Michael Joseph Jackson was born on August 29,...

Michael Joseph Jackson was born on August 29,1958 in Gary, Indiana. Being the seventh child in his family, Michael was often physically abused (虐待) by his father, beaten up and also orally abused. But Michael also owed his success to his father’s strict discipline.

Michael was always an entertainer. Even when he just started school, he would perform in front of his friends and classmates. He started his professional music career at the age of 11, as a member of The Jackson Five.

He is well-known for increasing the popularity of MTV through his music videos. Before this, music videos were made just to promote the album. But Michael’s videos managed to change that by making them an art and a big business. Some of the music videos that are good examples of this are Beat It, Billie Jean, and thriller。Through these works the world got caught onto the idea of music videos and focused on music video channels.

Michael enthralled his fans and audience with his style of singing, dressing, and his complex dance moves, especially the moonwalks all around the world to show their love for him.

Through his work and various foundations(基金会), Michael raised and donated millions to charity, which is much more than any showman. He supported 39 charities in all. Apart from that, he had a great love for children, especially the poor ones, and he felt that children were the best thing than God.

Michael planned to start a 50-concert tour in July 2009. Sadly  on June 25^th, 2009, Michael passed away at home. Besides a great performer, showman and entertainer, he was a good and charitable person. Nobody can be another graeter entertainer like Michael Jackson ever again.

1.According to the passage, Michael Jackson _____.

A．had nine brothers and sisters

B．live a happy life as a child

C．loved performing at school

D．fell in love with music at the age of 11

2.The underlined word “enthralled”in Paragraph 4 probably means ____.

A．encouraged       B．puzzled           C．developed         D．attracted

3.In the author’s opinion, Michael Jackson ‘s greatest contribution lies in _____.

A．Five making MTV popular                 B．creating music video channel

C．joining the Jackson                      D．popularizing the moonwalk

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Joseph Rudyard Kipling, who enjoyed early success with his poems, was born on 30 December 1865 in Bombay, India. Some of Kipling’s earliest and fondest memories are of his and sister Alice’s trips to the fruit market with their woman servant, or walking with his parents alongside the sea at night.

The beautiful days were to end when in 1871 Rudyard and Alice were sent to school in Southsea, England, to live with Captain Holloway and his wife. She ruled the boarding house with punishment and Kipling was often beaten by her and her son. “Then the old Captain died, and I was sorry, for he was the only person in that house as far as I can remember who ever threw me a kind word.” So he wrote in his later books. Kipling soon learned to read and found comfort in literature and poetry.

Freedom from the Holloway household was gained when he spent one month a year in London with his mother’s kind sister Aunt Georgie and her husband, pre-Raphaelite painter Edward Burne Jones and their children. Those months of December were a really paradise to Kipling.

In 1877 Kipling’s mother returned to England and collected him so that he could attend the United Services College in Devon. Now he was able to settle into the life of a student and in his second year started writing his own Schoolboy Lyric poems printed by his parents. In 1878 his father took him to the Paris Exhibition where he was allowed to wander freely and gained much appreciation for French culture which he wrote about in “Souvenirs of France”.

1. Kipling first left his parents in __________.

A. 1865                    B. 1871                        C. 1877                        D. 1878

2. Kipling fell in love with literature and poetry __________.

A. before the old Holloway died

B. when he was a little boy with his parents

C. when he attended the United Services College

D. when he was in school, living with the Holloways

3. From the underlined sentence in paragraph 3 we learn that __________.

A. he felt free and happy with his aunt’s family

B. he felt terrible when he stayed with the old Captain

C. the death of the old captain influenced him a lot

D. the days at his aunt’s helped him become a successful poet

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Orville Wright was born on August 19, 1871 in Dayton, Ohio, USA and died on January 30, 1948. Together with his brother, Wilbur, he was the first airplane builder. The brothers created the first controlled, powered and heavier-than-air human flight.

His parents were Milton Wright and Susan Catherine Koerner and besides the two famous brothers they had five children. One day after a trip his father brought as a gift a small helicopter. The kids loved it and as they played daily with it after a while it broke. The brothers managed to create a new one. Wright even let go his plans of attending Yale. He spent his time helping his ill mother and reading in his father’s library.

In 1884 the family decided to move to Dayton and they remained there until the 1870’s. A printing press was built by the two and Wilbur was an editor. In 1892 they started being fascinated by the aeronautical （航空的） events of that time. Then they started to create an airplane and Wilbur was considered the head of the team. They were the inventors of “three axis-control”, which permitted the pilot to steer the aircraft’s balance.

In 1900 they had their first attempts to make a functional glider（滑翔机）— of course it didn’t have a pilot. After three years they thought of introducing an engine to the glider. At first, their patent(专利) application was refused in 1903, but after one year it was accepted.

Orville’s first flight lasted 12 seconds and had 36.5 meters. He was responsible with the public shows near Washington in the United States. On September 9, 1908 his flight was 62 minutes and 15 seconds long and the success was huge.

1.What might make Wright brothers interested in the plane?

A. The pleasant trip.                        B. Catherine’s education.

C. The political events.                    D. Their father’s gift.

2.Wright didn’t go to Yale probably because ________.

A. he had to create a plane

B. he didn’t have enough money

C. he would like to learn by himself

D. his mother asked him to stay at home

3.The underlined word “steer” (in Paragraph 3) probably means ________.

A. keep                B. drive                C. learn                D. enjoy

4.This passage tells us about ________.

A. the plane’s history　　　　　　 　 B. Milton and his children

C. Orville Wright’s life　　　　　　 D. the development of science

高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

Mother Teresa was born in Yugoslavia((南斯拉夫),on August 27,1910.She attended the government school near her home until she was eighteen. At that time, some doctors and nurses from Yugoslavia were working in India, and they often wrote to the school about their work. She decided to join them one day.

When she left school, she went first to Britain. Then a year later she went to India, where she began to train to be a teacher. After training, she was sent to Calcutta((加尔格答),where she taught geography at a school and soon after became headmistress(校长).

However, although she loved teaching, in 1946 Mother Teresa left the school and went to work in the poor parts of Calcutta. Later she trained to become a nurse in Patna, and then began her work helping the poor and comforting the dying in the streets of the city. Slowly, others came to help her, and her work spread to other parts of India.

Mother Teresa is now a well-known person. many photos have been taken of her, as she travels the world to open new schools and hospitals in poor countries. In 1979,she was given the Nobel Peace Prize for the lifetime of love and service she has given to the poor.

(   )69. Where did Mother Teresa receive her education?

A. In Yugoslavia and India.    B. In Yugoslavia and Britain.

C. In Britain and India.       D. In Yugoslavia, Britain and India.

(   )70. What first made Mother Teresa work in India?

A. Her visit to the poor parts of Calcutta.

B. Her visit to Britain after she finished school.

C. The medical workers' letters to her school.

D. The work of the nurse in the city of Patna.

(   )71. In which order did Mother Teresa do the following things?

a. Trained to be a nurse      b. Went to India

c. Helped the dying         d. Studied to be a teacher

e. Went to Britain           f. Worked as a headmistress

A. b,a,c,e,d,f      B. b,f,a,d,e,c     C. e,b,d,f,a,c      D. e,a,b,c,d,f

(   )72. Mother Teresa gave up teaching because she wanted __________.

A. to look after the poor             B. to travel to poor countries

C. to build hospitals for the poor      D. to train nurses to care for the poor

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Barack Obama was born on August 4, 1961 in Honolulu, Hawaii. His father came to America from Kenya, which is a country in Africa. His parents, Ann and Barack, met when they were students at the University of Hawaii. Since Barack had the same name as his father, young Barack went by the nickname “Barry”.

In 1979, after he finished high school, Barry went to Occidental College in Los Angeles, California. There, he started to learn about his African roots and decided to use his African name, Barack. After two years in L.A., he went to Columbia University in New York City to study politics.

After college, he moved to Chicago, Illinois, where he worked to help poor people in his city. He traveled to Africa to meet his grandmother and cousins for the first time. He went back many times over the years to visit with his family and learn about where he came from. At work, he met a lawyer named Michelle Robinson. They worked together in a big law firm. Then he left Chicago to go to Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He did very well in law school.

After he was done with school, Barack moved back to Chicago and in 1992 he married Michelle. He worked as a lawyer, devoted to helping poor people for free who had been treated unfairly. He worked hard to get the people he helped to vote(投票).

He made many people believe that their votes were important, and helped them feel like they could make a difference.

1. Barack Obama’s father was probably born in _________.

A. Hawaii. B. California. C. Illinois. D. Kenya.

2.Which of the following is the right order according to the text?

①Getting married to Michelle.

②Travelling to Africa to meet his grandmother.

③Going to Harvard Law School.

④Going to Columbia University.

⑤Working in a big law firm.

A. ④②⑤③①　 B. ④③②⑤①　　 C. ③④①⑤② D. ②①⑤④③

3. How did Obama get people to vote?

A. By cheating them to do so.

B. By making a difference to people.

C. By showing them the importance of their votes.

D. By helping poor people who treat others unfairly

4.According to the text, which of the following words can best describe Barack Obama?

A. Humorous B. Polite C. Brave D. Kind-hearted

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

On March 5, 2009, Michael Jackson stood in front of crowds of fans. Before screaming fans, he pronounced with pumping arms: “This is it!”

A few months later, Jackson was dead. With the late pop star’s return to radio, television and the cultural events, Forbes judges that Jackson has made $90 million since his death June 25. This figure is based on his royalties（版税） from album sales, radio play, rights to his name and royalties from his stock in the Sony/ATV music catalog (编目权).

Jackson’s music was his most easily-seen source in the last months. “Nothing increases the value of an artist than death ... an untimely death,” says Barry Massarsky, a music industry economist.

The music’s immediate value was clear. Since June, Jackson has sold more than 5.9 million albums in the U.S. and another 4.5 million overseas. In the first weeks after his death, there were 5.6 million single downloads across North America, Europe and Australia. Jackson recently has three of the top 20 best-selling albums of the year in the US, according to Nielsen SoundScan. His 2003 hits album Number Ones is the best seller of the year, beating Taylor Swift’s Fearless.

More than 500,000 Jackson ringtones and 100,000 music videos were sold. In the week following his death, songs by The Jackson 5, The Jacksons and Michael were played over 100,000 times on the radio, according to Nielsen BDS.

Jackson’s estate（遗产）will likely see more money by the end of this year, as it has rights to some of the profits from This Is It as well as the two-disc album of the same name. The estate will share 90% of the film profits with AEG.

Ticket sales from an exhibit opening in London will also contribute a likely profit. Hundreds of Jackson’s personal belongings－his L.A. Rolls Royce etc－will remain on show for three months at the O2 for fans willing to shell out $25 for a view.

The pop singer bought ATV Publishing, for $47.5 million in 1985. Ten years later, he sold the catalog to Sony for $95 million and took a 50% stock in Sony/ATV, which is now worth about $1.7 to $2 billion. So he still owned half the Sony/ATV catalog at his death.

Jackson’s future earning potential is based on his stock in valuable music and as well as the value of his image（肖像）. As many musicians, actors and artists before him, Jackson’s fame could have a long tail on the market with allowable products, advertising and entertainment events.

1.What do Barry Massarsky’s words in Paragraph 3 imply?

A. Jackson died at the time as expected.

B. Only at death can an artist become famous.

C. Jackson became more famous at death than when he was alive.

D. Jackson’s unexpected death raised his value as an artist immediately.

2.All the following is true EXCEPT that _____.

A. “This is it” is the last concert that Jackson gave

B. Jackson has sold 10.4 million albums since June

C. Jackson’s L.A. Rolls Royce is now for show and will finally be sold

D. Jackson’s stock in music and his image will keep on earning money in the future

3.What can be inferred from the passage?

A. Jackson’s album Number Ones beat Taylor Swift’s Fearless in 2003.

B. Taylor Swift’s Fearless is the second best seller of music albums of 2009.

C. AEG takes in more film profits from “This is it” than Jackson’s estate.

D. More Jackson’s music videos were sold than his ringtones right after his death.

4.What can we know about the Sony/ATV catalog?

A. Jackson sold ATV catalog to Sony in 1985.

B. Jackson had half right of ATV Publishing at his death.

C. Jackson sold ATV catalog to Sony for $ 47.5 million in 1995.

D. Jackson’s stock in Sony/ATV now has a value of about $ 1.7 billion to 2 billion.

5.What is the main idea of the passage?

A. Why Michael Jackson’s music is so popular all over the world.

B. How Michael Jackson has earned $90 million in the months since his death.

C. What Michael Jackson’s future earning potential is based on.

D. How much Michael Jackson earned in the first few months after his death.

高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

On March 5, 2009, Michael Jackson stood in front of crowds of fans．Before screaming fans, he pronounced with pumping arms: "This is it!"

A few months later, Jackson was dead．With the late pop star’s return to radio, television and the cultural events, Forbes judges that Jackson has made $90 million since his death June 25．This figure is based on his royalties（版税） from album sales, radio play, rights to his name and royalties from his stock in the Sony/ATV music catalog （编目权）．

Jackson's music was his most easily-seen source in the last months．“Nothing increases the value of an artist than death ．．．an untimely death,” says Barry Massarsky, a music industry economist．

The music's immediate value was clear．Since June, Jackson has sold more than 5．9 million albums in the U．S．and another 4．5 million overseas．In the first weeks after his death, there were 5．6 million single downloads across North America, Europe and Australia．Jackson recently has three of the top 20 best-selling albums of the year in the US, according to Nielsen SoundScan．His 2003 hits album Number Ones is the best seller of the year, beating Taylor Swift's Fearless．

More than 500,000 Jackson ringtones and 100,000 music videos were sold．In the week following his death, songs by The Jackson 5, The Jacksons and Michael were played over 100,000 times on the radio, according to Nielsen BDS．

Jackson's estate（遗产）will likely see more money by the end of this year, as it has rights to some of the profits from This Is It as well as the two-disc album of the same name．The estate will share 90% of the film profits with AEG．

Ticket sales from an exhibit opening in London will also contribute a likely profit．Hundreds of Jackson's personal belongings－his L．A．Rolls Royce etc－will remain on show for three months at the O2 Arena for fans willing to shell out $25 for a view．

The pop singer bought ATV Publishing, for $47．5 million in 1985．Ten years later, he sold the catalog to Sony for $95 million and took a 50% stock in Sony/ATV, which is now worth about $1．7 to $2 billion．So he still owned half the Sony/ATV catalog at his death．

Jackson's future earning potential is based on his stock in valuable music as well as the value of his image（肖像）．As many musicians, actors and artists before him, Jackson's fame could have a long tail on the market with allowable products, advertising and entertainment events．

1.What do Barry Massarsky’s words in Paragraph 3 imply?

A．Jackson died at the time as expected．

B．Only at death can an artist become famous．

C．Jackson became more famous at death than when he was alive．

D．Jackson’s unexpected death raised his value as an artist immediately．

2.All the following is true EXCEPT that _____．

A．“This is it” is the last concert that Jackson gave

B．Jackson has sold 10．4 million albums since June

C．Jackson’s L．A．Rolls Royce is now for show and will finally be sold

D．Jackson’s stock in music and his image will keep on earning money in the future

3.What can be inferred from the passage?

A．Jackson’s album Number Ones beat Taylor Swift’s Fearless in 2003．

B．Taylor Swift’s Fearless is the second best seller of music albums of 2009．

C．AEG takes in more film profits from “This is it” than Jackson’s estate．

D．More Jackson’s music videos were sold than his ringtones right after his death．

4.What is the main idea of the passage?

A．Why Michael Jackson’s music is so popular all over the world．

B．How Michael Jackson has earned $90 million in the months since his death．

C．What Michael Jackson's future earning potential is based on．

D．How much Michael Jackson earned in the first few months after his death．

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Percy Shelley, an English poet, was born on August 4th, 1792. He is 1.(wide) thought of as one of the most important 2.(figure) of the Romantic Movement in English literature. Shelley received early education at home and later, at the age of 12, 3.(admit) to Eton College, which has a long history of more than 500 years, 4.(date) back to the 15th century. Then he attended Oxford University shortly after he turned 18.

As 5. romantic poet, some of his poems, like Ode to the West Wind and Ode to A Skylark, are among the most famous in English. 6., in his own time, Shelley was very unpopular for his political and 7.(religion) views. Fortunately, he successively(先后) met Byron and Keats and befriended with them during his tour around Europe after he married Mary Godwin, his second wife, 8. later became famous as Mary Shelley, the author of the novel Frankenstein.

About a month before his 30th birthday, 9.(welcome) his friend Leigh Hunt, Shelley sailed to Leghorn. During the stormy return voyage, his small boat sank and he drowned. It was not until days later 10. his body was washed ashore.

高二英语语法填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。

1.When was Michael Douglas born?

A. In 1944.　　 B. In 1945.　　 C. In 1975.

2.What was his role in the TV series, The Streets of San Francisco?

A. A star.　　 B. A showman.　　 C. A policeman.

3.How many Oscars did the film, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, win?

A. Three.　　 B. Four.　　 C. Five.

4.When did Michael Douglas’s output begin slowing down?

A. After he married.　　 B. After he had two children.　　 C. After he had throat cancer.

高二英语短文困难题查看答案及解析

Joanna Cole, born on August 11, 1944 in Newark, New Jersey, has been credited to be one of the most popular children’s authors of all time. She has written over 250 books and is famous for writing one of the most popular children's book series. She knew as early as 5th grade that she was interested in writing and science. Cole has owed a large part of her passion to one of her elementary school teachers.

Joanna Cole continued her education by attending the University of Massachusetts and Indiana. She would eventually earn a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the City College of New York in 1967; after graduation Cole decided to take some education courses to become a librarian at a Brooklyn elementary school in 1967. Eventually, she would take jobs working for Newsweek, Seesaw book club.

Cole’s passion for writing and science was still alive and well during this time. In 197l she decided to write her first book, Cockroaches. She did some research and discovered there had never been a book written for children about cockroaches. So she thought she would be the first.

Cole struck gold when she wrote the first Magic School Bus in 1985. The book would go on to be published the following year and quickly became book series and cartoon series due to its success.

Cole continued to write both non-fiction and fiction books for children. She writes in a way that will hopefully inspire children to think like a scientist. She does this by writing ideas instead of just facts. She also tries to ask questions in her books that require children to think and discover the answers as they read. This creates an engaging experience for children, so it is no wonder why younger readers are hooked on her books.

1.When Joanna Cole was young, she ________.

A. got inspired by one of her teachers

B. was very popular with children

C. began her career of writing novels

D. knew what she would do in the future

2.What does the underlined phrase probably mean?

A. Got ideas.　　 B. Made a promise.

C. Made a fortune.　　 D. Obtained help.

3.What do we know about Joanna Cole?

A. She is the most famous woman writer in America.

B. She is an expert at getting science across to readers.

C. She writes novels not only for kids but for adults.

D. She has made great contributions to science.

4.What kind of person is Cole in the passage?

A. Talented and creative.　　 B. Popular and reliable.

C. Serious and honest.　　 D. Positive and brave.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析