There have been discussions about retire age ...

There have been discussions about retire age limit recently. Does it make sense to make people retire at a particular age, say, 55? 60?

Some people work well into their 70s and 80s, running families, countries or corporations while other people, despite being fit and highly talented, are forced to retire in their fifties or even earlier. Here I will examine whether people should be allowed to continue working as long as they want or whether they should be encouraged to retire at a particular stage.

Some people think there are several reasons for allowing older people to continue working. Firstly, older employees are more experienced and their knowledge can be lost to his company or business if they are made to retire. Secondly, older employees are often extremely loyal and more willing to carry out company policies than younger staff. Another point is related to our society’s attitudes to the old. To force someone to retire at 50 or 60 indicates that the society does not value the contribution of these people, which may be regarded as age discrimination.

However, others believe that allowing older people to work indefinitely(无限期) is not a good policy. Age alone is no guarantee of ability. Old people are ambitious workaholics. Many young employees are more skillful than older staff, who may have been stuck in one area or unit for most of their working lives. Having compulsory retirement encourages new ideas in an organization. In addition, without age limits, many people would continue to work purely because they did not have any other plans. Another reason is that older people should be rewarded by society for their life’s labor by being given generous pensions and the freedom to enjoy their leisure. We now have youngsters who can’t find jobs because old people refuse to retire. This new generation of “old people” may think they will never die due to modern advances in medicine.

With many young people unemployed or frustrated in low-level positions, older workers are expected to retire. However, this can affect their right to work. I feel that giving workers more flexibility and choice over their retirement age will benefit both society and the individual.

1.All the following statements are reasons for allowing old people to continue working EXCEPT that _______.

A．their contributions should be valued

B．their experience should be appreciated

C．they can be ambitious workaholics

D．they are extremely loyal employees

2.The underlined sentence in the fourth passage suggests that _______.

A．retired people support the young to be creative

B．more fresh employees mean more fresh ideas

C．retired people are unwilling to praise new ideas

D．young employees are forced to be creative

3.The structure of the passage is arranged as __________

4.The author is likely to agree that ________’

A．it’s not wise to suggest lengthening the retirement age

B．it does make sense to set a particular retirement age

C．having different retirement age sounds unreasonable

D．when to retire should depend on the employees themselves

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Recently there has been a discussion on a website about “what would you miss most and least if you were stuck on a desert island?”

Here are some of the answers:

Post 1

Steve USA—Hi, everyone. What would you miss most and least if you were stuck on a desert island? For me, it would be the changing seasons in New England. I guess this will sound stupid but I'd probably miss the rain, too. I wouldn't miss getting up at six every day to go to work, though! What about you?

Post 2

Tomas Germany—Good question. Steve, I think I'd miss different types of bread, and shopping at the supermarket. I'd miss the food most. What would I miss least? My mobile phone—I'd like to be completely quiet—at least for a little while.

Post 3

Paola Italy—I would miss the company of people because I know I'd like to have someone to share experiences with. I'd go mad on my own. And I sure wouldn't miss junk mail—I hate coming home every evening and a pile of junk mail in my post box.

Post 4

Miko Japan—Hi, I would miss Manga cartoon, the Internet and Japanese food, like sushi. I'd also miss TV shows and shopping for clothes… In fact, I'd miss everything.

Post 5

Roger UK—I would miss my daily newspaper and listening to the news on TV and radio. I'd feel very cut off if I didn't know what was happening in the world. What I'd miss least would be traffic jams in the city, particularly my journey to work.

Post 6

Jayne Russia—Why hasn't anyone mentioned their family? I'd be lost without my husband and two kids. They're the most important for me. And I can't get started in the morning without a cup of black coffee. I wouldn't miss doing the housework!

Post 7

Jaime Mexico—It would have to be music. I couldn't live without my music. I wouldn't miss going to school at all or doing homework!

1.Who would miss his or her family most?

A. Jayne　　　　　　　　　　 B. Jaime

C. Miko. 　　　　　　　　　　 D. Paola.

2.Which of the following people would feel most uncomfortable without the news media?

A. Steve.　　　　　　　 B. Jaime.

C. Roger.　　　　　　 D. Tomas.

3.We can infer that sushi is ______.

A. a kind of Japanese food

B. a Japanese cartoon

C. a black tea

D. a kind of bread

高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

There will be more than five proposals __________ at the meeting.

高二英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析

Languages have been coming and going for thousands of years, but in recent times there has been less coming and a lot more going. When the world was still populated by hunter-gatherers, small, tightly knit(联系) groups developed their own patterns of speech independent of each other. Some language experts believe that 10,000 years ago, when the world had just five to ten million people, they spoke perhaps 12,000 languages between them.

Soon afterwards, many of those people started settling down to become farmers, and their languages too became more settled and fewer in number. In recent centuries, trade, industrialization, the development of the nation-state and the spread of universal compulsory education, especially globalisation and better communications in the past few decades, all have caused many languages to disappear, and dominant languages such as English, Spanish and Chinese are increasingly taking over.

At present, the world has about 6,800 languages. The distribution of these languages is hugely uneven. The general rule is that mild zones have relatively few languages. Often spoken by many people while hot, wet zones have lots, often spoken by small numbers. Europe has only around 200 Languages: the Americas about 1,000, Africa 2,400; and Asia and the Pacific perhaps 3,200, of which Papua New Guinea alone accounts for well over 800. The median number(中位数) of speakers is a mere 6.000, which means that half the worlds languages are spoken by fewer people than that.

Already well over 400 of the total of 6,800 languages are close to extinction(消亡), with only a few elderly speakers left. Pick, at random, Busuu in Cameroon (eight remaining speakers), Chiapaneco in Mexico(150). Lipan Apache in the United States(two or three) or Wadjigu in Australia (one, with a question-mark): none of these seems to have much chance of survival.

1.What can we infer about languages in hunter-gatherer times?

A. They developed very fast.　　 B. They were large in number.

C. They had similar patters.　　 D. They were closely connected

2.Which of the following best explains "dominant" underlined in paragraph 2？

A. Complex.　　 B. Advanced.

C. Powerful.　　 D. Modern.

3.How many languages are spoken by less than 6, 000 people at present?

A. About 6,800 .　　 B. About 3,400

C. About 2,400　　 D. About 1,200.

4.What is the main idea of the text?

A. New languages will be created.

B. Peoples lifestyles are reflected in languages.

C. Human development results in fewer languages.

D. Geography determines language evolution.

高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

People have been complaining about SK-II recently and think the advertisements always persuade people _________ the products which are not so good.

A．buy              B．to buy            C．buying            D．bought

高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Recently, some concerns have been raised about the health of the world's banana plants. Many media reports have said that bananas may completely disappear in the coming ten years.

Bananas are one of the world's most important food crops. They are also the fourth most valuable export. Bananas do not grow from seeds. Instead, they grow from existing plants. Bananas are threatened by disease because all the plants on a farm are copies of each other. They all share the same genetic weaknesses.

For example, the Cavendish banana is most popular in American markets. It is an important export crop. However, some kinds of fungus (真菌) organisms easily infect the Cavendish. Black Sigatoka disease affects the leaves of Cavendish banana plants. The disease is controlled on large farms by putting chemicals on the plant's leaves. Farmers put anti-fungal chemicals on their crops up to once a week.

Another fungal disease is more serious. Panama disease attacks the roots of the banana plant. There is no chemical treatment for this disease. Infected plants must be destroyed. Panama disease has affected crops in Southeast Asia, Australia and South Africa. There is concern that it may spread to bananas grown in the Americas. This could threaten an important export product for Central and South America.

The International Network for the Improvement of Banana and Plantain, whose headquarter lies in France, supports research on bananas. The group says that more research must be done to develop improved kinds of bananas.

The group says that fungal diseases mainly affect only one kind of banana. In fact, there are five-hundred different kinds of bananas. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization says the Cavendish banana represents only ten percent of world production.

The UN agency says farmers should grow different kinds of bananas. This protects against diseases that affect only one kind. Experts warn that disease may cause the Cavendish banana to disappear. This has already happened to one popular banana because of its genetic weakness against disease. (words: 335)

1.What does the passage mainly tell us?

A．Bananas are the world’s most important food crops.

B．There are five hundred different kinds of bananas.

C．The risk to a popular banana shows need to grow other kinds.

D．How to grow bananas in different countries.

2.Bananas are threatened by diseases because ___­­­­­­_______.

A．they have genetic weaknesses against disease.

B．they are one of the most valuable exports.

C．the only way to prevent it is to put chemicals on their leaves.

D．they grow from the seed

3.Panama disease__________.

A．doesn’t belong to fungal disease.

B．has spread to bananas in the world.

C．affects the leaves of banana plants.

D．destroys the bananas more seriously than Black Sigatoka disease.

4.We can infer from Paragraph 6 that ____________.

A．the center of the group is in the US.

B．the key to solving the disease is to research all kinds of bananas.

C．the Cavendish banana covers only a small part of the output of bananas.

D．each fungal disease affects five hundred different kinds of bananas.

5.According to the passage, which information is right?

A．The Cavendish banana can be mainly imported from North America and Europe.

B．Fungal diseases mainly affect the Cavendish banana.

C．The Cavendish banana won’t die out in the future.

D．Panama disease affects the leaves of banana plants.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

“Well, I made it,” says Greg Daniels with a smile.

Recently there have been news reports and television shows reporting on the quality of school lunches. According to federal guidelines, French fries count as a serving of vegetables. Many parents and others are upset that a salty, deep-fired food is replacing healthier options like carrot sticks. As a result, the potato — what French fries are made of — has been getting a bad rap.

“The problem is not the potato,” insists Greg. “Potatoes are very healthy. But any food, even carrots or lettuce (生菜), will be less healthy if it’s cooked in grease(油脂).”

Two months ago, Greg decided to eat nothing but potatoes for 60 days. As a high school science teacher and son of a potato farmer, he wanted to do something to draw attention to potatoes as a healthy food and a good choice as part of anyone’s regular meals.

“It’s been an interesting experience,” Greg said. “For a while, I wasn’t sure I would make it. I was pretty tired of eating potatoes after a few weeks.”

But for Greg there were some benefits that he hadn’t expected. He’s lost 15 pounds and he feels better than he has in years. “I have so much more energy,” he says. “I’ve been running and playing on a local basketball team, and I feel like I’m playing as well as I did when I was in high school.”

And Greg has gotten a lot of attention, much more than he expected. “It’s been fantastic. Thousands of people have read my blog. I’ve been sharing recipes and talking about the experience. Every day I get to tell people what a great idea it is to eat potatoes.”

Greg is glad to be back to a normal diet, but he still eats potatoes at least 5 or 6 times a week. “Everyone should!” he says with a smile. “Potatoes are healthy and taste great!”

1.What does the underlined part “getting a bad rap” in Paragraph 2 mean?

A.Receiving little attention.

B.Obtaining an unfair judgement.

C.Getting more and more popular.

D.Becoming good for people’s health.

2.Why did Greg decide to eat potatoes only?

A.Because potatoes are cheap.

B.To draw attention to himself.

C.To prove that potatoes are healthy.

D.Because he loves potatoes very much.

3.After eating potatoes for a few weeks, Greg________.

A.gave up his plan.

B.put on some weight.

C.became less healthy.

D.was sick of potatoes.

4.After eating potatoes for 60 days. Greg________.

A.became a little weak.

B.became much healthier.

C.could not eat potatoes any more.

D.decided to keep eating potatoes only.

5.Which word can best describe Greg?

A.Intelligent. B.Humorous.

C.Determined. D.Courageous.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

--- Haven’t seen you for ages! Where have you been ?

--- I went to Ningxia and _______ there for one year, teaching as a volunteer.

A. have stayed　　 B. stayed

C. had stayed　　 D. am staying

高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

--- Haven’t seen you for ages! Where have you been ?

--- I went to Ningxia and _______ there for one year, teaching as a volunteer.

A. stayed　　　　　　 B. stay

C. had stayed　　　　 D. am staying

高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

There is a lot of misunderstanding about studying. Most students have not been taught the principles behind really effective working. Imagine a graph showing the amount a person learns against the number of hours he works in a day. If he doesn’t do any work, he learns nothing (point 0). If he does an hour’s work he learns a certain amount (point 1). If he does two hours’ work he learns about twice as much (point 2). If he does more work he’ll learn still more (point 3). However, if he tries to do twenty-three and a half hours’ work in a day, he will be so tired that he’ll hardly remember anything: what he learns will be very little (point 4). If he did less work he’d learn more (point 5).

Now whatever the exact shape of the graph’s curve(曲线), made by joining these points, it must have a high point. Point “X” is the very maximum anyone can learn in the day. And this represents the optimum(最适度), the best, amount of work to do. It is the best possible compromise between adequate time at the books and fatigue(劳累). Fatigue is an absolutely real thing; one can’t escape it or ignore it. If you try to ignore it and press yourself to work past the optimum, you will only get on this downward slope and achieve less than the best – and then become very tired and lose your power of concentration.

The skill in being a student consists of getting one’s daily study as near the optimum point as possible. I cannot tell you what the optimum is. It differs with the type of work, it differs from person to person, and even in the same person it varies from week to week. You must try to find your own. Every day you study, bear this principle of the optimum in mind. When you feel yourself getting fatigued, if you find yourself reading the same paragraph over and over again and not taking it in, that’s a pretty good sign you’ve reached your highest point for the day and should stop. Most ordinary students find their optimum at five hours a day. Yours may be a little more or a little less – but if you get in five hours’ good work a day, you will be doing well.

Now, what are you doing with yourself when you aren’t working? Before examinations some students do nothing at all except sit in a chair and worry. Here is another misunderstanding. People often think that the mind works like the body; it does not. If one wanted to save one’s physical energy in order to cut the maximum amount of firewood, one would lie flat on a bed and rest when one wasn’t chopping. But the mind cannot rest. Even in sleep you dream, even if you forget your dreams. The mind is always turning. It gets its relaxation only by variety. That is what makes the mind rest.

When you’ve finished your optimum number of hours you must stop. You must not then sit around in the chair thinking about the work – that only tires without any learning. You must get out and do something. It doesn’t matter what – anything so long as you are actively doing something else but work.

1.According to the passage, _______.

2.Fatigue can result in ________.

3.The passage tells us that a person’s optimum number of working hours _______.

4.The only way the mind can relax is by ________.

5.After you have reached the optimum point of study in a day, you should ________.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析