A. Research papers. B. News reports
C. Private e-mails. D. Daily conversations.
2. What can we infer about people like Debbie Downer?
A. They’re socially inactive.
B. They’re good at telling stories.
C. They’re careful with their words.
D. They’re inconsiderate of others.
3.Which tended to be the most e-mailed according to Dr. Berger’s research?
A. Sports news. B. Personal accounts.
C. Science articles. D. Financial reviews.
4.What can be a suitable title for the text?
A. Good News Beats Bad on Social Networks
B .Online News Attracts More People
C. Reading Habits Change with the Times
D. Sad Stories Travel Far and Wide
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Bad news sells.If it bleeds,it leads.No news is good news,and good news is no news.Those are "the classic rules for the evening broadcasts and the morning papers.But now that information is being spread amt monitored(监控)in different ways,researchers are discovering new rules.By tracking people's e-mails and online posts,scientists have found that good news can spread faster and farther than disasters and sob stories.
"The ‘if it bleeds ’rule works for mass media,"says Jonah Berger,a scholar at the University of Pennsylvania. "They want your eyeballs and don't care how you're feeling.But when you share a story with your friends,you care a lot more how they react.You don't want them to think of you as a Debbie Downer."
Researchers analyzing word-of-mouth communication—e-mails,Web posts and reviews,face-to-face conversations—found that it tended to be more positive than negative,but that didn't necessarily mean people preferred positive news.Was positive news shared more often simply because people experienced more good things than bad things?To test for that possibility,Dr.Berger looked at how people spread a particular set of news stories: thousands of articles on The New York Times' website.He and a Penn colleague analyzed the "most e-mailed" list for six months.One of his first findings was that articles in the science section were much more likely to make the list than non-science articles.He found that science amazed Times' readers and made them want to share this positive feeling with others.
Readers also tended to share articles that were exciting or funny,or that inspired negative feelings like anger or anxiety,but not articles that left them merely sad.They needed to be aroused(激发)one way or the other,and they preferred good news to bad.The more positive an article,the more likely it was to be shared as Dr.Berger explains in his new book,"Contagious: Why Things Catch On."
1.What do the classic rules mentioned in the text apply to?
A. News reports. B. Research papers.
C. Private e-mails. D. Daily conversations.
2.What can we infer about people like Debbie Downer?
A. They’re socially inactive. B. They’re good at telling stories.
C. They’re inconsiderate of others. D. They're careful with their words.
3.Which tended to be the mast e-mailed according to Dr.Berger's research?
A. Sports news. B. Science articles.
C. Personal accounts. D. Financial reviews.
4.What can be a suitable title for the text?
A. Sad Stories Travel Far and Wide
B. Online News Attracts More People
C. Reading Habits Change with the Times
D. Good News Beats Bad on Social Networks
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Dear Mom and Dad,
I'm afraid I have some very bad news for you. I have been very naughty and the school master is very angry with me. She is going to write to you. You must come and take me away from here. She does not want me in the school any longer. The trouble started last night when I was smoking a cigarette in bed. As I was smoking, I heard footsteps coming towards the room .I did not want a teacher to catch me smoking, so I threw the cigarette away. Unfortunately, the cigarette fell into the waste--paper basket. It caught fire.
There was a curtain near the waste --paper basket. It caught fire too. Soon the whole room was burning. The master phoned the fire brigade. The school is a long way from the town and before the fire brigade arrived, the whole school was on fire. The master said that the fire was all my fault and I must pay for the damage. She will send you a bill for about a million dollars.
I'm very sorry for this.
Much love
Sarah
1.Why did Sarah write to his parents?
A. He missed them very much for they hadn’t seen each other for a long time.
B. He told his parents what he had done in school.
C. He was tired of studying, and wanted to leave school.
D. He thought he was old enough to help them do something.
2.Where did Sarah smoke?
A. in the classroom B. in the Dining hall
C. in the street D. in the dormitory
3.Why was the school master angry with him?
A. because he was too naughty B. because he was too lazy
C. because he caused a big fire D. because he stole something from the school
4.According to the passage, what should the students not do?
A. they should not smoke, because smoking is dangerous to them
B. they should not dance, because dancing would waste a lot of money
C. they should not make friends, because making friends would take them absent
D. they should not wear expensive clothes because they would waste a lot of money
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
People all have good days and bad days. And some of the bad days happen due to events beyond your control. 1.One way to increase the possibility that you have a good day is to join in “gratification(喜悦)” activities , which you enjoy and you’re good at. 2.However, if you don’t have the type of job, you can take part in other activities and find the same result.
3.There are many little pleasures you can add to your life, such as tea, a warm bath, a walk in the park and so on. As long as you enjoy them, they can really brighten your every day. Laughter is also part of having a good day. That’s why it’s important to do what you can to create joy for you.4.After all, if you are humorous, you can more easily center on fun things.
If you don’t have much time, one way can be used during a stressful day. 5.You should achieve this by making your plan flexible and checking that everything in your plan is necessary. Being busy is okay, but wasting time and energy on too many unnecessary things can just lead to stress.
A. Often, bad days come from overweight stress.
B. Some people experience joy and happiness at work.
C. Good moods enable us to notice more chances.
D. Life’s pleasures are also able to add a quick lift to your mood.
E. However, people do have power in creating better days.
F. So it’s important ---especially if you’re a busy person---to stay balanced.
G. Besides, developing a sense of humor also helps you have a good day.
高二英语七选五中等难度题查看答案及解析
The sandstorm has a bad effect on human beings, but it also brings some good results. There wouldn’t have been our Chinese nation if there had been no sandstorms. Sandstorms have existed for millions of years, while the written history of human beings has lasted only 5,000 years. The Loess Plateau(黄土高原) was formed by sandstorms over millions of years. The Yellow River, while moving through the Loess Plateau, carries a great deal of sand and has formed the North China Plain. The Loess Plateau is regarded as the place where Chinese civilization(文明) began. If there had been no Loess Plateau, the North China Plain wouldn’t have existed, nor would have the Chinese civilization.
Sandstorms don’t bring only loess to human beings. When sandstorms move from central Asia to the Pacific regions, they carry some minerals into the air, which will later fall into the ocean in the form of rain. The minerals will help some planktons(浮游生物) to survive. The planktons are eaten by small shellfish, and fish live on these small shellfish, and fish are eaten by humans. This forms a biological chain which shows a relation between humans and nature.
So it is unrealistic to say we should stop sandstorms. What we can possibly do is to reduce their bad influence as much as we can.
59. The underlined sentence in the first paragraph probably means _________.
A. there are many sandstorms in China
B. the land of China was made by sandstorms
C. sandstorms helped to form Chinese civilization
D. the history of sandstorms was longer than that of Chinese nation
60. How does the sandstorm help to form the biological chain?
A. The sandstorm carries lots of rain into the ocean.
B. The sandstorm helps some minerals fall into the ocean.
C. Some minerals directly fall into the ocean in the form of rain.
D. The sandstorm moves from central Asia to the Pacific regions.
61. The writer thinks that _______.
A. the sandstorm only has a bad effect on human beings
B. sandstorms bring about lots of trouble, but we can still make use of them
C. without sandstorms, there would be no Chinese civilization and human beings
D. sandstorms play an active role in the Chinese civilization, so we should protect them
62. The text mainly talks about _______.
A. the history of sandstorms B. what the biological chain is
C. how the Loess Plateau formed D. the good effects of sandstorms
高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
Society _______ a variety of people; some are good, others bad, and still others in between.
A.is consisted of B.is made up of C.consisted of D.make up of
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Parents and teachers in Shaanxi are happy about the news_____ more students will be admitted to universities, ______ makes students happy as well.
A.that; which | B.what; which | C.that; that | D.which; which |
高二英语单项填空困难题查看答案及解析