One-hundred-and seventh birthdays aren’t usua...

One-hundred-and seventh birthdays aren’t usually celebrated for authors who aren’t alive anymore. But Theodor Seuss Geisel---better known as the children’s books author Dr. Seuss ---who came into the world on 2 March, 1904, was an unusual man.

Like generations of children I was raised on his wonderful stories. But when I now read them to my children it’s not just the childhood memories I enjoy. His writing is brilliant and imaginative and flows with a self-confidence as sure as the words of a Shakespeare poem. Readers ride his characteristic rhythm (韵律) with an effortless joy that cannot be matched by any other modern writer:

You have brains in your head

You have feet in your shoes

You can steer yourself any direction you choose

And will you succeed?

Yes indeed, yes indeed!

Ninety-eight and three-quarters percent guaranteed.

Seuss’s brilliant cartoons and clever words make his books a delight for adults but they attract mostly children of course. His stories teach kids moral lessons but in indirect and entertaining ways.

The first Seuss book I was given was The Lorax, written just as the 60s were becoming the 70s. Seuss was ahead of his time, and in this book the dawn of concern for environmental problems are shown as the Lorax “who speaks for the trees” battles against an evil businessman who wants to destroy the forest and make goods “which everyone needs”.

It’s not only a warning of the heavy price of environmental destruction, written well before most people had thought to worry, but it’s also a smart analysis of consumer societies: “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” This is of course a moral message, but not of the kind designed to persuade the youngsters into behavior that adults want.

I could go on, but hey, it’s a birthday, and I’m sure you folks have some good toasts to raise for the party…

1.What’s the purpose of this passage?

A. To introduce Dr. Seuss’s life.

B. To analyze Dr. Seuss’s books.

C. To describe Dr. Seuss’s writing style.

D. To celebrate Dr. Seuss’s achievements.

2.Why does the author include Dr. Seuss’s poem?

A. To encourage readers to use their brains and choose their own way.

B. To give readers a sample of Seuss’s story The Lorax.

C. To provide readers with an example of Seuss’s writing style.

D. To explain how relevant Seuss’s stories remain today.

3. Why do adults also enjoy Seuss’s books?

A. His words and pictures are imaginative enough to be enjoyed by all.

B. His books give children obvious moral messages to learn from.

C. He writes about adult topics in a way that is understandable to children.

D. He was the first person to write about the environment.

4.When was the book The Lorax written?

A. Early 1960s.　　 B. Early 1970s.

C. Late 1960s.　　 　 D. Late 1970s.

5. Which of the following is true about Seuss?

A. Many of the issues he discussed attracted greater concern in later years.

B. He is widely considered as the twentieth-century Shakespeare.

C. His books are more popular now than when they were first published.

D. Most readers thought his ideas were difficult to understand.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Happy birthday! Do birthday really make people happy? Of course they do. Birthday celebrate the day when we were born. Besides, that extra candle on the cake suggest another year of growth and maturity—or so we hope. We all like to imagine that we are getting wiser and not just older. Most of us enjoy seeing the wonder of growth in others, as well. For instance, seeing our children develop and learn new things makes us feel proud. For Americans, like people in most cultures, growing up is a wonderful process. But growing old? That is a different story.

Growing old is not exactly for people in youth-oriented(以年轻人为中心) American culture. Most Americans like to look young, act young and feel young. As the old saying goes, “You’re young as you feel.” Older people joke about how many years young they are, rather than how many years old. People in some countries value the aged as a source of experience and wisdom. But Americans seem to favor those that are young, or at least “young at heart”.

Many older Americans find the “golden years” to be anything but golden. Economically, “senior citizens” often struggle just to get by. Retirement at the age of 65 brings a sharp decrease in personal income. Social security benefits usually cannot make up the difference. Older people may suffer from poor nutrition, medical care, and housing. Some even experience age discrimination. American sociologist Pat Moore once dressed up like an older person and wandered city streets. She was often treated rudely—even cheated and robbed. However, dressed as a young person, she received much more respect.

Unfortunately, the elderly population in America is increasing fast. Why? People are living longer. Fewer babies are being born. And middle-aged “baby boomers” are rapidly entering the group of the elderly. America may soon be a place where wrinkles(皱纹) are “in”. Marketing experts are ready noticing this growing group of consumer.

1. Growing up is a wonderful thing because ____________.

A. people can celebrate their birthday              B. people can receive many presents

C. people can become more mature and wiser      D. people will feel younger at heart

2.We can infer from the second paragraph that __________.

A. different countries have different opinions on the old age

B. American older people often joke about their old age

C. American culture is very young

D. young people lack experience and wisdom

3. What does the third paragraph mainly tell us?

A. The golden years can make the old earn lots of money.

B. American social security benefits are not good.

C. The old in America are leading a hard life.

D. The old in America have to retire at the age of 65.

4.What does the underlined word “in” in the last paragraph mean?

A. serious              B. disappearing slowly                 C. cool                  D. growing fast

5. According to the text, which of the following is correct?

A. The young are often discriminated in America.

B. The young are more respected than the old in America.

C. Growing old makes people feel proud in America.

D. The old are more respected than the young in America.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Bert Kate, my grandfather, celebrated his 90th birthday in November 2016. Bert loved sports and was an enthusiastic Yankees (an American professional baseball team based in the New York City) fan, so it was no wonder that over the years, he was an avid (热切的) listener to WFAN radio and, in particular, the afternoon show hosted by Mike Francesa.

Bert had health issues in his later years that limited his mobility, and when he lost his vision three years ago, his attachment to his radio and Francesa became more pronounced. He just loved listening to Mike talk about sports and his Yankees each afternoon. Those hours brought him so much pleasure.

Of course, Mike will be leaving Dec.15,2017 after 30 years at the station. Mike lives in the same community where I work on Long Island, and I have gotten to know him over the past 20 years. So when my grandfather was approaching his special birthday the year before last year, I asked Mike for a favor: to call Bert and wish him a happy birthday.

Mike agreed without hesitation. Two days before the special day, Mike stopped at my workplace. I called Bert at his nursing home and put Mike on the phone. It was a complete surprise to Bert. Mike spent more than 10 minutes wishing Bert a happy birthday and, of course, talking about the Yankees.

When my family celebrated Bert’s birthday two days later, he couldn’t stop talking about the phone call. Over his lifetime, he said it was one of the nicest things anyone had ever done for him.

Unfortunately, Ben’s health declined last year and he passed away July 13,2017. But even in his final months in the hospital and nursing home,he always had a radio set to WFAN to listen each afternoon to Mike Francesa.And he also had the memory of that special phone call for his 90th birthday.

1.Why did Bert listen to WFAN radio for many years? ( no more than 10 words)

__________________________________________________

2.What does the underlined word mean in Paragraph2? (1 word)

__________________________________________________

3.What happened two days before Bert’s birthday? ( no more than 10 words)

__________________________________________________

4.What is the best title for the text? (no more than 5 words)

__________________________________________________

5.What do you think of the author? Please explain. (no more than 20 words)

___________________________________________________

高三英语阅读表达中等难度题查看答案及解析

When Xia Min started drinking alcohol with classmates to celebrate her friend’ s birthday, she didn’t realize a tragedy was drawing near. She drank a lot and fell into a coma. The 15-year-old girl from Chongqing never recovered, leaving great sorrow for her family and friends. Xia’ s death is a warning to other students and society. As more and more teenagers are drinking alcohol , the government recently passed a new rule to stop them.

Teens are not allowed to buy or drink alcohol. Shops are not allowed to sell it to them and must display warning signs. The rule will go into effect on January 1 ,2006.

A 1999 Chinese law forbade’ shops to sell alcohol to underage youths. But it is not taken seriously by shopkeepers because it lacks specific punishments.

Experts hope the new rule will work. It sets a 2,000 yuan fine for those who sell alcohol to underage youths. China doesn’t have a legal drinking age.But in China” underage” has been understood to mean under 18.

“I tasted alcohol when having the dinner of the last Spring Festival Eve, “said Liang Yuqi, a 16-year-old girl in Xiamen.She believes that the new rule will stop students’ curiosity about alcohol and help them grow in a healthy way. “Although it may be a little disappointing not to have beer at celebrations, I think soft drinks can serve as well, “she said.

1.The passage is mainly about ________

A．the harmful effects of drinking alcohol

B．the legal age for drinking alcohol

C．a new rule to stop underage drinking

D．students’ ideas about drinking alcohol

2.What can we know from the passage?

A． According to the new rule ,it is illegal for underage youths to drink alcohol.

B．In China there has been no law to forbid shops to sell alcohol to underage youths.

C．Without an ID card, young people can’t buy alcohol.

D．It seems that the young girl, Liang Yuqi, likes to drink alcohol.

3.We can conclude from the passage that _________

A．China’s legal drinking age is clearly defined to be under 16

B．whether the new rule can work still remains to be seen

C． shoppers for alcohol must show their proof of age

D．many teens prefer to drink alcohol to show they’ ye grown up

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Grandma celebrated her fifty-third birthday just weeks before grandpa died of cancer in 1965. Although his passing was very difficult for her, I think their shared struggle to make his life longer taught grandma that good health was not to be taken for granted, and she made up her mind to live the rest of her own life as fully and as long as she could. One day, when she announced to attend lessons at the Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Portland, Oregon, where she lived, we rolled our eyes in embarrassment and helplessly wished she would just stay home and bake cookies as normal grandmothers did. Many years filled with countless dance lessons passed before we learned to appreciate the wonder of having a dancing grandma.

I suppose grandma's primary motivation for wanting to learn to dance was social. She had been a shy girl, always very tall and heavy, and had married into grandpa's quiet lifestyle before developing any elegance or confidence in her personal appearance. Dancing, on the other hand, filled her life with flash lights, wonderful parties, beautiful dresses, handsome young dance instructors, and the challenge of learning. Although the weekly dance lessons did not change her ample, two-hundred-pound figure, grandma surprised everyone with energetic performances on the dance floor, which soon gave her as much elegance and confidence as any Miss American competitor.

Having taken weekly dance lessons for years, my grandma learned various dances easily and was soon participating in dancing matches all over the Northwest. When I was fourteen, grandma proudly invited me to watch her compete in one of these matches to be held in the grand ballroom of the Red Lion Inn. My attitude was still unenthusiastic at that point, but to make her happy, my mother and I attended the match. As if to prove me wrong, grandma made a wonderful showing in every event she entered. I thought she was truly the queen of the ball during the dance, and my thoughts were shared by the judges a short time later when she was awarded a gold cup for her outstanding performance.

1.What did grandma learn from grandpa's death?

A. Good health was not there for everyone.

B. She should take dance lessons.

C. She had to struggle to live a better life.

D. She should wear beautiful dresses.

2.Normal grandmas usually ________ in the author's point of view?

A. took dance lessons

B. did some exercises at home

C. took care of grandchildren at home

D. did some housework at home

3.The author felt ______ when he was invited to watch grandma's match.

A. happy　　　　　　　　 B. proud

C. excited　　　　　　 D. uninterested

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

The search engine Google celebrated on Thursday the 110th birthday of the first Native American woman engineer.Google honored Mary Ross with a special Google Doodle on its homepage.

Ross was born on August 9，1908，in the state of Oklahoma.She was the great-granddaughter of John Ross，the longest—serving chief of the Cherokee Nation.Her work is considered important to the early stages of the age of space travel.

Ross showed special abilities in math and science from an early age.As a student，she developed an interest in aviation，or the practice of flying aircraft.She went on to earn a master’s degree in mathematics from Colorado State Teachers College，now called the University of Northern Colorado.

During World War II，Ross began working for the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation as a mathematician.She earned a special certification in the field from the University of California in1949.Ross was later chosen to join Lockheed’s top—secret Skunk Works team that worked on aircraft designs.The name refers to a group that is permitted to work independently on advanced projects.She was the only female engineer among the team’s 40 members.

Early on，she researched defense systems.By the late 1950s，her work centered on satellites and a series of space rockets called Agenda.The rockets were extremely important in the 1960s during the Apollo moon program.

Ross also helped develop early design ideas for space travel between planets，including flyby space flights to study Venus and Mars.Ross retired from Lockheed in 1973.But she continued to give talks at high schools and colleges to encourage more women and Native Americans to study engineering.She died in 2008，a few months before her 100th birthday.

Many celebrated Ross’life on social media.Twitter user Aaron Perez，for example，wrote:“Mary Ross was an engineer who pioneered in the field of satellites.I never would have known if it wasn’t for the doodle.Women engineers deserve more recognition.”

1.Why did Google celebrate Mary Ross’110th birthday?

A. She invented a new flying aircraft.

B. She had been a great designer ever.

C. She contributed a lot to space travel.

D. She got a master’s degree in mathematics.

2.What did Mary Ross do in the middle of20th century?

A. She worked on Agenda.

B. She gave talks at high schools.

C. She helped women study engineering.

D. She planned the Apollo moon program.

3.Which of the following can best describe Mary Ross?

A. Caring and cautious. B. Talented and creative.

C. Generous and patient. D. Courageous and optimistic.

4.What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A. Social media is very popular in the world.

B. Every Twitter user thinks highly of Mary Ross.

C. More attention should be paid to women engineers.

D. Man has made greater progress in space technology.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

If Confucius(孔子) were still alive today and could celebrate his September 28 birthday with a big cake, there would be a lot of candles. He’d need a fan or a strong wind to help him put them out.

While many people in China will remember Confucius on his special day, few people in the United States will give him a passing thought. It’s nothing personal. Most Americans don’t even remember the birthdays of their own national heroes.

But this doesn’t mean that Americans don’t care about Confucius. In many ways he has become a bridge that foreigners must cross if they want to reach a deeper understanding of China.

In the past two decades, the Chinese studies programs have gained huge popularity in Western universities. More recently, the Chinese government has set up Confucius Institutes in more than 80 countries. These schools teach both Chinese language and culture. The main courses of Chinese culture usually include Chinese art, history and philosophy(哲学). Some social scientists suggest that Westerners should take advantage of the ancient Chinese wisdom to make up for the drawbacks(缺点) of Western philosophy. Students in the United States, at the same time, are racing to learn Chinese. So they will be ready for life in a world where China is an equal power with the United States. Businessmen who hope to make money in China are reading books about Confucius to understand their Chinese customers.

So the old thinker’s ideas are still alive and well.

Today China attracts the West more than ever, and it will need more teachers to introduce Confucius and Chinese culture to the West.

As for the old thinker, he will not soon be forgotten by people in the West, even if his birthday is.

1.The opening paragraph is mainly intended to ________.

A. provide some key facts about Confucius

B. attract the readers’ interest in the subject

C. show great respect for the ancient thinker

D. prove the popularity of modern birthday celebrations

2.We can learn from Paragraph 4 that American students ________.

A. have a great interest in studying Chinese

B. take an active part in Chinese competitions

C. try to get high scores in Chinese exams

D. fight for a chance to learn Chinese

3.What is the best title for the passage?

A. Forgotten Wisdom in America

B. Huge Fans of the Chinese Language

C. Old Thinker with a Big Future

D. Chinese Culture for Westerners

4.The passage is likely to appear in ________.

A. a newspaper　　 B. a history paper

C. a biography　　 D. a philosophy textbook

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

We always celebrated my Dad’s November birthday on Thanksgiving Day, even after he entered a nursing home. As years went on, these events took on a(n) ______meaning – a traditional birthday party for Dad, and a personal ______for all that he had done for me in my life.

When we knew that it might be Dad’s ______birthday, the whole family decided to come together for a huge birthday celebration at the nursing home. It was a crowded party _____all of us sitting around him. Dad was a wonderful _______, and here was a biggest audience he’d ever had.

During a quiet moment, I announced that it was now Dad’s turn to ______stories from us. I wanted everyone to tell Dad what we loved about him. ____, we told stories from our hearts, ______Dad listened with wet, flashing blue eyes. We ______all kinds of lost memories – stories about when we were little, stories about when Dad was young and stories that are shared as family ______. Even the littlest grandchildren couldn’t ______to tell their grandfather why they loved him. For a man who had been kind to so many people in his life, here was our _____to honor him.

A few months later, at Dad’s memorial service, we fully realized what we had given Dad that night. Those were the stories people normally tell at a ______. They are told, then, full of tears, with the hope that the departed will somehow hear the outpouring of love.____ we had given those loving ______to Dad when he was ____, told through laughter, accompanied by hugs and joy. I’m sure the stories and memories ______over in his mind during his last months and days.

Words do ____, and they are enough. We need to say them, to speak them ____to the ones we love, for everyone else to hear. That’s the way to ______love, and our chance to honor a person in life.

1.A. original　　 B. modern　　 C. complex　　 D. double

2.A. congratulation　　 B. wish　　 C. thanking　　 D. apology

3.A. late　　 B. lost　　 C. living　　 D. last

4.A. with　　 B. as　　 C. though　　 D. by

5.A. writer　　 B. listener　　 C. storyteller　　 D. reader

6.A. hear of　　 B. listen to　　 C. make up　　 D. talk about

7.A. Little by little　　 B. Now and then　　 C. All at once　　 D. One after another

8.A. if　　 B. because　　 C. while　　 D. before

9.A. recalled　　 B. recorded　　 C. regretted　　 D. Remembered

10.A. thoughts　　 B. treasures　　 C. possessions　　 D. tales

11.A. afford　　 B. help　　 C. wait　　 D. offer

12.A. chance　　 B. task　　 C. duty　　 D. decision

13.A. burial　　 B. party　　 C. meeting　　 D. wedding

14.A. And　　 B. But　　 C. So　　 D. Or

15.A. kindness　　 B. memories　　 C. care　　 D. hugs

16.A. healthy　　 B. old　　 C. young　　 D. alive

17.A. went　　 B. flew　　 C. rolled　　 D. came

18.A. benefit　　 B. matter　　 C. work　　 D. mean

19.A. publicly　　 B. properly　　 C. consciously　　 D. correctly

20.A. fall in　　 B. search for　　 C. hand over　　 D. give back

高三英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

If Confucius（孔子）were still alive today and could celebrate his September 28 birthday with a big cake, there would be a lot of candles． He’d need a fan or a strong wind to help him put them out．

While many people in China will remember Confucius on his special day, few people in the United States will give him a passing thought． It’s nothing personal． Most Americans don’t even remember the birthdays of their own national heroes．

But this doesn’t mean that Americans don’t care about Confucius． In many ways he has become a bridge that foreigners must cross if they want to reach a deeper understanding of China．

In the past two decades, the Chinese studies programs have gained huge popularity in Western universities． More recently, the Chinese government has set up Confucius Institutes in more than 80 countries． These schools teach both Chinese language and culture． The main courses of Chinese culture usually included Chinese art, history and philosophy． Some social scientists suggest that Westerners should take advantage of the ancient Chinese wisdom to make up for the drawbacks of Westerners philosophy． Students in the United States, at the same time, are racing to learn Chinese． So they will be ready for life in a world where China is an equal power with the United States． Businessmen who hope to make money in China are reading books about Confucius to understand their Chinese customers．

So the old thinker’s ideas are still alive and well．

Today China attracts the West more than ever, and it will need more teachers to introduce Confucius and Chinese culture to the West．

As for the old thinker, he will not soon be forgotten by people in the West, even if his birthday is．

1.The opening paragraph is mainly intended to _______．

2.We can learn from Paragraph 4 that American students_______．

3.What is the best title for the passage?

4.The passage is likely to appear in _______．

高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

We always celebrated my Dad’s November birthday on Thanksgiving Day, even after he entered a nursing home. As years went on, these events took on a(n) 　　 meaning – a traditional birthday party for Dad, and a personal 　　 for all that he had done for me in my life.

When we knew that it might be Dad’s 　　 birthday, the whole family decided to come together for a huge birthday celebration at the nursing home. It was a crowded party ___all of us sitting around him. Dad was a wonderful 　　　 , and here was a biggest audience he’d ever had.

During a quiet moment, I announced that it was now Dad’s turn to 　　 stories from us. I wanted everyone to tell Dad what we loved about him. 　　 , we told stories from our hearts, 　　 Dad listened with wet, flashing blue eyes. We 　　 all kinds of lost memories – stories about when we were little, stories about when Dad was young and stories that are shared as family 　　 . Even the littlest grandchildren couldn’t 　　 to tell their grandfather why they loved him. For a man who had been kind to so many people in his life, here was our 　　 to honor him.

A few months later, at Dad’s memorial service, we fully realized what we had given Dad that night. Those were the stories people normally tell at a 　　 . They are told, then, full of tears, with the hope that the departed will somehow hear the outpouring of love._ _ we had given those loving 　　 to Dad when he was 　　 , told through laughter, accompanied by hugs and joy. I’m sure the stories and memories 　　 over in his mind during his last months and days.

Words do 　　 , and they are enough. We need to say them, to speak them 　　 to the ones we love, for everyone else to hear. That’s the way to 　　 love, and our chance to honor a person in life.

1.A. originalB. modernC. complexD. double

2.A. congratulationB. wishC. thankingD. apology

3.A. lateB. lostC. livingD. last

4.A. withB. asC. thoughD. by

5.A. writerB. listenerC. storytellerD. reader

6.A. hear ofB. listen toC. make upD. talk about

7.A. Little by littleB. Now and thenC. All at onceD. One after another

8.A. ifB. becauseC. whileD. before

9.A. recalledB. recordedC. regrettedD. remembered

10.A. thoughtsB. treasuresC. possessionsD. tales

11.A. affordB. helpC. waitD. offer

12.A. chanceB. taskC. dutyD. decision

13.A. burialB. partyC. meetingD. wedding

14.A. AndB. ButC. SoD. Or

15.A. kindnessB. memoriesC. careD. hugs

16.A. healthyB. oldC. youngD. alive

17.A. wentB. flewC. rolledD. came

18.A. benefitB. matterC. workD. mean

19.A. publiclyB. properlyC. consciouslyD. correctly

20.A. fall inB. search forC. hand overD. give back

高三英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析