In the famous musical My Fair Lady, Eliza Doolittle, the poor daughter of a dustman who speaks with a thick Cockney accent, becomes the unwitting (不知晓的) target for a bet between two phonetics scholars. By the end of the musical, Doolittle is able to pronounce all of her words like a member of the British elite, fooling everyone at an embassy ball about her true origins.
It’s hard to imagine a version of My Fair Lady set in the U.S. because, unlike the British, Americans seem either unwilling or unable to honestly acknowledge their own social class. But a new set of scientific studies conducted by Michael Krauss and his colleagues at Yale University show that Americans find it easy to make distinctions about other people’s social class just by listening to them speak.
In one study, the researchers asked 229 people to listen to 27 different speakers who varied in terms of their age, race, gender and social class. The participants heard each speaker say a total of seven different words. Based on just this short audio, participants were able to correctly identify which speakers were college-educated 55 percent of the time-more than what would be expected by chance. A major limitation of this study, however, was that it used college education as a criterion for social class.
Then in another experiment, 302 participants were asked to either listen to or read transcripts (文本) from 90 seconds of recorded speech in which the speakers talked about themselves without explicitly mentioning anything about their social class. Participants were asked to judge what they thought the social classes of the speakers were by using a 10-rung ascending (上升的) ladder of increasing income, education and occupation. They found that participants who heard the audio recordings were more accurate in judging where the speakers fell in terms of their social status.
To show whether these inferences have real-world consequences, Kraus and his colleagues ran another experiment. They recruited 274 participants, all of whom had past hiring experience, to either listen to the audio or read a transcript of the content. The findings showed that participants were able to accurately judge the social class of the candidates and that this effect was stronger for participants who had heard the audio recordings. In addition, participants judged the higher-class candidates as more competent, a better fit for the job and more likely to be hired.
Taken together, this research suggests that despite our discomfort about the topic, Americans are able to easily detect one another’s social class from small snippets of speech. Moreover, we use this information to discriminate against people who seem to be of a lower social class. This research identifies social class as another potential way that employers may discriminate against candidates, perhaps without even realizing it.
1.The author introduces his topic by______.
A.making a comparison
B.justifying an assumption
C.explaining a phenomenon
D.relating the plot of a musical
2.What do the experiments suggest?
A.Participants tend to make objective judgments.
B.The content rather than the speaking style is reliable.
C.One’s social class can be inferred from how they speak.
D.Education and income are the main criteria for social status.
3.According to the passage, judgments about the way people talk_____.
A.disagree with the facts
B.affect hiring decisions
C.favour competent people
D.hardly provide reference
4.What can be learned from the last paragraph?
A.Americans are slow to judge social classes.
B.People in a low social class lose jobs easily.
C.Social-class discrimination is hard to address.
D.Speech can create social-class discrimination.
高三英语阅读理解困难题
In the famous musical My Fair Lady, Eliza Doolittle, the poor daughter of a dustman who speaks with a thick Cockney accent, becomes the unwitting (不知晓的) target for a bet between two phonetics scholars. By the end of the musical, Doolittle is able to pronounce all of her words like a member of the British elite, fooling everyone at an embassy ball about her true origins.
It’s hard to imagine a version of My Fair Lady set in the U.S. because, unlike the British, Americans seem either unwilling or unable to honestly acknowledge their own social class. But a new set of scientific studies conducted by Michael Krauss and his colleagues at Yale University show that Americans find it easy to make distinctions about other people’s social class just by listening to them speak.
In one study, the researchers asked 229 people to listen to 27 different speakers who varied in terms of their age, race, gender and social class. The participants heard each speaker say a total of seven different words. Based on just this short audio, participants were able to correctly identify which speakers were college-educated 55 percent of the time-more than what would be expected by chance. A major limitation of this study, however, was that it used college education as a criterion for social class.
Then in another experiment, 302 participants were asked to either listen to or read transcripts (文本) from 90 seconds of recorded speech in which the speakers talked about themselves without explicitly mentioning anything about their social class. Participants were asked to judge what they thought the social classes of the speakers were by using a 10-rung ascending (上升的) ladder of increasing income, education and occupation. They found that participants who heard the audio recordings were more accurate in judging where the speakers fell in terms of their social status.
To show whether these inferences have real-world consequences, Kraus and his colleagues ran another experiment. They recruited 274 participants, all of whom had past hiring experience, to either listen to the audio or read a transcript of the content. The findings showed that participants were able to accurately judge the social class of the candidates and that this effect was stronger for participants who had heard the audio recordings. In addition, participants judged the higher-class candidates as more competent, a better fit for the job and more likely to be hired.
Taken together, this research suggests that despite our discomfort about the topic, Americans are able to easily detect one another’s social class from small snippets of speech. Moreover, we use this information to discriminate against people who seem to be of a lower social class. This research identifies social class as another potential way that employers may discriminate against candidates, perhaps without even realizing it.
1.The author introduces his topic by______.
A.making a comparison
B.justifying an assumption
C.explaining a phenomenon
D.relating the plot of a musical
2.What do the experiments suggest?
A.Participants tend to make objective judgments.
B.The content rather than the speaking style is reliable.
C.One’s social class can be inferred from how they speak.
D.Education and income are the main criteria for social status.
3.According to the passage, judgments about the way people talk_____.
A.disagree with the facts
B.affect hiring decisions
C.favour competent people
D.hardly provide reference
4.What can be learned from the last paragraph?
A.Americans are slow to judge social classes.
B.People in a low social class lose jobs easily.
C.Social-class discrimination is hard to address.
D.Speech can create social-class discrimination.
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
The UK’s music festivals are world famous but there are plenty more to celebrate in the country.
Burns Night, Scotland
On 25 January. Scots celebrate the life and works of Scotland’s national poet Robert Burns by holding a special Burns Supper. This can be a casual gathering of friends or a huge formal dinner. Guests take it in turn to recite Burns’ poems or sing one of his songs.
Hay Festival, Hay-on-Wye, Wales
For 10 days each May, the small town of Hay-on-Wye on the edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park in Wales is filled with writers, filmmakers, musicians, comedians, politicians, and people who come to hear them talk and exchange ideas. The festival celebrates great writing of all genres (体裁) and it all takes place in a tented village in the town.
Camp Festival, Dorset
As a branch of a festival held in Dorset, it’s one of the best family festivals in the UK. Held every year in the grounds of the historic Lulworth Castle in Dorset, the festival includes top live music acts but, as the organizers say, “kids are king” at Camp Festival, with a wide variety of entertainment, workshops and fun for kids. The 2020 Camp Festival takes place from 25 to 28 July.
Guy Fawkes Day or “Bonfire Night”
All over the UK on 5 November, the British light bonfires and set off fireworks in their back gardens or, more commonly these days, at organized events in public parks. They celebrate the Catholic Guy Fawkes’ failed attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament on 5 November, 1605.
1.Which festivals are related to literature?
A.Burns Night and Hay Festival.
B.Hay Festival and Camp Festival.
C.Burns Night and Guy Fawkes Day.
D.Camp Festival and Guy Fawkes Day.
2.When does the festival most appealing to children take place?
A.In January. B.In May.
C.In July. D.In November.
3.What does Guy Fawkes Day celebrate?
A.A historical event.
B.A successful explosion.
C.An organized strike.
D.An impressive building.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
I have forgotten the name of the old lady, who was a customer on my newspaper route. Yet it in my memory that she taught me a lesson in that I shall never forget.
On a winter afternoon, a friend and I were stones onto the roof of the old lady's house near her garden. The was to observe how the stones changed to missiles as they to the roof’s edge and fell into the yard like comets(彗星)falling from the . I found myself a perfectly smooth rock and threw it. The stone was too , however, so it slipped from my hand as I let it go and headed straight for a small . At the sound of broken glass, we knew we were in . We ran faster than any of our stones flew off her roof.
I was too about getting caught that first night to be about the old lady with the broken window in winter. ,a few days later, when I was sure that I hadn't been discovered, I started to feel for her trouble. She still greeted me with a smile each day when I gave her the newspaper, but I was no longer able to act when seeing her.
I decided that I would save my paper delivery money, and in three weeks I had the seven dollars that I thought would the cost of her window and sent it to her in an envelope.
The next day, I the old lady her paper. She thanked me for the paper and gave me a bag of biscuits she had made herself. I thanked her and ate the biscuits I continued my route.
After several cookies, I felt an envelope and pulled it out of the . When I opened the envelope, I was . Inside were the seven dollars and a short note that ,“I'm proud of you.”
1.A. fails B. fades C. impresses D. remains
2.A. forgiveness B. value C. honesty D. gratefulness
3.A. collecting B. putting C. throwing D. placing
4.A. subject B. theme C. topic D. object
5.A. shot B. rolled C. got D. dropped
6.A. earth B. ocean C. sky D. universe
7.A. smooth B. square C. heavy D. beautiful
8.A. ceiling B. door C. chimney D. window
9.A. danger B. trouble C. surprise D. comfort
10.A. scared B. excited C. disappointed D. confused
11.A. frightened B. depressed C. puzzled D. concerned
12.A. However B. Therefore C. Besides D. Furthermore
13.A. honored B. guilty C. pleased D. pressed
14.A. proud B. active C. comfortable D. energetic
15.A. include B. increase C. cover D. mend
16.A. handed B. turned C. passed D. sent
17.A. because B. where C. since D. as
18.A. paper B. pocket C. bag D. wallet
19.A. annoyed B. surprised C. amused D. delighted
20.A. attached B. said C. told D. wrote
高三英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
I still remember an old lady, a customer on the paper route in my hometown when I was 12 years old. She taught me a lesson in__________that I shall never forget.
On a(n) ________afternoon, a friend and I were throwing stones onto the__________of the old lady's house. The stone that I found was too smooth, ________it slipped from my hand as I let it go and________straight not for the covering on top of the house but for a small window on the house's back porch. At the sound of broken glass, we knew we were________.We turned and ________.
I was too ________ about getting caught that first night to be concerned about the old lady with the broken window in the freezing weather. However, a few days later, when I was sure that I hadn't been________, I started to feel guilty about her______________.She still greeted me with a smile each day________I gave her the paper , but I was no longer able to act comfortably in her ________.
I________my mind that I would save my money delivering paper. And after three weeks I had seven dollars that I calculated would pay for her window . I put the money in an envelope with a note________that I was sorry for breaking her window and________that the seven dollars would cover the cost of repairing it.
I waited until it was dark , moved________to the old lady ' s house and put the letter I didn ' t sign through the letter slot in her door . I felt ________ and could have the freedom of , once again , looking straight into the old lady's kind eyes .
The next day, I handed the old lady her paper and was able to ________ the warm smile that I was receiving from her. She thanked me for the paper and gave me a bag of cookies she had made herself. I thanked her and started to eat the cookies as I continued my________.
After several cookies . I felt an envelope and pulled it out of the bag. When I opened the envelope , I was ________. Inside were the seven dollars and a short note that said , " I'm proud of you.”
1.A.selflessness B.talent C.bravery D.forgiveness
2.A.winter B.summer C.spring D.autumn
3.A.window B.basement C.roof D.access
4.A.but B.so C.for D.or
5.A.landed B.left C.dragged D.headed
6.A.in trouble B.in many ways C.in danger D.in charge
7.A.got around B.sit around C.ran away D.hung out
8.A.embarrassed B.scared C.disappointed D.ashamed
9.A.discovered B.scolded C.punished D.involved
10.A.misunderstanding B.misbehavior C.misfortune D.mistake
11.A.until B.unless C.since D.when
12.A.encouragement B.presence C.company D.comfort
13.A.made up B.took up C.meet with D.picked up
14.A.proving B.showing C.convincing D.explaining
15.A.predicted B.declared C.hoped D.witnessed
16.A.hurriedly B.quietly C.patiently D.firmly
17.A.confused B.concerned C.relieved D.frustrated
18.A.abandon B.return C.understand D.respect
19.A.effort B.study C.journey D.route
20.A.shocked B.satisfied C.annoyed D.amused
高三英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
I still remember an old lady, a customer on the paper route in my hometown when I was 12 years old. She taught me a lesson in__________that I shall never forget.
On a(n) ________afternoon, a friend and I were throwing stones onto the__________of the old lady's house. The stone that I found was too smooth, ________it slipped from my hand as I let it go and________straight not for the covering on top of the house but for a small window on the house's back porch. At the sound of broken glass, we knew we were________.We turned and ________.
I was too ________ about getting caught that first night to be concerned about the old lady with the broken window in the freezing weather. However, a few days later, when I was sure that I hadn't been________, I started to feel guilty about her______________.She still greeted me with a smile each day________I gave her the paper , but I was no longer able to act comfortably in her ________.
I________my mind that I would save my money delivering paper. And after three weeks I had seven dollars that I calculated would pay for her window . I put the money in an envelope with a note________that I was sorry for breaking her window and________that the seven dollars would cover the cost of repairing it.
I waited until it was dark , moved________to the old lady ' s house and put the letter I didn ' t sign through the letter slot in her door . I felt ________ and could have the freedom of , once again , looking straight into the old lady's kind eyes .
The next day, I handed the old lady her paper and was able to ________ the warm smile that I was receiving from her. She thanked me for the paper and gave me a bag of cookies she had made herself. I thanked her and started to eat the cookies as I continued my________.
After several cookies . I felt an envelope and pulled it out of the bag. When I opened the envelope , I was ________. Inside were the seven dollars and a short note that said , " I'm proud of you.”
1.A. selflessness B. talent C. bravery D. forgiveness
2.A. winter B. summer C. spring D. autumn
3.A. window B. basement C. roof D. access
4.A. but B. so C. for D. or
5.A. landed B. left C. dragged D. headed
6.A. in trouble B. in many ways C. in danger D. in charge
7.A. got around B. sit around C. ran away D. hung out
8.A. embarrassed B. scared C. disappointed D. ashamed
9.A. discovered B. scolded C. punished D. involved
10.A. misunderstanding B. misbehavior C. misfortune D. mistake
11.A. until B. unless C. since D. when
12.A. encouragement B. presence C. company D. comfort
13.A. made up B. took up C. meet with D. picked up
14.A. proving B. showing C. convincing D. explaining
15.A. predicted B. declared C. hoped D. witnessed
16.A. hurriedly B. quietly C. patiently D. firmly
17.A. confused B. concerned C. relieved D. frustrated
18.A. abandon B. return C. understand D. respect
19.A. effort B. study C. journey D. route
20.A. shocked B. satisfied C. annoyed D. amused
高三英语七选五中等难度题查看答案及解析
I work in a nursing home and my job is to take care of the elderly.
This year, a very sweet old lady that I cared for,Alice, had gone through a difficult time .She got dementia and so she had been in the hospital twice .In November I was finally able to get her back to her“home”.
Alice had thought her daughter was coming to visit her on Christmas day and that they were going to have the whole family together like the old days. When she finally realized that that happy moment was not going to happen,she was very sad.Knowing that her daughter was coming after Christmas was not enough to make her feel happy,I hated the idea of her being alone on the holiday!
On Christmas Eve,I gave her a surprise by asking if she could like to go to a candlelight service at church that night
Instead of taking her to my church,I took her to her old neighborhood church where all her friends were. We got there early and I got her a seat where her friends could see her as they came in.Then soon some of her friends came to the church and they rushed over to greet her and sit with her.
The candlelight service was beautiful and Alice got a lot of love from her old and new friends there.
The truth of the story is that I am the one who got the best gift: the smile on Alice’s face
1.The underlined word“dementia”in Paragraph 2 probably is_______
A.a house B.a letter C.an illness D.a plan
2. Where did Alice spend her Christmas Eve according to the story?
A. In her old house
B. In her old neighborhood church.
C.In the nursing home.
D. In the hospital.
3. What was the best gift that the author got on Christmas Eve?
A.The candlelight service.
B.Praise from Alice’s friends.
C.Alice’s happiness
D.Thanks from Alice’ s daughter.
4.What is the best title for this passage?
A.A special candlelight Christmas Eve
B.The dream of all old lonely lady
C.My special job
D. The true love
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
I have forgotten the name of an old lady in my home town when I was a twelve-year-old boy. Yet it dwells in my memory that she taught me a lesson in forgiveness that I shall never forget.
On a winter afternoon, a friend and I were throwing stones onto the roof of the old lady’s house. As a result, the stone headed straight for a small window. We knew we were in trouble. We ran faster off her roof.
I was too scared about getting caught to be concerned about the old lady with the broken window in winter. However, a few days later, I started to feel guilty for her misfortune. She still greeted me with a smile each day when I gave her the paper, but I was no longer able to act comfortably.
I made up my mind to save my paper delivery money. In three weeks I had the seven dollars and put the money in an envelope with a note explaining that I was sorry for breaking her window and hoped that the seven dollars would cover the cost for repairing it. After that, I walked up to the old lady’s house secretly, and put the letter I didn’t sign through the letter hole. My soul felt relieved and I could have the freedom of, once again, looking straight into the old lady’s kind eyes.
The next day, I handed the old lady her paper and she thanked me for the paper, giving me a bag of cookies she had made herself. I thanked her and continued to eat the cookies while walking.
After several cookies, I felt an envelope and pulled it out of the bag. When I opened the envelope, I was shocked. Inside were the seven dollars and a short note that said, “I’m proud of you.”
1.What does the underlined word “dwell” refer to?
A. Appear. B. Change.
C. Happen. D. Exist.
2.What happened when the author and his friend were throwing stones?
A. The roof of the old lady’s house was broken.
B. The stone broke a small window of the old lady’s.
C. The old lady broke into her house secretly.
D. The old lady gave him a bag of cookies.
3.How did the author feel about his breaking the old lady’s window?
A. Lucky. B. Discouraging.
C. Regretful. D. Annoyed.
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
Music is one of the most 1. (power) things in my life. Listening to music can help to motivate me in trying time. When younger, I 2. (have) no great love for music as I do now. I mainly listened to 3. my parents were listening to. Whether I was in the car, the house, 4. anywhere else there was sure to be some Beatles, or Buddy Holly constantly playing in the background. Now as I’m older, I enjoy it for the reason that it allows me to remember my childhood.
I believe music has the power 5. (convey) all sorts of emotion. The song “A little bit longer” by Nick Jonas is 6. an emotional and inspiring song that when I hear it, I always come close to 7. (drop) down tears, especially when I watch it being played live. The effect that music can have 8. our emotions is tremendous, as it can bring people to floods of tears or bursts of 9. (laugh).
I believe music affects people in many ways. To me, music is 10. (extreme) important in my life. I think it brings me closer to my friends and family.
高三英语短文填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
听下面一段较长对话, 回答以下小题。
1.Where will the speakers most likely go swimming ?
A.In the poo1. B.In the ocean. C.In the lake.
2.Why can’t the speakers go swimming this coming Sunday?
A.There will be a football game.
B.There will be a family party.
C.There will be bad weather
3.What will the speakers most likely watch?
A.An action movie. B.A comedy. C.A history movie.
4.What is the probable relationship between the speakers?
A.Friends. B.Teammates. C.Family members.
高三英语长对话困难题查看答案及解析
Music is one of the most important and powerful things in my life.1.(listen)to music can help motivate me in hard times.
When I was younger, I didn’t have the great love 2.music as I do now. I 3.(main) listened to what my parents were listening to. I didn’t have much of care for musical compositions. Whether I was in the car, the home, 4.anywhere else, there was sure to be some Beatles, Buddy Holly, or the Dubliners. Now as I’m _655.(old), I enjoy it as it allows me 6.(remember) my childhood.
I believe music 7.(have)the ability to convey all sorts of feelings. The effect that music can have on our 8.(emotion) is unbelievable, as it can bring people to floods of tears or bursts of laughter.[
I believe music affects people in many different ways. To me music is more than just 9.we listen to or play. It’s something to feel. In my life, it is music which is extremely important10. brings me closer to my friends and family. I also feel that it helps me to get through things.
高三英语短文填空中等难度题查看答案及解析