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Shortly before Christmas last year,Brazilian piano player Joao Carlos Martins invited his friends to a bar near his home. He wanted to show them the best gift he had received in many years:a new pair of gloves. They are not just any gloves,however. The specially made bionic(仿生）devices are letting the 79-year-old play with both hands for the first time in more than 20 years.
Martins 'health problems could be traced back to 1965. He suffered nerve damage in his arm from a soccer injury. And while he was on tour,a robber hit him over the head with a metal pipe in Bulgaria. Even his close friends believed that his career as a pianist would come to an end.
By his retirement last March,he had undergone 24 medical procedures to try to reduce pain caused by a series of accidents. As a result,he had been forced to work mostly as a musical conductor since the early 2000s.
However,one designer believed Martins 'retirement had come too early. That designer, Ubirata Bizarro Costa,created special bionic gloves for Martins 'hands. The gloves help move his fingers up after they press on the piano keys. Costa said he created early models based on images of Martins' hands,but that those models were“far from ideal”. He then decided to tell Martins about his efforts and they together spent several months testing different models. The perfect match came in December,and cost only$125 to build.
These days,Martins never takes off his new magic gloves-even when he goes to sleep. Martins said he had received more than 100 devices in the last 50 years as possible solutions to his hand problems. None worked well or long enough. "But these gloves do,"he said.
The new gloves have given Martins a new goal. He hopes to play the piano at New York's Carnegie Hall in October. He has already been preparing a concert celebrating the 60th anniversary of his first appearance there.
1.Which of the following is true about Joao Carlos Martins?
A.A designer who created special gloves for himself.
B.A musician who prefers conducting to playing the piano.
C.A pianist whose career was restricted by health problems.
D.A soccer lover who was hit over the head during a match.
2.What is special about Martins' s new gloves?
A.They have been around for a long time.
B.They are considered to be far from ideal.
C.They enable Martins to play with two hands.
D.They are developed mainly for the disabled.
3.In the process of creation,Costa did the following EXCEPT that
A.he perfected the gloves together with Martins.
B.he spent several months testing different models.
C.he made early models based on images of Martins 's hands.
D.he insisted on building the new gloves despite the high price.
4.What's the best title for the text?
A.Technology Improves People's Life
B.Martins Receives the Best Christmas Gift
C.Costa Creates the Special Gloves for Martins
D.Magic Gloves Let Brazilian Pianist Play Again
高二英语阅读选择中等难度题查看答案及解析
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Last year, two days before Christmas, my friends called, telling me their kitchen caught fire, 1.(destroy) everything in it. I drove to their house, taking all the food that I had. They were so happy to see me, but felt 2.(embarrass) having nothing to give me in return.
I went home, very upset. 3.(actual) , I was also in a hard place financially and unable to do 4.(much) for them. I called a friend of mine about this,5. responded, “ These people mean a lot to you and I want to help them.” Since he had never met them, he requested me 6.(go) to the grocery store, all on him. At the check-out, I noticed him lacking money, so that I had to have some items taken back.
We were walking away 7. I heard a voice behind me asking the clerk, “ How much are those things? I decide to pay for them.” I turned around, thanked the kind man and 8. ( tell) him everything. He explained that he understood as he had lost his job the year before but now was working again. 9.tears in our eyes, all of us went away. It was such10.wonderful feeling to see folks step up when someone needed help, even a total stranger.
高二英语短文填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
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My husband Jeff and I moved into our new home in Scottsbluff last year just before Christmas. I did not have the or energy to carry out my traditional Christmas decorating and baking activities. What was the point, anyway? It was going to be a Christmas after all.
, the neighborly nature of west Nebraska residents started to trickle (陆续来临) in.
There was a on the door one evening. It was Jeff’s new colleague, John Smith, and his wife, Phyllis. The Smiths had stopped by to us with a loaf of homemade bread. They pointed out a on the porch (门廊). Apparently the doorbell wasn’t working in the cold snowy weather and we had a visit from the Browns, our across-the-street neighbors, who brought us a Christmas card and more Christmas cookies.
The feelings brought by these thoughtful gestures lasted longer than the food.
As Jeff and I were pre-Christmas snow from our driveway, Ernie Guzman came over from next door to us to dig out.
Then, we received an invitation to a Christmas Eve meal with our neighbors, Ernie and Nancy Sommer, and their —a 90-year-old lady, who also had no family in the immediate area with whom to spend the holiday.
Our Christmas Eve was quite merry, thanks to our . Our Christmas morning was special, thanks to the Smiths’ gift of bread. I was so for these gestures of welcome, especially during the holidays.
This year, we were again unable to be with our families for Christmas. The and work schedules just made things too difficult. that sense of Christmas isolation (孤立) all too well, we decided to try to round up some other folks who were in the holidays.
Lonely people are all around us, but most of us notice them. Just take a look around you. Sometimes, the smallest gesture can make a world of difference.
1.A. chance B. anxiety C. time D. ability
2.A. lonely B. free C. merry D. usual
3.A. Therefore B. However C. Somehow D. Meanwhile
4.A. sign B. knock C. card D. note
5.A. invite B. welcome C. drive D. send
6.A. tree B. flower C. mail D. package
7.A. forgot B. missed C. arranged D. received
8.A. warm B. deep C. true D. mixed
9.A. buying B. clearing C. preparing D. giving
10.A. teach B. urge C. help D. forbid
11.A. prepare B. share C. taste D. exchange
12.A. guest B. aunt C. maid D. partner
13.A. folks B. relatives C. neighbors D. colleagues
14. A. call B. greeting C. meeting D. breakfast
15.A. sorry B. eager C. grateful D. ready
16.A. season B. expense C. distance D. situation
17.A. Knowing B. Showing C. Studying D. Discovering
18.A. happy B. busy C. alone D. active
19.A. always B. usually C. finally D. seldom
20.A. careful B. kind C. pretty D. patient
高二英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
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阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。
Last year, two days before Christmas, my friends called, telling me their kitchen caught fire, 1. (destroy) everything in it. I drove to their house, taking all the food I had. They were so happy to see me, but felt 2. (embarrass) having nothing to give me in return.
I went home, very upset. 3. (actual), I was also in a hard place financially and unable to do 4. (much) for them. I called a friend of 5. ( I ) about this, who responded, “These people mean a lot to you and I want to help them.” Since he had never met them, he requested me 6. (go) to the grocery store, all on him. At the check-out, I noticed him lacking money, so that I had to have some items taken back.
We were walking away 7. I heard a voice behind me asking the clerk, “How much are those things? I decide to pay for them.” I turned around 8. (thank) the kind man and told him everything. He explained that he understood that as he had lost his job the year before but now was working again. 9. tears in our eyes, all of us went away. It was such 10. wonderful feeling to see folks step up when someone needed help, even a total stranger.
高二英语语法填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
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The last few days before Christmas passed quickly and it was soon Christmas Eve. That night when everyone went to bed, Bunny couldn't sleep. He still couldn't think of what he wanted his Christmas gift to be. He wondered how Father Christmas would know what to bring him if he didn't know himself.
As he was sitting up in bed, Bunny heard a big noise on the roof (屋顶) and a sound downstairs. It was Father Christmas, he realized. Bunny jumped out of bed and raced down the hall to the stairs hoping to have a look at the old man with his own eyes.
By the time Bunny reached the bottom of the stairs, though, everything was again silent. Beautiful gifts were piled (堆积) under the Christmas tree, but Father Christmas was gone. He looked for him for a few minutes, but it was already too late. Bunny turned to climb back upstairs when he heard a cry.
“Hello,” said Bunny. “Is somebody there?”
He was answered by another cry. Bunny looked around the big pile of gifts to see what was making the noise. Right under the tree was a funny looking brown animal with big feet and sad eyes. Bunny might have mistaken it for a dog, if it hadn't been for the antlers (鹿角) on its head.
“Are you a reindeer (驯鹿)?” asked Bunny.
“Yes,” replied the animal, “my name is Ralph.”
“And you were pulling Father Christmas' sled (雪橇)?”
“I was until I got airsick,” replied Ralph, “I'm afraid I wasn't cut out for the job. Now I'm stuck here and I don't know how to get back to the North Pole.”
“Well, if you like, you can stay with us as a friend,” said Bunny. As he made the offer, Bunny suddenly realized the gift he wanted from Father Christmas was a new friend!
1.Why couldn't Bunny fall asleep on Christmas Eve?
A. He had a lot of things to do. B. He was disturbed by a big noise.
C. He was thinking of what gift he would get. D. He wanted to have a look at the reindeer.
2.As soon as Bunny came downstairs, he _____.
A. was probably very sad B. found what he wanted
C. ran into a reindeer D. heard a loud cry
3.What would be the best title for the text?
A. A strange Christmas tree B. A special Christmas gift
C. A quiet but smart boy D. A lovely reindeer
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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It was at least two months before Christmas when nine-year-old Almie Rose told her father and me that she wanted a new bicycle. As Christmas drew nearer, her desire for a bicycle seemed to fade（消退）, or so we thought. We bought her a lovely doll, and a doll house. Then, much to our surprise, on December 23rd, she said that she “really wanted a bike more than anything else.” But it was just too late. With such a lot of preparations to do for the Christmas dinner we did not have the time to buy our little girl a bike. So, here we were Christmas Eve around 9:00 p.m., with Almie and her six-year-old brother, Dylan, sleeping in their beds. Now we could only think of the bicycle and the disappointment of our child. “What if I make a little bicycle out of clay (泥) and write a note that she could trade（交易，交换 ） the clay bike in for a real bike?” her dad asked. So he spent the next four hours making a tiny clay bike. On Christmas morning, we were excited for Almie to open the little gift box with the beautiful red and white clay bike and the note. Finally, she opened it and read the note aloud. “Does this mean that I can trade in this bike that Daddy made me for a real one?” I said, “Yes.” Almie had tears in her eyes when she replied, “I could never trade in this beautiful bicycle that Daddy made me. I'd rather keep this than get a real bike.” At that moment, we would have moved heaven and earth to buy her every bicycle in the world!
1.Choose the right time order of the following events.
a. The girl asked for a new bike.
b. The girl opened the little gift box.
c. The parents bought the girl a modern and popular doll.
d. The father made the girl a bike with clay.
e. The girl would rather keep the clay bike than get a real one .
A．a, b, c, e, d B．a, c, d, b, e
C．a, c, b, d, e D．a, b, d, c, e
2.Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A．The parents wanted the girl to have the clay bike for ever.
B．Tears were in the girl's eyes because she didn't like the present at all.
C．The girl never lost her desire for a bike.
D．The parents paid little attention to the daughter's desire for a bike.
3.Why did Dad make the clay bicycle?
A．He wanted his daughter to buy a real one . B．He didn't want to disappoint his daughter.
C．He thought his daughter would like it . D．He wanted to give his daughter a surprise.
4.What can we know from the last sentence?
A．The parents were sad and encouraged.
B．The parents felt neverous and shy.
C．The parents were moved and felt proud of the girl
D．The parents felt unhappy for the girl.
5. Which do you think is the best title （标题）for the story?
A. A lovely little girl B. A great and serious father
C. A clay bike D. Christmas shopping
高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
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阅读下面材料, 根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段, 使之构成一篇完整的短文。 续写的词数应为150左右。
A couple of years ago, a day before Christmas, it was so cold in Nebraska. The high temperature for the day had been below zero. Even though it was so cold that it hurt to be outside, I tried to complete some Christmas shopping during my lunch hour. I thought many people would choose to stay inside until it got warmer and that there would be fewer people at the store.
The moment I got out of my house, I realized it was much colder than I had expected. On the way to the store, I could only see a few people on the street. To comfort myself, I kept telling myself that it was my responsibility to offer my family good Christmas gifts.
As I approached a store, hurrying in an effort to keep warm, I saw a young woman standing outside, seeming to wait for somebody, as I saw she kept looking in all directions. She was completely bundled up (裹得严严实实) from head to toe. But it was clear that she still felt cold. She kept stamping her feet because the motion (动作) could help her to warm up a little.
I greeted her and said, ''My Lady, you must feel very cold to stand here in such bad weather. '' She laughed and said, ''I'm so cold that I can't feel the cold anymore! '' She told me that she had been there since 8: 00 that morning. And it was noon when I saw her. And she also said that she might still have several hours to go. However, she didn't tell me why she was standing there and I didn't ask her why she did so, considering for politeness.
I went inside the store, and I was surprised to see so many people there. At last, I did not find anything to buy and I left. As I arrived at the front of the store, I saw the snack bar (小吃店).
Paragraph 1:
Suddenly, an idea came to me.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2
As I went out of the store, I presented her with the warm drink.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
高二英语读后续写中等难度题查看答案及解析
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For Christmas last year, Marie’s grandma wanted to get her something special. So Marie asked her grandma for her dream gift: a brand-new pair of UGG boots. All her friends had them.
On Christmas morning, Marie really got a pair of boots. They fit perfectly. The quality was superb. There was only one thing missing: the tiny label (标签) on the heel that says UGG.
Marie thanked her grandma. But she’s only worn those boots twice — both times to visit her grandma. “I would never wear them in public,” she says.
Marie’s grandma would be heartbroken to know the truth. But at UGG headquarters (总部), a room full of sales managers would be cheering.
Through clever marketing and expensive advertising, the makers of UGGs have convinced (使信服) Marie — and millions of others — that the name UGG has value far be
yond what the homely slipper boots should really cost. UGGs, like North Face jackets, Nike sneakers, and other brand-name items are “status symbols”. People pay double, triple, even 10 times more for brand names than for similar items. Is a pair of $400 True Religion jeans really better than the $18 Wranglers you can get at Walmart? Maybe the quality is a bit higher. Maybe they shrink less. But are brand names really worth the exorbitant prices? Some pricey brands do, in fact, use higher-quality materials that fit better and feel nice on your skin.However, the truth is that the value of a brand has little to do with quality and a lot to do with status. A recent study by Consumer Reports found that some of the least expensive jeans are better made than the more expensive jeans. But that doesn’t matter. Wearing a certain label tells the world “I belong” or “I can afford it.”
A few decades ago, the idea of a kid refusing to wear a pair of boots because the label was wrong would have seemed as crazy as talking on a phone the size of your hand.
Clearly, times have changed.
1.When she received the Christmas gift from her grandma, Marie seemed .
A. excited B. worried C. moved D. disappointed
2.UGG’s managers would be cheering probably because of .
A. its particular design
B. its successful marketing
C. its h
igh-quality productsD. its better customer service
3.The underlined word “exorbitant” in Paragraph 5 probably means .
A. high B. good C. average D. attractive
4.In the author’s opinion, people wear brand-name products as a way to .
A. follow the fashion
B. show themselves off
C. keep pace with the times
D. improve their quality of life
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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Last year, two days after Christmas, we kicked China out of the house. Not the country obviously, but bits of plastic, metal, and wood with the words “Made in China”. We kept what we already had, but stopped bringing any more in. because it had coated our lives with toys, and useless stuff. Sometimes I worried about jobs sent overseas, but price triumphed over virtue at our house. We couldn’t resist what China was selling.
But on that dark Monday last year, an unease feeling washed over me as I sat on the sofa. It wasn’t until then that I noticed a fact: China was taking over the place.
It stared back at me from the empty screen of the television. I spied it in the pile of tennis shoes by the door. It glowed in the lights on the Christmas tree and watched me in the eyes of a doll lying on the floor, I slipped off the couch and sorted gifts into two piles: China and non-China. The count came to China, 25, the world, 14. Christmas, I realized, had become a holiday made by the Chinese. Suddenly I wanted China out.
I persuaded my husband, and on Jan. 1 st, we started a-year-long household embargo on Chinese imports. The idea wasn’t to punish China. And we didn’t fool ourselves into thinking because we wanted to measure how far it had pushed in. We wanted to know what it would take in time, money, and worry to kick our China habit!
In the spring, our 4-year-old son started a campaign to support “China things”. “It’s too long without China,” he cried. He kept at me all day. I have discovered for myself that China doesn’t control every aspect of our daily lives, but if you take a close look at the underside of boxes in the toy department, I promise it will give you pause. “When we can buy China things again? Let’s never stop.” My son said.
After a year without China I can tell you this: You can still live without it, but it’s getting costlier by the day. And a decade from now I may not be brave enough to try it again.
1. The best title for the text could be _______.
A．China Free Living: A Trouble One
B．A Year without “Made in China”
C．Why I Choose “Made in China”
D．“Made in China”: Good or Bad
2. According to the passage, why did the author stop bringing in things “Made in China”?
A．Because she wanted to bring back job opportunities for her natives.
B．Because she has a strong sense of nationalism against “Made in China”.
C．Because she wanted to learn what life would be like without “Made in China”.
D．Because too much stuff made in China was take over her house.
3. The Underlined word “embargo” in the forth paragraph means ________.
A．reaction B．ban
C．restriction D．cancellation
4.The writer’s purpose in writing this passage is ________.
A．to tell the readers an interesting experience
B．to describe the trouble facing a housewife
C．to explain the importance of Chinese goods
D．to show the difficulty without Chinese goods
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事．
Last year at Christmas time, my wife, three children and I were on our way from Paris to Nice. Somehow everything went wrong. Our hotels were “tourist traps” and our rented car broke down. On Christmas Eve, when we checked into a dirty hotel in Nice, there was no Christmas spirit in our hearts.
It was raining and cold when we went out to eat. We found a small restaurant poorly decorated for the holiday. Only five tables in the restaurant were taken. There were two German couples, two French families, and an American sailor, by himself. They were eating in stony silence except the sailor. He was writing a letter, and a half-smile lighted his face. In the corner a piano player was listlessly (无精打采地) playing Christmas music.
All of us were interrupted by an old French flower woman through the front door. She had a worn overcoat and her old shoes were wet. Carrying her basket of flowers, she went from one table to another. No one bought any. Exhausted and frustrated, she sat down at a table.
The sailor finished his meal and got up to leave. Putting on his coat, he walked over to the flower woman's table.
“Merry Christmas,” he said, smiling and picking out a handful of flowers. “How much are they?”
“Two francs, sir.”
The sailor put a twenty franc note in the woman’s hand.
“I don't have change, sir, ” she said. “I'll get some from the waiter.”
“No, ma'am, ” said the sailor, leaning over and kissing the ancient cheek. “This is my Christmas present for you.”
注意：1．所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2．应使用5个以上短文中标有下划线的关键词语；
3．续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
4．续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语．
Paragraph 1：
Then the sailor headed for our table with the flowers in his hand.______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______
Paragraph 2：
The piano player came alive and pleasant music filled the whole room.__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________
高二英语读后续写中等难度题查看答案及解析
yond what the homely slipper boots should really cost. UGGs, like North Face jackets, Nike sneakers, and other brand-name items are “status symbols”. People pay double, triple, even 10 times more for brand names than for similar items. Is a pair of $400 T