Michael Herr, who has died aged 76, was the author of Dispatches (1977), the best book about the Vietnam War. It took Herr eight years to write Dispatches, in part because he went home from Saigon with a bad case of stress disorder. He had gone to Vietnam as a journalist for Esquire magazine. An American general asked him whether he was there to write about military fashion and humor. No. He wrote little for Esquire, but took advantage of the US government’s decision to allow journalists extraordinary access to go to war with the soldiers. He shared their discomforts and their fears, witnessed their death and recorded their language.
His own language, a stream of consciousness pulsing with energy, but masterfully controlled, captured the fear and the horror, but also the excitement, of the war in the jungle and paddy fields. He recorded with a connoisseur’s expertise (行家专长) such details as the many ways in which soldiers would wish each other good luck, and the degrees of madness that were considered acceptable.
The power of the book, perhaps, comes from Herr’s insistence on describing the war, or more precisely his own responses to it, rather than protesting against it. It also comes from the ceaseless accompaniment of two elements, drugs and music — more particularly rock music, and especially the music of Jimi Hendrix. Herr himself spent drug-fuelled weekends in a flat in Saigon, staring at an ancient French map of Indochina. He met soldiers with a left pocket full of Dexedrine, the “upper” (兴奋剂) officially administered by the army to get them into battle, and a right pocket full of “downers” (镇定剂) to get them through it.
Dispatches did not come out until 1977, when the country was beginning to have its mind on other problems, but it did more, perhaps, than any other book to freeze an image of despair and a sense of waste about the war, rather as the trench poets of 1914 —1918 did in Britain.
Herr also made vital contributions to two of the most influential Vietnam films Apocalypse Now and Full Metal Jacket. His work, in the book and the two films, has been seen as part of the process whereby the US came to see itself and its history no longer merely through traditional literature, but in sounds and images.
1.Why did Michael Herr go to Vietnam during the war years?
A. To join the soldiers in military actions.
B. To report military actions and advances.
C. To give an authentic account of the war.
D. To write about military fashion and humor.
2.Which of the following about Dispatches is true?
A. It truly reflects Herr’s responses to the war.
B. Music and drugs give the author inspiration.
C. Its language is casually selected and organized.
D. It fully describes Herr’s protest against the war.
3.US soldiers brought drugs with them during the war most probably because .
A. they suffered stress disorder
B. they were addicted to drugs
C. they used them to cure the wounds
D. they exchanged them for music records
4.What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A. Herr directed two influential Vietnam films.
B. Herr’s work played a positive role in traditional literature.
C. Herr stopped writing after the book Dispatches was published.
D. Herr’s work offered Americans more ways to know themselves.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题
Michael Herr, who has died aged 76, was the author of Dispatches (1977), the best book about the Vietnam War. It took Herr eight years to write Dispatches, in part because he went home from Saigon with a bad case of stress disorder. He had gone to Vietnam as a journalist for Esquire magazine. An American general asked him whether he was there to write about military fashion and humor. No. He wrote little for Esquire, but took advantage of the US government’s decision to allow journalists extraordinary access to go to war with the soldiers. He shared their discomforts and their fears, witnessed their death and recorded their language.
His own language, a stream of consciousness pulsing with energy, but masterfully controlled, captured the fear and the horror, but also the excitement, of the war in the jungle and paddy fields. He recorded with a connoisseur’s expertise (行家专长) such details as the many ways in which soldiers would wish each other good luck, and the degrees of madness that were considered acceptable.
The power of the book, perhaps, comes from Herr’s insistence on describing the war, or more precisely his own responses to it, rather than protesting against it. It also comes from the ceaseless accompaniment of two elements, drugs and music — more particularly rock music, and especially the music of Jimi Hendrix. Herr himself spent drug-fuelled weekends in a flat in Saigon, staring at an ancient French map of Indochina. He met soldiers with a left pocket full of Dexedrine, the “upper” (兴奋剂) officially administered by the army to get them into battle, and a right pocket full of “downers” (镇定剂) to get them through it.
Dispatches did not come out until 1977, when the country was beginning to have its mind on other problems, but it did more, perhaps, than any other book to freeze an image of despair and a sense of waste about the war, rather as the trench poets of 1914 —1918 did in Britain.
Herr also made vital contributions to two of the most influential Vietnam films Apocalypse Now and Full Metal Jacket. His work, in the book and the two films, has been seen as part of the process whereby the US came to see itself and its history no longer merely through traditional literature, but in sounds and images.
1.Why did Michael Herr go to Vietnam during the war years?
A. To join the soldiers in military actions.
B. To report military actions and advances.
C. To give an authentic account of the war.
D. To write about military fashion and humor.
2.Which of the following about Dispatches is true?
A. It truly reflects Herr’s responses to the war.
B. Music and drugs give the author inspiration.
C. Its language is casually selected and organized.
D. It fully describes Herr’s protest against the war.
3.US soldiers brought drugs with them during the war most probably because .
A. they suffered stress disorder
B. they were addicted to drugs
C. they used them to cure the wounds
D. they exchanged them for music records
4.What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A. Herr directed two influential Vietnam films.
B. Herr’s work played a positive role in traditional literature.
C. Herr stopped writing after the book Dispatches was published.
D. Herr’s work offered Americans more ways to know themselves.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
World-famous scientist Stephen Hawking has died at the age of 76. He was often called the most brilliant theoretical physicist since Albert Einstein. But his amazing career actually started as a young man who struggled to get around to doing his homework at Oxford University where he studied physics. He then went on to Cambridge to research cosmology, the study of the origin of universe.
When he was 21, Hawking's life hit a big hurdle. He was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease. The disease causes the brain to stop sending messages to a person's muscles. At the time, doctors said he would only live for around 2 years, but he proved them very, very wrong.
And with the help of a special wheelchair and speech computer, Hawking spent much of his time researching the beginning of the universe and black holes. His most famous discovery was probably when he demonstrated that black holes emit some radiation, which has since become known as Hawking Radiation. He also spent a lot of time thinking about what existed before the big bang.
Hawking wrote books that explained his big ideas in ways that could be understood by the average person. In 1988 he published A Brief History of Time. It became really popular and sold more than 10 million copies. However, he wasn't just known for his books. He also had a lot of fun becoming a regular on TV screens around the world. He even had a big Hollywood film made about his life.
Throughout his life Stephen Hawking inspired people to look beyond our planet and expand our knowledge of the universe. His family says that he'll be greatly missed and the legacy of his amazing ideas will live on.
1.Why does the author mention Albert Einstein in Paragraph 1?
A. To tell us Hawking was a great physicist.
B. To compare the two famous people.
C. To show he was Hawking's teacher.
D. To identify a special period further.
2.How did Hawking prove the doctor's wrong?
A. He did many experiments.
B. He made some comparisons.
C. He tried to send signals to his muscles.
D. He lived for long like other common people.
3.What was Hawking famous for most?
A. Big bang.
B. Black holes.
C. Radiation from the black holes.
D. A big Hollywood film about the universe.
4.What does Hawking's family think of him?
A. He'll be forgotten soon.
B. His idea of the universe is valuable.
C. He won't be understood completely.
D. He won't be found by others any more.
高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
___ against cancer for many years, Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple, who died at the age of fifty-six, made technology fun.
A．Fighting B．To fight C．Fought D．Having fought
高二英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
Folk-rocker Richie Havens, who died on April 22 at the age of 72, will be remembered for many things, among which his performance at Woodstock in 1969 made him into music history.
He wasn’t supposed to open the festival—he was scheduled to play fifth that day. Plans changed when the opening band, Sweetwater, got caught in traffic, Michael Lang, producer of the festival, said he chose Havens “because of his calm but powerful manner”. His performance went overtime because the next act was stuck in traffic, too. This led Richie Havens to create on the spot what became one of the most significant moments of the Woodstock Festival: his performance of “Freedom”.
The oldest of nine children, Havens was raised in the poor Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, New York. As a child, he dreamed of growing up to be a surgeon, but set off on a musical path as a teenager. Forming a music group in high school, he then landed in New York’s Greenwich Village folk clubs at 17. He soon stood out from the other young singers.
He recorded two albums on small labels (公司) before signing with Bob Dylan’s manager, Albert Grossman. He then joined a larger label and went on to tour for more than 40 years, making close to 30 albums.
Besides a good songwriter, Richie Havens was also an outstanding song interpreter. In many occasions he’d tell of spending three days learning Bob Dylan’s “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall”: “I wasn’t born to sing so I practiced the song over and over again in a stairwell.” One night, a man stopped him and said it was the best version he’d ever heard. Havens always ended the story by saying: “that’s how I first met Bob Dylan.”
1.What can we know about the Woodstock Festival in 1969?
A. Michael Lang was to blame for the traffic.
B. The first four bands all got stuck in the traffic.
C. Richie Havens was the only one invited to play.
D. It offered a chance to Richie Havens to success.
2.What plays an important role in Havens’ success?
A. Good luck. B. Timely help. C. Hard work. D. Great talent.
3.The underlined “a man” in the last paragraph actually refers to ________.
A. Bob Dylan B. Alert Grossman C. Michael Lang D. Richie Havens
4.It can be inferred from the passage that ________.
A. Richie released 30 albums in total in his life
B. Richie grew up in a wonderful environment
C. Richie played Freedom without preparation
D. Richie dreamed to be a singer since childhood
高二英语短文简单题查看答案及解析
An author who surveyed 600 millionaires has claimed that she found the secrets of getting rich. Sarah Stanley Fallaw, the author of The Next Millionaire Next Door: Enduring Strategies for Building Wealth, got her findings after she surveyed American millionaires in 2015 and 2016. The book is a follow-up to her father’s research in the 1998 bestseller The Millionaire Next Door, which Thomas J. Stanley wrote with William D. Danko.
Stanley Fallaw argues that resilience（抗逆力）in the face of refusal and strict goal setting are important to building wealth. “To build wealth, to build one’s own business, to ignore critics and media and neighbors, you must have the ambition to keep pursuing your goals past refusal and pain,” wrote Stanley Fallaw in the new book, according to Business Insider. She added, “Millionaires and other economically successful Americans who decide to climb the corporate ladder（企业晋升制度）, or struggle to create a financial independence lifestyle early do so by pushing on without stop.”
Stanley Fallaw stresses the importance of setting goals and sticking to them, especially for budgeting. She says that living modestly even as your income grows will allow you to devote a greater percentage of your income towards savings and building wealth. “Most millionaires we interviewed stressed the great freedom that comes from spending below their means,” Stanley Fallaw writes.
The author says that the temptation（诱惑）to keep up with the spending habits of the people around can be highly harmful to building wealth. Particularly in the age of social media, when lavish（浪费的）vacations and new purchases are broadcast for the world to see, the perseverance（坚持）to live thriftily（节俭地）is important, Stanley Fallaw argues.
1.What was Sarah Stanley Fallaw’s book based on?
A.Her own life experiences.
B.Surveys on the American millionaires.
C.Her father’s book The Millionaire Next Door.
D.Her father’s partner William D. Danko’s advice.
2.Which is NOT the important quality for building wealth according to Stanley Fallaw?
A.Listening to others’ critics. B.Persevering through failure.
C.Sticking to your goals. D.Living a thrift life.
3.What is harmful for people to build wealth?
A.To live thriftily.
B.To follow others’ spending habits.
C.To avoid the temptation of new purchases.
D.To keep away from lavish vacations.
4.What is the best title of the passage?
A.What People Should Read B.Why We Need Strict Goals
C.How Millionaires Get Rich D.When People Will Become Millionaires
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
1.The girl was a_________ by a kind family at the age of four when her parents died.
2.The ________(名声)of this museum lies in the variety of its art collection.
3.We can be f__________ about your starting date, for it hasn’t been fixed yet.
4.I need to e_________ this blouse for a bigger size. It is too tight for me.
5.The scientists’ inventions have made great _________(贡献) to our society.
6.For _______(方便), it is divided roughly into three zones.
7.You don’t sound very ______ (热情的) about his suggestion of going for a picnic this weekend.
8.The mayor has ________ (安排) for a car to pick you up at the airport.
9.He was accused of murdering the woman, and finally he was proved g______ and put to prison.
10.Shyness is supposed to be a _________(障碍) to communication.
高二英语单词拼写中等难度题查看答案及解析
Stephen Hawking, the most famous physicist of his time, has passed away at the age of 76.
A family spokesman said Hawking, who was British, died peacefully early Wednesday at his home in Cambridge, England. Hawking was known worldwide for working to explain subjects like the beginnings of the universe and the complexities of black holes. He was diagnosed with a disease called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, at age 21. At the time, doctors predicted he would only live a few years. But he proved them wrong by surviving for more than 50 years more and continuing his scientific work.
In his 2013 book, ''My Brief History'', Hawking wrote about first learning of the illness: ''I felt it was very unfair - why should this happen to me? '' He added: ''At the time, I thought my life was over and that I would never realize the potential I felt I had. '' ''But now, 50 years later, I can be quite satisfied with my life, '' he wrote.
A sign of his being admired came in October 2017, when Cambridge put Hawking's 1966 thesis on the internet for the first time. Demand for the thesis was so high that it caused the university's website to go down.
Hawking said belief in a God who intervenes(介入) in the universe ''to make sure the good guys win or get rewarded in the next life'' was wishful thinking. ''But one can't help asking the question: Why does the universe exist? '' he said in 1991. ''I don't know an operational way to give the question or the answer, if there is one, a meaning. But it bothers me. ''
Hawking was a big supporter of human space travel to the Moon and Mars. He said such missions would help unite humanity in a shared purpose of spreading the human race beyond Earth. ''We are running out of space and the only places to go to are other worlds. It is time to explore other solar systems. Spreading out may be the only thing that saves us from ourselves. I am convinced that humans need to leave the Earth, '' he said last year.
1.What is Hawking's attitude towards life when just diagnosed with ALS?
A.Optimistic. B.Hopeless.
C.Disappointed. D.Confident.
2.What bothered Hawking?
A.The beginning of the universe.
B.The intervene of God in the universe.
C.The rewards that good people get in the next life.
D.The crash of the Internet.
3.Why is Hawking in favor of human space travel to other solar systems?
A.Because we have used up all the space.
B.Because we have explored the Moon and Mars for a long time.
C.Because it can help spread the human race beyond Earth.
D.Because it is a way to save the Earth.
4.What can be a suitable title for the text?
A.Stephen Hawking Is Recognized for His Research on Black Holes
B.Stephen Hawking Supports Human Space Travels
C.Stephen Hawking Is a Worldwide Famous Physicist
D.Famous Physicist Stephen Hawking Died at 76
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
When Ronald Reagan, who was President of the USA from 1982 to 1989, died in 2004, many people remembered his good sense of humor. Reagan enjoyed a good joke and often made fun of himself. He was very old, almost 70 years of age, when he became President of the USA. Because of this, people often joked about his age. Once, during a meeting, President Reagan was complaining about some reporters who said that he could not hear very well. He wanted to prove that he was healthy and could hear well, so he took out his hearing aid, and said to the people at the meeting, “Say something.” One man pretended to speak. He moved his mouth and made movements with his hands. Everyone thought Reagan would be angry, but he laughed and listened for a very long time.
President Reagan not only enjoyed a good joke when he was relaxing, but he also liked to joke during serious situations. In 1981, he had a shot accident. At the hospital, he joked to the doctors that he hoped they supported him in the government and would let him alive. He was able to keep his sense of humor even when he was hurt.
1.Ronald Reagan was ______in the year 1985.
A. a reporter B. an actor
C. a doctor D. a president
2.The reason why people joked about Reagan's age was that______．
A. he became President of the USA at the age of almost 70
B. he was not old enough to be President of the USA
C. he could not live a normal life at his age
D. he lacked a sense of humor at his age
3.During a meeting, Reagan took out his hearing aid to prove ______．
A. there was something wrong with his ears
B. he was able to make a good speech
C. he was healthy enough to hear well
D. he had a good sense of humor
4.What sent Ronald Reagan to hospital in 1981?
A. His poor hearing. B. His accident.
C. His overwork. D. His illness.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Music died here last spring, or rather, it was killed by members of the school committee who ignored the importance of music and drama as part of the high-school curriculum.
The committee decided that teaching students how to take a standardized test is more important than a curriculum in which students can explore their interests in the arts as well as academics. Because the school system is running out of funding, it needs to make sure that students pass the mastery test or even more money will be lost. If students fail the state standardized test, it is not the fault of drama and music classes – they are failing because the academic classes are not sufficient (足够).
It is painful to think of how many students will be discouraged from singing, acting, and playing instruments because school programs are no longer offered. Many families cannot afford private music lessons, and many potential musicians and artists may not find their calling if they are not exposed to it in school. The fact that the school committee thinks the arts are not worth the investment will certainly make some students believe the arts are not worth their time or support and the cycle will continue.
Teaching for a test does not shape students into complete, well- rounded people. It blocks the natural sense to create and express feelings through art – there is more to life than the analytical thinking that math and English provide. What happens after a test? Sure, a student might graduate, but they will have limited knowledge – certainly not a good preparation for the real world.
1.Music and drama are ignored by ________.
A. students B. the school committee C. teachers D. parents
2.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Students can get high marks in the standardized test only by attending classes
B. The school committee completely influences students’ attitude towards the arts
C. Students can be musicians and artists only if they can afford private music lessons
D. Quite a few students are discouraged from music and art in today’ s school system
3.We can learn that music and art can ______.
A. provide students with analytical thinking
B. make students round-shaped people in future
C. motivate students in creativity and expression
D. prevent students graduating from high school
4.The best title of the passage can be ______.
A. Who Killed Music and Drama? B. Can Curriculum Go Without Arts?
C. Why is Music So Important? D. How to Prepare For the Real World?
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Music died here last spring, or rather, it was killed by members of the school committee who ignored the importance of music and drama as part of the high-school curriculum.
The committee decided that teaching students how to take a standardized test is more important than a curriculum in which students can explore their interests in the arts as well as academics. Because the school system is running out of funding, it needs to make sure that students pass the mastery test or even more money will be lost. If students fail the state standardized test，it is not the fault of drama and music classes—they are failing because the “academic” classes are not sufficient.
It is painful to think of how many students will be discouraged from singing, acting, and playing instruments because school programs are no longer offered. Many families cannot afford private music lessons，and many potential musicians and artists may not find their calling if they are not exposed to it in school. The fact that the school committee thinks the arts are not worth the investment will certainly make some students believe the arts are not worth their time or support and the cycle will continue.
Teaching for a test does not shape students into complete，well-rounded people. It blocks the natural sense to create and express feelings through art—there is more to life than the analytical thinking that math and English provide. What happens after a test? Sure, a student might graduate, but they will have limited knowledge—certainly not a good preparation for the real world.
1.Music and drama are not included in the high-school curriculum mainly because ________.
A．the school committee pays no attention to them
B．the school is afraid of losing financial support
C．the students are not interested in both of them
D．the state standardized test is more important
2.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A．The sufficiency of the classes determines students' performance in the mastery test.
B．Quite a few students are discouraged from learning music and art in today's school system.
C．Students can be musicians and artists only if they can afford private music lessons.
D．The school committee completely influences students' attitude towards the arts.
3.We can learn that music and art can ________.
A．motivate students in creativity and expression
B．make students round-shaped people in future
C．provide students with analytical thinking
D．prevent students graduation from high school
4.The best title of the passage can be ________.
A．“Who killed music and drama？”
B．“Can curriculum go without music？”
C．“Why is music so important？”
D．“How to prepare for the real world？”
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析