I once had a house guest from Cuba. During hi...

I once had a house guest from Cuba. During his visit, I happened to throw an old broken blender (搅拌机) in the trash. The next day it was sitting on my counter – in working order. In his world, people simply cannot afford to replace an item which doesn't work properly. They take the time and figure out how to fix it. In Cuba, they are still driving cars from the 1960’s, mainly because they do not have a choice.

In contrast, the U.S. is a “throw-away society.” Statistics show that each American produces six pounds of trash per day. I believe a combination of factors has contributed to this phenomenon.

“Planned obsolescence(废弃)” is not a secret. It is a manufacturing (制造业) philosophy developed in the 1920’s and 1930’s, when mass production became popular. The goal is to make a product or part that will fail, or become less desirable over time or after a certain amount of use. This pressures the consumer to buy again.

Planned obsolescence does keep costs down. Instead of making an expensive product that will last a long time, businesses produce more affordable, disposable(一次性的) items. Some electronic items have become so inexpensive that it is cheaper to replace them than to repair them.

Busy people often value their time and convenience more than money. If a car starts to have mechanical problems, replacing it with a newer, more reliable model may be more appealing than tolerating it being in the garage for a week.

In addition, advertising trains consumers to want what is new and improved. It convinces them that the more they have, the happier they will be.

Unlike people in many developing countries, we live in a world of abundance. A study by Dr. Timothy Jones of the University of Arizona also found that in the U.S., 40-50 percent of all food ready for harvest is wasted. Abundance and waste soon became closely associated in the American way of life.

1.In Cuba, people usually fix a broken item instead of buying a new one because __________.

A. wasting is prohibited there                                         B. they are poor

C. they are interested in fixing things                            D. they live a low-carbon life

2.According to the article, planned obsolescence ___________.

A. began before mass production became popular

B. is intended to encourage consumers to buy more things

C. results in higher prices of items

D. requires factories to produce high-quality products

3.Which of the following is NOT true about the “throw-away society” in the U.S.?

A. People prefer to buy a new blender rather than repair the broken one.

B. A large quantity of food has been wasted.

C. People believe that the more they have, the happier they will be.

D. People all hold the belief that money comes first.

4.What may be the writer’s attitude towards a throw-away society?

A. Supportive.                     B. Critical.                    C. Tolerant.                           D. Optimistic.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Once I had a student called Jamal. He would squirm (扭来扭去)in his chair during independent work, and he would never stay still for more than three or four minutes. Students like Jamal can confuse brand new teachers because they’re not quite sure how to support young people like him. I took a direct approach. I negotiated with Jamal. If he could give me focused work, then he could do it from anywhere in the classroom: from our classroom rug, from behind my desk, or from inside his classroom locker, which turned out to be his favorite place.

Jamal’s least favorite subject was writing, and he never wanted to read what he had written out loud in class, but we were still making progress. One day, I decided to host a mock (模拟的)2008 presidential election in my classroom. My third graders had to research and write a speech for their chosen candidate: Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton or John McCain. The favorite candidates were obvious, but one student chose John McCain. It was Jamal. Jamal finally decided to read something that he had written out loud in class, and sure enough, Jamal stunned all of us with his brilliance. Just like Jamal’s dad, John McCain was a veteran, and just like Jamal’s dad protected him, Jamal believed that John McCain would protect the entire country. He wasn’t my candidate of choice, but it didn’t matter, because the entire class erupted into applause for our brave friend Jamal who finally showed up as his most confident self for the first time that year.

A lack of confidence pulls us down from the bottom and weighs us down from the top, crushing us between a flurry of can’ts and won’ts. Without confidence, we get stuck, and when we get stuck, we can’t even get started. Instead of getting mired in what can get in our way, confidence invites us to perform with certainty.

1.Which of the following best describes Jamal?

A.Naughty and stubborn B.Determined but shy

C.Smart but unfocused D.Confident and generous

2.Why did Jamal choose John McCain in the mock 2008 presidential election?

A.Because John was the least popular among the three choices.

B.Because John had written something about him before.

C.Because John shared some similarities with Jamal’s father.

D.Because John was a soldier who could protect the country.

3.What does the underlined word “stun” mean?

A.Amaze. B.Cheer. C.Awake. D.Entertain.

4.What is the main purpose of the text?

A.To introduce the change of the authors student.

B.To show how to deal with problem students.

C.To stress the importance of encouragement.

D.To encourage us to be confident.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Barack Obama delivered a speech to 500 local youths during his visit to China, many of ____ from Fudan

University and Tongji University.

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Barack Obama delivered a speech to 500 local youths during his visit to China, many of ____ from Fudan

University and Tongji University．

A．them                   B．whom                 C．which               D．who

高三英语单项填空困难题查看答案及解析

One evening, I was with my friend Auguste Dupin at his house in Paris when he had a visit _____ Georges Godinot, head of the Paris Police.

高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析

My father had returned from his business visit to London when I came in, rather late, to supper. I could tell at once that he and my mother had been discussing something. In that half-playful, half-serious way I knew so well, he said, "How would you like to go to Eton?"

"You bet," I cried quickly catching the joke. Everyone knew it was the most expensive, the most famous of schools. You had to be entered at birth, if not before. Besides, even at 12 or 13, I understood my father. He disliked any form of showing off. He always knew his proper station in life, which was in the middle of the middle class, our house was medium-sized; he had avoided joining Royal Liverpool Golf Club and went to a smaller one instead; though once he had got a second-hand Rolls-Royce at a remarkably low price, he felt embarrassed driving it, and quickly changed it for an Austin 1100.

This could only be his delightful way of telling me that the whole boarding school idea was to be dropped. Alas! I should also have remembered that he had a liking for being different from everyone else, if it did not conflict(冲突) with his fear of drawing attention to himself.

It seemed that he had happened to be talking to Graham Brown of the London office, a very nice fellow, and Graham had a friend who had just entered his boy at the school, and while he was in that part of the world he thought he might just as well phone them. I remember my eyes stinging(刺痛) and my hands shaking with the puzzlement of my feelings. There was excitement, at the heart of great sadness.

"Oh, he doesn't want to go away," said my mother, "You shouldn't go on like this.” “It's up to him," said my father. "He can make up his own mind."

1.The house the writer's family lived in was ________.

2.His father sold his Roils-Royce because ________.

3.The writer's father enjoyed being different as long as ________.

4.What was the writer's reaction to the idea of going to Eton?

5.We can know from the passage that ________.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

We may have hosted some difficult house guests once or on even more occasions. Are you still worrying about how to deal with them? Here below are some tips on how to deal with those difficult house guests.

You’ve been waiting an hour to eat breakfast but your guests are still sleeping.

“Unless you adjusted a time for breakfast the evening before, let your guests sleep-in and enjoy your breakfast without them. If possible, keep their breakfast warm. Or better yet, when entertaining it’s always a good idea to have cold breakfast (as well as lunch, dinner and snack) food on-hand.”

——Pamela Eyring，president and director of The Protocol School of Washington

Your guest’s teenage son is a Facebook addict and hogs your computer all day long.

“If you have a guest whose fingers are fixated to your keyboard, kindly let him know that you are expecting work email and give him enough time to finish using it.”

——Ummu Bradley Thomas, founder of the Freddie Bell Jones Modeling and Finishing School, Inc.

Your couch surfing, unemployed nephew has been here a month and is showing no sign of leaving.

“There is nothing wrong with saying ‘John, you have been here a month and have not put in any applications. What can I do to help you get your resume together? I would like to make a plan that will assist you in getting back on your feet and allow me to eventually have my extra room back for guests that will soon be arriving.’”

——Diane Gottsman, owner of The Protocol School of Texas

Your guests expect you to accompany them to every single tourist attraction in your city. It’s tiring and expensive.

“If your guests didn’t offer to treat you, politely decline and offer to meet them afterwards for dinner or drinks. That way they know you enjoy their company.”

——Pamela Eyring, president and director of The Protocol School of Washington

You gave your friend a closet shelf for her stuff but her clothes are thrown all over the place.

“You should simply say ‘I am happy to have you use my closet but your clothes seem to have a mind of their own. Would you mind keeping your clothes on the top shelf? It would make it easier for me to find my things when I am in a rush and looking for them. Thank you.’”

——Diane Gottsman, owner of The Protocol School of Texas

1.According to Ummu Bradley Thomas, which of the following is the best way to deal with the guests?

A．Kindly explaining to him you need to use the computer.

B．Politely asking him to stop using the computer at once.

C．Introducing other toys to him to play with.

D．Simply letting him keep using the computer as he likes.

2.The passage gives the following tips EXCEPT that _______.

A．declining the guests’ requests if you hate to accompany them everywhere

B．reminding them to keep their clothes on the top shelf

C．trying to offer at least one dish based on his or her preferences

D．keeping their breakfast warm or having cold breakfast food on-hand

3.Which of the following is the best title for this passage?

A．How to Entertain Your Guests

B．How to Keep Good Personal Relations

C．How to Find the Best Solution

D．How to Deal with Difficult House Guests

4.In which section of a magazine can we most probably see this passage?

A．Science           B．Society           C．Economy          D．Education

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

He came back late, _______ which time all the guests had already left.

A. after                            B. by                            C. at                                               D. during

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

George once told me that he would visit our house，but，for various reasons，he ________so far．

A．didn't　　 B．hasn't　　　　 C．hadn't　　 D．wouldn't

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

George once told me that he would visit our house，but，for various reasons，he ________so far．

A．didn't　　 B．hasn't　　　　 C．hadn't　　 D．wouldn't

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析