In the 19th century, one of America's greatest writers, Walt Whitman, helped people learn to value poetry. Whitman created a new kind of poetry.
Walt Whitman was born in 1819 in New York City. During his long life, he watched America grow from a young nation to the strongest industrial power in the world. As a young man, Whitman worked as a school teacher, a printer and a newspaper reporter. He was 36 years old when he published his first book of poetry in 1855. He called it Leaves of Grass. It has only 12 poems. The poems are written in free verse. The lines do not follow any set form. Some lines are short. Some are long. The words at the end of each line do not have a similar sound. They do not rhyme.
One of America's greatest thinkers and writers immediately recognized the importance of Leaves of Grass. Ralph Waldo Emerson praised Whitman’ s works. But most other poets and writers said nothing and even denounced it. Most readers also rejected Whitman’ s poems. The new form of his poetry surprised many people. Even his own brother told Whitman that he should stop writing poetry. But Whitman had many things to say. And he continued to say them. Readers began to understand that America had a great new poetic voice.
Walt Whitman’ s poems praise the United States and its democracy. The poet expressed his love for America and its people in many ways. Experts today praise Leaves of Grass as a major literary work. In 1873, Walt Whitman suffered a stroke. He spent the last years of his life in Camden, New Jersey. Whitman was poor and weak during the last years of his life. He died in 1892. Some critics say Walt Whitman was a spokesman for democracy. Others say he was not a spokesman for anything. Instead, they simply call him a great poet.
1.What can we know about Whitman?
A.His poems have the same rhyme.
B.He is the first great poet in the USA.
C.He helped people to create new poems.
D.His poems show his love for his country.
2.Why was Leaves of Grass refused at first?
A.The poems are quite short. B.The form of poetry is special.
C.Whitman wasn’ t famous then. D.There are only 12 poems in it.
3.What does the underlined word “denounced” in paragraph 3 most probably mean?
A.Accused B.Downloaded C.Published D.Translated.
4.What can be a suitable title for the text?
A.Walt Whitman---a great soldier
B.Walt Whitman---an unfortunate poet
C.Walt Whitman and Leaves of Grass
D.The first and greatest poet in America
高二英语阅读选择中等难度题
In the 19th century, one of America's greatest writers, Walt Whitman, helped people learn to value poetry. Whitman created a new kind of poetry.
Walt Whitman was born in 1819 in New York City. During his long life, he watched America grow from a young nation to the strongest industrial power in the world. As a young man, Whitman worked as a school teacher, a printer and a newspaper reporter. He was 36 years old when he published his first book of poetry in 1855. He called it Leaves of Grass. It has only 12 poems. The poems are written in free verse. The lines do not follow any set form. Some lines are short. Some are long. The words at the end of each line do not have a similar sound. They do not rhyme.
One of America's greatest thinkers and writers immediately recognized the importance of Leaves of Grass. Ralph Waldo Emerson praised Whitman’ s works. But most other poets and writers said nothing and even denounced it. Most readers also rejected Whitman’ s poems. The new form of his poetry surprised many people. Even his own brother told Whitman that he should stop writing poetry. But Whitman had many things to say. And he continued to say them. Readers began to understand that America had a great new poetic voice.
Walt Whitman’ s poems praise the United States and its democracy. The poet expressed his love for America and its people in many ways. Experts today praise Leaves of Grass as a major literary work. In 1873, Walt Whitman suffered a stroke. He spent the last years of his life in Camden, New Jersey. Whitman was poor and weak during the last years of his life. He died in 1892. Some critics say Walt Whitman was a spokesman for democracy. Others say he was not a spokesman for anything. Instead, they simply call him a great poet.
1.What can we know about Whitman?
A.His poems have the same rhyme.
B.He is the first great poet in the USA.
C.He helped people to create new poems.
D.His poems show his love for his country.
2.Why was Leaves of Grass refused at first?
A.The poems are quite short. B.The form of poetry is special.
C.Whitman wasn’ t famous then. D.There are only 12 poems in it.
3.What does the underlined word “denounced” in paragraph 3 most probably mean?
A.Accused B.Downloaded C.Published D.Translated.
4.What can be a suitable title for the text?
A.Walt Whitman---a great soldier
B.Walt Whitman---an unfortunate poet
C.Walt Whitman and Leaves of Grass
D.The first and greatest poet in America
高二英语阅读选择中等难度题查看答案及解析
Helen Thayer，one of the greatest explorers of the 20th century，loves challenges. She says，"I like to see what's on the other side of the hill." She has gone almost everywhere to do that.
In 1988，at the age of 50，she became the first woman to travel alone to the North Pole. She pulled her own sled (雪橇) piled with 160 pounds of supplies，and during her trip no one brought her fresh supplies. Accompanied (陪伴) only by her dog Charlie，she survived cold weather and meetings with polar bears. In fact，Charlie saved her life when one of them attacked her. Near the end of her trip，a forceful wind blew away the majority of her supplies. The last week of the trip，she survived on a handful of nuts and a little water each day.
Helen goes to challenging places not only for adventure，but also for education. Before her Arctic journey，she started a website called Adventure Classroom. On the site，she shares her adventures in order to motivate (激发) students. She explains，"Although kids often see the world in a negative way，without hope for their future，we work to inspire them to set goals，plan for success and never give up..."
Helen grew up in New Zealand. Her parents were athletes and mountain climbers. Following her parents' example，she climbed her first mountain at 9. Later，she climbed the highest mountains in North and South America，the former USSR and New Zealand.
In 1996，she took on another challenge--the Sahara Desert. She and her husband，Bill，walked 2,400 miles across it！In 2001，she and Bill traveled on foot from west to east through the Gobi Desert in Mongolia. They hope to travel in mainland China into Sichuan and Tibet to study pandas this year.
Helen plans to continue taking trips. She'll use her explorations，writing，photography and environmental work to create programs for her Adventure Classroom website. She wants to inspire her students never to stop facing challenges!
1.We learn from Paragraph 2 that ________.
A. Helen Thayer is the first person to reach the North Pole
B. Helen Thayer ate nothing during the last week of her trip
C. Charlie prevented Helen being attacked by polar bears
D. Helen Thayer traveled to the North Pole together with her husband
2.Why does Helen travel to different places worldwide?
A. For education. B. For fun.
C. For money. D. For fame.
3.Which is the best title for the text?
A. The Woman Who Loves Adventure B. A Famous Woman
C. A Woman Mountain Climber D. The Owner of Adventure Classroom
4.Which of the following places has Helen not visited yet?
A. The North Pole B. The Sahara Desert
C. The Gobi Desert D. Sichuan and Tibet
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
The computer is ________ to be one of the greatest inventions of the 20th century.
A. considered B. regarded
C. expected D. suggested
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Use your American Express Card to enjoy one-day visit at four of America’s greatest museums. Note the participating museums, and their exciting special exhibitions that you will not want to miss, listed below.
Boston
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Chairs
February 11-May 8, 2012
Italian furniture expert Fausto Calderai and Indian photographer Dayanita Singh present an exhibition of chairs from the museum’s collection and “chair photographs” from around the world presented in a Venetian-style hall housing world-famous masterpieces.
For more information：www. gardnermuseum. org
New York
The Noguchi Museum
Noguehi and Graham
December 1, 2011-May 1, 2012
Noguchi’s long-term collaboration（协作） with dancer Martha Graham is regarded by many as a high point in the history of both modern dance and art. The exhibition highlights nine of the sets created through this collaboration.
For more information：www. noguchi. org
Philadelphia
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
In Full View：American Painting（1720—2012）
January 11--April 10, 2012
Founded in 1805, the Pennsylvania Academy has been home to America’s artists for more than 200 years. The Academy collects and exhibits the works of famous American artists, and is well-known for training fine artists. 2012 at the Academy begins with the largest exhibition of Academy’s distinguished American collection in the institution’s history.
For more information：www. pafa. org
Seattle
Seattle Museum of Glass
Murano：Glass from the Olnick Spanu Collection
Through November 7, 2011
This exhibition includes over 200 pieces of beautiful glass from Murano, the island of glassblowers near Venice, Italy. Watch live glass-blowing shows in the Hot Shop and see other modern glass exhibitions.
For more information：www. museumofglass. org
1.Which of the following websites offers information about the furniture show?
A．www. pafa. org B．www. museumofglass. org
C．www. noguchi. org D．www. gardnermuseum. Org
2.We learn from the text that Martha Graham is ___________.
A．a dancer B．a glassblower C．a painter D．a photographer
3.If you want to know the history of American painting, you may visit ___________.
A．the Noguchi Museum B．Seattle Museum of Glass
C．Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum D．Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Use your American Express Card to enjoy one-day visit at four of America’s greatest museums. Note the participating museums, and their exciting special exhibitions that you will not want to miss, listed below.
Boston
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Chairs
February 11-May 8, 2012
Italian furniture expert Fausto Calderai and Indian photographer Dayanita Singh present an exhibition of chairs from the museum’s collection and “chair photographs” from around the world presented in a Venetian-style hall housing world-famous masterpieces.
For more information：www. gardnermuseum. org
New York
The Noguchi Museum
Noguehi and Graham
December 1, 2011-May 1, 2012
Noguchi’s long-term collaboration（协作） with dancer Martha Graham is regarded by many as a high point in the history of both modern dance and art. The exhibition highlights nine of the sets created through this collaboration.
For more information：www. noguchi. org
Philadelphia
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
In Full View：American Painting（1720—2012）
January 11--April 10, 2012
Founded in 1805, the Pennsylvania Academy has been home to America’s artists for more than 200 years. The Academy collects and exhibits the works of famous American artists, and is well-known for training fine artists. 2012 at the Academy begins with the largest exhibition of Academy’s distinguished American collection in the institution’s history.
For more information：www. pafa. org
Seattle
Seattle Museum of Glass
Murano：Glass from the Olnick Spanu Collection
Through November 7, 2011
This exhibition includes over 200 pieces of beautiful glass from Murano, the island of glassblowers near Venice, Italy. Watch live glass-blowing shows in the Hot Shop and see other modern glass exhibitions.
For more information：www. museumofglass. org
1.Which of the following websites offers information about the furniture show?
| A．www. pafa. org |
| B．www. museumofglass. org |
| C．www. noguchi. org |
| D．www. gardnermuseum. org |
2.We learn from the text that Martha Graham is ___________.
| A．a dancer | B．a glassblower | C．a painter | D．a photographer |
3.If you want to know the history of American painting, you may visit ___________.
| A．the Noguchi Museum |
| B．Seattle Museum of Glass |
| C．Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum |
| D．Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts |
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Born in London in 1825, Thomas Henry Huxley was one of the greatest men of the nineteenth century. In 1846 Thomas Henry Huxley was appointed assistant doctor aboard H. M.S. Rattlesnake. The ship had been asked to survey areas of the Great Barrier Reef and the neighboring seas. This gave Thomas Henry Huxley an opportunity to study animal life and was the start of his biological career. The voyage lasted four years, during which time he gathered much information on plankton (浮游生物).
On his return from the voyage, Thomas Henry Huxley was made a member of the Royal Society in recognition of his scientific work. Although he continued to publish papers about plankton, his interest was turning towards vertebrate (有脊椎的) animals. For some time Thomas Henry Huxley and his workmates had been discussing the possibility that animal species had evolved (进化), one from another. No satisfactory theories had been put forward, but in 1859 Darwin’s Origin of Species appeared. Thomas Henry Huxley at once realized its importance and how the theory of natural selection provided “the working hypothesis (假说) we sought”.
For the rest of his life Thomas Henry Huxley struggled to ensure the full recognition of Darwin's work. In 1863 Thomas Henry Huxley published Man’s Place in Nature in which he compared man and great apes (猿). He clearly showed similarities.
Despite his many achievements, he was given no award by the British state until late in his life. From about 1870, Thomas Henry Huxley was too involved in other things to continue actual research. He had always been interested in education. He pioneered the teaching of biology and his method of selecting “type animals” is still followed today. He spent the last ten years of his life writing essays mainly on biology.
1.Why did Huxley go on the voyage?
A.To explore the deep sea. B.To do research on sea animals.
C.To work as a doctor on the ship. D.To gather information for his paper.
2.How did Huxley react to the theory of natural selection?
A.He had doubt about it. B.He thought highly of it.
C.He couldn’t understand it. D.He thought he developed it first.
3.What do we know about Huxley's book Man’s Place in Nature?
A.It discusses the importance of human beings.
B.It focuses on Darwin’s theory of natural selection.
C.It talks about the differences between man and apes.
D.It provides evidence about the evolution of man from apes.
4.What can we learn about Huxley from the last paragraph?
A.He contributed a lot to biology teaching.
B.He continued his research till his death.
C.He became a good novelist late in his life.
D.He never got awards for his achievements.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Spain’s Literary Genius
Four centuries ago, the author of one of the greatest comedic characters in world literature took his last breath. Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616), the author of Don Quixote, is to the Spanish what Shakespeare is to the English and Dante is to Italians — a national literary icon.
Cervantes’ book is still appreciated today, hundreds of years after its publication, because it’s a wonderfully truthful comedy. Don Quixote, like human beings generally, has great difficulty distinguishing reality from imagination. Readers may laugh at his strange behavior, but we laugh, we laugh with recognition.
The book records the adventures of Alonso Quijano, an older Spanish gentleman who loves romance novels. In truth, he reads far too many romances, and they have affected his mind. Quijano is so mixed up that he decides that he must become a knight himself. Imagine a comic book fan who decides to dress up as a superhero to fight crime, and I’ll get the picture.
Setting the scene
Alonso Quijano reinvents himself as “Don Quixote de La Mancha”, an aristocratic (贵族的) name that suits his ambition of being a knight. Next, since every knight needs a horse, he finds himself an old one named Rocinante. But Rocinante is not exactly cut out for lite as a knight’s horse. He’s tired from years of farm work. He’s unlikely to be of much help in any fight against an enemy.
The heroes in the romances Quijano reads all had a lady to love. They were highborn, like the knights themselves. Quijano chooses Aldonze Lorenzo, a farmer’s daughter, to be his beloved. She becomes “Dulcinea del Toboso”, or “the sweet woman of Toboso”. How does Aldonza feel about Quijano’s attentions? She doesn’t feel much at all, actually. Aldonza is yet another byproduct of Quijano’s imagination, like so many things.
Finding a sidekick
Now comes Cervantes’ second great creation: Sancho Panza. Once servant in Qiujano’s house, Panza is promoted to the role of squire (随从), because every self-respecting knight needs a squire. Panza has a sensible head on his shoulders, and he is a foil (衬托) to his foolish master.
The pair faces many adventures, but none are as heroic as a knight’s should be. We laugh, rather than cry, as we read. Quijano tries to act on behalf of justice, but he doesn’t often succeed.
Cervantes’ novel inspired a word that sums up Qiujano’s romantic nature: “quixotic”. In English we use the word to describe someone who is idealistic but foolish in pursuit of his ideals. It is a mark of Cervantes’ genius that he was able to identify this trait and personify it using such a great comedic character. We should appreciate him for it on this significant occasion.
1.On what occasion did the author write this review?
A.The 400th anniversary of the publication of Don Quixote.
B.An Italian Poet, Dante’s 800th birth anniversary.
C.An English genius, William Shakespeare’s 400th death anniversary.
D.Miguel de Cervantes’ 400th anniversary of his death.
2.Which role is Alonso Quijano most likely to identify with?
A.Miguel de Cervantes. B.Don Quixote de La Mancha.
C.Dulcinea del Toboso. D.Sancho Panza.
3.What can be inferred from the passage?
A.Don Quixote’s failure to distinguish reality from imagination amuses the readers.
B.Quijano manages to bring justice to the world by means of force.
C.Quijano is a Spanish aristocrat with great ambition.
D.Reading romance novel will make people behave in a foolish way.
4.According to the author, readers admire Cervantes and his masterpiece because ________
A.Cervantes is equal to Shakespeare and Dante as a national literary icon
B.Quijano’s adventure is romantic and heroic
C.Cervantes’ has a genius for personifying Quijano’s quixotic nature in a truthful comedy
D.Quijano’s vivid imagination has brought other minor characters to life.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Edmund Percival Hillary was one of the greatest explorers of the twentieth century. He was born in Auckland, New Zealand, in 1919. He discovered an interest in mountain climbing while he was still in high school and began climbing New Zealand's Southern Alps.
Like his father, Hillary earned his living as a beekeeper. However, he continued to climb mountains. His goal was to climb Mt. Everest, which is the highest mountain in the world. By the early 1950s, several expeditions（探险队）had attempted to reach the summit of Everest, but all had failed. Then, in 1953, Hillary and a Nepalese climber named Tenzing Norgay became the first two people to reach the top of the world.
Hillary's spirit of exploration was not satisfied. He joined an expedition to Antarctica and reached the South Pole in 1958. He also made an expedition up the Ganges River to its source in the Himalayas. Sir Edmund Hillary was a brave adventurer. He went where no man or woman had gone before.
Although Hillary was best known as the young man who climbed to the summit of Mt. Everest in the 1950s, he continued his journeys to far-off places into his senior years. For instance, in his mid-sixties Hillary flew to the North Pole with Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon. Moreover, Hillary authored many books. However, his most lasting gift, perhaps, was the Sir Edmund Hillary Himalayan Trust（信托基金）. It raised millions of dollars and contributed to schools, hospitals and many other public improvements in the Sherpa villages of Nepal. In January 2008, Sir Edmund Hillary died at the age of 88.
Despite being a great adventurer and known for the treasure he left Sir Edmund Hillary always modestly referred to himself as a simple beekeeper from New Zealand.
1.Hillary was interested in ________ when he was in high school.
A. mountain-climbing B. bee-keeping
C. money-raising D. story-writing
2.Hillary became well-known because ________.
A. he reached both the South Pole and the North Pole
B. he was the first to reach the top of Mt. Everest
C. he lived in places where no humans had gone
D. he made a lot of money as a beekeeper
3.We can learn from the passage that Hillary is ________.
A. outgoing and fearless
B. talented and honest
C. determined and caring
D. hardworking and careful
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Harry Houdini was one of the greatest American entertainers in the theater this century. He was a man famous for his escapes from prison cells, from wooden boxes floating in rivers, from locked tanks full of water. He appeared in theaters all over Europe and America. Crowds came to see the great Houdini and his “magic” tricks.
Of course, his secret was not magic or supernatural power. It was simply strength. He had the ability to move his toes as well as he moved his fingers. He could move his body into almost any position he wanted.
Houdini started working in the entertainment world when he was 17, in 1891. He and his brother Theo performed card tricks in clubs in New York. They called themselves the Houdini Brothers. When Harry married in 1894, he and his wife Bess worked together as magician and assistant. But for a long time they were not very successful. Then Harry performed his first prison escape in Chicago in 1898. Harry persuaded a detective to let him try to escape from the prison, and he invited the local newspapermen to watch.
It was the publicity (宣传) that came from this that started Harry Houdini’s success. Harry had fingers trained to escape from handcuffs and toes trained to escape from ankle chains. But his biggest secret was how he unlocked the prison doors. Every time he went into the prison cell, Bess gave him a kiss for good luck and a small skeleton key, which is a key that fits many locks. She passed it quickly from her mouth to his.
Harry used these prison escapes to build his fame. He arranged to escape from the local prison of every town he visited. In the afternoon, the people of the town would read about it in their local newspapers, and in the evening every seat in the local theater would be full. What was the result? Worldwide fame and a name remembered today.
1.According to the passage, Houdini’s success in prison escapes depends on ______.
A. his special tricks and supernatural powers
B. his unusual ability and skeleton key
C. his magic tricks and supernatural powers
D. his wisdom and magic tricks
2. It can be inferred from the passage that Houdini became famous ______ .
A. in 1894 B. before he married
C. at the age of 17 D. when he was 24
3.According to the passage, which of the following statements is NOT true?
A. Houdini was a famous American magician.
B. Houdini was first recognized in Chicago.
C. Houdini first entered the entertainment world together with his wife.
D. Houdini was popular with people from Europe and America.
4. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A. A Skeleton Key B. A Secret Prisoner
C. Worldwide Fame D. Great Escapes
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中 共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
Charles Dickens is considering the greatest English novelist of the Victorian era. So popular was he and his works appealed the simple and the experienced. The range, pity, and intelligence of his view of society enriched his novels and make him one of master in the 19th-century literature.
Charles Dickens' early life was terribly. His father, a clerk, was well paid, and his failings often brought the family trouble. In 1824 Charles dropped from school and did manual factory work, and his father went to a prison for debt, that deeply affected Charles. Shortly after come back to the classroom, he finished his schooling at age 15.
高二英语短文改错中等难度题查看答案及解析