You've probably heard the phrase "go outside ...

You've probably heard the phrase "go outside and get some fresh air" before． Breathing fresh air can make us feel more energetic．1.．

According to a new study from the World Health Organization （WHO）， nine out of every 10 people on the planet breathe polluted air every day．

Polluted air can get deep inside your lungs when you breathe， causing diseases like lung cancer and heart disease． Around 7 million people die every year from breathing polluted air．2.， mainly in Asia and Africa． Among the world's 20 most polluted cities， 14 are in India．

Some of the biggest sources of air pollution include factories and vehicles． In some regions， sand and desert dust， as well as the burning of waste， also cause air pollution．

3.． More than 40 percent of the world's population is still using woodstoves （木柴炉） or open fires to make meals and heat their homes． This creates harmful particles （颗粒） and gases indoors．

4.． India has provided 37 million poor people with free liquified Petroleum gas （液化石油气）， while Mexico City has created cleaner vehicle standards．

Maria Neira， the WHO's head of public health， said China has set a good example to the world in improving air quality． "5.，" she said．

A． More than 90 percent of these deaths happen in low-income and middle-income countries

B． Although this problem is serious， the good news is that countries are taking action to fight it

C．Another large source of air pollution can be found in some people's homes

D． However， not everyone in the world has the chance to enjoy it

E． Air pollution is a serious problem around the world

F． There is a big step at the government level in China declaring war on air pollution

G． People who work outdoors are more directly harmed by air pollution

高三英语七选五中等难度题查看答案及解析

I am sorry you’ve been waiting so long, but it will still be some time __________ Brain gets back from his holiday.

A．since               B．before          C．till             D．after

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

You’ve probably heard of Marco Polo, but how much do you actually know about him and his incredible journey? Marco was the original travel writer, whose trade contacts with Asia changed Europe, opening it up to new ideas and cultures.

Marco Polo was born in the Venetian Republic around 1254．At the time, Venice was one of the most powerful trading cities in the world, and was ruled as an independent city state．Marco’s mother died when he was young, so he was brought up by his aunt and uncle．When Marco was born, his brother (Maffeo) and father (Niccolo), who were successful merchants, were away on a trading voyage．They didn’t get back until Marco was about 15.

In 1271, Niccolo and Maffeo set off again for Asia, this time taking Marco with them．On a previous journey they’d met Kublai Khan (the Yuan Dynasty), and they were keen to establish trade links between Kublai’s empire and Venice．The Polos sailed across the Mediterranean to Acre (now in northern Israel)．Then, they traveled by camel to the port of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf．Their plan was to sail to China but they couldn’t find any good boats．So, they continued the journey overland, finally meeting Kublai Khan at his summer palace in Xanadu, about 275 kms north of modern Beijing．Marco was now probably 21 years ol

The journey had taken over three years.

The Polos had learnt a great deal about the world during their travels and so Kublai employed Marco as a government official．This gave Marco the opportunity to travel around much of Kublai’s empire in China．In fact, Kublai found the Polos so useful that he was unwilling to let them return home．However, in 1292, the Polos eventually left, sailing from China and ending up in Hormuz again．The journey was extremely dangerous: of the 600 travelers who set off, only 18 arrived in Hormuz, including all three of the Polo family．

The Polos finally returned to Venice in 1295, twenty-four years after setting off．They had traveled 24,000 kms．By this time Venice was at war with Genoa, its trade rival．Unfortunately for Marco, he was captured by the Genoese and imprisione

However, he used his time as a prisoner to write a book about his family’s travels: II Milione (known as The Travels of Marco Polo in English)．It was the first book to tell Europeans about China and the East．No original copy survives, but there are several versions of it．Marco’s writings influenced many other travelers, most notably Christopher Columbus, who carried a copy of II Milione with him on his voyage in search of Asia.

After his release from prison in 1299, Marco rejoined his father and uncle in Venice．The family were now even wealthier than before thanks to the many treasures they’d brought back from the East．Marco financed many more trading journeys but never left the city again．He died in 1324 and was buried in the church of San Lorenzo in Venice．

1.What is the correct order of what Marco Polo has done?

a.met Kublai Khan in Xanadu

b.sailed across the Mediterranean

c.sailed for Hormuz

d.left Venice for Asia

e.went to Hormuz by camel

f.employed as a government official in China

A．b-c-d-f-a-c

B．d-c-b-a-f-e

C．b-d-c-f-a-e

D．d-b-e-a-f-c

2.The last paragraph but one mainly tells us something about _____.

A．Marco’s life in Genoa

B．Marco’s book II Milione

C．Marco’s influence on Columbus

D．Marco’s safe return to Venice

3.Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A．Soon after his mother’s death, Marco was raised by his father.

B．Marco spent about six years on the way to China and back to Venice.

C．Marco died at the age of 70 in the church of San Lorenzo in Venice.

D．Marco was born into a very poor family but died in wealth．

4.The passage is most probably taken from _____．

A．a newspaper

B．a geography book

C．a history book

D．a traveler’s guide

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

“Drink your milk. It’s good for you!” You’ve probably heard that many times, and it’s true. Milk contains calcium, which is a necessary nutrient for keeping bones and teeth healthy and strong. The U.S. government even requires milk as part of the National School Lunch Program, saying that students should drink one cup of fat-free or low-fat milk at each meal.

Last Thursday, however, a group of doctors asked the government to remove milk from the lunch program. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) says, “Milk is high in sugar, high in fat and high in animal protein, all of which have negative effects on health.” “One of the only reasons people talk about dairy, or promote it, is that it is going to help build strong bones.” says Dr. Neal Barnard, president of the PCRM. There are better and healthier ways to get calcium such as eating beans, broccoli, cereals and tofu. Orange juice and soymilk that have calcium added to them also supply the nutrient.

Of course, calcium is important for healthy bones and teeth, but your genes, how much vitamin D you take in and getting an hour’s worth of exercise every day all play a part.

Some nutritionists disagree with the idea that milk isn’t important. Keri Gans, a dietitian, says, “I think it’s irresponsible to take away this beverage that children enjoy, especially among those who are unable to meet their nutrient needs for the day, and remove it from the lunch line.”

The U.S. government is studying the request of the PCRM, but a decision may be a long way off. Meanwhile, Marion Nestle, a professor at New York University, puts it best: “Milk has nutrients. Other foods have the same nutrients. It’s just a food. Like other foods, too much might be a problem.”

1.What is mainly talked about in the first paragraph?

A．The concern about students’ health.       B．Traditional attitudes towards milk.

C．Ways to keep bones and teeth healthy.       D．The practice of the U.S. government.

2.According to Dr. Neal Barnard, milk is preferred mainly because _____.

A．children like its taste                     B．people ignore its disadvantages

C．it contains more calcium than other foods     D．the calcium in it can build up bone strength

3.We can learn from the text that _____.

A．bone strength is determined by many factors

B．people’s diets shouldn’t contain animal protein

C．the opinion of the PCRM will soon be accepted

D．people should turn to vegetables for calcium

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

You’ve probably heard such reports. The number of college students majoring in the humanities (人文学科) is decreasing quickly. The news has caused a flood of high-minded essays criticizing the development as a symbol of American decline.

The bright side is this: The destruction of the humanities by the humanities is, finally, coming to an end. No more will literature, as part of an academic curriculum, put out the light of literature. No longer will the reading of, say, “King Lear” or D.H. Lawrence’s “Women in Love” result in the annoying stuff of multiple-choice quizzes, exam essays and homework assignments.

The discouraging fact is that for every college professor who made Shakespeare or Lawrence come alive for the lucky few, there were countless others who made the reading of literary masterpieces seem like two hours in the dentist’s chair.

The remarkably insignificant fact that, a half-century ago, 14% of the undergraduate population majored in the humanities (mostly in literature, but also in art, philosophy, history, classics and religion) as opposed to 7% today has given rise to serious reflections on the nature and purpose of an education in the liberal arts.

Such reflections always come to the same conclusion: We are told that the lack of a formal education, mostly in literature, leads to numerous harmful personal conditions, such as the inability to think critically, to write clearly, to be curious about other people and places, to engage with great literature after graduation, to recognize truth, beauty and goodness.

These serious anxieties are grand, admirably virtuous and virtuously admirable.　　 They are also a mere fantasy.

The college teaching of literature is a relatively recent phenomenon. Literature did not even become part of the university curriculum until the end of the 19th century. Before that, what came to be called the humanities consisted of learning Greek and Latin, while the Bible was studied in church as the necessary other half of a full education. No one ever thought of teaching novels, stories, poems or plays in a formal course of study. They were part of the leisure of everyday life.

It was only after World War II that the study of literature as a type of wisdom, relevant to actual, contemporary life, put down widespread institutional roots. Soldiers returning home in 1945 longed to make sense of their lives after what they had witnessed and survived. The abundant economy afforded them the opportunity and the time to do so. Majoring in English hit its peak, yet it was this very popularity of literature in the university that spelled its doom, as the academicization of literary art was accelerated.

Literature changed my life long before I began to study it in college. Books took me far from myself into experiences that had nothing to do with my life, yet spoke to my life. But once in the college classroom, this precious, alternate life inside me got thrown back into that dimension of my existence that bored me. Homer, Chekhov and Yeats were reduced to right and wrong answers, clear-cut themes and clever interpretations. If there is anything to worry about, it should be the disappearance of what used to be an important part of every high-school education: the literature survey course, where books were not academically taught but thoroughly introduced—an experience unaffected by stupid commentary and useless testing.

The literary classics are places of quiet, useless stillness in a world that despises (鄙视) any activity that is not profitable or productive. Literature is too sacred to be taught. It needs only to be read.

Soon, if all goes well and literature at last disappears from the undergraduate curriculum—my fingers are crossed—increasing numbers of people will be able to say that reading the literary masterworks of the past outside the college classroom, simply in the course of living, was, in fact, their college classroom.

1.The author mentions “two hours in the dentist’s chair” in Paragraph 3 to indicate that _______.

A. the average literature class in college is two hours long

B. reading literary works is made unbearable by professors

C. it actually does not take long to read the classics of literature

D. college students don’t spend much time on literary masterworks

2.The sharp drop in the number of majors in the humanities _______.

A. has given rise to quite a shock in the intellectual world

B. promises the remarkable destruction of the humanities

C. shows more people read literature outside the classroom

D. has caused the author to reflect on the nature of literary creation

3.Which of the following opinions may the author hold?

A. The disappearance of literature should be strongly applauded.

B. Literature teaching can improve our critical thinking ability.

C. Reading literature doesn’t require specialized knowledge and skills.

D. Literature should be taught through analyzing different writing styles.

4.What is the author’s purpose in writing the passage?

A. To urge college students to read more literary classics.

B. To introduce the present situation of literature teaching.

C. To voice his opinion on the shrinkage of literature teaching.

D. To show his serious concern for college literature teaching.

高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

You’ve probably heard such reports. The number of college students majoring in the humanities (人文学科) is decreasing quickly. The news has caused a flood of high-minded essays criticizing the development as a symbol of American decline.

The bright side is this: The destruction of the humanities is, finally, coming to an end. No more will literature, as part of an academic curriculum, put out the light of literature. No longer will the reading of, say, “King Lear” or D.H. Lawrence’s “Women in Love” result in the annoying stuff of multiple-choice quizzes, exam essays and homework assignments.

The discouraging fact is that for every college professor who made Shakespeare or Lawrence come alive for the lucky few, there were countless others who made the reading of literary masterpieces seem like two hours in the dentist’s chair.

The remarkably insignificant fact that, a half-century ago, 14% of the undergraduate population majored in the humanities (mostly in literature, but also in art, philosophy, history, classics and religion) as opposed to 7% today has given rise to serious reflections on the nature and purpose of an education in the liberal arts.

Such reflections always come to the same conclusion: We are told that the lack of a formal education, mostly in literature, leads to numerous harmful personal conditions, such as the inability to think critically, to write clearly, to be curious about other people and places, to engage with great literature after graduation, to recognize truth, beauty and goodness.

Literature changed my life long before I began to study it in college. Books took me far from myself into experiences that had nothing to do with my life, yet spoke to my life. But once in the college classroom, this precious, alternate life inside me got thrown back into that dimension of my existence that bored me. Homer, Chekhov and Yeats were reduced to right and wrong answers, clear-cut themes and clever interpretations. If there is anything to worry about, it should be the disappearance of what used to be an important part of every high-school education: the literature survey course, where books were not academically taught but thoroughly introduced-an experience unaffected by stupid commentary and useless testing.

The literary classics are places of quiet, useless stillness in a world that despises (鄙视) any activity that is not profitable or productive. Literature is too sacred to be taught. It needs only to be read.

Soon, if all goes well and literature at last disappears from the undergraduate curriculum-my fingers are crossed-increasing numbers of people will be able to say that reading the literary masterworks of the past outside the college classroom, simply in the course of living, was, in fact, their college classroom.

1.The sharp drop in the number of majors in the humanities ________.

A.has given rise to quite a shock in the intellectual world

B.promises the remarkable destruction of the humanities

C.shows more people read literature outside the classroom

D.has caused the author to reflect on the nature of literary creation

2.The author mentions “two hours in the dentist’s chair” in Paragraph 3 to indicate that ________.

A.the average literature class in college is two hours long

B.reading literary works is made unbearable by professors

C.it actually does not take long to read the classics of literature

D.college students don’t spend much time on literary masterworks

3.According to the author, the problem of literature teaching lies in the fact that ________.

A.It is a relatively recent phenomenon in education

B.literature teaching is not profitable or productive

C.people are interested in something more practical

D.it is turned into a soulless competition for grades

4.Which of the following opinions may the author hold?

A.The disappearance of literature should be strongly applauded.

B.Literature teaching can improve our critical thinking ability.

C.Reading literature doesn’t require specialized knowledge and skills.

D.Literature should be taught through analyzing different writing styles.

5.What is the author’s purpose in writing the passage?

A.To urge college students to read more literary classics.

B.To introduce the present situation of literature teaching.

C.To voice his opinion on the shrinkage of literature teaching.

D.To show his serious concern for college literature teaching.

6.The overall tone of the passage is ________.

A.skeptical B.sympathetic C.aggressive D.straightforward

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

It was a hot summer day. My dad and I were getting ready to go out for a ride on the boat with my friend Katie and the dog when the phone call came, the call that made that bright, beautiful day a cold, dark, gloomy one.

I had just put on my suit, shorts, and tank top, and packed my bag with sunscreen and everything else I would need for the day. I ran into my parents' room to find Dad. When I saw him on the phone, he was crying. I'd never seen my dad cry before. My heart sank. What possibly could have happened?

"Max, I'm so sorry," I heard him say. That's when it hit me. I knew that Suzie had died.Max has been my dad's best friend for years. Suzie, his daughter, had a rare disease that mainly affected her body. Her brain was OK. She knew what was going on; she knew that shehad problems and was different from other kids. Once she told her dad that she wished she could die and be born in a different body. Yet although she couldn't live a normal life ，she was still happy.

When Suzie and I were little, we spent quite a bit of time together. As we grew up, we grew apart. She lived in New York, and I lived in the Midwest. When Suzie was ten she had to live ina hospital in Virginia. About eight months before she died, Max gave us her number at the hospital and we talked at least twice a week until the end. Suzie was always so excited to talk to us and wanted to know every detail about my life. She wanted to know everything I did and every thing I ate. In a way, she lived through me.

After we found out about her death, we made our plans to go to New York for the funeral. When she was alive, I sent her a Beanie Baby and she sent one back to me. I had bought her another one but never had the chance to send it to her, so I took it to put in her casket(棺材).

Her funeral was very different from any funeral I'd ever been to. After they lowered her casket, each one of us put a shovelful of dirt over her. I remember crying so hard, I felt weak. My cheeks burned from the tears. My whole body was shaking as I picked up the shovel, but I'm glad I did it.

When Suzie and I first started calling one another, I thought it would be more of a burden on me, but I was completely wrong. I learned so much from her. She gave me more than I could ever give to her. I will never forget her or the talks we had. I now know that I must never take anything for granted especially my health and the gift of life.

1.The author's family cancelled their ride because______.

A．Katie couldn't join them for the ride

B．the weather was too terrible for a ride

C．they couldn't find their dog

D．Max's daughter passed away

2.What does the underlined part “In a wav, she lived through me.” mean?

A．Suzie got to know what life outside hospital was like by sharing my experience.

B．Suzie was financially dependent of me.

C．Suzie managed to pull through her illness with the help of my family.

D．Suzie was too weak to live her own life.

3.Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?

A．Suzie was the only person helping the author with difficulties.

B．The author feared that she might also get the same disease as Suzie.

C．The author benefited a lot from talking on the phone with Suzie.

D．The author didn't understand Suzie was her true friend until Suzie's death.

4.What is the most important lesson the author learned from Suzie's death?

A．Never let go of a friend even if you are apart.

B．Be thankful for what we have in our life.

C．Talking with a friend can cure your illness.

D．We can learn more from our friends than they do from us.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

It was a hot summer day． My dad and I were getting ready to go out for a ride on the boat with my friend Katie and the dog when the phone call came, the call that made that bright, beautiful day a cold, dark, gloomy one．

I had just put on my suit, shorts, and tank top, and packed my bag with sunscreen and everything else I would need for the day． I ran into my parents' room to find Dad． When I saw him on the phone, he was crying． I'd never seen my dad cry before． My heart sank． What possibly could have happened?

"Max, I'm so sorry," I heard him say． That's when it hit me． I knew that Suzie had died． Max has been my dad's best friend for years． Suzie, his daughter, had a rare disease that mainly affected her body． Her brain was OK． She knew what was going on; she knew that she had problems and was different from other kids． Once she told her dad that she wished she could die and be born in a different body． Yet although she couldn't live a normal life ，she was still happy．

When Suzie and I were little, we spent quite a bit of time together． As we grew up, we grew apart． She lived in New York, and I lived in the Midwest． When Suzie was ten she had to live in a hospital in Virginia． About eight months before she died, Max gave us her number at the hospital and we talked at least twice a week until the end． Suzie was always so excited to talk to us and wanted to know every detail about my life． She wanted to know everything I did and every thing I ate． In a way, she lived through me．

After we found out about her death, we made our plans to go to New York for the funeral． When she was alive, I sent her a Beanie Baby and she sent one back to me． I had bought her another one but never had the chance to send it to her, so I took it to put in her casket（棺材）．

Her funeral was very different from any funeral I'd ever been to． After they lowered her casket, each one of us put a shovelful of dirt over her． I remember crying so hard, I felt weak． My cheeks burned from the tears． My whole body was shaking as I picked up the shovel, but I'm glad I did it．

When Suzie and I first started calling one another, I thought it would be more of a burden on me, but I was completely wrong． I learned so much from her． She gave me more than I could ever give to her． I will never forget her or the talks we had． I now know that I must never take anything for granted especially my health and the gift of life．

1.What does the underlined part “In a way, she lived through me．” mean?

A．Suzie got to know what life outside hospital was like by sharing my experience．

B．Suzie was financially dependent of me．

C．Suzie managed to pull through her illness with the help of my family．

D．Suzie was too weak to live her own life．

2.Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?

A．Suzie was the only person helping the author with difficulties．

B．The author feared that she might also get the same disease as Suzie．

C．The author benefited a lot from talking on the phone with Suzie．

D．The author didn't understand Suzie was her true friend until Suzie's death．

3.What is the most important lesson the author learned from Suzie's death?

A．Never let go of a friend even if you are apart．

B．Be thankful for what we have in our life．

C．Talking with a friend can cure your illness．

D．We can learn more from our friends than they do from us．

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

By now you’ve probably heard about the “you’re not special” speech, when English teacher David McCullough told graduating seniors at Wellesley High School: “Do not get the idea you’re anything special, because you’re not.” Mothers and fathers present at the ceremony — and a whole lot of other parents across the Internet — took issue with McCullough’s ego-puncturing words. But lost in the uproar was something we really should be taking to heart: our young people actually have no idea whether they’re particularly talented or accomplished or not. In our eagerness to elevate their self-esteem, we forgot to teach them how to realistically assess their own abilities, a crucial requirement for getting better at anything from math to music to sports. In fact, it’s not just privileged high-school students: we all tend to view ourselves as above average.

Such inflated self-judgments have been found in study after study, and it’s often exactly when we’re least competent at a given task that we rate our performance most generously. In a 2006 study published in the journal Medical Education, for example, medical students who scored the lowest on an essay test were the most charitable in their self-evaluations, while high-scoring students judged themselves much more stringently. Poor students, the authors note, “lack insight” into their own inadequacy. Why should this be? Another study, led by Cornell University psychologist David Dunning, offers an enlightening explanation. People who are incompetent, he writes with coauthor Justin Kruger, suffer from a “dual burden”: they’re not good at what they do, and their very ineptness prevents them from recognizing how bad they are.

In Dunning and Kruger’s study, subjects scoring at the bottom of the heap on tests of logic, grammar and humor “extremely overestimated” their talents. Although their test scores put them in the 12th percentile, they guessed they were in the 62nd. What these individuals lacked (in addition to clear logic, proper grammar and a sense of humor) was “metacognitive skill”: the capacity to monitor how well they’re performing. In the absence of that capacity, the subjects arrived at an overly hopeful view of their own abilities. There’s a paradox here, the authors note: “The skills that engender competence in a particular domain are often the very same skills necessary to evaluate competence in that domain.” In other words, to get better at judging how well we’re doing at an activity, we have to get better at the activity itself.

There are a couple of ways out of this double bind. First, we can learn to make honest comparisons with others. Train yourself to recognize excellence, even when you yourself don’t possess it, and compare what you can do against what truly excellent individuals are able to accomplish. Second, seek out feedback that is frequent, accurate and specific. Find a critic who will tell you not only how poorly you’re doing, but just what it is that you’re doing wrong. As Dunning and Kruger note, success indicates to us that everything went right, but failure is more ambiguous: any number of things could have gone wrong. Use this external feedback to figure out exactly where and when you screwed up.

If we adopt these strategies — and most importantly, teach them to our children — they won’t need parents, or a commencement（毕业典礼） speaker, to tell them that they’re special. They’ll already know that they are, or have a plan to get that way.

1.Which can be the best title of this passage?

A. Special or Not? Teach Kids To Figure It Out

B. Let's Admit That We Are Not That Special

C. Tips On Making Ourselves More Special

D. Tell The Truth: Kids Overestimate their Talents

2.The author thinks the real problem is that ______.

A. we don't know whether our young people are talented or not

B. young people don't know how to assess their abilities realistically

C. no requirement is set up for young people to get better

D. we always tend to consider ourselves to be privileged

3.Which is NOT mentioned about poor students according to the passage?

A. They usually give themselves high scores in self-evaluations.

B. They tend to be unable to know exactly how bad they are.

C. They are intelligently inadequate in tests and exams.

D. They lack the capacity to monitor how well they are performing.

4.We can infer from the passage that those high-scoring students ______.

A. know how to cultivate clear logic and proper grammar

B. don't know how well they perform due to their stringent self-judgement

C. don't view themselves as competent because they know their limits

D. tend to be very competent in their high-scoring fields.

5.The strategies of becoming special suggest that ______.

A. we need internal honesty with ourselves and external honesty from others

B. the best way to get better is to carefully study past success and failure

C. through comparison with others, one will know where and when he fails

D. neither parents nor a commencement speaker can tell whether one is special

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

By now you've probably heard about the "you’re not special" speech, when English teacher David McCullough told graduating seniors at Wellesley High School: “Do not get the idea you're anything special, because you're not." Mothers and fathers present at the ceremony 一 and a whole lot of other parents across the Internet — took issue with McCullough's ego-puncturing （伤自尊的） words. But lost in the uproar （喧嚣）was something we really should be taking to heart: our young people actually have no idea whether they're particularly talented or accomplished or not. In our eagerness to elevate their self-esteem, we forgot to teach them how to realistically assess their own abilities, a crucial requirement for getting better at anything from math to music to sports. In fact, it's not just privileged high-school students: we all tend to view ourselves as above average.

Such inflated self-judgments have been found in study after study, and it's often exactly when we're least competent at a given task that we rate our performance most generously, in a 2006 study published in the journal Medical Education, for example, medical students who scored the lowest on an essay test were the most charitable in their self evaluations, while high-scoring students judged themselves much more strictly. Poor students, the authors note, "lack insight" into their own inadequacy. Why should this be? Another study, led by Cornell University psychologist David Dunning, offers an enlightening explanation. People who are incompetent, he writes with coauthor Justin Kruger, suffer from a “dual burden": they're not good at what they do, and their very clumsiness prevents them from recognizing how bad they are.

In Dunning and Kruger's study, subjects scoring at the bottom on tests of logic, grammar and humor -extremely overestimated'' their talents. Although their test scores put them in the 12th percentile (百分位数).they guessed they were in the 62nd. What these individuals lacked (in addition 9 clear logic, proper grammar and a sense of humor) was “meta cognitive skill” :the capacity to monitor how well they're performing. In the absence of that capacity, the subjects arrived at an overly hopeful view of their own abilities. There's a paradox here, the authors note: The skills that lead to competence in a particular domain are often the very same skills necessary to evaluate competence in that field? In other words, to get better at judging how well we're doing at an activity, we have to get better at the activity itself

There are a couple of ways out of this double bind. First, we can learn to make honest comparisons with others. Train yourself to recognize excellence, even when you yourself don't possess it, and compare what you can do against what truly excellent individuals are able to accomplish. Second, seek out feedback that is frequent, accurate and specific. Find a critic who will tell you not only how poorly you're doing, but just what it is that you're doing wrong. As Dunning and Kruger note, success indicates to us that everything went right, but failure is more ambiguous: any number of things could have gone wrong. Use this external feedback to figure out exactly where and when you screwed up.

If we adopt these strategies — and most importantly, teach them to our children — they won't need parents, or a commencement (毕业典礼)speaker, to tell them that they're special. They’ll already know that they are, or have a plan to get that way.

1.The author thinks the real problem is that 　　　　 .

A.no requirement is set up for young people to get better

B.we always tend to consider ourselves to be privileged

C.we don't know whether our young people are talented or not

D.young people don't know how to assess their abilities realistically

2.We can infer from the passage that those high-scoring students 　　　　

A.know how to cultivate clear logic and proper grammar

B.tend to be very competent in their high-scoring fields

C.don’t view themselves as competent because they know their limits

D.don't know how well they perform due to their strict self-judgement

3.The strategies of becoming special suggest that 　　　　 .

A.we need internal honesty with ourselves and external honesty from others

B.the best way to get better is to carefully study past success and failure

C.through comparison with others, one will know where and when he fails

D.neither parents nor a commencement speaker can tell whether one is special

4.Which can be the best title of this passage?

A.Tip On Making Ourselves More Special

B.Let’s Admit That We Are Not That Special

C.Special or Not? Teach Kids To Figure It Out

D.Tell The Truth: Kids Overestimate their Talents

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