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Alex Elman runs a big business—something hard to imagine after she lost her sight in her twenties. But Elman says that losing her sight helped her focus on finding success.
Elman’s father planted a hillside vineyard(葡萄园) in western Massachusetts in 1981. It’s where Elman spent the darkest period of her life. When she was 27 years old, she went blind as a result of diabetes(糖尿病) 17 years ago. She recalled, “I hid in my home. I hid in the place, to me, that was the safest place in the world.”
However, she found a new way forward.
Elman is the founder of Alex Elman Wines, a growing competitor of organic wines from all around the world: Chianti from Italy, Torrontes from Argentina.
Elman isn’t solitary in her work. Instead, she has a good assistant, a guide dog named Hanley. Hanley is something of a professional wine taster and travels to all of the wine factories that Elman runs, from South America to Europe.
At first, Elman wouldn’t accept a guide dog. Now it’s hard to imagine her life, or her business, without him. She said, "When someone tells me something is organic and I don’t really believe it because I taste something funny on it, I’ll put it in front of his face and if he likes the wine, he’ll actually go in and sniff it. If it’s not right, he’ll turn his head away. That’s how we know whether the soil is actually organic.”
Elman believes the loss of her sight was a gift from God. She said, “It allowed me to pay attention to what I thought was important. Therefore, adapt to a situation, and you’ll be all right. Because you can’t change it anyway, right?”
1.How old was Elman when she began suffering from diabetes?
A. About 10 years old. B. About 17 years old.
C. About 27 years old. D. About 37 years old.
2.What does the underlined word “solitary” probably mean?
A. Fortunate. B. Alone.
C. Skilled. D. Active.
3.What does Hanley do when he dislikes the wine in front of his face?
A. He will shake his head. B. He will make faces at Alex Elman.
C. He will turn away and go home. D. He will refuse to go in and sniff it.
4.Which of the following is TRUE about Alex Elman?
A. She is something of a professional wine taster.
B. She found herself a guide dog soon after she went blind.
C. She takes a positive attitude towards her loss of sight.
D. She always regards her home as the safest place in the world.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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I used to hate running. It seemed too hard, and expanding my comfort zone was not something I like. In fact, I wouldn’t have become a runner if it weren’t for my husband Charles. He had been a serious competitive ______ for many years. After our marriage, he wouldn’t stop talking about how much he ______ it. So he picked it up again, and after about a year, I started to ______ him at the track. Just a few weeks later, Charles signed us ______ up for a five-kilometer race. I ______ about doing it because it was too soon.
The ______ sent a signal. Thousands of runners pushed forward. The first kilometer was ______. I was already breathing heavily and painfully aware of the group of runners ______ me. Charles was trying to ______ me, to get me focused on something _______my discomfort.
After another minute I saw the three-kilometer ______. “Painful” couldn’t _____describe how I felt. And there was pain, so much pain. I rounded a ______, and saw both sides of the street ______ with people watching the race, all ______ the runners up. I tried to keep my ______ going. I knew that if I actually ______ this race I would have achieved something. So, I ______ up and went on.
Finally I passed through the finish line. A volunteer put a medal around my neck. I ______ held my medal, walking to the post-race celebrations with Charles. My lungs and my ______ zone both expanded.
1.A. walker B. runner C. climber D. swimmer
2.A. missed B. regretted C. forbade D. selected
3.A. upset B. tolerate C. join D. encourage
4.A. either B. none C. both D. all
5.A. worried B. complained C. wondered D. hesitated
6.A. gun B. watch C. player D. candidate
7.A. unbelievable B. easy C. extraordinary D. difficult
8.A. falling behind B. passing by C. laughing at D. looking after
9.A. impress B. encourage C. comfort D. upset
10.A. except B. besides C. including D. like
11.A. line B. notice C. mark D. end
12.A. once B. ever C. sometimes D. even
13.A. corner B. field C. playground D. river
14.A. crowded B. covered C. carried D. faced
15.A. pushing B. holding C. cheering D. turning
16.A. heads B. eyes C. legs D. back
17.A. stopped B. lost C. failed D. finished
18.A. came B. straightened C. gave D. broke
19.A. carelessly B. proudly C. unwillingly D. foolishly
20.A. sports B. energy C. health D. comfort
高二英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
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A storm was coming, but Alex was too busy fixing her leg bandage to notice it. She said to herself, “Great. I _______ myself the week before Cross Country Running tryouts (锦标赛). I am so ____. Why did I think running through the forest would be a good idea in the first place?”
After ______, Alex went to the kitchen and poured herself some lemonade. She opened the door to her ______ and sat down outside. “Every year, I work so hard and yet, I always ______,” Alex said. This year, I was one spot away from Varsity(校队). The previous ______, I handed in my medical forms late...”
Suddenly there was a flash of ______. sounds like it’s going to be a thunderstorm, Alex thought and ______ to head inside. She tried to ______ the door, only to find that she had locked herself out. ______, Alex shook the door handle ______ back and forth. As she took a quick step backwards, she lost her ______ and fell down. “Why me?” she yelled. “Why did this all happen to me?” Once Alex ______ to pull herself up, she sat silently on the staircase. As rapidly as the rain poured from the sky, so did the ______ stream down Alex’s face. Alone and wet, Alex cried until all the _______and wetness of the day washed away. Finally, when she________crying, she looked up at a suddenly ____ image of her backyard. The air felt light and the sun shone through the clouds. ______ her leg still felt stiff, Alex tore off the ______ and stood up. “I will take part in the Cross Country this year and I will make Varsity,”Alex ______ with a breath of inspiration, “Nothing will stop me.”
1.A. teased B. injured C. enjoyed D. assisted
2.A. stupid B. weak C. small D. lazy
3.A. resting B. trembling C. apologizing D. complaining
4.A. bedroom B. garden C. basement D. backyard
5.A. regret B. strengthen C. fail D. escape
6.A. year B. month C. week D. day
7.A. inspiration B. lightning C. white D. loneliness
8.A. look up B. clear up C. got up D. stay up
9.A. close B. repair C. open D. exchange
10.A. Afraid B. Frustrated C. Confused D. Cautious
11.A. violently B. naturally C. eventually D. directly
12.A. breath B. balance C. head D. heart
13.A. sponsored B. decided C. managed D. agreed
14.A. sweat B. blood C. rainwater D. tears
15.A. suffering B. anxiety C. burden D. stress
16.A. continued B. practiced C. avoided D. stopped
17.A. complete B. aggressive C. bright D. colorful
18.A. Because B. If C. When D. Although
19.A. paper B. bandage C. shoes D. socks
20.A. declared B. suggested C. rejected D. explained
高二英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
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阅读下列短文，从所给的七个选项（A、B、C、D、E、F、G）中选出每空最佳选项。
Question: Why is it so hard for some people to apologize after they’ve done something wrong? I have made efforts to persuade my uncle to be nice to people that he’s hurt. 1. How I wish things would be better if he’d just say he’s sorry and ask them to forgive him.
Answer: 2. It’s just easier for him to pretend nothing happened than to face the embarrassment (尴尬) of admitting he was wrong. You’ve probably done the same thing yourself at some time. In fact, most of us have. Furthermore, what if others won’t forgive him even if he apologizes?
3. Pride blinds us to our mistakes or faults. Or at least it makes us pay less attention to their seriousness.
Pride also makes us unwilling to admit to others that we were wrong. Perhaps we’re afraid they will look down on us if we admit it. 4.
But others see through our pride. And things would be far better if we admitted our faults and asked for forgiveness. 5.
Now you know why your uncle refuses to apologize, talk to him again. Help him to learn how to apologize and ask for forgiveness from others.
A. But a deeper reason is pride.
B. But he just refuses to do that.
C. We may even hope that somehow they will overlook it.
D. As a result, you would offend others and hurt their feelings.
E. There are a variety of reasons for your uncle’s refusal to apologize.
F. Otherwise our pride would only hurt us and cause conflict with others.
G. One reason your uncle finds it hard to apologize could be embarrassment.
高二英语七选五中等难度题查看答案及解析
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Imagine one day, the water taps in your house stop running. You have to buy water from shops. And still there isn’t enough for everyone. Your mother has to save the family’s shower water to do other things. Would you be able to stand that kind of life?
Probably not. But that’s what kids in Yemen are experiencing. Experts said Yemen is going to be the first country in the world to run out of water. According to a report, the capital, Sanaa, will run out of drinking water as early as 2025.
Because of the shortage, the government often cuts the water supply. Hannan, an 18-year-old from Lahej, told the Times: “In a good week we’ll have a water supply all week. But then the following week there will be water only for a day or two.”
Hannan said only rich people have enough water to use. They can buy water from the shops or from the water truck. Private companies own the trucks. They travel around the city every day to sell water – at very high prices.
“A lot of people can’t afford it,” she said.
The average person in Yemen uses 100 to 200 cubic meters of water per year. That is far below the international water poverty line of 1,000 cubic meters.
The government is thinking of making use of seawater. But it will cost a lot and it may not happen soon enough to help the people of Yemen.
1.The purpose of the text is to _______.
A．tell us what life is like in Yemen
B．draw our attention to water shortage
C．remind us how important water is
D．show us ways of solving problems
2.The underlined word “that” in Paragraph 2 refers to _____.
A．buying water from shops
B．drinking dirty water
C．suffering from water shortage
D．washing clothes with used water
3. Hannan described _____.
A．what her life is like
B．how beautiful Lahej is
C．how people use water fully
D．how heavy the traffic in Lahej is
4.The Yemen Government _____.
A．has found a practical solution
B．only cares about rich people
C．may try to make use of seawater
D．can do nothing about the water supply
5.We can infer from the text that _____.
A．Sanaa will run out of water in 10 years
B．Hannan is a teenager from a rich family
C．the capital of Yemen is developing fast
D．private companies make a lot of money
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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Imagine one day, the water taps in your house stop running. You have to buy water from shops. And still there isn’t enough for everyone. Your mother has to save the family’s shower water to do other things. Would you be able to stand that kind of life?
Probably not. But that’s what kids in Yemen are experiencing. Experts said Yemen is going to be the first country in the world to run out of water. According to a report, the capital, Sanaa, will run out of drinking water as early as 2025. Because of the shortage, the government often cuts the water supply. Hannan, an 18-year-old from Lahej, told the Times: “In a good week we’ll have a water supply all week. But then the following week there will be water only for a day or two.”
Hannan said only rich people have enough water to use. They can buy water from the shops or from the water truck. Private companies own the trucks. They travel around the city every day to sell water – at very high prices.
“A lot of people can’t afford it,” she said.
The average person in Yemen uses 100 to 200 cubic meters of water per year. That is far below the international water poverty line of 1,000 cubic meters.
The government is thinking of making use of seawater. But it will cost a lot and it may not happen soon enough to help the people of Yemen.
1.
The purpose of the text is to _______.
A. tell us what life is like in Yemen
B. draw our attention to water shortage
C. remind us how important water is
D. show us ways of solving problems
2.
The underlined word “that” in Paragraph 2 refers to _____.
A. buying water from shops
B. drinking dirty water
C. suffering from water shortage
D. washing clothes with used water
3.
Hannan described _____.
A. what her life is like
B. how beautiful Lahej is
C. how people use water fully
D. how heavy the traffic in Lahej is
4.
The Yemen Government _____.
A. has found a practical solution
B. only cares about rich people
C. may try to make use of seawater
D. can do nothing about the water supply
5.
We can infer from the text that _____.
A. Sanaa will run out of water in 10 years
B. Hannan is a teenager from a rich family
C. the capital of Yemen is developing fast
D. private companies make a lot of money
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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Can you imagine a world without chocolate? It's not something I'd 1ike to do．so I was relieved to read that there’s a university with a program me to safeguard the future of chocolate!
The University of Reading，in England，has just opened a new clearing house for all the world’s new cocoa varieties．They must be quarantined(隔离检疫)before they can be grown．Why? Cocoa production hit a record high of 4．4 million tons last year but about 30％of the precious crop is regularly lost to pests and diseases．Now we don’t want that，do we?
Demand for chocolate has been increasing faster than the world supply of cocoa and researchers think that new varieties are key to solving this problem．
The University of Reading has been protecting the quality of the new crops since 1985，after it took over the task from the Royal Botanical Gardens in Kew，London．And it has improved its facilities．The leader of the institution’s cocoa project，Professor Paul Hadley，says，“One of the main issues concerning cocoa improvement is the supply of reliably clean，healthy，interesting cocoa material．”
The cocoa centre has a collection of 400 plant varieties and their greenhouse uses a lot of energy to keep them in tropical conditions．After up to two years in quarantine，clean and safe seeds are sent to some 20 countries，including several in West Africa．That’s where 75％of the cocoa used for chocolate worldwide comes from．The crop is extremely important for the local economy：it employs about two million people.
Professor Hadley says he works with a small team of skilled technicians who look after the collection．And more of us seem to count on them now．
The scientist says，“there is some concern within the industry that demand is increasing constantly，particularly in countries like China，where the standard of living is increasing and people are getting a taste for different chocolates．”
1.What is the text mainly about?
A. Safeguarding cocoa seeds．
B. Planting cocoa worldwide．
C. Keeping cocoa in greenhouse．
D. Finding the new market for cocoa．
2.The institution’s cocoa project is to_______．
A. have cocoa skin removed
B. offer more jobs to people
C. ensure the quality of cocoa
D. supply cocoa for two million people
3.What does the last paragraph tell us?
A. The taste of chocolates is changing．
B. Demand for cocoa is increasing fast．
C. People are concerned about cocoa varieties．
D. Chinese have a long history of eating chocolates．
4.What’s the purpose of the text?
A. To educate． B. To advertise．
C. To warn． D. To inform．
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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Imagination is the ability to form a mental image of something that is not perceived (感知) through the five senses. 1. It gives the ability to look at any situation from a different point of view, and to mentally explore the past and the future.
2. Though too much daydreaming may make one impractical, a certain degree of daydreaming provides temporary happiness, calmness and relief from stress.
Imagination is not limited only to seeing pictures in the mind. It includes all the five senses and the feelings. One can imagine a sound, a taste, a smell, a physical sensation or a feeling. 3. Others find it easier to imagine a feeling. And some are more comfortable imagining the sensation of one of the five senses.
A developed and strong imagination never makes you impractical. 4. And it is a great tool for recreating and remodeling your world and life.
Imagination has a great role and value in everyone’s life. It is much more than just idle (懒散的) daydreaming. 5. For example, we use our imagination whenever we plan a party, trip, our work or a meeting. We use it when we describe an event, write a story or cook a cake.
A. This is actually what most of us do, because we don’t use the power of imagination correctly.
B. We all use it, whether consciously or unconsciously, in most of our daily affairs.
C. It makes it possible to experience a whole world inside the mind.
D. This ability has various forms, one of which is daydreaming.
E. On the contrary, it strengthens your creative abilities.
F. However, imagination may have some disadvantages.
G. For some people it is easier to see mental pictures.
高二英语信息匹配中等难度题查看答案及解析
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----- What a speech he has delivered!
----- Really good! I could hardly imagine myself to make a speech in public.
A. make B. to make C. making D. being made
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
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You can hardly imagine the difficultly we had ______ an end to the long-term strike.
A.to bring B.brought C.bringing D.to be brought
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析