William I, who conquered England some 930 yea...

William I, who conquered England some 930 years ago, had wealth, power and an army. Yet although William was very rich by the standard of his time, he had nothing like a flush toilet(抽水马桶)，or riding lawn mower(除草机). How did he get by ?

History books are filled with wealthy people who were poor compared to me. I have storm windows, Croesus did not. Entire nations trembled before Alexander the Great, but he couldn,t buy cat food. Czar Nicholas lacked an electric saw.

Given how much better off I am than so many famous dead people, you,d think I,d be content. The trouble is that, like most people, I compare my wealth with that of living persons: neighbors, school classmates, famous TV people. The greed I feel toward my friend Howard,s new kitchen is not reduced by the fact no kings ever had a refrigerator with glass doors.’

There is really no rising or falling standard of living. Over the centuries people simply find different things to feel sad about. You,d think that simply not having disease would put us in a good mood, but no, we want a hot bath too.

Of course, one way to achieve happiness would be to realize that even by today,s standards the things I own are pretty nice. My house is smaller than the houses of many investments bankers, but even so it has a lot more rooms than my wife and I can keep clean.

Besides, to people looking back at our era from a century or two in the future, these bankers, fancy counter tops and my own worn Formica will seem equally shabby. I can,t keep up with my neighbors right now. But just wait.

1.What does the underlined phrase “get by” in the first paragraph mean ?

A.Succeed as a king. B.Deal with complaints.

C.Live in s satisfactory way. D.Get some extra money.

2.How many historical figures are mentioned to compare lives in the past and present ?

A.3. B.4.

C.5 D.6

3.According to the passage, the author. intends to 　　　　 .

A.tell us to be content with life

B.warn us to live in a simple way

C.teach us to learn lessons from life

D.encourage us to struggle for wealth

4.What,s the author,s attitude towards life ?

A.Doubtful. B.Optimistic.

C.Uncaring. D.Cautious.

高二英语阅读选择中等难度题查看答案及解析

A few years ago, my wife, Sue had some serious health problems. She had suffered surgery after surgery and had also put on weight. Diets had not helped her and she suffered constantly from undiagnosed pain. One day the whole family sat down and drew up a “wish list”. To our surprise, one of Sue’s items was to run in a marathon. Given her history and physical limitations, I thought her goal was completely unrealistic, but Sue became committed to it.

She began by running very slowly and every day she ran just a little farther than she did the day before. Soon she could run three miles. Then five. Sue kept practicing and longed to run in the St. George Marathon in southern Utah.

On the big day, I parked our van near the finish line, waiting for Sue. The rain was steady and the wind was cold. The marathon had started over five hours ago. The fast and strong competitors had finished already. Several cold and injured runners had been transported past me, and I began to panic. The image of Sue, alone and cold, off the road somewhere, made me sick with worry.

Another hour passed and I spotted a small group running up. As they approached, I could see Sue, in the company of three others, and a woman in her twenties was near Sue. It was obvious that they had become friends during the race. I could see her begin to struggle. But when the finish line came into sight, she confidently even happily picked up her pace the last hundred yards to the finish line. Few people were left to congratulate my wife. They openly praised and embraced her, “She made us believe we could do it,” her new friend stated.

From then on, she was carrying herself differently. Her head was more upright. Her shoulders were squared. Her walk had a new confidence. Her voice held a new, quiet dignity. It was not as if she had become someone new; it was more as if she had discovered a real self she had not known before. It was perseverance that made her realize she was an undiscovered masterpiece with a million things left to learn about herself. She truly liked her newly discovered self. So did I.

1.Why did the author think Sue had an unrealistic goal?

A. She was in bad health condition.　　 B. She occasionally suffered from pains.

C. She was diagnosed with cancer.　　 D. She always had an unhealthy diet.

2.The author began to panic because ________.

A. he was cold and lonely on the road　　 B. he was concerned about Sue

C. he noticed some runners were sick　　 D. he saw his wife was struggling

3.As for “An Undiscovered Masterpiece”, the author refers to ________.

A. Sue’s squared shoulders　　 B. the marathon in southern Utah

C. Sue’s newly-discovered self　　 D. Sue’s newly-made friend

4.The writer wrote this article in order to tell us that ________.

A. Sue did a good job in the marathon

B. Sue made many friends in the race

C. he was grateful because Sue had recovered

D. nothing can take the place of perseverance

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

It was the beginning of the school year a few years ago and I had a little boy in my class who came from a non­English speaking home. He was very quiet and shy. I wasn’t sure how much he understood during the school day and I was especially concerned that he just stood by himself at break time and did not play.If I tried to talk to him，he would turn away and tightly shut his eyes to hide from me.

After a day or two of this，I decided to seek the help from one of my outgoing and friendly little girls.I called her over and she ran to me，ready to help.

I immediately began a long speech about what I needed from her.I asked her if she would try to get him to play，and I started talking quickly about all these suggestions on how she could start communicating with him. I explained she could do this，she could do that，she could try this idea，she could try that idea.She touched my arm to stop my talking and looked up at me in that wise and special way that only a six­year­old can，and said，“Don’t worry.I speak kid.” And she ran off.

I stood there all alone，silently watching her.It took less than a minute for the two new friends to run off，hand in hand，happily joining a game of tag (捉人游戏) taking place all over the gym.

I often think of that small moment，about what I learned and how important it is for all teachers to speak kid—big kid，little kid and middle kid.I know my focus must be on teaching students how to think，how to approach problems，and how to figure out solutions and teaching them never to let the_opportunity away.We must be ready to learn from our students because those “teachable moments” during the school days are for us，the teachers，as well as our kids.

1.Why did the author worry about the boy?

A．He didn’t dare to look at the author in the eyes.

B．He couldn’t speak English as well as other students.

C．He failed to understand what the author taught.

D．He was unwilling to communicate with others.

2.By saying “I speak kid”，the girl meant that she could________.

A．speak the language that kids understand

B．speak the boy’s native language

C．know what kids want to say

D．speak well like a little kid

3.The underlined words “the opportunity” refer to the chance to________.

A．play at break time　　 B．learn from students

C．solve problems　　 D．speak kid

4.What can we learn from the passage?

A．Gold will shine everywhere.

B．Children are more friendly than adults.

C．Teachers’ thoughts are different from students’．

D．You learn something every day if you pay attention.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Years ago I had the opportunity to meet a girl who reinforced my understanding of the power of belief. She was 36 the most powerful person I had ever met. I met Chris for the first time while taking the Dale Carnegie 37  in California.

Our class had already been going for quite some time when 38, supported by metal crutches（拐杖）, 39  herself in. Chris had cerebral palsy（大脑性麻痹）. She had many 40  in communicating with others. This was not due to   41 of desire, but because most of her twenty-one years of life she had been kept in a room with no more than Elvis records and tapes to 42 her. No one had taken the time to assist her in developing the ability to 43. It was Bonnie, her current caretaker, who 44 there was much more to Chris than anyone else gave her credit for.

When asked by the instructor what her goal 45 the twelve-week course was, Chris struggled to respond and became frustrated and 46  in the process. For most of her   47nobody would listen to her. The only way she knew to get someone to 48 was through temper outbursts. With Bonnie as her interpreter, Chris conveyed that her 49 was to be able to stand by herself in front of forty-five people and tell us about herself.

On the twelfth week, Chris stood in front of the room and 50 with us, in her own words, what her life had been like. It was one of the most beautiful and enlightening experiences I had ever 51. Though as a girl who had in many ways been 52, she believed that she could __53__ more in her life and she did. And she also had the love and support of forty-five friends, who, just weeks before, had been 54 strangers.

What we all witnessed through Chris’ courage is that life is 55 moment by moment, based on our beliefs, which are relevant to both our personal and professional direction and have the power to make our wildest dreams come true.

1.                A．luckily          B．probably        C．formally D．naturally

2.                A．break          B．course          C．house    D．chance

3.                A．someone       B．he             C．herself   D．she

4.                A．dragged        B．rushed         C．ran D．jumped

5.                A．difficulties      B．indications      C．disagreements D．suggestions

6.                A．notice          B．need           C．lack D．cheer

7.                A．impress         B．annoy          C．love D．entertain

8.                A．walk           B．pronounce      C．communicate D．write

9.                A．knew          B．asked          C．spoke    D．required

10.               A．at             B．for            C．on   D．in

11.               A．grateful        B．surprised       C．angry     D．noisy

12.               A．way           B．process         C．operation D．life

13.               A．listen          B．smile           C．watch     D．understand

14.               A．class           B．goal           C．ability     D．reason

15.               A．began          B．agreed         C．found     D．shared

16.               A．argued         B．attended        C．witnessed D．accepted

17.               A．found out       B．thrown away     C．brought up     D．held out

18.               A．give           B．accompany      C．spend     D．achieve

19.               A．complete       B．necessary       C．enough    D．typical

20.               A．called          B．carried         C．created   D．searched

高二英语完型填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Thirty years ago, the sales staff at department stores tended to look up to people who had a university degree.___________ in another 30 years, getting a university degree could just be one of many ____(形式) of education. According to a r_____ released by the Ministry of Education at the end of 2006, there will be 30 million s______ in China in 2010.That is 5 million more than in 2008. Job pressures will still exist, or become ____ worse as the number of students ______(增加)。University will not be the only way for people to develop. A degree will not always p____ students for the real world, but mastering certain _____(技能) can put food on their plate. So universities might a _____ students to postpone their studies for one or two years to enter __(社会) and attain experience.

高二英语单词拼写困难题查看答案及解析

Some 30,000 years ago, artists who lived in caves in Europe painted pictures of the animals around them: panthers, hyenas, rhinos, cave lions, mammoths and other creatures which have been extinct for a long time.

The artwork, more than a thousand drawings, is considered the oldest group of human cave drawings which have ever been discovered. They were preserved because the cave was sealed---closed off--for more or less 23,000 years.

Fast forward to December 18, 1994, a group of French cave scientists were exploring caves in southern France. Jean Marie Chauvet, who led the group then, describes the process of discovering the cave paintings. “At that time I was in the front, Eliette just walked behind me, Christian behind. Eliette said she saw two marks with red ochre(赭石) and she said, ‘They came here.’ And at this very moment everything began. The drawings and everything linked to the parietal art(壁画). That is where it started.”

Cave art expert Jean Clotttes reviewed the paintings. “I was amazed at the number of paintings there were and paintings of their quality and particularly in front of the panel of the horses.”

Scientific analysis confirmed the prehistoric date of the artwork. Studies showed the drawings were created tens of thousands of years ago, before human history was written. The United Nations’ cultural agency UNESCO lists the cave as a World Heritage Site. They say that the drawings form a remarkable expression of early human artistic creation of grand excellence and variety.

The Chauvet Cave has been named after the explorer who first entered it. However, its environment and drawings are too fragile to be visited by human beings. So the cave is closed, and only people there for scientific purposes can go inside and see the artwork.

However, French authorities asked experts to create an exact copy of the cave, called Pont d’Arc Cavern. The copy, which we also called replica, cost more than 59 million dollars to build. It opened at the end of April in France.

Pascal Terrasse is the president of the cavern. He says everyone will be able to experience the thrill of looking at drawings made by the first humans in Europe. He says the place is magic because it is done so well. Authorities say they think as many as 400,000 people will be allowed to visit Pont d’Arc Cavern every year.

1.According to Jean Clottes’ words in Paragraph 4, the paintings in the cave were　　　　　 .

A. abstract　 B. superior　　 C. creative　 D. inspiring

2.Which of the follow statements is TRUE about the Chauvet Cave?

A. It was closed off for more than 30,000 years.

B. It is thought to be the origin of modern parietal art.

C. The environment and artwork there are very easy to damage.

D. The majority of drawings there are about the extinct animals.

3.The purpose of creating Pndt d’Arc Cavern is to　　　　　　 .

A. show admiration for the earliest artists in Europe

B. arouse visitors’ awareness of protecting ancient art

C. offer visitors chances to view the wonderful artwork

D. collect money for the perseverance of the Chauvet Cave

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Some 30,000 years ago, artists who lived in caves in Europe painted pictures of the animals around them: panthers, hyenas, rhinos, cave lions, mammoths and other creatures which have been extinct for a long time. The paintings were highly realistic. Some even showed movement.

The artwork, more than a thousand drawings, is considered the oldest group of human cave drawings which have ever been discovered. They were preserved because the cave was sealed---closed off--for more or less 23,000 years.

Fast forward to December 18, 1994, a group of French cave scientists were exploring caves in southern France. Jean Marie Chauvet, who led the group then, describes the process of discovering the cave paintings. “At that time I was in the front, Eliette just walked behind me, Christian behind. Eliette said she saw two marks with red ochre and she said, ‘They came here.’ And at this very moment everything began. The drawings and everything linked to the parietal art(壁画). That is where it is tarted.”

Cave art expert Jean Clotttes reviewed the paintings. “I was amazed at the number of paintings there were and paintings of their quality and particularly in front of the panel of the horses.”

Scientific analysis confirmed the prehistoric date of the artwork. Studies showed the drawings were created tens of thousands of years ago, before human history was written. The United Nations’ cultural agency UNESCO lists the cave as a World Heritage Site. They say that the drawings form a remarkable expression of early human artistic creation of grand excellence and variety.

The Chauvet Cave has been named after the explorer who first entered it. However, its environment and drawings are too fragile to be visited by human beings. So the cave is closed, and only people there for scientific purposes can go inside and see the artwork.

However, French authorities asked experts to create an exact copy of the cave, called Pont d’Arc Cavern. The copy, which we also called replica, cost more than 59 million dollars to build. It opened at the end of April in France.

Pascal Terrasse is the president of the cavern. He says everyone will be able to experience the thrill of looking at drawings made by the first humans in Europe. He says the place is magic because it is done so well. Authorities say they think as many as 400,000 people will be allowed to visit Pont d’Arc Cavern every year.

1.According to Jean Clottes’ words in Paragraph 4, the paintings in the cave were　　　　　 .

A.abstract　 B. superior　　 C. creative　 D. inspiring

2.Which of the follow statements is TRUE about the Chauvet Cave?

A.It was closed off for more than 30,000 years.

B.It is thought to be the origin of modern parietal art.

C.The environment and artwork there are very easy to damage.

D.The majority of drawings there are about the extinct animals.

3.The purpose of creating Pndt d’Arc Cavern is to 　　　　　 .

A.show admiration for the earliest artists in Europe

B.arouse visitors’ awareness of protecting ancient art

C.offer visitors chances to view the wonderful artwork

D.collect money for the perseverance of the Chauvet Cave

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Years ago there was a group of kids who would hang around at some local ponds（池塘） in the woods near their houses in Warwick, Rhode Island. In summer they caught frogs and fish. When winter arrived they couldn’t wait to go skating. Time passed, and the ponds became the only open space for the kids to enjoy themselves in that neighborhood.

One day a thirteen-year-old boy from this group of kids read in the local newspaper that a developer wanted to fill in the ponds and build over a hundred small houses called apartments. So the boy went door to door and gathered more than two hundred signatures to stop the development. A group of citizens met and decided to support him.

At the meeting of the town planning organization，the boy was quite nervous at first and spoke very softly. But when he saw the faces of his friends and neighbors in the crowd and thought about what was happening to their favorite ponds，his voice grew louder. He told the town officials that they should speak for the citizens. He also insisted that they should leave enough space for children. A few days later，the developer stopped his plan.

Nine years later, when that teen was a senior in college, he was informed that the developer was back with his proposal to build apartments. Now twenty-two years old, he was studying wetlands ecology. He again appeared before the town planning organization. This time as an expert, he used environmental protection laws to explain restrictions on development in and around wetlands and the knowledge of wetlands ecology to help to improve the development. Finally some apartments were built, but less than half the number the developer wanted. The ponds where those kids used to hang around were protected by a piece of natural land, and are still there today.

1.The kids liked to ___________ at the local ponds in winter.

A. make a snowman　　　　　　　　　　 B. throw snowballs

C. go skating　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. go skiing

2.The boy thought that the town officials should be ___________ for the citizens.

A. responsible　　　　 B. modest　　　　 C. anxious　　　　　　 D. thankful

3.Which statement is true according to the passage?

A. The apartments were built as the developer had planned.

B. The grown-up boy helped to protect the wetlands as an expert.

C. The developer stopped the boy’s plan at the meeting years ago.

D. The ponds were filled in and some apartments were built on them.

4.The underlined word “restrictions” in the last paragraph probably means________.

A. rules　　　　　　　 B. plans

C. advantages　　　　 D. limitations

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

I had an experience some years ago, which taught me something about the ways in which people make a bad situation worse by blaming themselves．One January, I had to hold two funerals on successive days for two elderly women in my community．Both had died “full of years”, as the Bible would say．Their homes happened to be near each other, so I paid condolence （吊唁） calls on the two families on the same afternoon.

At the first home, the son of the deceased （已故的） woman said to me, “If only I had sent my mother to Florida and gotten her out of this cold and snow, she would be alive today．It’s my fault that she died.” At the second home, the son of the other deceased woman said, “If only I hadn’t insisted on my mother’s going to Florida, she would be alive today．That long airplane ride, the sudden change of climate, was more than she could take．It’s my fault that she’s dead.”

You see that any time there is a death, the survivors will feel guilty．Because the course of action they took turned out badly, they believe that the opposite course — keeping Mother at home, putting off the operation — would have turned out better．After all, how could it have turned out any worse?

There seem to be two elements involved in our willingness to feel guilty．The first is our pressing need to believe that the world makes sense, that there is a cause for every effect and a reason for everything that happens．That leads us to find patterns and connections both where they really exist and where they exist only in our minds.

The second element is the view that we are the cause of what happens, especially the bad things that happen．It seems to be a short step from believing that every event has a cause to believing that every disaster is our fault．The roots of this feeling may lie in our childhood.

A baby comes to think that the world exists to meet his needs, and that he makes everything happen in it．He wakes up in the morning and summons the rest of the world to its tasks．He cries, and someone comes to attend to him．When he is hungry, people feed him, and when he is wet, people change him．Very often, we do not completely outgrow that childish view that our wishes cause things to happen.

1.The author had to hold the two women’s funerals probably because __________________.

A．he wanted to comfort the two families

B．he was an official from the community

C．he had great pity for the deceased

D．he was priest of the local church

2.People feel guilty for the deaths of their loved ones because _______________________.

A．they couldn’t find a better way to express their sorrow

B．they believe that they were responsible

C．they had neglected the natural course of events

D．they didn’t know things often turn out in the opposite direction

3.According to the passage, the underlined part in paragraph 4 probably means that ______.

A．everything in the world is predetermined

B．the world can be interpreted in different ways

C．there’s an explanation for everything in the world

D．we have to be sensible in order to understand the world

4.What’s the main idea of the passage?

A．Life and death is an unsolved mystery.

B．Every story should have a happy ending.

C．Never feel guilty all the time because not every disaster is our fault.

D．In general, the survivors will feel guilty about the people who passed away .

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

I had an experience some years ago, which taught me something about the ways in which people make a bad situation worse by blaming themselves. One January, I had to hold two funerals on successive days for two elderly women in my community. Both had died “full of years”, as the Bible would say. Their homes happened to be near each other, so I paid condolence(吊唁) calls on the two families on the same afternoon.

At the first home, the son of the deceased（亡故的）woman said to me, “If only I sent my mother to Florida and gotten her out of this cold and snow, she would be alive today. It’s my fault that she died. ”At the second home, the son of the other deceased woman said, “If only I hadn’t insisted on my mother’s going to Florida, she would be alive today. That long airplane ride, the sudden change of climate, was more than she could take. It’s my fault that she’s dead.”

You see that any time there is a death, the survivors will feel guilty. Because the course of action they took turned out bad, they believe that the opposite course keeping Mother at home, putting off the operation would have turned out better. After all, how could it have turned out any worse?

There seem to be two elements involved in our willingness to feel guilty. The first is our pressing need to believe that the world makes sense, that there is a cause for every effect and a reason for everything that happens. That leads us to find patterns and connections both where they really exist and where they exist only in our minds.

The second element is the view that we are the cause of what happens, especially the bad things that happen. It seems to be a short step from believing that every event has a cause to believing that every disaster is our fault. The roots of this feeling may lie in our childhood.

A baby comes to think that the world exists to meet his needs, and that he makes everything happen in it. He wakes up in the morning and summons the rest of the world to his tasks. He cries, and someone comes to attend to him. When he is hungry, people feed him, and when he is wet, people change him. Very often, we do not completely outgrow that childish view that our wishes cause things to happen.

1.The author had to conduct the two women’s funerals probably because____.

2.People feel guilty for the death of their loved ones because ____.

3.According to the passage, the underlined part in paragraph 4 probably means that _____

4. What’s the idea of the message?

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析