Several years ago, Masaru Ibuka, chairman of Sony, was at a company planning a meeting. Suddenly he had a brilliant idea. He stopped the meeting and asked everyone present what would happen if Sony removed the recording function and speaker and sold headphones with a tape player instead. Almost everyone thought he was crazy. Still, Ibuka kept thinking about his idea and worked at improving it. The result, of course, turned out to be the wildly successful Sony Walkman.
Good ideas often start with a seemingly silly question. Bill Bowerman was making breakfast one day. As he stood there making waffles (华夫饼干)for his son, he wondered what would happen if he poured rubber into his waffle iron. Later ,he tried it and the result looked something like the bottom of most sports shoes we see today. Still, when he took this idea to several existing shoe companies, he was laughed at. In fact, every single company turned him down. Though rather discouraged, Bowerman insisted and went on to form his own company, making NIKE athletic shoes.
Sometimes good ideas grow out of frustration .When Fred Smith was a student at Yale University, he had some paperwork that he needed to have delivered across the country the next day. Smith was amazed to find out that overnight delivery was impossible. He sat for a long while, lost in thought. Why couldn’t there be a reliable overnight mail delivery service? He decided to design one. Smith did just that and turned his design into a class project. His business professor gave him only a C for his efforts. However, Smith was not through. He improved the idea in that class project and finally turned it into one of the first and most successful overnight mail service in the world — FedEx.
We know that each of these ideas led to a very successful product or service that has changed the way many of us live. The best questions are usually open-ended and are often silly, Children aren’t afraid to ask such questions, but adults frequently are. Think how different the world might be if people never asked “ silly” questions!
1.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Sony Walkman achieved great success with its recording function and speaker.
B. Bill Bowerman was experimenting with rubber for large shoe companies.
C. Shoe companies rejected Bill Bowerman as they failed to see the potential of Nike.
D. Fred Smith got the idea of an overnight mail service from his own experience.
2.What do the three persons mentioned in the passage have in common?
A. They were all determined about carrying out their ideas.
B. They were good at answering other people’s silly questions.
C. They started their own company after discussing with others.
D. They had a very clear plan for their new ideas at the very start.
3.We can conclude from the passage that _______.
A. asking others for their silly questions leads to inventions
B. lots of creative ideas usually end up as “silly” questions
C. adults usually ask more silly questions than children
D. crazy ideas sometimes contribute to great inventions
4.The passage is mainly developed by_______.
A. analyzing possible reasons B. presenting different opinions
C. providing typical examples D. listing practical suggestion
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题
Several years ago, Masaru Ibuka, chairman of Sony, was at a company planning a meeting. Suddenly he had a brilliant idea. He stopped the meeting and asked everyone present what would happen if Sony removed the recording function and speaker and sold headphones with a tape player instead. Almost everyone thought he was crazy. Still, Ibuka kept thinking about his idea and worked at improving it. The result, of course, turned out to be the wildly successful Sony Walkman.
Good ideas often start with a seemingly silly question. Bill Bowerman was making breakfast one day. As he stood there making waffles (华夫饼干)for his son, he wondered what would happen if he poured rubber into his waffle iron. Later ,he tried it and the result looked something like the bottom of most sports shoes we see today. Still, when he took this idea to several existing shoe companies, he was laughed at. In fact, every single company turned him down. Though rather discouraged, Bowerman insisted and went on to form his own company, making NIKE athletic shoes.
Sometimes good ideas grow out of frustration .When Fred Smith was a student at Yale University, he had some paperwork that he needed to have delivered across the country the next day. Smith was amazed to find out that overnight delivery was impossible. He sat for a long while, lost in thought. Why couldn’t there be a reliable overnight mail delivery service? He decided to design one. Smith did just that and turned his design into a class project. His business professor gave him only a C for his efforts. However, Smith was not through. He improved the idea in that class project and finally turned it into one of the first and most successful overnight mail service in the world — FedEx.
We know that each of these ideas led to a very successful product or service that has changed the way many of us live. The best questions are usually open-ended and are often silly, Children aren’t afraid to ask such questions, but adults frequently are. Think how different the world might be if people never asked “ silly” questions!
1.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Sony Walkman achieved great success with its recording function and speaker.
B. Bill Bowerman was experimenting with rubber for large shoe companies.
C. Shoe companies rejected Bill Bowerman as they failed to see the potential of Nike.
D. Fred Smith got the idea of an overnight mail service from his own experience.
2.What do the three persons mentioned in the passage have in common?
A. They were all determined about carrying out their ideas.
B. They were good at answering other people’s silly questions.
C. They started their own company after discussing with others.
D. They had a very clear plan for their new ideas at the very start.
3.We can conclude from the passage that _______.
A. asking others for their silly questions leads to inventions
B. lots of creative ideas usually end up as “silly” questions
C. adults usually ask more silly questions than children
D. crazy ideas sometimes contribute to great inventions
4.The passage is mainly developed by_______.
A. analyzing possible reasons B. presenting different opinions
C. providing typical examples D. listing practical suggestion
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Several years ago， a television reporter was talking to three of the most important people in America. One was a very rich banker， another owned one of the largest companies in the world， and the third owned many buildings in the center of New York.
The reporter was talking to them about being important.
“How do we know if someone is really important？” the reporter asked the banker.
The banker thought for a few moments and then said， “I think anybody who is invited to the White House to meet the President of the United States is really important.”
The reporter then turned to the owner of the very large company. “Do you agree with that？” she asked.
The man shook his head， “No. I think the President invites a lot of people to the White House. You’d only be important if while you were visiting the President， there was a telephone call from the president of another country， and the President of the US said he was too busy to answer it.”
The reporter turned to the third man. “Do you think so？”
“No， I don’t，” he said. “I don’t think that makes the visitor important. That makes the President important.”
“Then what would make the visitor important？” the reporter and the other two men asked.
“Oh， I think if the visitor to the White House was talking to the President and the phone rang， and the President picked up the receiver， listened and then said， ‘It’s for you.’ ”
1.There are _______ in this passage.
A．two men and two women B．three men and one woman
C．three women and one man D．four women
2.The banker thought _______.
A．he was really important because he was a rich banker
B．the visitor to the White House was really important
C．the visitor who met the President of the United States
D．the reporter was really important
3.The owner of the very large company thought _______.
A．she was really important because she owned one of the largest companies
B．the banker was really important
C．the owner of many buildings in the center of New York was really important
D．the visitor would be really important if while he was visiting the President， the President would not answer any telephone call
4.The owner of many buildings thought _______.
A．he was really important because he owned many buildings in the center of New York
B．the owner of the very large company was really important
C．the visitor was really important if he talking to the President and the President received a telephone call for the visitor
D．the person who worked in the White House was really important
5.The best title of the passage is ________ .
A．Who’s more important,the President or me?
B．White House and the President.
C．The richer the more important.
D．How to be an important person.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Several years ago, my parents, my wife, my son and I ate at one of those restaurants where the menu is written on a blackboard. After a wonderful dinner, the waiter set the check in the middle of the table. That’s when it happened：my father did not reach for the check.
Conversation continued. Finally I realized that I should pick up the check! After hundreds of restaurant meals with my parents, after a lifetime of thinking of my father as the one with dollars, it had all changed. I reached for the check, and my view of myself suddenly changed. I was an adult. I was no longer a kid (child).
Some people mark off (区分) their lives in years, I measure mine in small events. I didn’t become a young man at a particular age, like 16, but rather when a kid who wandered in the streets called me “mister”. These events in my life are called “milestones”(里程碑).
There have been other milestones. The cops (policemen) of my youth always seemed big, even huge, and of course they were older than I was. Then one day they were suddenly neither. The day came when I suddenly realized that all the football players in the game I was watching were younger than I was. They were just big kids. With that milestone gone was the dream that someday, maybe I, too, could be a football player. Without ever having reached the hill, I was over it.
I never thought that I would fall asleep in front of the TV set as my father did. Now it’s what I do best. I never thought that I would go to the beach and not swim, yet I spent all of August at the shore and never once went into the ocean. I never thought that I would appreciate opera, but now the combination of voice and orchestra attracts me. I never thought that I would prefer to stay home in the evenings, but now I find myself passing up parties. I used to think that people who watched birds were strange, but this summer I found myself watching them, and maybe I’ll get a book on the subject. I feel a strong desire for a religious belief that I never thought I’d want, feel close to my ancestors long gone, and echo my father in arguments with my son. I’ll still lose….
One day I bought a house. One day－What a day!－I became a father, and not too long after that I picked up the check for my own father. I thought then it was a milestone for me. One day, when I was a little older, I realized it was one for him too, another milestone．
1.The tone established in the passage is one of ________.
A. sad regret B. amusement
C. happiness D. deep feeling
2.The author mentions the event in the restaurant because ________.
A. that was one of his milestones
B. he paid the bill but he didn’t want to
C. he became a father with dollars
D. that was the last restaurant meal with his parents
3.“Then they were suddenly neither” suggests that ________.
A. suddenly they became older than I was
B. suddenly I knew that they were neither bigger nor older than I was
C. suddenly I realized that I made a mistake
D. suddenly I found myself no longer a kid
4.Which of the following best expresses the author’s thinking?
A. One day is worth two tomorrows.
B. To save time is to lengthen life.
C. Time and tide wait for no man.
D. When an opportunity is lost, it never comes back to you.
高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
Several years ago, I quit my job to chase my dream of writing a book, but that book was ______ repeatedly. Everybody was asking, “How’s the book coming?” I was so ______.
My friend got together one day and I blurted out(脱口而出), “I don’t know my purpose in life.” The outburst was met with ______ and stares. Finally, Pam said, “I don’t know, either.” She was in a job she ______. Teresa said, “Me either.” I was sure that Bette would have a(n) ______. She was suffering from cancer and, surely she had figured things out since she was facing a likely terminal outcome. ______, she shook her head.
Two years passed and, during that time, I sold my ______, Teresa went back to school, Pam switched ______, and Bette kept on living as best as she could.
Actually, for those two years, Bette lived a ______ life than any of us. She built a butterfly garden in her neighborhood. She spent time with her family, went hiking, ______ and lived.
My book was finally ______and Bette made it to my first big signing. A day or two later, she was back in the ______ as she was seriously ill. I left on tour for several weeks, and when I______, she was close to ______.
The day came when her brother called to let me know Bette had ______. He asked me to write her obituary(讣告). I thought about how she’d filled every moment with as much joy as she could find. That obituary wasn’t a list of ______. It was the story of a woman who lived ______ what life threw at her, she lived.
That was when I ______ what I’d learned through her passing. She defined her purpose in life by simply living her life. That’s all any of us are here to do. In the end, the only thing that ______ is that we breathe in our time here and fill it with ______
1.A. read B. printed C. rejected D. written
2.A. excited B. confident C. envious D. embarrassed
3.A. darkness B. smoke C. danger D. silence
4.A. hated B. lost C. found D. created
5.A. present B. answer C. dream D. excuse
6.A. Therefore B. However C. Besides D. otherwise
7.A. house B. car C. paper D. book
8.A. jobs B. methods C. topics D. channels.
9.A. fuller B. poorer C. sadder D. simpler
10.A. complained B. shouted C. laughed D. learned
11.A. revised B. published C. reviewed D. translated
12.A. hospital B. school C. garden D. company
13.A. hollowed B. returned C. escaped D. recovered
14.A. success B. death C. trouble D. wealth
15.A. given up B. shown off C. turned down D. passed away
16.A. requirements B. suggestions C. achievements D. agreements
17.A. Other than B. Rather than C. Regardless of D. In case of
18.A. guessed B. decided C. expected D. realized
19.A. works B. matters C. exists D. changes
20.A. life B. trust C. luck D. nature
高二英语完形填空困难题查看答案及解析
For several years, we lived at the end of a long Texas country road. Every evening when I was away from home on business, my little boy would ask permission of his mother to take his black and his daddy’s walking stick, to make the half-mile from the house to the fence which the beginning of the dirty driveway.
One day, I was busy with my business and was for about an hour, completely forgetting about the little boy down the road who might be for his daddy.
On my way home, the rain was so thick that I could not ten feet in front of me. All I could was finishing my journey and getting out of the rain. , the downpour began to abate(减弱). It was only a drizzle(细雨) by the time my car turned the last and approached the final street between me and a warm home and nice meal.
, I caught sight of my little boy, who was an umbrella in one hand, a walking stick in the other, and was wearing the biggest and most beautiful smile ever to lighten the of a little boy.
As I stopped the car and the door, he ran into my arms and held me long and hard. He was wet and with cold, but he never the rain, nor the hour-long wait. He simply said, “Daddy, I missed you. I am so glad you are home.”
Last year, we to a wonderful new home provided for a special season in our lives. We no longer have a long country road. , I have never forgotten the rainy day and the little boy and his black dog. Often, perhaps a thousand times, that has occurred in my mind. all events in our lives, it happens once, and must be treasured.
1.A. bag B. dog C. umbrella D. toy
2.A. journey B. flight C. effort D. ride
3.A. discovered B. explained C. marked D. described
4.A. controlled B. trained C. delayed D. bothered
5.A. hopeful B. grateful C. careful D. faithful
6.A. waiting B. sending C. searching D. calling
7.A. drive B. see C. feel D. hear
8.A. stick to B. think of C. pick up D. hold on
9.A. In fact B. In surprise C. At once D. At last
10.A. moment B. corner C. street D. way
11.A. All of a suddenB. Believe it or not C. To my pleasure D. For seconds
12.A. holding B. taking C. folding D. carrying
13.A. body B. head C. face D. hand
14.A. closed B. locked C. knocked D. opened
15.A. worrying B. nervous C. trembling D. anxious
16.A. noticed B. doubted C. judged D. mentioned
17.A. moved B. turned C. returned D. traveled
18.A. Therefore B. Besides C. Otherwise D. However
19.A. time B. scene C. act D. sight
20.A. With B. For C. Like D. Among
高二英语完型填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Years ago there was a group of kids who would hang around at some local ponds（池塘） in the woods near their houses in Warwick, Rhode Island. In summer they caught frogs and fish. When winter arrived they couldn’t wait to go skating. Time passed, and the ponds became the only open space for the kids to enjoy themselves in that neighborhood.
One day a thirteen-year-old boy from this group of kids read in the local newspaper that a developer wanted to fill in the ponds and build over a hundred small houses called apartments. So the boy went door to door and gathered more than two hundred signatures to stop the development. A group of citizens met and decided to support him.
At the meeting of the town planning organization，the boy was quite nervous at first and spoke very softly. But when he saw the faces of his friends and neighbors in the crowd and thought about what was happening to their favorite ponds，his voice grew louder. He told the town officials that they should speak for the citizens. He also insisted that they should leave enough space for children. A few days later，the developer stopped his plan.
Nine years later, when that teen was a senior in college, he was informed that the developer was back with his proposal to build apartments. Now twenty-two years old, he was studying wetlands ecology. He again appeared before the town planning organization. This time as an expert, he used environmental protection laws to explain restrictions on development in and around wetlands and the knowledge of wetlands ecology to help to improve the development. Finally some apartments were built, but less than half the number the developer wanted. The ponds where those kids used to hang around were protected by a piece of natural land, and are still there today.
1.The kids liked to ___________ at the local ponds in winter.
A. make a snowman B. throw snowballs
C. go skating D. go skiing
2.The boy thought that the town officials should be ___________ for the citizens.
A. responsible B. modest C. anxious D. thankful
3.Which statement is true according to the passage?
A. The apartments were built as the developer had planned.
B. The grown-up boy helped to protect the wetlands as an expert.
C. The developer stopped the boy’s plan at the meeting years ago.
D. The ponds were filled in and some apartments were built on them.
4.The underlined word “restrictions” in the last paragraph probably means________.
A. rules B. plans
C. advantages D. limitations
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Thirteen years ago,I fell in love with a white ball of fur that wagged its tail at me.I was about to____a steady job to follow my dream of becoming a travel____,which would possibly make my life harder—not to mention____ an animal that would need care during my long absence.____I never gave it a second thought.She had me at the first wag.
Layla was good at conveying her displeasure with her body language every time I____.But her____at my departures was more than compensated for by our reunions.And when I sat to write my____,she would settle herself next to my desk.I would ____to her what I'd written and she would cock her head or wag her tail____.Of course she didn't____what I was writing.But this exercise with her was my means of self-editing.This helped____what I put on the page.Having such a ready and____audience made me a better writer.Giving a____to Layla in this process turned a task into a joy.
I have no words to describe the____that connected me so____to her.Like many old friends,she and I____much over the years,and I'm so____to her.Whatever success I've had as a travel writer,I____large part to her listening and being at my side.
It does not____if she never understood a word I said.She was my travel partner and will____be.
1.A. begin B. apply for C. quit D. look for
2.A. expert B. agent C. guide D. writer
3.A. catching B. adopting C. training D. delivering
4.A. But B. So C. And D. Or
5.A. returned B. cried C. left D. failed
6.A. satisfaction B. disappointment C. astonishment D. embarrassment
7.A. stories B. letters C. papers D. reports
8.A. display B. offer C. read D. perform
9.A. in doubt B. in return C. in relief D. in response
10.A. recognize B. understand C. remember D. appreciate
11.A. shape B. ignore C. support D. introduce
12.A. potential B. creative C. patient D. casual
13.A. voice B. lesson C. hand D. break
14.A. trick B. ownership C. hobby D. bond
15.A. obviously B. closely C. directly D. loosely
16.A. shouldered B. learned C. shared D. suffered
17.A. regretful B. grateful C. respectful D. merciful
18.A. owe B. devote C. leave D. add
19.A. help B. hurt C. work D. matter
20.A. frequently B. sometimes C. usually D. always
高二英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
When I came to my new school three years ago, I was surprised at how lonely I felt. Then one of my classmates invited me to her house for a dinner 36 . I was a little anxious, but finally I gladly 37.
Not really knowing how 38 the bus ride should be, I 39 when I saw the landmarks 40 on my friend’s hand-drawn map. But when I got close enough to the 41 , I found none of the streets were shown on the map. I was 42 on a busy road with cars driving past without a person in sight. I had no43 when the next bus would come, 44 when a bus did come by, I 45 got on. I told the bus driver where I wanted to go and he said that I had caught the 46 bus, but he let me stay on. After he had finished his scheduled bus route, he 47 to help me out. I gratefully showed him my little hand-drawn map but 48 did not help much.
He finally 49 me off at a main road to catch a different bus and was 50 that he could not help me more. After a few minutes of walking, I noticed a bus pull up beside me. It was the 51 bus driver. He explained that he didn’t want to leave me there 52 . He sent out a call and someone radioed back, saying that the bus I needed to catch was about ten minutes away. At last I made it to the dinner party 53 I was over an hour late.
I am forever thankful for the 54 that this bus driver had for me. His act of kindness left a 55 on my heart.
1. A．meal B．party C．meeting D．time
2. A．accepted B．refused C．got D．received
3. A．far B．difficult C．long D．bad
4. A．drove on B．walked away C．hurried by D．got off
5. A．show B．showing C．shown D．to show
6. A．street signs B．tall buildings C．traffic lights D．back yards
7. A．queuing B．sitting C．standing D．waiting
8. A．meaning B．idea C．problem D．way
9. A．so B．yet C．but D．still
10. A．suddenly B．luckily C．finally D．quickly
11. A．right B．wrong C．best D．fastest
12. A．supplied B．refused C．offered D．wanted
13. A．it B．he C．she D．they
14. A．kept B．dropped C．drove D．turned
15. A．eager B．worried C．sorry D．disappointed
16. A．same B．next C．kind D．silly
17. A．helpless B．lonely C．unaccompanied D．alone
18. A．after B．although C．until D．when
19. A．respect B．concern C．help D．love
20. A．mark B．sign C．symbol D．line
高二英语完型填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Thirteen years ago,I fell in love with a white ball of fur that wagged its tail at me.I was about to____a steady job to follow my dream of becoming a travel____,which would possibly make my life harder—not to mention____ an animal that would need care during my long absence.____I never gave it a second thought.She had me at the first wag.
Layla was good at conveying her displeasure with her body language every time I____.But her____at my departures was more than compensated for by our reunions.And when I sat to write my____,she would settle herself next to my desk.I would ____to her what I'd written and she would cock her head or wag her tail____.Of course she didn't____what I was writing.But this exercise with her was my means of self-editing.This helped____what I put on the page.Having such a ready and____audience made me a better writer.Giving a____to Layla in this process turned a task into a joy.
I have no words to describe the____that connected me so____to her.Like many old friends,she and I____much over the years,and I'm so____to her.Whatever success I've had as a travel writer,I____large part to her listening and being at my side.
It does not____if she never understood a word I said.She was my travel partner and will____be.
1.A. begin B. apply for C. quit D. look for
2.A. expert B. agent C. guide D. writer
3.A. catching B. adopting C. training D. delivering
4.A. But B. So C. And D. Or
5.A. returned B. cried C. left D. failed
6.A. satisfaction B. disappointment C. astonishment D. embarrassment
7.A. stories B. letters C. papers D. reports
8.A. display B. offer C. read D. perform
9.A. in doubt B. in return C. in relief D. in response
10.A. recognize B. understand C. remember D. appreciate
11.A. shape B. ignore C. support D. introduce
12.A. potential B. creative C. patient D. casual
13.A. voice B. lesson C. hand D. break
14.A. trick B. ownership C. hobby D. bond
15.A. obviously B. closely C. directly D. loosely
16.A. shouldered B. learned C. shared D. suffered
17.A. regretful B. grateful C. respectful D. merciful
18.A. owe B. devote C. leave D. add
19.A. help B. hurt C. work D. matter
20.A. frequently B. sometimes C. usually D. always
高二英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
One summer several years ago, my family was enjoying a barbecue on the beach. After the barbecue, my father-in-law invited me to go fishing. Fishing was his hobby, but I 36 went fishing. We walked a little way along the beach and reached a rock by the shore, and I 37 the hook into the sea from there. Frankly speaking, I am a (n)38 person, and although I had not felt a tug (猛拽) on the line, I reeled up the hook after five minutes or so. I had caught 39. It was a starfish. It trembled uneasily when I 40 the hook from its ugly mouth. I threw the starfish back into the sea. After another five minutes I caught another starfish and I threw it back again.
After a while, I caught yet another starfish. That was 41 time, and this time I really got angry. I hit the starfish on the rock 42 throwing it into the sea. I was not in the 43 to continue fishing any more.
When I was 44 the fishing tools, I noticed a little girl looking at the starfish on the rock. We 45 looks with each other. The little girl spoke to me in a 46voice. “Sir, would you mind if I 47 the starfish back into the sea?”“Not at all,” I replied. “"But you know, there are too many starfish in the sea, and they eat many shellfish. 48, they look so ugly. I don't like them.”
“I understand,” said the little girl. “But if the starfish cannot get back to the sea, it will be 49 by the sun and die. My dead grandfather once told me that there are no living creatures that have no right to exist in the world. God 50 every creature because it was needed by nature. Poisonous snakes, spiders, and starfish were born into this world with a certain 51 for their existence.”
“All right, dear, please throw the starfish back into the sea,” I said to the little girl, feeling 52. The girl picked up the starfish and gently put it into the sea, and she 53 at me and said, “Thank you, sir.”
Many people like "cute" creatures such as dogs, cats, and rabbits, while they tend to dislike “ugly” creatures such as snakes, spiders, and starfish. However, the “cuteness” and “ugliness” of things are decided 54 only on one’s personal opinions. There are no living creatures that have no55 in the world-- this is what I learned from the little girl.
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高二英语完型填空中等难度题查看答案及解析