B
Six years ago at the age of 35, I suddenly decided I wanted to learn the cello(大提琴). Straight away I rented an instrument and appeared before Wendell Margrave, professor of musical instruction.
"You can be as good as you want to be, "Margrave said rather mysteriously. On a piece of paper he drew the notes E and F. He showed me where to put my fingers on the neck of the cello and how to draw the bow. Then he entered my name in his book: 10 am, Tuesday. Tuesday followed Tuesday, and soon it was spring.
Thus began my voyage out of ignorance and into the dream. E-F, E-F, we played together—and moved on to G. It was a happy time. I was again becoming something new, and no longer trapped as the same person. Surely the most terrible recognition of middle life is that we are past changing. We do what we can already do. The cello was something I couldn't do. Yet each Tuesday this became less and less true. Riding home on the bus one snowy night and learning the score of Mozart's C-Major Quintet, I felt the page burst into music in my hands. I could by then more or less read a score, and was humming(哼唱)the cello line, when suddenly all five parts came together harmonically in my head. The fellow sitting opposite stared. I met his glance with tears, actually hearing the music in my head for the first time. Could he hear it too, perhaps? No, he got off at the next stop.
As the years slipped by, my daughter grew up, playing the piano well. My goal was that she and I would one day perform together. I also wanted to perform in public with and for my peers, and to be secretly envied. I continued to play, to perform, but it is not the same. Before, when I heard a cello, it was all beauty and light. Now, as the TV camera gets close to Rostropovich's face, I recognize that his smile shows his incredible determination. Even for him, the cello is a difficult instrument that doesn't respect your ambitions. I picked up my cello and practiced. As good as I wanted to be, I am as good as I'm going to get. It is good enough.
1.From the first two paragraphs, we can learn that .
A. the author already knew some cello basics
B. the author went to a cello lesson every Tuesday
C. the author bought a cello after he decided to learn it
D. Wendell Margrave was a famous but mysterious professor
2.The author writes that "it was a happy time" in Paragraph 3 mainly because .
A. he felt very bored with his new life
B. it was beautiful to be able to hear the music in his mind
C. Professor Margrave made learning the cello very easy for him
D. he enjoyed the feelings of growth and getting closer to his dream
3. From the last paragraph, it can be inferred that the author .
A. put on shows with his daughter
B. was determined to catch up with Rostropovich
C. is happy to have kept up his personal development
D. was confident that his peers would envy him for his cello playing ability
4. The purpose of the article is mainly to .
A. show his deep gratitude to his cello tutor
B. advise readers on how to improve their cello skills
C. describe his incredible efforts to overcome difficulties
D. encourage readers that it's never too late to pursue their dreams
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题
B
Six years ago at the age of 35, I suddenly decided I wanted to learn the cello(大提琴). Straight away I rented an instrument and appeared before Wendell Margrave, professor of musical instruction.
"You can be as good as you want to be, "Margrave said rather mysteriously. On a piece of paper he drew the notes E and F. He showed me where to put my fingers on the neck of the cello and how to draw the bow. Then he entered my name in his book: 10 am, Tuesday. Tuesday followed Tuesday, and soon it was spring.
Thus began my voyage out of ignorance and into the dream. E-F, E-F, we played together—and moved on to G. It was a happy time. I was again becoming something new, and no longer trapped as the same person. Surely the most terrible recognition of middle life is that we are past changing. We do what we can already do. The cello was something I couldn't do. Yet each Tuesday this became less and less true. Riding home on the bus one snowy night and learning the score of Mozart's C-Major Quintet, I felt the page burst into music in my hands. I could by then more or less read a score, and was humming(哼唱)the cello line, when suddenly all five parts came together harmonically in my head. The fellow sitting opposite stared. I met his glance with tears, actually hearing the music in my head for the first time. Could he hear it too, perhaps? No, he got off at the next stop.
As the years slipped by, my daughter grew up, playing the piano well. My goal was that she and I would one day perform together. I also wanted to perform in public with and for my peers, and to be secretly envied. I continued to play, to perform, but it is not the same. Before, when I heard a cello, it was all beauty and light. Now, as the TV camera gets close to Rostropovich's face, I recognize that his smile shows his incredible determination. Even for him, the cello is a difficult instrument that doesn't respect your ambitions. I picked up my cello and practiced. As good as I wanted to be, I am as good as I'm going to get. It is good enough.
1.From the first two paragraphs, we can learn that .
A. the author already knew some cello basics
B. the author went to a cello lesson every Tuesday
C. the author bought a cello after he decided to learn it
D. Wendell Margrave was a famous but mysterious professor
2.The author writes that "it was a happy time" in Paragraph 3 mainly because .
A. he felt very bored with his new life
B. it was beautiful to be able to hear the music in his mind
C. Professor Margrave made learning the cello very easy for him
D. he enjoyed the feelings of growth and getting closer to his dream
3. From the last paragraph, it can be inferred that the author .
A. put on shows with his daughter
B. was determined to catch up with Rostropovich
C. is happy to have kept up his personal development
D. was confident that his peers would envy him for his cello playing ability
4. The purpose of the article is mainly to .
A. show his deep gratitude to his cello tutor
B. advise readers on how to improve their cello skills
C. describe his incredible efforts to overcome difficulties
D. encourage readers that it's never too late to pursue their dreams
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Several years ago, Masaru Ibuka, chairman of Sony, was at a company planning a meeting. Suddenly he had a brilliant idea. He stopped the meeting and asked everyone present what would happen if Sony removed the recording function and speaker and sold headphones with a tape player instead. Almost everyone thought he was crazy. Still, Ibuka kept thinking about his idea and worked at improving it. The result, of course, turned out to be the wildly successful Sony Walkman.
Good ideas often start with a seemingly silly question. Bill Bowerman was making breakfast one day. As he stood there making waffles (华夫饼干)for his son, he wondered what would happen if he poured rubber into his waffle iron. Later ,he tried it and the result looked something like the bottom of most sports shoes we see today. Still, when he took this idea to several existing shoe companies, he was laughed at. In fact, every single company turned him down. Though rather discouraged, Bowerman insisted and went on to form his own company, making NIKE athletic shoes.
Sometimes good ideas grow out of frustration .When Fred Smith was a student at Yale University, he had some paperwork that he needed to have delivered across the country the next day. Smith was amazed to find out that overnight delivery was impossible. He sat for a long while, lost in thought. Why couldn’t there be a reliable overnight mail delivery service? He decided to design one. Smith did just that and turned his design into a class project. His business professor gave him only a C for his efforts. However, Smith was not through. He improved the idea in that class project and finally turned it into one of the first and most successful overnight mail service in the world — FedEx.
We know that each of these ideas led to a very successful product or service that has changed the way many of us live. The best questions are usually open-ended and are often silly, Children aren’t afraid to ask such questions, but adults frequently are. Think how different the world might be if people never asked “ silly” questions!
1.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Sony Walkman achieved great success with its recording function and speaker.
B. Bill Bowerman was experimenting with rubber for large shoe companies.
C. Shoe companies rejected Bill Bowerman as they failed to see the potential of Nike.
D. Fred Smith got the idea of an overnight mail service from his own experience.
2.What do the three persons mentioned in the passage have in common?
A. They were all determined about carrying out their ideas.
B. They were good at answering other people’s silly questions.
C. They started their own company after discussing with others.
D. They had a very clear plan for their new ideas at the very start.
3.We can conclude from the passage that _______.
A. asking others for their silly questions leads to inventions
B. lots of creative ideas usually end up as “silly” questions
C. adults usually ask more silly questions than children
D. crazy ideas sometimes contribute to great inventions
4.The passage is mainly developed by_______.
A. analyzing possible reasons B. presenting different opinions
C. providing typical examples D. listing practical suggestion
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
A couple of years ago, I decided it was time to take a break. I was about to ________,and I wanted to reward myself for all those college years.
As I was curiously different websites and guidebooks, getting ready for my little adventure, I ________that besides getting all the necessities, I also needed to get a sun ________.
When I got to the shop, it ________occurred to me that in the middle of planning my ,I somehow hadn’t paid much attention to the calendar. It was Feb.14, and Valentine’s fever had ________ the whole shopping center.
I finally ________a rack(货架) with summer hats hanging on it .I walked over and tried on a couple. I really liked one ________.I just couldn’t decide whether I wanted to get the one with a pink ribbon or a blue ribbon decoratively around it.
“You looked really great on those hats, ”a middle-aged man ________there waiting to be helped…and said to me.
“Oh, thank you.” I ________answered and increased my pace. I was in no mood to have a ________with a stranger. I stopped by a sale rack and looked through colorful shirts.
“Excuse me.” A voice suddenly ________my dreamy state of mind. I turned around and that man was standing right behind me. He looked ________but determined.
Before I could do or say anything, he continued with what he wanted to say. “I’m sorry to ________ you, but those hats looked really nice on you. You see, I don’t ________ anybody to buy a Valentine’s gift for this year, so I got you one of the hats. I ________ you don’t mind.” he said while handing me a plastic bag and disappeared immediately.
“Thank you!” I finally breathed out ,feeling quite surprised. Who would imagine that a ________ would walk up to you and give you a present?
I do hope the man found his Valentine ________.And most of all--I no longer feel blue on Valentine’s Day, even when I’m alone, because I remember my hat story.
1.A.retire B.speak C.defeat D.graduate
2.A.searching B.searching for C.looking D.looking for
3.A.announced B.suggested C.realized D.declared
4.A.hat B.glass C.shirt D.bag
5.A.proudly B.suddenly C.curiously D.patiently
6.A.study B.reward C.trip D.present
7.A.handed over B.taken over C.given out D.turned out
8.A.bought B.made C.kept D.saw
9.A.on business B.in particular C.at work D.in danger
10.A.formed B.tied C.collected D.torn
11.A.lying B.stopping C.standing D.following
12.A.angrily B.politely C.unhappily D.sadly
13.A.bargain B.trade C.cooperation D.conversation
14.A.continued B.interested C.attracted D.interrupted
15.A.tired B.shy C.surprised D.sorry
16.A.bother B.satisfy C.meet D.fit
17.A.catch B.ask C.have D.advise
18.A.think B.consider C.find D.hope
19.A.lover B.patient C.teacher D.stranger
20.A.in time B.on time C.at times D.over time
高二英语完型填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Sheila Green was married 12 years ago.1.When her youngest child reached school age, she decided to go back to work.2.Her salary could make a difference between a financial struggle and a secure financial situation for her family. Sheila also felt bored and frustrated in her role as a homemaker and wanted to be more involved in life outside her home.
However, Sheila was worried about her children’s adjustment to this new situation. She arranged for them to go to stay with a woman nearby after school each afternoon.3.While a problem seemed to appear between Sheila and her husband Sandy. When Sheila was at home all day, she was able to clean the house, go grocery shopping, wash the clothes, take care of the children and cook two or three meals each day.4.
Now the same things need to be done, but Sheila has only evenings and early mornings to do them.5. Sandy is accustomed to sitting down and reading a paper of watching TV until dinners is ready. This is exactly what Sheila feels like doing, but someone has to fix dinner and Sandy expects it to be Sheila. Sheila is becoming very angry at Sandy’s feels that everything should be the same as it was before Sheila went back to work.
A. They seemed to be happy with the arrangement.
B. Sheila thought that she should contribute to the household finances.
C. Her oldest child studies in a school near her home.
D. Both Sheila and Sandy are tired when they arrive home at 6 p.m.
E. She has three children and lives in a suburb outside Columbus, Ohio.
F. Sheila does not only work in a company, but also the housework.
G. She was very busy, of course, but she succeeded in getting everything done.
高二英语七选五中等难度题查看答案及解析
After I mastered my first concerto (协奏曲) at the age of 14, my parents decided to get me a nice violin. I tried out dozens of instruments before I found my match: a German violin. It was beautiful, but what I liked best about it was its voice. Confident and strong, it was everything I longed to be.
I’m not sure how much that violin cost, but my parents made me promise never to let it out of my sight. They didn’t understand that pulling a large violin case ran counter to my daily middle school task of not being noticed. I was a strange, absent-minded kid. When I spoke up in class, my comments brought confused silence from teachers and wild laughter from students. Like a deer in a wolf pack, I tried to be quiet and still.
However, my new violin was almost shockingly loud. Together, we were much louder than the rest of my middle school orchestra — which was encouraged, since the other kids made sounds like cats’ crying. For one wonderful hour every day, I was showered with attention. Everyone wanted to hear what I had to say.
Between classes, I bent under the combined weight of my violin case and a backpack filled with books. My body suffered, but my confidence grew. With my violin by my side, I found my voice. More and more, I contributed to class discussions and even made a couple of friends.
Today, I’m just an excellent violinist with a regular day job. As I sit in my community orchestra, sometimes I feel jealous (嫉妒的) of my fellow musicians’ instruments with their elegant voices. I may not be the best violinist around, but at least I’m still the loudest.
1.The underlined part “ran counter to” in Paragraph 2 probably means ________.
A. was similar to B. went along with
C. had something in common with D. was the opposite of
2.We know from Paragraph 2 that the author ________.
A. was an excellent student B. did not fit in at school
C. was strong and confident D. did not attend classes regularly
3.What kind of feeling is expressed in Paragraph 3?
A. Pride. B. Anger. C. Disappointment. D. Regret.
4.What can we infer from the text?
A. The violin always made the author embarrassed.
B. The author hated the loud voice of his violin.
C. The violin changed the author in some way.
D. The author was the best violinist in his community orchestra.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
How old is “old”? The answer has changed over the years. Two hundred years ago,you were old at 35.At the beginning of the 20 th century,the average life span(平均寿命)was 45. In 1950,70-year-olds were really old.Today,a healthy 70-year-old is still thought young.
So,how old is old? The answer is one you’ve heard many times,from all kinds of people.“You are as old(or young)as you feel.”Your age simply tells you how many years you have lived.Your body tells you how well you’ve lived.
“Nobody grows old by living a number of years.” wrote a writer.“People grow old when they don’t have their ideas.”
People shouldn’t have the wrong ideas about aging.Sometimes,older minds can be as bright as young minds.Alice Brophy once said,“It makes me unhappy when people say,‘You look young for your age。’ What does that mean?You know you can die old at 30 and live young at 80. ”
1.In 1950, the average life span was .
A.35 | B.45 | C.50 | D.70 |
2.People grow old when ________according to a writer.
A.they don’t have their ideas. | B.they live many years. |
C.They can’t live longer. | D.they have their ideas. |
3.The meaning of the underlined word “aging” is “ ________ ”
A.growing old | B.staying young |
C.keeping healthy | D.feeling unhappy |
4.Which question is NOT answered in the passage?
A.Can older people be as bright as young people? |
B.What’s the wrong ideas about aging? |
C.How old is “old”? |
D.what is the average life span today? |
5.The passage is mainly about __________ .
A.the average life span | B.aging |
C.the 20th century | D.older people and young people |
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Hannah Levine decided she wanted to give hugs to all of the children and families in need at local hospitals.
Because she couldn’t give them one by one, Levine, then a sixth-grader, decided she would use her talents(才能) to do the next best thing. She began to knit(编织) hats, scarves, and blankets for families staying at the Ronald McDonald House at Stanford. Her creations also went to Bundle of Joy, a program that provides newborn baby items for families in need, and to Knitting Pals by the Bay, a local organization that provides hand-knitted caps to cancer patients.
“I love to knit, and I thought it would be a great idea to make all these handmade items for kids and adults who need them. It would be like a hug for them,” Levine explained.
Levine started the project about a year ago. “I think it’s just really fun to do, and it keeps me busy,” said Levine, now 13.
Once she got started, Levine realized that her project could be much bigger than the goods she was able to produce with just her own hands. So she sent emails to her school and communities(社区), asking for knitted donations(捐赠物) to the project she named “Hannah’s Warm Hugs”. She also posted advertisements at Starbucks and other locations in her area. The warm goods began to gush in.
“It was amazing; more strangers than people she knew started dropping donations at our door,” said Levine’s mother, Laura Levine. “We ended up with this huge box of items she was donating.”
The knitted items numbered in the hundreds. Levine made her first round of donations around Hanukkah (an eight-day Jewish holiday in November or December) and later received thank-you letters from the organizations. Levine is still knitting, and she said the project will continue.
“It has turned into a bigger thing than she had thought,” her mom said. “It made her feel pretty good; it made us feel pretty good.”
1.Hannah Levine knitted hats and scarves ________.
A. for children and families in difficulty
B. to raise money for cancer patients
C. to earn some pocket money
D. for the homeless in her neighborhood
2.The underlined part “gush in” in paragraph 5 can best be replaced by “________”.
A. take off B. run out C. flood in D. break in
3.What would be Laura Levine’s attitude toward Hannah Levine’s project?
A. Optimistic but worried.
B. Proud and supportive.
C. Concerned but doubtful.
D. Unfavorable and uncaring.
4.What would be the best title for the text?
A. Be ready to lend a helping hand
B. Start a project to show your support
C. Teen turns knitting hobby into heartwarming project
D. 13-year-old girl becomes US best knitter
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
___ against cancer for many years, Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple, who died at the age of fifty-six, made technology fun.
A.Fighting B.To fight C.Fought D.Having fought
高二英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
At the age of 16, Julia Butterfly Hill quit school and worked at a restaurant. For many years, she was only interested in making money and material things. Then one day she had a serious car accident, which changed her life. Hill said: “I realized I wanted to find a more powerful purpose for being here on this planet.”
As soon as she recovered, Hill traveled to California. There she saw ancient redwood trees, which are the largest trees in the whole world. The wood from redwood trunks is very hard. So the Pacific Lumber Company cut down many of the huge redwoods to use for construction. There are not many forests of these trees left. Many environmental activists want to protect the remaining trees. The redwoods are very important to the environment.
In 1997 Hill learned a group called Earth First was working to protect a particular group of trees. They decided to send someone up into a redwood tree, hoping this would stop the company from cutting the trees down. Julia Butterfly Hill volunteered.
Hill lived in the tree for over two years without ever coming down. Her home was a 6-by-8-foot tree house, 180 feet up. It is always cold and wet in a redwood tree. There were even very serious winter storms while Hill was in the tree. The wind and cold almost knocked Hill out of the tree. But she did not fall — she survived.
Finally, after years of arguing, the company decided to protect Luna, the tree Hill lived in. They signed an agreement to never cut down this huge redwood tree or the trees around it. When Hill put her feet on the earth again, she began to cry. But from that moment on Hill hasn’t stopped working to protect the environment.
1.Julia Butterfly Hill traveled to California _____.
A. to find a new job
B. to build a tree house
C. with the hope of joining Earth First
D. in expectation of doing something meaningful
2.The redwood trees were cut down mainly _____.
A. because they might fall over at any time
B. because they had great economic value
C. to protect other trees in the forest
D. to make space for constructions
3.Julia Butterfly Hill’s living conditions in the tree were _____.
A. comfortable B. cool C. tough D. satisfying
4.What can we learn about Julia Butterfly Hill from the text?
A. She has a sense of social responsibility.
B. She failed to protect the redwood tree.
C. She built a new house in the forest.
D. She is a self-centered woman
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
At the age of fortyfive,my usually wellordered life became full of changes. After twentytwo years of working in a ____,a plan to use less staff _ _ the unemployment of over one hundred people,I being one of them.
My once secure future became ____.However,I was not a single parent,____ the family did not depend only on my income. My motto has always been “Change is good;change is progress”,but when it ____ my livelihood,I had to change it to “____ change and make the most of it.” From the beginning,I ____ to look at this matter not as ____ luck,but as a welcome opportunity. I refused to become sorry;___ ,I actively planned to do something new and different.
Having a positive attitude made all the ____ in the way I pursued (追求)the future. First,I decided to ___ to college and graduate many years later than I should have. Doing this at my age took more than a little ____.Not being a graduate had ____ held me back in my career in the bank,but now it was a personal goal I longed to ___.With a lot of determination,I went to evening classes and became an adult ___.In the class,I became more and more confident. During this time,I ____ that no matter what life throws in our way,personal growth never stops.
The second thing I did to improve my innerself was to reevaluate(重新评估)my ____ life. It used to be filled with endless and meaningless events. But now,my heart and life are completely around people I ___.
The loss of my job led to some ____ changes in my life. Revisiting the past made ___ for the future. I realize that I have accepted the change and am making the most of it.
1.A.factory B.company C.bank D.school
2.A.set aside B.led to C.made up D.took off
3.A.clear B.bright C.boring D.uncertain
4.A.so B.or C.if D.but
5.A.destroyed B.improved C.affected D.offered
6.A.Make B.Accept C.Bring D.Collect
7.A.chose B.considered C.happened D.pretended
8.A.special B.rare C.bad D.good
9.A.besides B.instead C.anyway D.however
10.A.difference B.decision C.effort D.use
11.A.attend B.turn C.return D.admit
12.A.time B.risk C.chance D.courage
13.A.sometimes B.ever C.always D.never
14.A.find B.arrive C.achieve D.discover
15.A.student B.teacher C.manager D.monitor
16.A.hoped B.realized C.believed D.suggested
17.A.new B.daily C.future D.past
18.A.care for B.join in C.stand for D.look at
19.A.normal B.positive C.confident D.unsure
20.A.change B.progress C.room D.promise
高二英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析