Is any economist so dull as to criticize Christmas? At first glance, the holiday season in western economies seems a treat for those concerned with such vagaries(奇思遐想)as GDP growth. After all, everyone is spending; in America, retailers make 25% of their yearly sales and 60% of their profits between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Even so, economists find something to worry about in the nature of the purchases being made.
Much of the holiday spending is on gifts for others. At the simplest level, giving gifts involves the giver thinking of something that the recipient would like--he tries to guess her preferences, as economists say--and then buying the gift and delivering it. Yet this guessing of preferences is not easy; indeed, it is often done badly. Every year, ties go unworn and books unread. And even if a gift is enjoyed, it may not be what the recipient would have bought if they had spent the money themselves.
Interested in this mismatch between wants and gifts, in 1993 Joel Waldfogel, then an economist at Yale University, sought to estimate the difference in dollar terms. In a study, he asked students two questions at the end of a holiday season: first, estimate the total amount paid(by the givers) for all the holiday gifts you received; second, apart from the sentimental value of the items, if you did not have them, how much would you be willing to pay to get them? His results were gloomy: on average, a gift was valued by the recipient well below the price paid by the giver.
In addition, recipients may not know their own preferences very well. Some of the best gifts, after all, are unexpected items that you would never have thought of buying, but which turn out to be especially well picked. And preferences can change. So by giving a jazz CD, for example, the giver may be encouraging the recipient to enjoy something that was ignored before. This, a desire to build skills, is possibly the hope held by many parents who ignore their children’s desires for video games and buy them books instead.
Finally, there are items that a recipient would like to receive but not purchase. If someone else buys them, however, they can be enjoyed guilt-free. This might explain the volume of chocolate that changes over the holidays. Thus, the lesson for gift-givers is that you should try hard to guess the preference of each person on your list and then choose a gift that will have high sentimental value.
1.The word “sentimental” in Paragraph 3 is close to “________”.
A. intelligent B. emotional C. social D. practical
2.According to the text, which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. Price is nothing but the factor when you give gifts.
B. Chocolate will be blamed when people receive them as gifts.
C. The receivers often overestimate the values of gifts.
D. Gifts do not always correspond to needs in gift-giving.
3.Which of the following statements can be inferred from the text?
A. The gift-giver tries to neglect the actual needs of the receiver.
B. The best gifts are well picked by the givers.
C. In gift-giving, guessing preferences is often a failure, so it’s the thought that counts.
D. You have to take money into consideration when giving a gift.
4.The text is most likely taken from a ________.
A. users’ handbook B. medical journal C. travel magazine D. consumer-related report
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题
Is any economist so dull as to criticize Christmas? At first glance, the holiday season in western economies seems a treat for those concerned with such vagaries(奇思遐想)as GDP growth. After all, everyone is spending; in America, retailers make 25% of their yearly sales and 60% of their profits between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Even so, economists find something to worry about in the nature of the purchases being made.
Much of the holiday spending is on gifts for others. At the simplest level, giving gifts involves the giver thinking of something that the recipient would like--he tries to guess her preferences, as economists say--and then buying the gift and delivering it. Yet this guessing of preferences is not easy; indeed, it is often done badly. Every year, ties go unworn and books unread. And even if a gift is enjoyed, it may not be what the recipient would have bought if they had spent the money themselves.
Interested in this mismatch between wants and gifts, in 1993 Joel Waldfogel, then an economist at Yale University, sought to estimate the difference in dollar terms. In a study, he asked students two questions at the end of a holiday season: first, estimate the total amount paid(by the givers) for all the holiday gifts you received; second, apart from the sentimental value of the items, if you did not have them, how much would you be willing to pay to get them? His results were gloomy: on average, a gift was valued by the recipient well below the price paid by the giver.
In addition, recipients may not know their own preferences very well. Some of the best gifts, after all, are unexpected items that you would never have thought of buying, but which turn out to be especially well picked. And preferences can change. So by giving a jazz CD, for example, the giver may be encouraging the recipient to enjoy something that was ignored before. This, a desire to build skills, is possibly the hope held by many parents who ignore their children’s desires for video games and buy them books instead.
Finally, there are items that a recipient would like to receive but not purchase. If someone else buys them, however, they can be enjoyed guilt-free. This might explain the volume of chocolate that changes over the holidays. Thus, the lesson for gift-givers is that you should try hard to guess the preference of each person on your list and then choose a gift that will have high sentimental value.
1.The word “sentimental” in Paragraph 3 is close to “________”.
A. intelligent B. emotional C. social D. practical
2.According to the text, which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. Price is nothing but the factor when you give gifts.
B. Chocolate will be blamed when people receive them as gifts.
C. The receivers often overestimate the values of gifts.
D. Gifts do not always correspond to needs in gift-giving.
3.Which of the following statements can be inferred from the text?
A. The gift-giver tries to neglect the actual needs of the receiver.
B. The best gifts are well picked by the givers.
C. In gift-giving, guessing preferences is often a failure, so it’s the thought that counts.
D. You have to take money into consideration when giving a gift.
4.The text is most likely taken from a ________.
A. users’ handbook B. medical journal C. travel magazine D. consumer-related report
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Is any economist so dull as to criticise Christmas? At first glance,the holiday season in western economies seems a treat for those concerned with such vagaries (奇想）as GDP growth.After all,everyone is spending;in America,retailers make 25% of their yearly sales and 60% of their profits between Thanksgiving and Christmas.Even so,economiwsts find something to worry about in the nature of the purchases being made.
Much of the holiday spending is on gifts for others.At the simplest level,giving gifts involves the giver thinking of something that the recipient would like-he tries to guess her preferences,as economists say-and then buying the gift and delivering it.Yet this guessing of preferences is not easy;indeed,it is often done badly.Every year,ties go unworn and books unread.And even if a gift is enjoyed,it may not be what the recipient would have bought if they had spent the money themselves.
Interested in this mismatch between wants and gifts,in 1993 Joel Waldfogel,then an economist at Yale University,sought to estimate the difference in dollar terms.In a research,he asked students two questions at the end of a holiday season:first,estimate the total amount paid (by the givers) for all the holiday gifts you received;second,apart from the sentimental value of the items,if you did not have them,how much would you be willing to pay to get them? His results were gloomy:on average,a gift was valued by the recipient well below the price paid by the giver.
In addition,recipients may not know their own preferences very well.Some of the best gifts,after all,are unexpected items that you would never have thought of buying,but which turn out to be especially well picked.And preference can change.So by giving a jazz CD,for example,the giver may be encouraging the recipient to enjoy something that was ignored before.This,a desire to build skills,is possibly the hope held by many parents who ignore their children's desires for video games and buy them books instead.
Finally,there are items that a recipient would like to receive but not purchase.If someone else buys them,however,they can be enjoyed guilt-free.This might explain the high volume of chocolate that changes over the holidays.Thus,the lesson for gift-givers is that you should try hard to guess the preference of each person on your list and then choose a gift that will have a high sentimental value.
1.The word “sentimental” in Paragraph 3 is close to “ ”
A.intelligent B.emotional C.social D.practical
2.According to the text,which of the following statements is TRUE?
A.Price is nothing but the factor when you give gifts.
B.Chocolates will be blamed when people receive them as gifts.
C.The receivers often overestimate the values of gifts.
D.Wants do not always correspond to needs in gift-giving.
3.Which of the following statements can be inferred from the text?
A.The gift-giver tries to neglect the actual needs of the receiver.
B.The best gifts are well picked by the givers.
C.In gift-giving,guessing preference is often a failure,so it's the thought that counts.
D.You have to take money into consideration when giving a gift.
4.The text is most likely taken from a .
A.users' handbook B.medical journal
C.travel magazine D.consumer-related report
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
To win an Oscar is an achievement at any age. To do so at 22, as Jennifer
Lawrence has, is just amazing. Recently, the American star won Best Actress at this year's Academy Awards for her role in the film The Silver Linings Playbook. According to Time magazine's Richard Corliss, Lawrence is that rare young actress who "lends a mature intelligence to any role".
Though Lawrence has found great success through her big screen work, Lawrence wasn't sure what she really liked doing before the age of 14. She thought she'd go to college and maybe find a career as a doctor or a travel agent.
Lawrence's two brothers were star athletes and one of them was a straight-A student. Unlike them, she suffered through school, never quite finding where she belonged. However, during a trip to New York, Lawrence suddenly realized that she wanted to be an actress. When she was enjoying the beautiful city, a model seeker asked if he could take her picture, and the next day he called her in for an audition (试镜).
"I read the script and it was the first time I had that feeling like I understand this," Lawrence said.
"Within 20 minutes, in the cab ride from the hotel room, I decided I didn't
want to be a model. In fact, I wanted to be an actress." Having appreciated
this young lady's performance, the agency was so impressed with her reading
that they signed her on the spot. But she insisted on finishing high school so
she could give her full attention to her acting career.
Lawrence burst onto the Hollywood scene last year with The Hunger Games,
which established her as the highest-grossing (票房最高的) female action hero of all time. Rolling Stone called her“the most talented young actress in America".
1.What can we know about Jennifer Lawrence from Paragraph 3?
A．Her parents were really strict with her.
B．She seemed not to fit in with her school days well.
C．Her school performance made her today's fame.
D．Her two brothers were doing well in all school subjects.
2.Lawrence made up her mind to be an actress because of ______.
A．a model interview
B．her brothers' examples
C．the taxi-ride to her hotel room
D．the beautiful scenery of New York
3.From the text we can know that Lawrence is an actress of great ______.
A．confidence B．ambition C．independence D．talent
4.What is the best title of the text?
A．Choosing Right B．Acting Wisely
C．Following Dreams D．Winning Young
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
To win an Oscar is an achievement at any age. To do so at 22, as Jennifer Lawrence has, is just amazing. Recently, the American star won Best Actress at this year's Academy Awards for her role in the film The Silver Linings Playbook. According to Time magazine's Richard Corliss, Lawrence is that rare young actress who "lends a mature intelligence to any role".
Though Lawrence has found great success through her big screen work, Lawrence wasn't sure what she really liked doing before the age of 14. She thought she'd go to college and maybe find a career as a doctor or a travel agent.
Lawrence's two brothers were star athletes and one of them was a straight-A student. Unlike them, she suffered through school, never quite finding where she belonged. However, during a trip to New York, Lawrence suddenly realized that she wanted to be an actress. When she was enjoying the beautiful city, a model seeker asked if he could take her picture, and the next day he called her in for an audition (试镜).
"I read the script and it was the first time I had that feeling like I understand this," Lawrence said. "Within 20 minutes, in the cab ride from the hotel room, I decided I didn't want to be a model. In fact, I wanted to be an actress." Having appreciated this young lady's performance, the agency was so impressed with her reading that they signed her on the spot. But she insisted on finishing high school so she could give her full attention to her acting career.
Lawrence burst onto the Hollywood scene last year with The Hunger Games, which established her as the highest-grossing (票房最高的) female action hero of all time. Rolling Stone called her “the most talented young actress in America".
1.What can we know about Jennifer Lawrence from Paragraph 3?
A. Her parents were really strict with her.
B. She seemed not to fit in with her school days well.
C. Her school performance made her today's fame.
D. Her two brothers were doing well in all school subjects.
2. Lawrence made up her mind to be an actress because of ______.
A. a model interview
B. her brothers' examples
C. the taxi-ride to her hotel room
D. the beautiful scenery of New York
3.From the text we can know that Lawrence is an actress of great ______.
A. confidence B. ambition C. independence D. talent
4.What is the best title of the text?
A. Choosing Right B. Acting Wisely
C. Winning Young D. Following Dreams
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
As any homemaker who has tried to keep order at the dinner table knows, there is far more to a family meal than food. Sociologist Michael Lewis has been studying 50 families to find out just how much more.
Lewis and his co-workers carried out their study by videotaping(录像) the families while they ate ordinary meals in their own homes. They found that parents with small families talk actively with each other and their children. But as the number of children gets larger, conversation gives way to the parents’ efforts to control the loud noise they make. That can have an important effect on the children. “In general the more question-asking the parents do, the higher the children’s IQ scores,” Lewis says. “And the more children there are, the less question-asking there is.”
The study also provides an explanation for why middle children often seem to have a harder time in life than their siblings(兄弟姐妹). Lewis found that in families with three or four children, dinner conversation is likely to center on the oldest child, who has the most to talk about, and the youngest, who needs the most attention. “Middle children are invisible,” says Lewis. “When you see someone get up from the table and walk around during dinner, chances are it’s the middle child.” There is, however, one thing that stops all conversation and prevents anyone from having attention “When the TV is on,” Lewis says, “dinner is a non-event.”
1.．The writer’s purpose in writing the text is to _________.
A. report on the findings of a study
B. teach parents ways to keep order at the dinner table
C. show the relationship between parents and children
D. give information about family problems
2.．Parents with large families ask fewer questions at dinner because ____________.
A. they are busy serving food to their children
B. they are tired out having prepared food for the whole family
C. they have to pay more attention to younger children
D. they are busy keeping order at the dinner table
3.．By saying “Middle children are invisible” in paragraph 3, Lewis means that middle children ______.
A. have to help their parents to serve dinner
B. find it hard to keep up with other children
C. are often kept away from the dinner table
D. get the least attention from the family
4.．Lewis’ research provides an answer to the question _________.
A. why TV is important in family life
B. why middle children seem to have more difficulties in life
C. why children in small families seem to be quieter
D. why parents should keep good order
5.．Which of the following statements would the writer agree to?
A. Parents should talk to each of their children frequently.
B. It is a good idea to have the TV on during dinner.
C. It is important to have the right food for children.
D. Elder children should help the younger ones at dinner
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
As any homemaker who has tried to keep order at the dinner table knows, there is far more to a family meal than food. Sociologist Michael Lewis has been studying 50 families to find out just how much more.
Lewis and his co-workers carried out their study by videotaping(录像) the families while they ate ordinary meals in their own homes. They found that parents with small families talk actively with each other and their children. But as the number of children gets larger, conversation gives way to the parents’ efforts to control the loud noise they make. That can have an important effect on the children. “In general the more question-asking the parents do, the higher the children’s IQ scores,” Lewis says. “And the more children there are, the less question-asking there is.”
The study also provides an explanation for why middle children often seem to have a harder time in life than their siblings(兄弟姐妹). Lewis found that in families with three or four children, dinner conversation is likely to center on the oldest child, who has the most to talk about, and the youngest, who needs the most attention. “Middle children are invisible,” says Lewis. “When you see someone get up from the table and walk around during dinner, chances are it’s the middle child.” There is, however, one thing that stops all conversation and prevents anyone from having attention: “When the TV is on,” Lewis says, “dinner is a non-event.”
1.The writer’s purpose in writing the text is to _________.
A．show the relationship between parents and children
B．teach parents ways to keep order at the dinner table
C．report on the findings of a study
D．give information about family problems
2.Parents with large families ask fewer questions at dinner because ____________.
A．they are busy serving food to their children
B．they are busy keeping order at the dinner table
C．they have to pay more attention to younger children
D．they are tired out having prepared food for the whole family
3.By saying “Middle children are invisible” in paragraph 3, Lewis means that middle children _________.
A．have to help their parents to serve dinner
B．get the least attention from the family
C．are often kept away from the dinner table
D．find it hard to keep up with other children
4.Lewis’ research provides an answer to the question _________.
A．why TV is important in family life
B．why parents should keep good order
C．why children in small families seem to be quieter
D．why middle children seem to have more difficulties in life
5.Which of the following statements would the writer agree to?
A．It is important to have the right food for children.
B．It is a good idea to have the TV on during dinner.
C．Parents should talk to each of their children frequently.
D．Elder children should help the younger ones at dinner
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
As any homemaker who has tried to keep order at the dinner table knows, there is far more to a family meal than food. Sociologist Michael Lewis has been studying 50 families to find out just how much more.
Lewis and his co-workers carried out their study by videotaping(录像) the families while they ate ordinary meals in their own homes. They found that parents with small families talk actively with each other and their children. But as the number of children gets larger, conversation gives way to the parents’ efforts to control the loud noise they make. That can have an important effect on the children. “In general the more question-asking the parents do, the higher the children’s IQ scores,” Lewis says. “And the more children there are, the less question-asking there is.”
The study also provides an explanation for why middle children often seem to have a harder time in life than their siblings(兄弟姐妹). Lewis found that in families with three or four children, dinner conversation is likely to center on the oldest child, who has the most to talk about, and the youngest, who needs the most attention. “Middle children are invisible,” says Lewis. “When you see someone get up from the table and walk around during dinner, chances are it’s the middle child.” There is, however, one thing that stops all conversation and prevents anyone from having attention: “When the TV is on,” Lewis says, “dinner is a non-event.”
1.．The writer’s purpose in writing the text is to _________.
A. report on the findings of a study
B. teach parents ways to keep order at the dinner table
C. show the relationship between parents and children
D. give information about family problems
2.．Parents with large families ask fewer questions at dinner because ____________.
A. they are busy serving food to their children
B. they are tired out having prepared food for the whole family
C. they have to pay more attention to younger children
D. they are busy keeping order at the dinner table
3.．By saying “Middle children are invisible” in paragraph 3, Lewis means that middle children ______.
A. have to help their parents to serve dinner
B. find it hard to keep up with other children
C. are often kept away from the dinner table
D. get the least attention from the family
4.．Lewis’ research provides an answer to the question _________.
A. why TV is important in family life
B. why middle children seem to have more difficulties in life
C. why children in small families seem to be quieter
D. why parents should keep good order
5.．Which of the following statements would the writer agree to?
A. Parents should talk to each of their children frequently.
B. It is a good idea to have the TV on during dinner.
C. It is important to have the right food for children.
D. Elder children should help the younger ones at dinner
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
As any homemaker who has tried to keep order at the dinner table knows, there is far more to a family meal than food. Sociologist Michael Lewis has been studying 50 families to find out just how much more.
Lewis and his co-workers carried out their study by videotaping(录像) the families while they ate ordinary meals in their own homes. They found that parents with small families talk actively with each other and their children. But as the number of children gets larger, conversation gives way to the parents' efforts to control the loud noise they make. That can have an important effect on the children. "In general the more question-asking the parents do, the higher the children's IQ scores," Lewis says. "And the more children there are, the less question-asking there is."
The study also provides an explanation for why middle children often seem to have a harder time in life than their siblings(兄弟姐妹). Lewis found that in families with three or four children, dinner conversation is likely to center on the oldest child, who has the most to talk about, and the youngest, who needs the most attention. "Middle children are invisible," says Lewis. "When you see someone get up from the table and walk around during dinner, chances are it's the middle child." There is, however, one thing that stops all conversation and prevents anyone from having attention: "When the TV is on," Lewis says, "dinner is a non-event."
1.The writer's purpose in writing the text is to _________.
A．show the relationship between parents and children
B．teach parents ways to keep order at the dinner table
C．report on the findings of a study
D．give information about family problems
2.Parents with large families ask fewer questions at dinner because ____________.
A．they are busy serving food to their children
B．they are busy keeping order at the dinner table
C．they have to pay more attention to younger children
D．they are tired out having prepared food for the whole family
3.By saying "Middle children are invisible" in paragraph 3, Lewis means that middle children _________.
A．have to help their parents to serve dinner
B．get the least attention from the family
C．are often kept away from the dinner table
D．find it hard to keep up with other children
4.Lewis' research provides an answer to the question _________.
A．why TV is important in family life
B．why parents should keep good order
C．why children in small families seem to be quieter
D．why middle children seem to have more difficulties in life
5.Which of the following statements would the writer agree to?
A．It is important to have the right food for children.
B．It is a good idea to have the TV on during dinner.
C．Parents should talk to each of their children frequently.
D．Elder children should help the younger ones at dinner
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
As any homemaker who has tried to keep order at the dinner table knows, there is far more to a family meal than food. Sociologist Michael Lewis has been studying 50 families to find out just how much more.
Lewis and his co-workers carried out their study by videotaping(录像) the families while they ate ordinary meals in their own homes. They found that parents with small families talk actively with each other and their children. But as the number of children gets larger, conversation gives way to the parents’ efforts to control the loud noise they make. That can have an important effect on the children. “In general the more question-asking the parents do, the higher the children’s IQ scores,” Lewis says. “And the more children there are, the less question-asking there is.”
The study also provides an explanation for why middle children often seem to have a harder time in life than their siblings(兄弟姐妹). Lewis found that in families with three or four children, dinner conversation is likely to center on the oldest child, who has the most to talk about, and the youngest, who needs the most attention. “Middle children are invisible,” says Lewis. “When you see someone get up from the table and walk around during dinner, chances are it’s the middle child. ” There is, however, one thing that stops all conversation and prevents anyone from having attention: “When the TV is on,” Lewis says, “dinner is a non-event.”
1.The writer’s purpose in writing the text is to _________.
A. show the relationship between parents and children
B. teach parents ways to keep order at the dinner table
C. report on the findings of a study
D. give information about family problems
2.Parents with large families ask fewer questions at dinner because ____________.
A. they are busy serving food to their children
B. they are busy keeping order at the dinner table
C. they have to pay more attention to younger children
D. they are tired out having prepared food for the whole family
3.By saying “Middle children are invisible” in paragraph 3, Lewis means that middle children _________.
A. have to help their parents to serve dinner
B. get the least attention from the family
C. are often kept away from the dinner table
D. find it hard to keep up with other children
4.Lewis’ research provides an answer to the question _________.
A. why TV is important in family life
B. why parents should keep good order
C. why children in small families seem to be quieter
D. why middle children seem to have more difficulties in life
5.Which of the following statements would the writer agree to?
A. It is important to have the right food for children.
B. It is a good idea to have the TV on during dinner.
C. Parents should talk to each of their children frequently.
D. Elder children should help the younger ones at dinner
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Critical thinking is an important skill that can increase students’ ability to learn in any situation. This can be applied to traditional education, or directly in a career related role. Many teachers find it such a valuable skill that they give their students a critical thinking question every day. Developing this ability can mean the difference between “just passing a course” and “understanding the material well enough” so that what students learn from it will follow them throughout their life.
Some characteristics of a critical thinker that teachers should encourage are;
-asking questions as a reaction to something read or discussed;
-determining the “deeper meaning” of a particular passage or topic;
-providing input and opinions to topics as a direct result of analysis and research;
-reasoning in an effort to develop an argument of your own opinion.
It is important for a student to understand more than definition（定义）. One way to truly understand an idea is to have hands-on practice, and to apply concepts learned in a textbook. Such “mini-examples” will interest a student and improve their understanding of a topic. This is how life-long skills can be developed.
Teachers that use critical thinking practices in the classroom can “go above and beyond” by asking questions that promote a greater comprehension of the material. Instructors should be able to challenge students and create an environment where they are analyzing material and gaining a better understanding. This will make the classroom move in a direction for learning. It can also help students to stay interested in the course material, as they always have a new concept to consider.
At the same time, students benefit greatly from developing critical thinking skills. When learned early on, these skills can be used throughout their college education. Students can understand how to consider a topic, analyze it, and discuss it from different points of view. These are skills that will benefit them when they are part of the workforce as well.
1.Who are the intended readers of the passage?
A. Teachers. B. Parents.
C. Examines. D. Headmasters.
2.Critical thinking can best be described as .
A. a system to improve people’s memory
B. a method to expand people’s knowledge
C. a way to increase people’s ability to understand
D. a process to make people more critical of others
3.The underlined word “it” in Paragraph 1 refers to .
A. the ability B. the difference
C. the course D. the material
4.The author thinks “mini-examples” are useful because they .
A. assist students to better remember definitions
B. give students hands-on practice
C. help to keep students interested
D. help students develop concepts
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析