"Oh, my God! Did I really just send that text...

"Oh, my God! Did I really just send that text?" Most people have said something that they wish they could take back. And if they had paused to think about it first, they probably would have acted differently. Pausing doesn't pay off just when you speak. Scientific studies have shown that making a habit of pausing before you do something can actually have a big impact on how your life turns out.

In making decisions we rely on two areas of the brain. One area creates and processes emotions; the other governs logical thought. The type of decision, how we feel about it, and how prepared we are to handle it help determine which brain area has the most influence.

But our age also plays an important role. Thinking through the consequences of one's actions is actually harder for teens because the area controlling logical (逻辑的)thought is not fully developed until around age 25. This is why teens often feel an intense emotional drive to act impulsively(冲动地)---it's how their brains are structured! Though this tendency to act without considering the outcomes can lead to problematic situations, impulsivity during the developmental years evolves because it makes teens more open to new experiences and ideas. This openness helps teens to become independent adults.

The key to making impulsivity work for you instead of against you is to train your brain by practicing pausing. This doesn't mean you stop taking risks or being open to new experiences. But you won't know if the risk is worth it until you think it through. Deciding to take a risk based on logic shows self-control, not impulsivity.

What are different ways to pause? You might take a deep breath, count to 10, or ask "Is this worth it?" different strategies work for different people. Whatever works for you, keep doing it! By practicing pausing, you can actually change your brain. This means that over time, pausing, instead of immediately reacting, becomes your "natural" response.

And with this change, people are on their way to enjoying the life rewards that come with high levels of self-control---even if they weren't natural-born pausers!

1.What challenges teenagers?

A. Giving natural response.　　 B. Making logical decision.

C. Acting before thorough thinking.　　 D. Choosing brain-training strategies.

2.An impulsive person tends to____.

A. consider or accept new ideas　　 B. change ideas frequently

C. think through a risk in advance　　 D. show high level of self-control

3.According to the passage, by training one's brain, one can____.

A. stop taking risks

B. fully develop one's brain

C. become more open to new experience

D. reduce the influence of emotional drive

4.What is the best title for the passage?

A. Push the Pause Button　　 B. Impulsivity Works

C. Discover the Brain Function　　 D. Crying Over the Spilt Milk

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Some people are so rude!

Who sends an e­mail or a text message that just says “Thank you”？ Who leaves a voice mail message rather than texts you? Who asks for a fact easily found on Google? Don’t these people realize that they’re wasting your time?

Maybe I’m the rude one for not appreciating life’s little politeness. But many social agreed standards just don’t make sense to people drowning in digital communication.

In texts, you don’t have to declare who you are or even say hello. E­mail, too, is slower than a text. Voice mail is a now impolite way of trying to connect.

My father learned this lesson after leaving me a dozen voice mail messages, none of which I listened to. Exasperated, he called my sister to express his dissatisfaction that I never returned his phone calls. “Why are you leaving him voice mail？” my sister asked. “Just text him.”

In the age of the smartphone, there is no reason to ask once­acceptable questions about: the weather forecast, a business’s phone number, or directions to a house, a restaurant, which can be easily found on Google Maps. But people still ask these things. And when you answer, they respond with a thank­you e­mail.

How to handle these differing standards? Easy. Consider your audience. Some people, especially older ones, appreciate a thank­you message. Others, like me, want no reply.

The anthropologist (人类学家) Margaret Mead once said that in traditional societies, the young learn from the old. But in modern societies, the old can also learn from the young. Here’s hoping that politeness never goes out of fashion but that time­wasting forms of communication do.

1.What does the underlined word “Exasperated” mean in the fifth paragraph?

A.Worried. B.Surprised.

C.Annoyed. D.Tired.

2.Why didn’t the writer reply to his father?

A.He liked text messages better.

B.He enjoyed checking his voice mail.

C.He didn’t receive any voice mail messages.

D.He didn’t want to talk with his father.

3.Which of the following does the writer agree to?

A.People needn’t learn from one another in traditional societies.

B.Dealing with voice mail should vary with each individual.

C.People needn’t turn to Google for help when in trouble.

D.Declaring who you are or saying hello in texts is necessary.

4.What’s the best title for this passage?

A.Nowadays: what should we do with text messages?

B.Nowadays: do you like leaving others a voice message?

C.Nowadays: what means should we use in communication?

D.Nowadays: do you need a thank­you message?

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

—Oh, my God! It’s just a sea of cars. How can you ______ your car?

—That’s easy. Mine is colored differently from any other one.

高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

“Oh，my god.Are you serious?”

That’s a reaction I often get when people hear the tale of my childhood.

It’s a story I don’t often share.Growing up in a bad home, I learned to protect myself by not speaking up.I've seldom said anything about how badly I was treated and hurt as a child. I don’t talk about how my name was changed at least three times, what it was like to live in my van(箱式货车), or how I've struggled with anxiety, depression, and wanting to kill myself.But I learned to start speaking up for myself.I went on to earn two graduate degrees and I will complete my Doctor’s degree this year.I've also become a widely published author.So，how did I get to where I am today?

What helped me is surrounding myself with caring, loving people. I've learned day-to-day skills through research, trial and error, and with the help of skilled professionals. They’ve taught me how to slow down，to breathe，to be thankful for what I've got.They’re the ones who make my goals possible.They have also taught me to turn my past experiences into strength-to make the negatives into positives.

My hope is that sharing my story might help others to see what is possible even in the darkest of times and help others to speak out.I don’t think I'm in any way special or unique. I'm a common man，no more deserving than anyone else.But for far too long，I've been afraid that others think I'm damaged goods.I've worried about how I might be treated differently.

Pain and fear teach us to be silent.It’s time for that to change.

I don’t know what tomorrow might bring.But one thing I've learned is that if we can hold on and find help，if we find ways to get through the day and speak up，we’11 not only survive，but become stronger than before.

Our very survival can be an inspiration all on its own.And with love of my friends，I look forward to so much more than completing my education—I look forward to the future.

1.Which might not be related to the author’s childhood?

A. Depression　　 B. Disappointment　　 C. Desperation　　 D. Trust

2.How did the writer get today’s success?

A. With the help of his parents.

B. Learning by himself.

C. Holding on and finding help from others.

D. Being special and talented.

3.What’s the author’s purpose of sharing his story?

A. To become stronger than before.

B. To encourage others to make the most of their dark times of life.

C. To become a better publisher.

D. To change the ways to speak up.

4.What can we learn from the author’s experience?

A. We should overcome the difficulty depending on ourselves.

B. We should keep silent when meeting pain and fear.

C. Managing to survive when in trouble can make us stronger.

D. Our childhood 1ife decides our future.

高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

I never thought of not being blessed by God. I just wonder at the way God knows when to send a special gift of encouragement to us, at just the right time! It might be in a dream, a memory, or something we ___that we had forgotten about.

Summer after summer I____staying with my grandparents as a young child. Grandma was always using her hands for something ____she would make little sandwiches and we’d have tea parties; she’d plant flowers and ____them with care and we’d have a____yard. I remember the small thimble (顶针) she would use while doing her needle work. Placing her thimble on her finger she would ____: “I wouldn’t want to____without one.”

A few years ago when grandma left this earth for her ____residence in Heaven, I bid farewell to a ____grandmother. I ___her very much, but I noticed it mostly on a birthday, as there was no card from grandma. She had never__my birthday!

On one particular birthday when I was feeling a little ___, something happened to make me feel like she was ___that special day with me. I was arranging some colorful ___that she had made, and suddenly I felt something small and hard inside one pillow. I ___moved the object to a seam (接缝) that I opened, and to my___, there out came a___silver thimble!

How happy I was to find something that had been a part of her! I carefully ___the thimble alongside the others I’ve ___over the years, where I could continue to see the gift God chose to___to me.

1.A. found　　 B. wondered　　 C. imagined　　 D. enjoyed

2.A. avoided　　 B. tried　　 C. promised　　 D. insisted

3.A. awful　　 B. exciting　　 C. frightening　　 D. puzzling

4.A. record　　 B. tend　　 C. deposit　　 D. explore

5.A. funny　　 B. shabby　　 C. sweet　　 D. peaceful

6.A. blame　　 B. complain　　 C. remark　　 D. swear

7.A. cheer　　 B. pray　　 C. retire　　 D. sew

8.A. new　　 B. temporary　　 C. official　　 D. familiar

9.A. loving　　 B. strange　　 C. quiet　　 D. stubborn

10.A. sympathized　　 B. missed　　 C. worried　　 D. owed

11.A. attended　　 B. recognized　　 C. tolerated　　 D. forgotten

12.A. tense　　 B. low　　 C. eager　　 D. awkward

13.A. welcoming　　 B. resisting　　 C. sharing　　 D. connecting

14.A. bags　　 B. flowers　　 C. cards　　 D. pillows

15.A. abruptly　　 B. firmly　　 C. carefully　　 D. regularly

16.A. sorrow　　 B. delight　　 C. embarrassment　　 D. disappointment

17.A. fresh　　 B. tiny　　 C. dirty　　 D. imported

18.A. submitted　　 B. abandoned　　 C. bid　　 D. settled

19.A. exchanged　　 B. bought　　 C. collected　　 D. wasted

20.A. send　　 B. subscribe　　 C. lend　　 D. post

高二英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Text messaging, or simply “texting”, which allows people to send and receive messages on mobile phones, becomes very popular today.

The advantages of texting are obvious. Texting helps to save money. If you have a few words to greet your families and friends on their birthdays or on some important festivals, sending messages can be cheaper than phone calling. Texting helps to save time. Even if you want to send a message to 100 people, you can do it one second. Texting helps you to “talk” to someone when he is too busy to answer the phone. Texting can also help you to “talk” to someone secretly if you don’t want others to hear what you are talking on the phone. These advantages are so amazing that many people are crazy about it. They hold mobile phones in hands all day long, send dozens of messages each day, and even text while driving or walking.

However, texting has its disadvantages. Junk（垃圾）messages may come into your mobile phone box now and then. When your phone box gets too full, you can’t receive any more messages. You may therefore miss some important information.

What’s more, if you don’t do texting properly, for example texting while driving or walking, it can be dangerous. It can cause injuries and even death. It is reported that about 6,000 people are killed and half a million were injured for this reason each year. In Fort Lee, a small town in New Jersey, USA, three people died because they walked into traffic while texting in 2011. Two researchers at Stony Brook University, New York found that texters are 60% more probably to have an accident than others. When people are texting, they don’t notice other people or things around them. To reduce traffic accidents, no drivers of the USA are now allowed to text while driving. About 32 countries have passed laws forbidding the use of mobile phones while driving.

Texting is a wonderful way of communication. However, only when we use it properly, can we fully enjoy the fun it brings.

1.How many advantages of texting are mentioned in the passage?

A. Three.　　　　　　　　　　 B. Four.　　　　　　　 C. Five.　　　　　　　　 D. Six.

2.When your phone box gets full because of junk messages, what will happen?

A. Your phone will break down.

B. Your phone can’t get through.

C. Your phone can’t get messages any more.

D. You lose contact with others.

3.What did the researchers at Stony Brook University find?

A. Texting can cause accidents more easily.

B. Texting while walking can cause death.

C. Calling while driving is easier to have accidents.

D. Many people were killed and injured.

4.According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?

A. Drivers are allowed to text in the USA.

B. Text while walking is dangerous.

C. Junk texting cannot prevent you receiving messages.

D. The advantages of texting are not obvious.

5.This passage is written to tell us that _______.

A. we should do less texting

B. texting has many advantages

C. texting has many disadvantages

D. we should do texting properly

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Oh my God, the robots are taking over! We’re doomed! Doomed! Now that I’ve gotten that out of my system, it’s become clear that while we may or may not be doomed, the robots are taking over. The latest example is the government’s new guidelines for self-driving cars.

Tesla, Google and Uber are already testing driverless cars in cities across America. Uber chief executive Travis Kalanick is among those predicting that by 2021, self-driving cars will play a big part in urban settings.

Nearly 40,000 people died last year in this nation in automobile-related accidents, and we believe driverless cars can save tens of thousands of lives annually.

It makes sense. Robot drivers are less likely to get drunk, drive without a license, text while driving or feel agitated at the scene of a traffic jam. On the other hand, I wonder how these highly sensitive cars will react with walkers constantly dashing into the street. Will they jam on the brakes every 10 seconds?

But there’s a bigger picture. Not only are robots replacing humans behind the wheel, but behind the work desk, in warehouses, senior homes, you name it. Robots aren’t just taking over in the workplace.

The question is, where can’t a robot function better than a human? How about writing songs? A robot can go through every combination of notes in record time and come up with a pleasing melody. The lyrics might be a different story. Is a Grammy-winning song co-written by Hank Human and R-3071 in our future?

Finally, it’s only a matter of time until we have robot politicians and presidential candidates. Why not? They can be programmed to be experts in world and domestic affairs and come up with the best solutions without corruption and bad humors.

Actually, it’s too bad such technology isn’t available in 2018. Pretty sure the robot would win in a landslide.

1.What does the underlined word “agitated” in Paragraph 4 mean?

A. Exhausted.　　 B. Embarrassed.

C. Disappointed.　　 D. Anxious.

2.What doubt does the writer have about self-driving cars?

A. How passengers behave in it.

B. How robot drivers get the license.

C. How they respond to walkers on a busy street.

D. How they avoid crashing into other cars.

3.The last question asked in Paragraph 6 reflects the writer’s　　　　　　 .

A. eagerness to listen to songs written by robots

B. doubt about robots’ ability to write songs

C. confidence in robots’ winning Grammy Awards

D. curiosity about the future Grammy songs

4.What might be the most suitable title for the text?

A. Robots will control the world in every field.

B. Robots can drive cars and write music.

C. Robots are being used in our daily life.

D. Robots are coming but not soon enough.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Talking on a mobile phone is expensive, so a lot of people send text messages. Text messages are much cheaper than talking on a mobile phone, and you can make it cheaper by making the words shorter. You can do this by taking out “unimportant” letters in the words and using numbers instead of words (2 =" to," 3 =" free," 4 =" for," 8 =" ate," so h8 =" hate," etc.). You can also keep away from using punctuation (标点). Here is an example: Do U wnt 2 g 2 th cnma tnite (Do you want to go to the cinema tonight?)

What do you think these text messages mean?

Whr hv U bn? Iv bn wtng hrs fr a cll.

Im hm nw, why nt gv me a cll.

I gt a txt mssge frm my frnd. Shes hvng a prty on Strdy.

Mobile phone users have developed a group of symbols (符号) to show how they feel. They are called emoticons, and there are some examples below. To read an emoticon, you have to look at it sideways. For example, if you say something in a text message that is a joke, you can follow it with a smiling face. Like this: Why didt u call me? I’m so sad.   (

Here are some others. Can you think of text messages where you could use them?

) laughing     ( sad    ＜ really sad

Ⅴ shouting    |·| asleep   ：0 shocked

8·| surprised    \·o bored

1.Why are text messages popular?

2.The first paragraph tells us that we can make the text messages shorter in ________   ways.

3. What does this text message “Do U wnt 2 cm?” mean? It means “ ________ ?”.

4.Why do people use emoticons?

高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

Talking on a mobile phone is expensive, so a lot of people send text messages. Text messages are much cheaper than talking on a mobile phone, and you can make it cheaper by making the words shorter. You can do this by taking out “unimportant” letters in the words and using numbers instead of words (2 =" to," 3 =" free," 4 =" for," 8 =" ate," so h8 =" hate," etc.). You can also keep away from using punctuation (标点).       Here is an example: Do U wnt 2 g 2 th cnma tnite (Do you want to go to the cinema tonight?)

What do you think these text messages mean?

Whr hv U bn? Iv bn wtng hrs fr a cll.

Im hm nw, why nt gv me a cll.

I gt a txt mssge frm my frnd. Shes hvng a prty on Strdy.

Mobile phone users have developed a group of symbols (符号) to show how they feel. They are called emoticons, and there are some examples below. To read an emoticon, you have to look at it sideways. For example, if you say something in a text message that is a joke, you can follow it with a smiling face.

1.Why are text messages popular?

2.The first paragraph tells us that we can make the text messages shorter in ________ ways.

3.What does this text message “Do U wnt 2 cm?” mean? It means “________?”.

4.Why do people use emoticons?

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Is that person really glad to see me? Or is he just being polite? Some people struggle to tell an artificial smile from a truly happy-one. And computers have found this task even more difficult. Recently, researchers have trained a program to detect when a smile is genuine(真诚的).

Visual computing researchers at the University of Bradford in the U. K. started with a software for analyzing a changing facial expression. This program can examine a video clip of a human head and identify(确认) specific details around the eyes, cheeks and mouth. Then the program tracks the details relative to each other as the face smiles.

Next，the scientists had their program evaluate(评估)two sets of video clips. In one subjects performed posed smiles. In the other, they watched a film that inspired genuine displays of emotion. The program calculated the differences among the subjects’ faces during the two clips. And it turns out that one's mouth, cheeks and eyes move differently when pretending to smile.

In particular, the muscles around the eyes shift 10 percent more for a real smile than they do for a fake one. These results are in the journal Advanced Engineering Informatics. "A genuine smile is indeed in the eyes. The computer aids analysis of the exact weight distribution of human smiles across the face.” Hassan Ugail and Ahmad Al-dahoud say.

The researchers suggest their work could improve a computer's ability to analyze facial expressions and thus to interact more smoothly with humans. But their real accomplishment is in proving Tyra Banks right: "You have to smile with your eyes."

1.What's the purpose of the program?

A.To tell different smiles. B.To detect human heads.

C.To examine human faces. D.To record facial expressions.

2.What did the researchers do in the program?

A.They performed posed smiles. B.They analyzed different video clips.

C.They improved a computer's ability. D.They evaluated a very special software.

3.What result have the researchers found from the program?

A.Smiling with eyes is the most important.

B.Eyes reflect whether a smile is real or not.

C.Mouth，cheeks and eyes always move the same.

D.Muscles move more frequently when people do a faking smile,

4.In which section of a newspaper may this text appear?

A.Entertainment. B.Health.

C.Inventions. D.Science.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析