As long as people have been telling stories, crones(丑陋的老太婆) have been scaring the wits out of children. “Nags(怨妇), witches, evil stepmothers, cannibals(食人妇). It’s quite dreadful,” says Maria Tatar, who teaches a course on folklore and mythology at Harvard. "But old women are also powerful—they're often the ones who can work magic.” In the Disney film Snow White, there’s a scene in which the beautiful, charming, wicked queen turns into an old hag and poisons Snow White so she'll sleep forever. The old lady in Hansel and Gretel wants to roast children in her oven and the witch in The Little Mermaid cuts out Ariel’s tongue.
Tatar says old women villains(恶人) are especially scary because, historically, the most powerful person in a child’s life was the mother. “Children do have a way of splitting the mother figure into...the evil mother—who’s always making rules and regulations, policing your behavior, getting angry at you—and then the kind mother—the one who is giving and protects you, makes sure that you survive.”
Veronique Tadjo, a writer who grew up in the Ivory Coast, thinks there’s a fear of female power in general. She says a common figure in African folk tales is the old witch who destroys people’s souls. Still, they're not all bitter and evil hags. Elderly women in folk tales often use their knowledge and experience of the world to guide the troubled protagonist(主人公). Tadjo points to the Kenyan story Marwe In The Underworld about a girl who commits suicide by drowning herself and enters the Land of the Dead where she meets an old woman. “That old woman teaches her quite a lot of things,” Tadjo says. “And also, when Marwe starts longing for the world of the living, she helps her go back to the surface with a lot of riches. And we understand that Marwe has been rewarded for her goodness.” In other words: Do your chores and you’ll be rewarded. The point of these ancient tales, no matter what continent they come from, may have been to scare children into behaving.
Perhaps the scariest old woman character—the ugly Baba Yaga—comes from Russia. She’s bony with a hooked nose and long, iron teeth. Her hut(小屋) stands on chicken legs and she kidnaps children and eats them. Safe to say Baba Yaga has been making Eastern European children sleepless for centuries. In one interpretation, a mean stepmother sends the young girl Vasilisa to Baba Yaga's hut in the woods to get a candle. The girl is sure she’s being sent to her death. Baba Yaga forces her to cook and clean, and Vasilisa does everything she's told. In the end, the old crone gives her what she needs and sends her home. “You see this kind of double face of the hag,”Maria Tatar says. “On the one hand: aggressive, threatening. And on the other hand: sometimes to make sure that there is a happily ever after.”
There's that power again. In Japanese folklore, the Yama Uba(山姥) is an equally ambiguous old woman. She’s a mountain witch who, like Baba Yaga, lures people into her hut and eats them. But she'll also help a lost traveler. Noriko Reider is a professor at Miami University of Ohio who's done extensive research on Yama Uba stories. “She brings fortune and happiness,” Reider says. “She can also bring death and destruction for those who are not very good.”
According to Cuban-American writer Alma Flor Ada, in Hispanic(拉美地区的) culture old women are multi-talented. Ada is co-author of Tales Our Grandmas Told, which includes a story about Caliph’s son who becomes seriously ill. After “all of the best physicians in the land” fail to cure him, Caliph sends his messengers searching for help. Then one morning, an old woman arrives with this advice: To get well, the prince must wear the overcoat of a man who is truly happy. And of course it works.
1.What does the underlined phrase in Para 1 “scaring the wits out of children” mean？
A. making children frightened B. making children stupid
C. making children interested D. making children confused
2.Among all the characters mentioned, ________ is terribly treated by an old woman.
A. Caliph B. Marwe C. Ariel D. Vasilisa
3.The images of ________ show double faces of a hag by doing both good and evil things.
A. Snow White and The Little Mermaid B. Hansel and Gretel
C. Veronique Tadjo and Noriko Reider D. Baba Yaga and Yama Uba
4.About the cultural images of an old woman, ________ has a different view from others.
A. Maria Tatar B. Veronique Tadjo C. Noriko Reider D. Alma Flor Ada
5.All the following words can be used to describe Baba Yaga EXCEPT ________.
A. aggressive B. sensitive C. dreadful D. merciful
6.According to the passage, why are old women often the face of evil in fairy tales and folklore?
A. Because they are always nags, witches, evil stepmothers and cannibals.
B. Because they are scary by recalling the general fear of female power.
C. Because they are intended to scare children into behaving well.
D. Because they are multi-talented with the ability to work magic.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题
As long as people have been telling stories, crones(丑陋的老太婆) have been scaring the wits out of children. “Nags(怨妇), witches, evil stepmothers, cannibals(食人妇). It’s quite dreadful,” says Maria Tatar, who teaches a course on folklore and mythology at Harvard. "But old women are also powerful—they're often the ones who can work magic.” In the Disney film Snow White, there’s a scene in which the beautiful, charming, wicked queen turns into an old hag and poisons Snow White so she'll sleep forever. The old lady in Hansel and Gretel wants to roast children in her oven and the witch in The Little Mermaid cuts out Ariel’s tongue.
Tatar says old women villains(恶人) are especially scary because, historically, the most powerful person in a child’s life was the mother. “Children do have a way of splitting the mother figure into...the evil mother—who’s always making rules and regulations, policing your behavior, getting angry at you—and then the kind mother—the one who is giving and protects you, makes sure that you survive.”
Veronique Tadjo, a writer who grew up in the Ivory Coast, thinks there’s a fear of female power in general. She says a common figure in African folk tales is the old witch who destroys people’s souls. Still, they're not all bitter and evil hags. Elderly women in folk tales often use their knowledge and experience of the world to guide the troubled protagonist(主人公). Tadjo points to the Kenyan story Marwe In The Underworld about a girl who commits suicide by drowning herself and enters the Land of the Dead where she meets an old woman. “That old woman teaches her quite a lot of things,” Tadjo says. “And also, when Marwe starts longing for the world of the living, she helps her go back to the surface with a lot of riches. And we understand that Marwe has been rewarded for her goodness.” In other words: Do your chores and you’ll be rewarded. The point of these ancient tales, no matter what continent they come from, may have been to scare children into behaving.
Perhaps the scariest old woman character—the ugly Baba Yaga—comes from Russia. She’s bony with a hooked nose and long, iron teeth. Her hut(小屋) stands on chicken legs and she kidnaps children and eats them. Safe to say Baba Yaga has been making Eastern European children sleepless for centuries. In one interpretation, a mean stepmother sends the young girl Vasilisa to Baba Yaga's hut in the woods to get a candle. The girl is sure she’s being sent to her death. Baba Yaga forces her to cook and clean, and Vasilisa does everything she's told. In the end, the old crone gives her what she needs and sends her home. “You see this kind of double face of the hag,”Maria Tatar says. “On the one hand: aggressive, threatening. And on the other hand: sometimes to make sure that there is a happily ever after.”
There's that power again. In Japanese folklore, the Yama Uba(山姥) is an equally ambiguous old woman. She’s a mountain witch who, like Baba Yaga, lures people into her hut and eats them. But she'll also help a lost traveler. Noriko Reider is a professor at Miami University of Ohio who's done extensive research on Yama Uba stories. “She brings fortune and happiness,” Reider says. “She can also bring death and destruction for those who are not very good.”
According to Cuban-American writer Alma Flor Ada, in Hispanic(拉美地区的) culture old women are multi-talented. Ada is co-author of Tales Our Grandmas Told, which includes a story about Caliph’s son who becomes seriously ill. After “all of the best physicians in the land” fail to cure him, Caliph sends his messengers searching for help. Then one morning, an old woman arrives with this advice: To get well, the prince must wear the overcoat of a man who is truly happy. And of course it works.
1.What does the underlined phrase in Para 1 “scaring the wits out of children” mean？
A. making children frightened B. making children stupid
C. making children interested D. making children confused
2.Among all the characters mentioned, ________ is terribly treated by an old woman.
A. Caliph B. Marwe C. Ariel D. Vasilisa
3.The images of ________ show double faces of a hag by doing both good and evil things.
A. Snow White and The Little Mermaid B. Hansel and Gretel
C. Veronique Tadjo and Noriko Reider D. Baba Yaga and Yama Uba
4.About the cultural images of an old woman, ________ has a different view from others.
A. Maria Tatar B. Veronique Tadjo C. Noriko Reider D. Alma Flor Ada
5.All the following words can be used to describe Baba Yaga EXCEPT ________.
A. aggressive B. sensitive C. dreadful D. merciful
6.According to the passage, why are old women often the face of evil in fairy tales and folklore?
A. Because they are always nags, witches, evil stepmothers and cannibals.
B. Because they are scary by recalling the general fear of female power.
C. Because they are intended to scare children into behaving well.
D. Because they are multi-talented with the ability to work magic.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
As long as there have been exams, students have found ways to cheat. Today the correct answers are just a few taps away on a smart phone. So countries have come up with new ways to stop the funny business. Some use metal detectors, surveillance (监控) cameras, and mobile phone jammers (干扰器).1.
Cheating in high school leaving exams got so bad in Mauritania and Algeria that this year the authorities turned off the Internet for the entire country. Algeria did so for at least an hour during tests (which last about a week).2.Other countries, such as Iraq, Uzbekistan and Ethiopia, have for years been shutting down the Internet during exam time.
In each country students are under high pressure to do well in the tests, which often determine whether they can continue their education at a good university.3.But high marks are rare. In Algeria only around half of students passed the exams in recent years. In Mauritania the rate is much lower.
4.Darrell West of the Brookings Institution, a think-tank, estimates that in 2015-2016 Internet shutdowns ordered by governments cost countries at least $2.4bn. 5.
A.Turning off the Internet is expensive.
B.Teachers try to help — in their own way.
C.Others have taken a more severe measure.
D.A splendid grade may mean a scholarship abroad.
E.Mauritania cut access from morning until evening on exam days.
F.For that kind of money, countries could even improve their schools.
G.With so many students cheating electronically, governments are taking extreme steps.
高二英语七选五中等难度题查看答案及解析
For as long as there have been gifts, we naturally make choices based on the recipient (接受者). But what if we have been wrong all along and that we could turn things around, which not only made gift buying easier, but the recipient happier?
In 2015, psychologists Lauren Human and Lara Aknin conducted an online survey, which suggested that when people buy gifts, they prefer to choose something based on the recipient’s personality and tastes. Most people also said that they preferred receiving gifts bought with them in mind: gifts for them.
But Human and Aknin wondered if this approach to giving failed to take advantage of the way we connect as people. So they sent 78 volunteers into a shopping centre before Mother’s Day. Half were told to buy a card that “reveals(揭示) your knowledge of the recipient” while the others set out to buy a card that “reveals your true self”. After the purchase, the givers who had thought partly of themselves reported feeling emotionally closer to their mothers.
To find out how that approach goes down with recipients, the psychologists did another test, asking more than 100 students to choose a song on iTunes to give to a friend, partner or family member. Each half of the group received the same instructions as the card buyers. Results revealed that recipients of songs that revealed something of the givers felt closer to them than those who received gifts bought only with them in mind.
Human and Aknin suggest it might apply to all gifts. “If building stronger social connections is the underlying (潜在的)goal” of a gift and surely it should be — then we “may well be advised to offer more self-reflective gifts”. In short, for a present to be meaningful, you need to give away a bit of yourself, even if there is a risk that the gift might not so closely suit the recipient’s practical needs or tastes as one acquired purely with that in mind.
Moreover, giving something of oneself can be a safer act, the psychologists added. Because it reduces the risk of revealing poor knowledge of a recipient by attempting to buy something that fits their character — and failing.
But a note of caution here: what the research does not examine is the potential risk in repeated, unsympathetic giver-centered giving, which, according to Human and Aknin “could signal self-obsession” — and nobody wants to reveal that about themselves.
1.From the Mother’s Day card test, we can conclude that .
A.gifts chosen with the giver in mind work well on the giver
B.most people choose gifts with the recipient in mind
C.most people choose gifts based on their personal tastes
D.gifts chosen with the giver in mind work well on the recipient
2.What does the author think is the significance of gift giving?
A.Making the giver’s life happier.
B.Showing one’s knowledge of the recipient.
C.Establishing and strengthening social connections.
D.Meeting the recipient’s practical needs.
3.Which of the following is Human and Aknin’s advice on gift giving?
A.Choose gifts that reflect more of yourself.
B.Just focus on your own tastes when choosing gifts.
C.Buy something that fits the recipient’s character most.
D.Be careful not to signal your true personality.
4.Which is the best title of this passage?
A.The tradition of gift giving B.The purpose of gift giving
C.The effect of gift giving D.The psychology of gift giving
高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
Have you been told you have penicillin allergy? Did your parents tell you that you had a reaction as an infant or child, so you should never take it again? Has it been so long since you had a reaction to penicillin that you don’t remember what happened? If you fit any of these descriptions or are just not sure if you have penicillin allergy, there’s good news for you: Chances are, you probably don’t have it.
Between 10 to 20 percent of Americans believe they have a penicillin allergy, but a recent study at Mayo Clinic found that only 10 percent of those people are truly penicillin allergic. In other words, 9 out of 10 people who think they have penicillin allergy are avoiding it for no reason. Even in people with documented allergy to penicillin, only about 20 percent are still allergic 10 years after their initial allergic reaction. It’s not necessarily a permanent condition.
Why is this important? Aren’t there many other antibiotics you can use if you have penicillin allergy? Penicillin has been around since 1928. Penicillin and its related medicines include amoxicillin, methicillin and amoxicillin-clavulnate. These medicines are highly effective treatments for many bacterial infections, such as strep throat and ear infections. Of course, there are alternative antibiotics, but these are often much more expensive and carry a higher risk of side effects. Typically, these alternative antibiotics are broad-spectrum, meaning they fight many types of bacteria, both good and bad. That can lead to development of drug-resistant bacteria, or deadly “superbugs”. This increases the risk for all of us in the future of not having an effective antibiotic to treat our infection.
How do you find out if you have penicillin allergy? Board-certified allergists can test you. First, the allergist will get a history from you about your possible allergy. Typical questions include: How long ago did you have the reaction? What type of reaction occurred, and how soon after you took the penicillin did the reaction appear? The testing is done on the forearm by pricking the skin with a needle. If the results are negative and there is no reaction, penicillin will be injected in the skin. These tests are not painful, and results are available in 15 minutes. A positive reaction may lead to some swelling and itching where the test was placed, which usually goes away within an hour.
In very rare cases, an allergic reaction occurs. This can include hives, swelling, wheezing and/or difficulty breathing. The allergist is trained to treat this rare condition quickly if it happens. If all skin testing is negative, you may be given an oral dose of penicillin in the office. The oral drug challenge is used to verify that you don’t have penicillin allergy. Usually, you’ll be observed in the office for 30 minutes to make sure you have no problems.
If you find out you don’t have a penicillin allergy, notify your physicians that it’s now safe for you to take penicillin. They can take “penicillin allergy” off your chart for good!
1.What can we know about penicillin allergy according to the passage?
A. Most people believe that they are penicillin allergic.
B. People with documented allergy will have it forever.
C. About 90 percent of people are truly penicillin allergic.
D. Many people with initial allergy can avoid it later.
2.Which is NOT the drawback of the alternative antibiotics?
A. They cost much more than penicillin.
B. They can treat many bacterial infections.
C. They can result in drug-resistant bacteria.
D. They also fight good bacteria when used.
3.If you have a positive reaction in skin tests, _______.
A. you can’t leave the office within an hour
B. your skin is supposed to swell and itch
C. it is not safe for you to take penicillin
D. you’ll be given an oral dose of penicillin
4.Which can replace the underlined word “verify”?
A. confirm B. attach
C. declare D. control
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
For years, experts have been encouraging people to exercise, using steps as simple as taking the stairs instead of a lift and walking to work, where possible. A recent study bolsters this advice — it shows that frequent active exercise throughout the day can have great health benefits.
The study, published in the magazine Preventive Medicine, found that just 2 minutes of stair-climbing several times a day can lower total cholesterol(胆固醇), raise HDL (“good”) cholesterol and improve the heartbeat in young women who do not have much activity during the day.“such improvements may have important effects on the health of women, since, like cigarette smoking, poor fitness have been shown to be a high risk for heart disease and death in women,”said Dr.Colin Boreham with the University of Ulster in Belfast, Ireland and the fellow researchers of this study group. Furthermore, improvements in total cholesterol levels achieved in the study could cut the rate of heart disease in women by a third, they noted.
The team of researchers from Britain studied 12 women between 18-22 years old, before and after the exercise program. The women used a public staircase for about 2 minutes a day for 5 days a week. Compared with a group of 10 women who did not take part in the stair-climbing program, the women who climbed stairs showed marked improvements in health and fitness levels after 7 weeks. However, they did not show any signs of weight loss.“A short-term stair-climbing program can give great health benefits to young women. Stair-climbing may be a particularly suitable way of combining exercise with an individual’s daily lifestyle,”they pointed out.
Experts advise visiting your doctor before beginning a new exercise program.
1.The underlined word “bolsters”( in Paragraph 1 ) means “_______”.
A. seeks B. offers C. follows D. supports
2.According to the study done by Dr.Boreham and his group, improvements in cholesterol levels are important in _______.
A. helping women to give up smoking
B. enabling women to take exercise
C. preventing women from having heart disease
D. helping women to lose weight
3.What is the main subject of the second and third paragraphs?
A. Causes of heart disease in young women.
B. Research findings of a stair-climbing program
C. Major contents of the magazine Preventive Medicine.
D. A report of a comparative study by Irish and British scientists.
4.What would be the best title for the text?
A. How to Prevent Heart Disease — What Do Doctors Say?
B. Stair-climbing Attracts More
C. Good Health Advice—take the Stairs
D. Yes, Exercise Is Good for You
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
As is known to us all, baths and bathing have long been considered of medical importance to man. In Greece there are the ruins of a water system for baths built over 3,000 years ago. The Romans had warm public baths. In some baths, as many 3,000 persons could bathe at the same time.
Treating disease by taking bathing has been popular for centuries. Modern medical bathing first became popular in Europe and by the late 1700’s has also become popular in the United States.
For many years frequent(经常的) bathing was believed to be bad for one’s health. Ordinary bathing just to keep clean was avoided, and perfume was often used to cover up body smells!
By the 1700’s doctors began to say that soap and water were good for health. They believed that it was good for people to be clean. Slowly, people began to bathe more frequently. During the Victorian Age of the late 19th century, taking a bath on Saturday night became common.
In the United States ordinary bathing was slow to become popular. During the 18th and early 19th centuries, many Americans were known as “The Great Unwashed!” In one American city, for example, a person was only allowed to take a bathe every thirty days! That was a law!
Frequency of bathing today is partly a matter of habit. People know that bathing for cleanliness is important to health, Doctors know that dirty bodies increase the chance of diseases. As a result, in the United States, people generally bathe often. Some people bath once a day at least. They consider a daily bath essential (="necessary)" to good health.
1. A water system for baths was built by _________ over 3,000 years ago.
A．the Greeks B．the Romans C．the Americans D．the Europeans
2.In the 18th century doctors believed that being clean was __________.
A．good for health B．unimportant C．harmful D．important
3.The underlined word perfume probably means _____________.
A．a strange smelling substance B．good health
C．a sweet smelling substance D．large wealth
4.Which of the following gives the main idea of the passage?
A．Everybody inAmericatakes a daily bath.
B．A bath a day keeps the doctor away.
C．Bathing has become easier and cheaper.
D．Taking baths has become popular in the world.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
The old man is telling the boys________ story as__________last time.
A. as funny a; he did B. the same funny; he did it
C. such a funny; he did so D. as a funny; he did
高二英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
As a boy grown up in India, I had longed to traveling abroad. I used to listen to the stories my father told me about her stay in Canada and trips to Europe in 1970s. My big moment finally come in the summer of 1998 when I was able to accompany my parents to Europe, where my father was to attend for a meeting. The service during the flight to Frankfurt was such nice that even today I can still remember them. The flight was really smooth and thorough enjoyable, even for someone as me, who is otherwise scared of flying.
高二英语短文改错中等难度题查看答案及解析
As a boy growing up in India，I had longed to travel abroad. I used to listen to the stories my father would tell me about his stay in Canada and tours to Europe in the 1970s，with great interest.
My big moment finally came in the summer of 1998 when I was able to accompany my parents to Europe，where my father was to attend a meeting. We planned to travel to Belgium，Netherlands and West Germany.
I have vivid memories even today of going to Mumbai airport at night all excited about finally going abroad. I had heard several great things about Lufthansa till then but now I finally got to experience them first hand，during the flight to Frankfurt. We flew business class and even today I can remember the excellent service by the Lufthansa crew. The flight was really smooth and thoroughly enjoyable，even for someone like me，who is otherwise scared of flying.
After spending almost two weeks in Europe，we took the Lufthansa airport express from Dusseldorf to Frankfurt airport，for our return flight. What a journey that was! All along the Rhine (莱茵河)，it was simply an unforgettable experience. I was in a sombre mood on the flight back to Mumbai as it marked the end of a wonderful vacation，but the Lufthansa crew members were able to change it into a most enjoyable experience yet again，with the quality of their service.
Being the first airline to take me overseas，Lufthansa will always hold a special place in my heart. Even today，I continue to enjoy flights on Lufthansa and simply cannot dream of choosing any other airline. Flying，in general，for me，has always been an ordeal (terrible and painful experience)．Flying on Lufthansa，however，is something I always have and always will look forward to.
1.What made the author so interested in traveling abroad?
A．Growing up in India.
B．Once staying in Canada.
C．Once traveling to Canada with his father.
D．His father's stories about his traveling experiences.
2.Which of the following is TRUE about the author's trip to Europe in 1998?
A．The author traveled with one of his parents.
B．Both their going and return are by air.
C．They traveled in spring that year.
D．They stayed in Europe for nearly two months.
3.It can be inferred from the passage that Lufthansa is ________.
A．a city in India B．a city in Europe
C．an airline company D．a travel agency
4.The underlined word “sombre” in the 4th paragraph probably means “________”．
A．happy B．sad C．angry D．enjoyable
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
There is an endless supply of stories about sleepwalkers(梦游者). People have been said to climb on roofs, solve mathematical problems, write music, walk through windows, and do murder in their sleep.
In Revere, Massachusetts, a hundred policemen searched for a lost boy who left his home in his sleep and woke up five hours later on a strange sofa in a strange living room, with no idea how he had got there.
At the University of Lowa, a student was reported to have the habit of getting up in the middle of the night and walking three-quarters of a mile to the Lowa River. He would take a swim and then go back to his room to bed.
An American expert on sleep claims(声称) that he has never seen a sleepwalker. He is said to know more about sleep than any other living man, and during the last thirty-five years he has lost a lot of sleep watching people sleep. He says, “Of course, I know that there are sleepwalkers because I have read about them in the newspapers. But none of my sleepers ever walked, and if I were to advertise for sleepwalkers for an experiment, I doubt whether I would get many takers(应征者).”
Sleepwalking, however, is a scientific reality. It is one of those strange things that sometimes look quite fantastic(奇特的). Doctors say that sleepwalking is much more common than is generally supposed. Many sleepwalkers do not try to find help and their sleepwalking is never recorded.
1.Generally speaking, sleepwalkers are people who __________.
A. do fantastic things during their sleep
B. walk through windows
C. climb on roofs
D. walk in a half-awake state
2.It was reported that a boy ________.
A. was found on a strange sofa, telling how he had got there
B. lost his way five hours after he left home
C. slept in his own room but woke up in a strange room
D. was searched for by policemen when he lost his way
3.There was a college student who got into the habit of _______.
A. walking three-quarters of a mile every day
B. getting up in the middle of the night and walking down to the river
C. swimming in the Lowa River before going to bed
D. walking about before he went to bed
4.Why do people think sleepwalking is nothing but a fantastic thing which doesn’t have any explanation?
A. It is so common that it needn’t be recorded.
B. Scientists take no interest in it.
C. No records about it have been made.
D. Most sleepwalkers do not seek help for their problem.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析