There has long been a notion (观念) that money ...

There has long been a notion (观念) that money buys happiness. However, although “we really, really tried that for a couple of generations, it didn’t work,” said Francine Jay, author of The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide: How to Declutter, Organize, and Simplify Your Life.

Thanks to a travel-inspired revelation (启发), Jay has been happily living a simpler life for 12 years. “I always packed as lightly as possible, and found it exciting to get by with just a small carry-on bag,” she told CNN. “I thought if it feels this great to travel lightly, how amazing would it be to live this way? I wanted to have that same feeling of freedom in my everyday life.”

Jay decided to get rid of all her excess (额外的) possessions and live with just the essentials (必需品). “I wanted to spend my time and energy on experiences, rather than things.”

Jay is a follower of a movement called “minimalism (极简主义)”. Growing numbers of people have been attracted to this lifestyle all over the world. They share the same feeling of disappointment with modern life and a desire to live more simply. Minimalists are typically progressive and concerned about the environment, Leah Watkins, a lead researcher at Otago University in New Zealand, told Stuff magazine in March.

But many simply experienced unhappiness caused by owning too many possessions. Depression with the materialism of our world isn’t new. English romantic poet William Wordsworth summed up how dispiriting (令人 消沉的) this was back in 1802, at the beginning of the industrial age, when he wrote: “Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers”. His preference was to go back to nature. Closer to our own times, the hippies (嬉皮士) of the 1960s also sought to ‘‘drop out” of modern life.

And for many minimalists, their key is to unload. Without objects, they “believe people are forced more and more into the present moment and that’s where life happens,” wrote Stuff.

But does simplicity ever feel like a sacrifice (牺牲)?

“It’s eliminating the excess—unused items, unnecessary purchases—from your life. Well, I may have fewer possessions, but I have more space … Minimalism is making room for what matters most,” said Jay.

And “the real questions”, according to Duane Elgin, US social scientist, are “what do you care about?” and “What do you value?”

He told CNN: “It’s important for people to realize minimalism isn’t simply the amount of stuff we consume. It’s about our families, our work, our connection with the larger world, our spiritual dimension. It’s about how we touch the whole world. It’s a way of life.”

1.What was the author’s main purpose in writing the text?

A. To explore the trend of minimalism.

B. To give tips on how to lead a happy life.

C. To argue whether money buys happiness.

D. To recommend one of Francine Jay’s books.

2.What inspired Francine Jay to live a simple life?

A. A book she came across.

B. Her desire to keep up with modern life.

C. The pleasure she enjoyed from traveling lightly.

D. A follower of minimalism she met on a trip.

3.According to Leah Watkins, a typical minimalist tends to 　　　　 .

a. be fed up with materialism

b. like saving and visiting nature often

c. be angry about his or her current life

d. be environmentally friendly and live with fewer things

A. a, b　　 B. a, d

C. a, b, c　　 D. b, c, d

4.The underlined word “eliminating” in Paragraph 8 probably means 　　　　 .

A. removing　　 B. distinguishing

C. accepting　　 D. improving

5.Which of the following would Duane Elgin probably agree with?

A. Minimalism is a healthy lifestyle that is in conflict with modem life.

B. Minimalism limits people’s freedom to enjoy their lives to the fullest.

C. Minimalism enables people to reflect on what truly counts in their lives.

D. Minimalism means people have to sacrifice some pleasure to live simply.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

What makes us happy?

There has long been a notion that money buys happiness. However, although“we really, really tried that for a couple of generations, it didn’t work,”said Francine Jay, author of The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide: How to Declutter, Organize, and Simplify Your Life.

Thanks to a travel-inspired revelation（启发），Jay has been happily living a simpler life for 12 years.“I always packed as lightly as possible, and found it delighting to get by with just a small carry-on bag,”she told CNN.“I thought if it feels this great to travel lightly, how amazing would it be to live this way? I wanted to have that same feeling of freedom in my everyday life.”

Jay decided to get rid of all her unnecessary possessions and live with just the essentials.“I wanted to spend my time and energy on experiences, rather than things.”

Jay is a follower of a movement called“minimalism（极简主义）”. Growing numbers of people have been attracted to this life-style all over the world. Minimalists are typically progressive and concerned about the environment, Leah Watkins, a lead researcher at Otago University in New Zealand, told Stuff magazine in March.

But many simply experienced unhappiness caused by owning too many possessions. Depression with the materialism of our world isn’t new. English romantic poet William Wordsworth summed up how dispiriting（令人消沉的）this was back in 1802, at the beginning of the industrial age, when he wrote:“Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers”. His preference was to go back to nature. Closer to our own times, the hippies（嬉皮士）of the 1960s also sought to“drop out”of modern life.

And for many minimalists, their key is to unload. Without objects, they“believe people are forced more and more into the present moment and that’s where life happens,”wrote Stuff.

But does simplicity ever feel like a sacrifice?

“It’s eliminating the excess—unused items, unnecessary purchases—from your life. Well, I may have fewer possessions, but I have more space…Minimalism is making room for what matters most,”said Jay.

And“the real questions”，according to Duane Elgin, US social scientist, are“what do you care about?”and“What do you value?”

He told CNN:“It’s important for people to realize minimalism isn’t simply the amount of stuff we consume. It’s about our families, our work, our connection with the larger world, our spiritual dimension. It’s about how we touch the whole world. It’s a way of life.”

1.What was the author’s main purpose in writing the text?

A.To argue whether money buys happiness.

B.To recommend one of Francine Jay’s books.

C.To explore the trend of minimalism.

D.To give tips on how to lead a happy life.

2.What inspired Francine Jay to live a simple life?

A.A book she came across.

B.A follower of minimalism she met on a trip.

C.The pleasure she enjoyed from travelling lightly.

D.Her desire to keep up with modern life.

3.According to Leah Watkins, a typical minimalist tends to ___.

A.be in love with materialism

B.like saving and visiting nature often

C.be disappointed with his or her current life

D.be environmentally friendly and live with fewer things

4.Which of the following would Duane Elgin probably agree with?

A.Minimalism is a healthy lifestyle that is in conflict with modern life

B.Minimalism means people have to sacrifice some pleasure to live simply

C.Minimalism limits people’s freedom to enjoy their lives to the fullest.

D.Minimalism enables people to reflect on what truly counts in their lives.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

What makes us happy?

There has long been an opinion that money buys happiness. However, although “we really, really tired that for a couple of generations, it didn’t work,” said Francine Jay, author of The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide: How to Declutter, Organize, and Simplify Your Life.

Thanks to a travel- inspired revelation (启发), Jay has been happily living a simpler life for 12 years. “I always packed as lightly as possible, and found it exhilarating (令人高兴的) to get by with just a small carry-on bag,” she told CNN. “I thought if it feels this great to travel lightly, how amazing would it be to live this way? I wanted to have that same feeling of freedom in my everyday life.”

Jay decided to get rid of all her excess(额外的) possessions and live with just the essentials. “I wanted to spend my time and energy on experiences, rather than things.”

Jay is a follower of a movement called “minimalism(极简主义)”. Growing numbers of people have been attracted to this lifestyle all over the world. They share the same feeling of disappointment with modern life and a desire to live more simply. Minimalists are typically progressive and concerned about the environment, Leah Watkins, a lead researcher at Otago University in New Zealand, told Stuff magazine in March.

But many simply experienced unhappiness caused by owning too many possessions. Depression with the materialism of our world isn’t new. English romantic poet Willian Wordsworth summed up how dispiriting this was back in 1802, at the beginning of the industrial age, when he wrote: “Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers”. His preference was to go back to nature. Closer to our own times, the hippies(嬉皮士)of the 1960s also sought to “drop out ”of modern life.

And for many minimalists, their key is to unload. Without objects, they “believe people are forced more and more into the present moment and that’s where life happens,” wrote Stuff. But does simplicity ever feel like a sacrifice?

“It’s eliminating the excess—unused items, unnecessary purchases—from your life. Well, I may have fewer possessions, but I have more space…Minimalism is making room for what matters most,” said Jay.

And “the real questions”, according to Duane Elgin, US social scientist, are “what do you care about?” and “What do you value?” He told CNN: “It is important for people to realize minimalism isn’t simply the amount of stuff we consume. It is about our families, our work, our connection with the larger world, our spiritual dimension. It is about how we touch the whole world. It is a way of life.”

1.What inspired Francine Jay to live a simple life？

A. A book she came across.

B. A follower of minimalism she met on a trip.

C. The pleasure she enjoyed from traveling lightly.

D. Her desire to keep up with modern life.

2.According to Leah Watkins，a typical minimalist tends to________.

a. be fed up with materialism

b. like saving and visiting nature often

c. be disappointed with his or her current life

d. be environmentally friendly and live with fewer things

A. a, b　　 B. a, d　　 C. a, b ,c　　 D. b, c, d

3.The underlined word"eliminating"in the second-to-last paragraph probably means_______.

A. removing　　 B. distinguishing　　 C. accepting　　 D. improving

4.Which of the following would Duane Elgin probably agree with？

A. Minimalism is a healthy lifestyle that is in conflict with modern life.

B. Minimalism means people have to sacrifice some pleasure to live simply.

C. Minimalism limits people's freedom to enjoy their lives to the fullest.

D. Minimalism enables people to reflect on what truly counts in their lives.

5.What was the author's main purpose in writing the text？

A. To argue whether money buys happiness.

B. To recommend one of Francine Jay's books.

C. To explore the trend of minimalism.

D. To give tips on how to lead a happy life.

高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

There is no doubt that for a long time college education has been accepted. All high school graduates ought to go, says conventional wisdom and statistical evidence, because college will help them earn more money, become “better” people, and learn to be more responsible citizens than those who don’t go.

But college has never been able to work its magic for everyone. And now that close to half our high school graduates are attending, those who don’t fit the pattern are becoming more numerous, and more obvious. College graduates are selling shoes and driving taxis; college students interfere(妨碍；干扰) with each other’s experiments and write false letters of recommendation in the fierce competition so as to get admitted into graduate schools. Others find no stimulation (激励) in their studies, and consequently have to drop out, which is often encouraged by college administrators.

Some observers say the fault is with the young people themselves--they are spoiled and they are expecting too much. But that’s a condemnation(指责) of the students as a whole, and doesn’t explain all campus unhappiness. Others blame the state of the world, and they are partly right. We have been told that young people have to go to college because our economy can’t absorb an army of untrained eighteen-year-olds. But disappointed graduates are learning that it can no longer absorb an army of trained twenty-two-year-olds,either.

1.What’s the main idea of the first paragraph, ___________________.

A. people have great expectations for college education.

B. people still have a low opinion of college education.

C. the author thinks youngsters should all go to college.

D. people now no longer challenge college education.

2.The reason why more young people drop out of college is that _________.

A. they can start selling shoes and driving taxis.

B. they are no longer motivated in their studies.

C. they compete for admission to graduate schools.

D. college administrators force them to do so.

3.Who contributes to campus unhappiness?

A. young students who are all spoiled and expecting too much.

B. our society that can’t offer enough jobs to college graduates.

C. young people as well as our society are to blame for all this.

D. our society that has not enough jobs for high school graduates.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

–-That must have been a long trip.

-- Yeah, it _______ us a whole week to get there.

A．takes             B．has taken          C．took             D．was taking

高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

It is generally believed that money can’t buy happiness. However, that may not be always true. According to a recent article, in the last few years, new research has given us a far deeper understanding of the relationship between what we earn and how we feel. Broadly speaking, people with higher incomes are happier than those who struggle to get by. But it also shows you need to spend wisely if you expect those bank notes to put a smile on your face. 　　 1.

1.　 Buy experiences, not material goods.

In a recently published study, Professor Ryan at San Francisco State University in the US, found that when people don’t have much money to spare, they tend to stick to material goods. 　　 2.　　 But they actually provide both more happiness and more lasting value.

2. 　　 3.

No matter how much money you spend on something and how special that product is, you will get used to having it over time and lose interest in it. With the same money you spend on one big object, you can buy many little things. Buying small things means you can get frequent small pleasures.

3.　 Be sure to buy time.

4.　　 For example, that big house in the suburbs may seem like a good idea, but a 2014 study by researchers from University of Zurich in Switzerland found that people with longer time on the way reported lower life satisfaction, all other things being equal.

4.　 Try giving it away.

Elizabeth Dunn, professor at the University of British Columbia in Canada, found that in nations as diverse as Canada, South Africa and Uganda, giving away money consistently made people happier. 　　 5.　　　　

A. Be sure to buy what you like.

B. Here are some ways to better spend your money.

C. Buy lots of little things, rather than one big thing.

D. There are a lot of reasons someone might buy something.

E. People think experiences only provide temporary happiness.

F. This was even true when people giving away were relatively poor.

G. Consider how the things you buy will affect how you spend your time.

高二英语七选五中等难度题查看答案及解析

A long time ago, before there was any money (coins or paper money), people got the things that they needed by trading or exchanging. Salt was one of the first items used to exchange for other items. Later, some of the common things that were used for exchanging were tea leaves, shells, feathers, animal teeth, tobacco, and blankets. Around 3000 BC, barley, a type of grain, was used for exchanging.

The world’s first metal money was developed by the Sumerians who melted silver into small bars all weighing the same. This was around 1000 BC. About three hundred years later, people started using coins as official money.

Around 640 BC, people in the ancient kingdom of Lydia ( which was in Turkey) created special coins of exact with and purity (纯度). They were made of gold and silver and were stamped with a lion’s head.

Later, other empires such as Greece, Persia, and Rome adopted the concept of coins and started developing their own in many different shapes and different metals.

Around the year 1000, the Chinese started using paper money. The Chinese were the first to use paper money. The Europeans discovered this thanks to Marco Polo who went to China in 1295. the Chinese had different values for the paper notes which were made by the Chinese government.

Around 1661, Sweden became the first European country to make paper money. Until 1850, the Spanish dollar was the coin most widely used throughout the world.

1.What is the best title for this passage?

2.We learn that before coins and paper money were used, _____.

3.According to the passage, when did people start using coins as official money?

A.    Around 1300 BC.     B. Around 1000 BC.

C.    Around 700 BC.       D. Around 640 BC.

4.The underlined word “adopted” in Paragraph 4 probably means “____”.

5.Which of the following countries first started to use paper money?

高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

Swim-with-dolphins

Humans have always been fascinated by dolphins and there has been a long history of association between the two. 1.. The “swim-with-dolphins” tourist industry is becoming more popular every year. The chance to see dolphins in the wild is often a lifetime dream for many people and tour operators are always on the lookout to give their tourist swimmers the best experience they can. After all, it can cost a large amount of money to have this kind of holiday experience. 2.

Research has shown that while dolphins can move away if they do not want to interact with human swimmers , they do not like it at all if the swimmers slip into the water directly on top of them or if humans are in their path of travel. However, if swimmers enter the water to one side of them, the dolphins do not avoid the swimmers to the same extent. 3.

In all cases, the dolphins seem to have become more sensitive to the presence of the swimmers. For dolphins, swimming with humans is not necessarily a high priority(优先权). 4. It is a new and unusual experience for them .

5. The advice is that dolphins should be given adequate periods of time throughout the day when they are not exposed to tourism. Humans’ lifelong dreams of swimming with dolphins in the wild have severely affected them, leaving not enough time for them to rest and take care of their own babies.

If we are to enjoy these remarkable animals and not just use them for our entertainment, then we must carefully monitor the “swim-with-dolphins” industry worldwide.

A. They cannot fulfill their lifelong dreams .

B. This possibly seems like less threatening behavior to them.

C. In the long term there could be harmful effects on the dolphin’s well-being.

D. It is frequently asked whether “swim-with-dolphins” tourism should be stopped.

E. So tour operators try to place eager swimmers as near as possible to the dolphins.

F. Over time this has turned into a worldwide tourist activity--swimming with dolphins.

G. In fact , only some baby dolphins will be relatively willing to participate in the interaction.

高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

I’m happy ______ should be done has already been done.

A. with what　　　　　 B. that that

C. by that　　　　　　 D. that what

高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

When Alice came to, she did not know how long she________there.

A．had been laying     B．has been lying      C．was laying         D．had been lying

高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析