When Russell Lyons volunteered for the first ...

When Russell Lyons volunteered for the first time, he read “Goodnight Moon” to a class of San Diego preschoolers. And it wasn’t reading — he’d memorized the book and was reciting it out loud. He was 4. Still, he said it felt good there, in front of the other kids, lending a hand. He wanted more of that feeling.

Thirteen years later, he’s getting a lot of it. He’s on a five-month road trip across America — not sightseeing, but volunteering.

The University City resident has spent time at an animal reserve in Utah, a women’s shelter in St. Louis, a soup kitchen in New York, a retirement home in Tucson. This week he’s in Los Angeles, at a program that supports disabled youth.

“I just like helping people and feeling that something I do is making a difference,” he said. He resists the idea that his “Do Good Adventure” is all that unusual. It bothers him that the media often describe young people as lazy, self-centered. So he sees his trip as a chance to make a statement, too. “About 55 percent of teens do volunteer work, higher than the rate for adults” he said, according to a 2002 study. “Not everybody knows that. ”

Of course, some teens do volunteer work because it looks impressive on their college applications. Lyons said he mentioned his trip on his applications. But charity work is a habit with him. Even before the cross country trip, he was volunteering about 200 hours a year at various places. He’s made sandwiches for homeless families in Washington D.C. He’s taught math to fifth-graders in Cuernavaca, Mexico.

He gets some of that drive from his mother, Lesley Lyons, who has been involved in nonprofits for much of her life. She was there when her son “read” to the preschoolers — a memory of hers “that will never go away.”

1.What did Russell Lyons think of his first volunteering?

A. Creative.B. Impressive.　 C. Persuasive. D. Imaginative.

2. The third paragraph is meant to________.

A. show Russell Lyons is working as a volunteer

B. introduce some tourist attractions across America

C. call on volunteers to offer help to those in need

D. show volunteers are needed in all parts of America

3. According to Paragraph 4，Russell Lyons is against the idea that____.

A. what he has done is common　

B. most teens do volunteer work

C. young people don’t work hard

D. adults prefer to be volunteers

4. Russell Lyons has been doing volunteer work because_______.

A. it is necessary for college applications

B. he ought to keep his promise to Mom

C. he likes the feeling of being praised

D. it has become a natural part of his life

5.What does the last paragraph suggest?

A. Lesley Lyons is too busy to look after her son.　

B. Russell Lyons is greatly influenced by his mother.

C. Lesley Lyons almost earns no money all her life.

D. Children are always important to their parents.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Although he failed when he tried doing the experiment for the first time, he decided to try it____.

高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Johnny the Explorer

Johnny was three when he ran away from home for the first time. Somebody left the garden gate open. Johnny wandered out, crossed some fields and, two hours later, arrived in the next village. He was just able to give his name and address.

By the time he was seven, Johnny used to disappear from home two to three times a year. Sometimes he covered quite long distances on foot. Sometimes he got on a bus or even a train, and simply sat there until someone asked for his ticket. Generally the police brought him home. “Why do you do it?” they used to ask. “I just like seeing places,” Johnny told them.

Johnny continued to “see places” although everyone tried to stop him. His parents used to watch him closely, and so did his teachers; but sooner or later Johnny managed to slip away. As he grew older, his favorite trick was to hide on a long distance truck. Sometimes he travelled hundreds of miles before anyone discovered him.

It is hardly surprising that eventually Johnny managed to board a plane. He was twelve at the time. It was a cargo plane and, a few hours later, Johnny found himself in Cairo. How did he get on board? No one knows! According to Johnny himself, it was easy: he just went into the airport, walked along some passages and got on board the nearest plane.

In spite of all this, Johnny did well at school. He enjoyed mathematics and languages and, perhaps not surprisingly, he was especially good at geography. “What do you want to be when you grow up?” his teachers asked him. “An explorer!” he answered. “But it’s difficult to become an explorer in this modern age,” they tried to tell him. But it was no use: Johnny knew what he wanted!

Just before he left school, Johnny saw a notice in a daily paper. A long journey was about to go to Brazil to travel up the Amazon River. There were jobs for three young people “willing to work hard and with a sense of adventure”. Johnny applied, and two months later, he was on his way to Brazil.

1.At what age did Johnny board a plane for the first time?

A. Three　　　　 B. Seven　　　　　 C. Twelve　　　 D. Not mentioned

2.Johnny frequently left home because ______.

A. he preferred to stay alone　　　　　

B. he enjoyed seeing new places

C. he couldn’t do well at school　　　

D. he didn’t get along well with his parents

3.People around Johnny ______.

A. tried to stop him from slipping away　　

B. kept following him to get him back

C. booked tickets for him if necessary　　　

D. were clear about how he travelled abroad

4.From the passage, we can learn that ______.

A. Johnny worked for a daily paper　　

B. Johnny lacked a sense of adventure

C. Johnny went exploring along the Amazon River

D. Johnny went to Brazil two months after he finished school

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

---When did he meet his wife for the first time？

---It was _________ he came back from Africa that year _________ he met his wife.

A. when; then        B. not until; that C. not; until       D. only; when

高二英语单项填空困难题查看答案及解析

It is the first time that Chinese astronaut Wang Yue________as one of the volunteers for the Mars-500 test project .

A. has been selected   B. had been selected   C. has selected  D. selected

高二英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析

People are puzzled ________ they read the book.

A. the first time    B. at the first time    C. for the first time    D. at first

高二英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析

Only when he read this novel for a second time ________ to appreciate its beauty.

A. that he began    B. he began

C. had he begun    D. did he begin

高二英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析

If you’re looking at diving for the first time in Papua New Guinea, believe everything you have read about our world-class waters.

Called the “underwater photographer’s paradise”, we’ve got many international awards for underwater photography taken here. In our oceans you'll see up to twice as many marine species as the waters of the Red Sea and up to five times as many as the Caribbean. Our waters enjoy a huge diversity of dive sites, including reefs, coral walls, seagrass beds, and wreck dive sites (ships, aircraft and submarines!).

Must see

Dive down to a fully complete Japanese fighter plane in Kimbe Bay, known also for soft coral and unusual creatures.

Experience "Muck Diving", which puts Papua New Guinea on the map, in Milne Bay.

Explore our surfing destinations from October to April. Relatively new to international surf enthusiasts, our breaks at Vanimo, Wewak, Madang and Kavieng are quickly becoming known for being uncrowded, challenging and entertaining for days!

Want to book a "Muck Diving"? Call 00675-374.

Want to dive to see fighter plane? Call 00675-325.

Where to stay

Papua New Guinea has accommodation to suit every budget and need. From privacy-protected hideaways to family-friendly escapes, book your business package or luxury resort knowing you’ll be well looked after.

Want to find a suitable hotel? Call 00677-366.

Further information

Dive coaches offer both land-based (one day, three dives) and live-aboard dive tours (7-10 days, up to five dives a day).

The average water temperature varies from 25ºC along the edge of the Coral Sea to 29ºC in the Bismarck Sea.

You can dive in Papua New Guinea all year round, with the high season generally from May to November.

Want to get yourself a professional dive coach? Call 00652-392.

1.Which of the following is the best destination for an underwater photographer?

A. The Read Sea. B. The Caribbean.

C. The Japanese Sea. D. The Papua New Guinea waters.

2.What makes Papua New Guinea famous in terms of diving?

A. “Muck Diving”. B. Wreck dive sites.

C. Marine species. D. Medical services.

3.If you want to have a 7-day dive live-aboard tour, contact _____________.

A. 00675-374. B. 00675-325.

C. 00677-366. D. 00652-392.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

The first time she saw Bryce Loski, she flipped. The first time he saw Juli Baker, he ran. For six years of living close by, they had played the same game of cat-and-mouse (Juli was the cat; Bryce was the unfortunate mouse).

For years Juli dreamed of one thing: her first kiss from the boy. Nothing else seemed to matter. But when Juli’s favorite sycamore tree is threatened by developers, things begin to change. She begins to see things and places and people in a different light. Things, for years, she thought to be important, become things she can live without; and people she thought to be the center of her universe, become nothing more than a star in a faraway galaxy.

Things begin changing with Bryce also. It all begins with the eggs…which then cause a domino effect of changes with his relationships with his best friend, his father, the Bakers and, ultimately, Juli.

I had seen this book on the shelf at bookstores for years, but never bothered to pick it up because it looked to be another book from Jerry Spinelli (not exactly my favorite author in the world) and so, continually, I would walk past it without giving it a second glance. If by chance I had picked it up, I most likely would not have read it, since the summary on the back didn’t seem too appealing. It wasn’t until a couple of weeks ago that I heard about Flipped the movie. I read an interview with Callan McAuliffe (the actor who portrays Bryce) and thought that Flipped was a romance right up my alley; cute, innocent and as far from Jane Austin as you could get. After reading the interview and a summary of the movie, I found the plot-line to be somewhat appealing and a definite breath of fresh air opposed to the dark material I have been recently reading and writing. I found the book a few days later in a Goodwill bookstore and finished it in three days.

The story isn’t what you would consider deep…it isn’t shallow and pointless either…I guess you could say it’s the perfect balance of life-lessons and innocence.

You read about Bryce and Juli (each from their own points of view) and how, throughout six years, their lives and views and opinions change and develop. Flipped is somewhat of a coming of age story about two kids learning to see life from the other’s point of view and learning that growing up isn’t about staying the same, but changing; changing likes and dislikes; changing friends and crushes and views on family.

Uniquely written, every other chapter showing the same scenes and events, only from the other’s point of view, you see how the saying, “Two sides to every story,” is true. You are able to see both Juli and Bryce’s reasons for doing what they do and saying what they say…not just what the other sees.

It will be interesting to see how this writing style comes into play in the movie. Overall I thought this story was incredibly cute and light-hearted, although it didn’t entirely meet my expectations. Especially the ending. I felt as though it ended quite abruptly and that there was more story that needed to be told.

But even with that, after having taken a step back and taken my mind off of Flipped, I find the story has stuck with me and stayed in the back of my mind, making me highly anticipate seeing this book turned to a film. I understand why it has been so popular for almost two decades and am looking forward to seeing Flipped on the big screen soon.

1.According to Paragraphs 1 and 2, what is the relationship between Juli Baker and Bryce Loski？

A. Lovers.　　 B. Neighbors.

C. Daughter and father.　　 D. Sister and brother.

2.What has happened to Juli after her favorite sycamore tree is endangered?

A. Bryce Loski has become an insignificant figure in her life.

B. Things and people around her have changed beyond recognition.

C. She has come to realize that she is the center of the universe.

D. The sycamore tree is nothing more than a star in faraway galaxy.

3.Which of the following sentences best expresses the essential information in the underlined sentence in Paragraph 4?

A. After reading the interview with Callan, the author confirmed his pervious attitude to Flipped.

B. After reading the interview with Callan, the author was deep impressed by his story of romance.

C. It was the interview with Callan that made the author realize that it was a book to his taste.

D. It was the performance of Callan that inspired the author to read the original work.

4.According to Paragraph 6, what is the theme of Flipped?

A. Generation gap.　　 B. Growing pains.

C. Forever love.　　 D. Changing lifestyles.

5.In the author’s opinion, Flipped doesn’t provide us readers with ________.

A. a happy ending for Juli and Bryce　　 B. limited appeal for re-appreciation

C. much space for individual imagination　　 D. a smooth ending to the whole story

6.The passage is mainly about ________.

A. a beautiful love story between Juli Baker and Bryce Loski

B. a cute and innocent love story that you shouldn’t miss

C. how an amazing movie was adapted from a love story

D. how a summary prevents readers from moving forward

高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

I remember the first time that I was extremely happy, I was about 8 years old when for the first time, there was a computer in the classroom. I remember that my teacher allowed each student to take turns to play various educational games on the computer. One day, I found the source code for one of these games. Without knowing or being taught any programming language, I was able to figure out some of the BASIC code. I just gave myself a limitless number of lives in the game, so I could continue playing it forever. This was also my first introduction to algebra, and I didn’t even know it at the time. This was a decisive moment in my life. I was quite excited because of what I was learning and what I was able to do. As a result, I was enthusiastic for the rest of my life about self-learning and computers, and I was quite happy doing them too.

I’ve noticed that people who are truly content with life are enthusiastic about what they do. This enthusiasm, along with good health, is the key to being happy. It also leads to self-confidence and content in life too. It may also lead to success, wealth and achievements.

Success , wealth or achievements can also bring some people happiness , yet I know plenty of rich people who are unhappy . I know many people with successful businesses that are not happy with what they are doing .I know people who continuously buy themselves new toys , such as cars , computers ,and televisions ,yet never seem content for too long .Please remember , happiness is the journey of life , not the destination.

1.What can we know from Paragraph 1?

A. The author has a great talent for algebra.

B. Creative thinking is necessary for every child.

C. The BASIC code of the computer is not difficult.

D. The author’s experience in his childhood changed his life.

2.The author wants to tell us through the first paragraph that___________.

A. interest is the best teacher　　　　　

B. children are the hope of the future

C. young people are fearless　　　　　

D. where there’s a will , there’s a way

3.What is the secret of happiness in the author’s opinion?

A. Success and wealth.　　　　　　　　

B. Gifts and self-confidence.

C. Enthusiasm and good health.　　　

D. Knowledge and achievements.

4.We can infer from the last paragraph that ___________.

A. rich people generally feel unhappy

B. wealth can’t bring people any happiness

C. one will feel unhappy once he has gained all the things he wants

D. being enthusiastic about what you are doing is more important than wealth

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析