Susan Sontag (1933—2004) was one of the most ...

Susan Sontag (1933 — 2004) was one of the most noticeable figures in the world of literature. For more than 40 years she made it morally necessary to know everything — to read every book worth reading, to see every movie worth seeing. When she was still in her early 30s, publishing essays in such important magazines as Partisan Review, she appeared as the symbol of American cultural life, trying hard to follow every new development in literature, film and art. With great effort and serious judgment, Sontag walked at the latest edges of world culture.

Seriousness was one of Sontag’s lifelong watchwords（格言）, but at a time when the barriers between the well-educated and the poor-educated were obvious, she argued for a true openness to the pleasures of pop culture. In ‘‘Notes on Camp”, the 1964 essay that first made her name, she explained what was then a little-known set of difficult understandings, through which she could not have been more famous. ‘“Notes on Camp”, she wrote, represents “a victory of ‘form’ over ‘content’ ,‘beauty’ over ‘morals’”.

By conviction（信念）she was a sensualist（感觉论者）, but by nature she was a moralist（伦理论者）, and in the works she published in the 1970s and 1980s, it was the latter side of her that came forward. In Illness as Metaphor — published in 1978, after she suffered cancer — she argued against the idea that cancer was somehow a special problem of repressed personalities （被压抑的个性）, a concept that effectively blamed the victim for the disease. In fact, re-examining old positions was her lifelong habit.

In America, her story of a 19th century Polish actress who set up a perfect society in California, won the National Book Award in 2000. But it was as a tireless, all-purpose cultural view that she made her lasting fame. “Sometimes,” she once said, “I feel that, in the end, all I am really defending ... is the idea of seriousness, of true seriousness.” And in the end, she made us take it seriously too.

1.The underlined sentence in Paragraph 1 means Sontag _____ .

A. was a symbol of American cultural life        B. developed world literature, film and art

C. published many essays about world culture

D. kept pace with the newest development of world culture

2.She first won her name through _____ .

A. her story of a Polish actress                  B. her book Illness as Metaphor

C. publishing essays in magazines like Partisan Review

D. her explanation of a set of difficult understandings

3.According to the passage, Susan Sontag ______.

A. was a sensualist as well as a moralist       B. looked down, upon the pop culture

C. thought content was more important than form

D. blamed the victim of cancer for being repressed

4.As for Susan Sontag’s lifelong habit, she ______.

A. misunderstood the idea of seriousness         B. re-examined old positions

C. argued for an openness to pop culture       D. preferred morals to beauty

5.Susan Sontag’s lasting fame was made upon _____ .

A. a tireless, all-purpose cultural view     B. her lifelong watchword: seriousness

C. publishing books on morals    D. enjoying books worth reading and movies worth seeing

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Susan Sontag (1933—2004) was one of the most noticeable figures in the world of literature. For more than 40 years she made it morally necessary to know everything — to read every book worth reading, to see every movie worth seeing. When she was still in her early 30s, publishing essays in such important magazines as Partisan Review, she appeared as the symbol of American culture life, trying hard to follow every new development in literature, film and art. With great effort and serious judgment, Sontag walked at the latest edges of world culture.

Seriousness was one of Sontag’s lifelong watchwords (格言), but at a time when the barriers (障碍)between the well-educated and the poor-educated were obvious, she argued for a true openness to the pleasure of pop culture. In “Notes Camp”, the 1964 essay that first made her name, she explained what was then a little-known set of difficult understandings, through which she could not have been more famous. “Notes on Camp”, she wrote, represents “a victory of ‘form’ over ‘content’, ‘beauty’ over ‘morals’ ”.

By conviction (信念) she was a sensualist(感觉论者), but by nature she was a moralist(伦理学者), and in the works she published in the 1970s and 1980s , it was the latter side of her that came forward. In illness as Metaphor —published in 1978, after she suffered cancer—she argued against the idea that cancer was somehow a special problem of repressed personalities (被压抑的性格), a concept that effectively blamed the victim for the disease. In fact, re-examining old positions was her lifelong habit.

In America, her story of a 19th  century Polish actress who set up a perfect society in California, won the National Book Award in 2000. But it was as a tireless all-purpose cultural view that she made her lasting fame. “Sometimes,” she once said,“I feel that, in the end, all I am really defending …is the idea of seriousness, of true seriousness.” And in the end, she made us take it seriously too.

1.The underlined sentence in paragraph 1 means Sontag  ______.

A. was a symbol of American cultural life

B. developed world literature, film and art

C. published many essays about world culture

D. kept pace with the newest development of world culture

2.She first won her name through ___________.

A. her story of a Polish actress

B. her book illness as Metaphor

C. publishing essays in magazines like partisan Review

D. her explanation of a set of difficult understandings

3.According to the passage, Susan Sontag ________.

A. was a sensualist as well as a moralist

B. looked down upon the pop culture

C. thought content was more important than form

D. blamed the victim of cancer for being repressed

4.As for Susan Sontag’s lifelong habit, she __________.

A. misunderstood the idea of seriousness

B. re-examined old positions

C. argued for an openness to pop culture

D. preferred morals to beauty

5.Susan Sontag’s lasting fame was made upon___________.

A. a tireless, all-purpose cultural view

B. her lifelong watchword：seriousness

C. publishing books on morals

D. enjoying books worth reading and movies worth seeing

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Mark was walking home from school one day when he noticed that the boy ahead of him had tripped and dropped all the books he was carrying, along with two sweaters, a baseball bat, a glove and a small tape recorder. Mark knelt down and helped the boy pick up the scattered articles. Since they were going the same way, he helped to carry part of the burden. As they walked, Mark discovered the boy’s name was Bill, that he loved video games, baseball and history that he was having a lot of trouble with his other subjects and that he had just broken up with his girlfriend.

Mark went home after leaving Bill at his house. They continued to see each other around school, had lunch together once or twice, and then both graduated from junior high school. They ended up in the same high school, where they had brief contacts over the years. Finally the long-awaited senior year came. Three weeks before graduation, Bill asked Mark if they could talk.

Bill reminded him of the day years ago when they had first met. “Do you ever wonder why I was carrying so many things home that day?” asked Bill. “You see, I cleaned out my locker because I didn’t want to leave a mess for anyone else. I had stored away some of my mother’s sleeping pills and I was going home to commit suicide(自杀). But after we spent some time together talking and laughing, I realized that if I had killed myself, I would have missed that time and so many others that might follow. So you see, Mark, when you picked up my books that day, you did a lot more. You saved my life.”

1.What happened to Bill on his way home from school?

A．Bill almost killed himself.

B．Bill was caught on something and almost fell down.

C．Bill was sleepy from the sleeping pills.

D．Bill noticed Mark following him home.

2.After Bill got home, ________.

A．he missed his friend Mark very much

B．he decided to break up with his girlfriend

C．he intended to kill himself immediately

D．he thought of the friendliness of Mark

3.Mark saved Bill from committing suicide by________ .

A．helping Bill pick up the fallen books on the ground

B．saying something comfortable and friendly to Bill

C．persuading Bill not to leave a mess for other people

D．being friendly to Bill in trouble

4.Bill cleared his locker in order to ________.

A．store away some of his mother’s sleeping pills

B．prepare for the next school year of high school

C．leave the world without troubling others

D．help his mother do some housework the last time

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908-2004) is one of the most original and influential figures in the history of photography. His photographs helped establish photojournalism as an art form.

Henri's family was wealthy—his father made a fortune as a textile manufacturer—but Henri later joked that due to his parents' economical ways, it often seemed as though his family was poor.

Educated in Paris, Henri developed an early love for literature and arts. As a teenager, Henri was against his parents' formal ways of education. In his early adulthood, he fell in love with several appetites, but it was art that remained at the center of his life.

Henri traveled to Africa in 1931 to hunt antelope and boar. And Africa fueled another interest in him: photography. He then wandered around the world with his camera, using a handheld camera to catch images from fleeting moments of everyday life.

Not long after World War Ⅱ, Henri traveled east, spending considerable time in India, where he met and photographed Gandhi shortly before he was killed in 1948. Henri's work to document Gandhi's death and its immediate effect on the country became one of Life Magazine's most prized photo essays.

Henri's approach to photography remained much the same throughout his life. He made clear his dislike of images that had been improved by artificial light, darkroom effects, and even cutting. The naturalist in Henri believed that all editing should be done when the photo is taken. In 1952, his first book, The Decisive Moment, a rich collection of his work spanning two decades, was published. "There is nothing in this world that does not have a decisive moment," he said.

In 1968, he began to turn away from photography and returned to his passion for drawing and painting.

1.Which of the following is true about Henri's photography career?

A. He developed a passion for photography when traveling to Africa.

B. He quit photography on publishing The Decisive Moment.

C. He documented Gandhi's everyday life.

D. He devoted all his life to photography.

2.Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined word in paragraph 2?

A. Costly.　　 B. Generous.

C. Financial.　　 D. Saving.

3.What is special about Henri's approach to photography?

A. He only shot photos at decisive moments.

B. He preferred to edit his images in his darkroom.

C. His most photos described things in their natural ways.

D. He tried different ways and settled on being a naturalist.

高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

One of the greatest contributions to the first Oxford English Dictionary was also one of its most unusual. In 1879, Oxford University in England asked Prof. James Murray to serve as editor for what was to be the most ambitious dictionary in the history of the English language. It would include every English word possible and would give not only the definition but also the history of the word and quotations (引文) showing how it was used.

This was a huge task. So Murray had to find volunteers from Britain, the United States, and the British colonies to search every newspaper, magazine, and book ever written in English. Hundreds of volunteers responded, including William Chester Minor. Dr. Minor was an American Surgeon who had served in the Civil War and was now living in England. He gave his address as "Broadmoor, Crowthorne, Berkshire," 50 miles from Oxford.

Minor joined the army of volunteers sending words and quotations to Murray. Over the next years, he became one of the staff's most valued contributors.

But he was also a mystery. In spite of many invitations, he would always decline(拒绝) to visit Oxford. So in 1897, Murray finally decided to travel to Crowthorne himself. When he arrived, he found Minor locked in a book-lined cell（地窖） at the Broadmoor Asylum (精神病院) for the Criminally insane.

Murray and Minor became friends, sharing their love of words. Minor continued contributing to the dictionary, sending in more than 10,000 submissions in 20 years. Murray continued to visit Minor regularly, sometimes taking walks with him around the asylum grounds.

In 1910, Minor left Broadmoor for an asylum in his native America. Murray was at the port to wave goodbye to his remarkable friend.

Minor died in 1920, seven years before the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary was completed. The 12 volumes defined（下定义） 414,825 words, and thousands of them were contributions from a very scholarly and devoted asylum patient.

1.According to the text, the first Oxford English Dictionary ________.

2.How did Dr. Minor contribute to the dictionary?

3. Prof. Murray and Dr. Minor became friends mainly because ________.

4.What does the text mainly talk about?

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

One of the greatest contributions to the first Oxford English Dictionary was also one of its most　 unusual. In 1879, Oxford University in England asked Prof. James Murray to serve as editor for what was to be the most ambitious dictionary in the history of the English language. It would include every　 English word possible and would give not only the definition but also the history of the word and quotations (引文) showing how it was used.

This was a huge task, so Murray had to find volunteers from Britain, the United States, and the　 British colonies to search every newspaper, magazine, and book ever written in English. Hundreds of volunteers responded, including William Chester Minor. Dr. Minor was an American surgeon who had served in the Civil War and was now living in England. He gave his address as “Broadmoor, Crowthorne, Berkshire,” 50 miles from Oxford.

Minor joined the army of volunteers sending words and quotations to Murray. Over the next 17 years, he became one of the staff’s most valued contributors.

But he was also a mystery. In spite of many invitations, he would always decline to visit Oxford. So in 1897, Murray finally decided to travel to Crowthorne himself. When he arrived, he found Minor locked　 in a book-lined cell at the Broadmoor Asylum (精神病院) for the Criminally Insane.

Murray and Minor became friends, sharing their love of words. Minor continued contributing to the dictionary, sending in more than 10,000 submissions in 20 years. Murray continued to visit Minor regularly, sometimes taking walks with him around the asylum grounds.

In 1910, Minor left Broadmoor for an asylum in his native America. Murray was at the port to wave

goodbye to his remarkable friend.

Minor died in 1920, seven years before the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary was completed. The 12 volumes defined 414,825 words, and thousands of them were contributions from a very scholarly and devoted asylum patient.

1.According to the text, the first Oxford English Dictionary _________.

A. came out before minor died

B. was edited by an American volunteer

C. was intended to be the most ambitious English dictionary Murray

D. included the English words invented by Murray

2.How did Dr. Minor contributed to the dictionary?

A. He helped Murray to find hundreds of volunteers.

B. He sent newspapers, magazines and books to Murray.

C. He went to England to work with Murray.

D. He provided a great number of words and quotations

3.Why did Dr. Minor refuse to visit Oxford?

A. He lived far from Oxford

B. He was shut in an asylum

C. He was busy writing a book

D. He disliked traveling

4.Prof. Murray and Dr. Minor became friends mainly because __________.

A. They had a common interest in words

B. They both served in the Civil War

C. Minor recovered with the help of Murray

D. Murray went to America regularly to visit Minor

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

One of the greatest contributions to the first Oxford English Dictionary was also one of its most unusual． In 1879， Oxford University in England asked Prof．James Murray to serve as editor for what was to be the most ambitious dictionary in the history of the English language． It would include every English word possible and would give not only the definition but also the history of the word and quotations （引文） showing how it was used．

This was a huge task， so Murrary had to find volunteers from Britain， the United States， and the British colonies to search every newspaper， magazine， and book ever written in English． Hundreds of volunteers responded， including William Chester Minor． Dr． Minor was an American surgeon who had served in the Civil War and was now living in England． He gave his address as "Broadmoor， Crowthorne， Berkshire，" 50 miles from Oxford．

Minor joined the army of volunteers sending words and quotations to Murray． Over the next 17 years， he became one of the staff's most valued contributors．

But he was also a mystery． In spite of many invitations， he would always decline to visit Oxford． So in 1897， Murray finally decided to travel to Crowthorne himself． When he arrived， he found Minor locked in a book-lined cell at the Broadmoor Asylum （精神病院） for the Criminally Insane．

Murray and Minor became friends， sharing their love of words． Minor continued contributing to the dictionary， sending in more than 10，000 submissions in 20 years． Murray continued to visit Minor regularly， sometimes taking walks with him around the asylum grounds．

In 1910， Minor left Broadmoor for an asylum in his native America． Murray was at the port to wave goodbye to his remarkable friend.

Minor died in 1920， seven years before the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary was completed． The 12 volumes defined 414 825 words， and thousands of them were contributions from a very scholarly and devoted asylum patient．

1.How did Dr．Minor contribute to the dictionary?

A. He helped Murray to find hundreds of volunteers．

B. He sent newspapers, magazines and books to Murray．

C. He provided a great number of words and quotations．

D. he went to England to work with Murray．

2.Which of the following best describe Dr．Minor?

A. Brave and determined. B. Cautious and friendly.

C. Considerate and optimistic. D. Unusual and scholarly.

3.What does the text mainly talk about?

A. The history of the English language．

B. The friendship between Murray and Minor．

C. Minor and the first Oxford English Dictionary．

D. Broadmoor Asylum and its patients．

高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

One of the greatest contributions to the first Oxford English Dictionary was also one of its most unusual. In 1879, Oxford University in England asked Prof. James Murray to serve as editor for what was to be the most ambitious dictionary in the history of the English language. It would include every English word possible and would give not only the definition but also the history of the word and quotations(引文) showing how it was used.

This was a huge task so Murray had to find volunteers from Britain, the United States, and the British colonies to search every newspaper, magazine, and book ever written in English. Hundreds of volunteers responded, including William Chester Minor. Dr. Minor was an American surgeon who had served in the Civil War and was now living in England. He gave his address as “Broadmoor, Crowthorne, Berkshire,” 50 miles from Oxford.

Minor joined the army of volunteers sending words and quotations to Murray. Over the next 17 years, he became one of the staff’s most valued contributors.

But he was also a mystery. In spite of many invitations, he would always decline to visit Oxford. So in 1897, Murray finally decided to travel to Crowthorne himself. When he arrived, he found Minor locked in a booklined cell at the Broadmoor Asylum(精神病院) for the Criminally Insane.

Murray and Minor became friends, sharing their love of words. Minor continued contributing to the dictionary, sending in more than 10000 submissions in 20 years. Murray continued to visit Minor regularly, sometimes taking walks with him around the asylum grounds.

In 1910, Minor left Broadmoor for an asylum in his native America. Murray was at the port to wave goodbye to his remarkable friend.

Minor died in 1920, seven years before the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary was completed. The 12 volumes defined 414 825words, and thousands of them were contributions from a very scholarly and devoted asylum patient.

1.According to the text, the first Oxford English Dictionary________.

A. came out before Minor died

B. was edited by an American volunteer

C. included the English words invented by Murray

D. was intended to be the most ambitious English dictionary

2.How did Dr. Minor contribute to the dictionary?

A. He helped Murray to find hundreds of volunteers.

B. He sent newspapers, magazines and books to Murray.

C. He provided a great number of words and quotations.

D. He went to England to work with Murray.

3.Which of the following best describes Dr. Minor?

A. Brave and determined.                             B. Unusual and scholarly.

C. Considerate and optimistic.                      D. Cautious and friendly.

4.What does the text mainly talk about?

A. Minor and the first Oxford English Dictionary.

B. The friendship between Murray and Minor.

C. The history of the English language.

D. Broadmoor Asylum and its patients.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

The wheel was one of man’s first inventions and yet it has also proved one of the most useful. So wide and varied are the uses of the wheels, in machines and vehicles of all kinds, that it is difficult to imagine what the world would be like without them. It is surprising to hear it said, therefore, that the wheel’s importance will perhaps be greatly reduced by the end of the century by an invention so new as to be still unnamed.

The invention is a machine the floats above any surface on a cushion of air. The cushion is formed when air is blown into this saucer, the machine rises to a height that may vary from a few inches to a few feet.

Industry is already using one form of the inversion to deal with heavy loads. It can lift them. with ease and since there are no wheels, and therefore no friction , they can be put into motion with the touch of a finger.

The new invention, however , is having a great effect on transport, Not only does it make expensive road systems unnecessary, but it enables vehicles to travel well over land or water. This unique to reach most destinations has given rise to the prediction that wheeled vehicles may be uncommon at the end the century as aeroplanes were at the beginning.

1. The first paragraph tells us that______.

A. the wheel was man’s earliest invention.

B. the wheel’s usefulness has yet to be proved.

C. wide wheels have a variety of important uses.

D. a new invention may make wheels less important.

2. The phrase “with the touch of a finger” in the third paragraph means______.

A. without difficulty                   B. by electricity .

C. without friction                    D. by hand.

3. The passage tells us that the new invention __________.

A. is more important for industry than for transport.

B. will one day be used instead of aeroplanes.

C. makes it possible to travel without using roads.

D. will replace wheeled vehicles using roads.

4. According to the passage, the new invention _______.

A. will soon get a name                        B. can go almost anywhere

C. is lighter than air                             D. was uncommon a century ago

高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

Barbara McClintock was one of the most important scientists of the twentieth century. She made important discoveries about genes and chromosomes (染色体).

Barbara McClintock was born in 1902 in Hartford, Connecticut. Her family moved to the Brooklyn area of New York City in 1908. Barbara was an active child with interests in sports and music. She also developed an interest in science.

She studied science at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Barbara was among a small number of undergraduate students to receive training in genetics in 1921. Years later, she noted that few college students wanted to study genetics.

Barbara McClintock decided to study botany, the scientific study of plants, at Cornell University. She completed her undergraduate studies in 1923. McClintock decided to continue her education at Cornell. She completed a master’s degree in 1925. Two years later, she finished all her requirements for a doctorate degree.

McClintock stayed at Cornell after she completed her education. She taught students botany. The 1930s were not a good time to be a young scientist in the United States. The country was in the middle of the great economic Depression. Millions of Americans were unemployed. Male scientists were offered jobs. But female geneticists were not much in demand.

An old friend from Cornell, Marcus Rhoades, invited McClintock to spend the summer of 1941 working at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. It is a research center on Long Island, near New York City. McClintock started in a temporary job with the genetics department. A short time later, she accepted a permanent position with the laboratory. This gave her the freedom to continue her research without having to teach or repeatedly ask for financial aid.

By the 1970s, her discoveries had had an effect on everything from genetic engineering to cancer research. McClintock won the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1983 for her discovery of the ability of genes to change positions on chromosomes. She was the first American woman to win an unshared Nobel Prize.

1.When did McClintock receive a doctorate degree?

A. In 1921.　　 B. In 1923.　　 C. In 1925.　　 D. In 1927.

2.During the great economic Depression in the US, _______.

A. young scientists had trouble finding a job

B. female geneticists were not wanted at all

C. male geneticists were in great demand

D. male scientists were mostly out of job

3.Which of the following jobs may be most beneficial to McClintock’s research?

A. The job as a botany teacher.

B. The temporary job in the genetics department.

C. The permanent position in the laboratory.

D. The job of cancer research.

4.McClintock was awarded a Nobel Prize because of _______.

A. her life-long research in botany and biology

B. her contribution to genetic engineering

C. her discoveries about genes and chromosomes

D. her unshared work in the laboratory

5.The text is likely to appear in _______.

A. a biography　　 B. a history paper

C. a newspaper　　 D. a philosophy textbook

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析