Living gratefully has a huge transforming power,not just when something wonderful or special happens,but every day no matter what is happening.
I've recently been involved with two people whose lives were challenged by bad luck.I have seen how grateful living had the power to keep one of them going and how it's beginning to lift the other.One was a friend and the other is my sister.
My friend seemed to be in good health when she received a deadly diagnosis(诊断）：a disease with no effective treatment.She had all the emotions that a tragedy(悲剧）brings,but she also had a powerful response to despair that gave her"the happiness that doesn't depend on what happens."She wrote online daily,honestly sharing the details of her situation.
She wrote that even though it was difficult to move,this gave her more time to notice small things.
She was grateful not only for the love and help of family and friends,but also for time to see the sun rise and watch the birds in her yard.No opportunity for gratefulness was wasted.
She taught that gratefulness is not a false cheerfulness.It's taking every opportunity to celebrate the blessings of small things.We can be grateful for the challenges that help us develop compassion(同情）for each other.Life is a precious gift.
She repeatedly blogged(写博客）that she was happier than she had ever been.
When she wrote about"the worst day",she ended with"life is still a lovely gift."She died later that day.
Her message,however,changed my sister's life.My sister's health was getting worse and worse, though nothing life-threatening.She did have a very painful knee.Her life was in danger from her defeated spirit.She was bedbound(卧床不起），getting weaker and weaker.Fearful,angry and depressed,she felt out of options for recovery.
I read my sister a few of my friend's messages.I was careful not to say,"Why can't you be more like her?"Instead,I let the words do their work.I'm grateful to say that an attitude of gratitude began to replace her anger and fear.I believe this helped her to heal.
We can't be grateful for all that happens,but we can practice gratefulness for all that happens,but we can practice gratefulness for life itself,for all we can learn to deal with,for all the ways we can help each other grow and heal.
1.How did the author's sister feel when she was ill?
A.calm.
B.lonely.
C.sad.
D.confused.
2.What happened when the author's friend found she had an incurable disease?
A.She complained that life was unfair to her.
B.She started to appreciate and enjoy the small things in life.
C.She tried her best to look for treatment.
D.She repeatedly blogged about how painful it was.
3.What message does the article mainly convey?
A.A friend in need is a friend indeed.
B.Gratitude has the power of lifting people's spirits.
C.Health is the most important thing for people.
D.Families will always be there no matter what happens.
高二英语阅读选择中等难度题
Living gratefully has a huge transforming power, not just when something wonderful or special happens, but every day no matter what is happening.
I’ve recently been involved with two people whose lives were challenged by bad luck. I have seen how grateful living had the power to keep one of them going and how it’s beginning to lift the other. One was a friend and the other is my sister.
My friend seemed to be in good health when she received a deadly diagnosis: a disease with no effective treatment. She had all the emotions that a tragedy brings, but she also had a powerful response to despair (绝望) that gave her “the happiness that doesn’t depend on what happens.” She wrote online daily, honestly sharing the details of her situation.
She wrote that even though it was difficult to move, this gave her more time to notice small things. She was grateful not only for the love and help of family and friends, but also for time to see the sun rise and watch the birds in her yard. No opportunity for gratefulness was wasted.
She taught that gratefulness is not a false cheerfulness. It’s taking every opportunity to celebrate the blessings of small things. We can be grateful for the challenges that help us develop sympathy for each other. Life is a precious gift.
She repeatedly blogged that she was happier than she had ever been.
When she wrote about “the worst day”, she ended with “life is still a lovely gift.” She died later that day.
Her message, however, changed my sister’s life. My sister’s health was getting worse and worse, though nothing life-threatening. She did have a very painful knee. Her life was in danger from her defeated spirit. She was bed-bound (卧床不起), getting weaker and weaker. Fearful, angry and depressed, she felt out of options for recovery.
I read my sister a few of my friend’s messages. I was careful not to say, “Why can’t you be more like her?” Instead, I let the words do their work. I’m grateful to say that an attitude of gratitude began to replace her anger and fear. I believe this helped her to heal.
We can’t be grateful for all that happens, but we can practice gratefulness for life itself, for all we can learn to deal with, for all the ways we can help each other grow and heal.
1.What happened when the author’s friend found she had an incurable disease?
A.She complained that life was unfair to her.
B.She started to appreciate and enjoy the small things in life.
C.She tried her best to look for treatment.
D.She repeatedly blogged about how painful it was.
2.How did the author’s sister feel when she was ill?
A.Calm. B.Lonely. C.Sad. D.Confused.
3.What does the underlined “this” refer to in the article?
A.Writing a blog. B.Eating healthy food.
C.Talking with family. D.Being grateful for life.
4.What message does the article mainly convey?
A.A friend in need is a friend indeed.
B.Gratitude has the power of lifting people’s spirits.
C.Health is the most important thing for people.
D.Families will always be there no matter what happens.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Living gratefully has a huge transforming power,not just when something wonderful or special happens,but every day no matter what is happening.
I've recently been involved with two people whose lives were challenged by bad luck.I have seen how grateful living had the power to keep one of them going and how it's beginning to lift the other.One was a friend and the other is my sister.
My friend seemed to be in good health when she received a deadly diagnosis(诊断）：a disease with no effective treatment.She had all the emotions that a tragedy(悲剧）brings,but she also had a powerful response to despair that gave her"the happiness that doesn't depend on what happens."She wrote online daily,honestly sharing the details of her situation.
She wrote that even though it was difficult to move,this gave her more time to notice small things.
She was grateful not only for the love and help of family and friends,but also for time to see the sun rise and watch the birds in her yard.No opportunity for gratefulness was wasted.
She taught that gratefulness is not a false cheerfulness.It's taking every opportunity to celebrate the blessings of small things.We can be grateful for the challenges that help us develop compassion(同情）for each other.Life is a precious gift.
She repeatedly blogged(写博客）that she was happier than she had ever been.
When she wrote about"the worst day",she ended with"life is still a lovely gift."She died later that day.
Her message,however,changed my sister's life.My sister's health was getting worse and worse, though nothing life-threatening.She did have a very painful knee.Her life was in danger from her defeated spirit.She was bedbound(卧床不起），getting weaker and weaker.Fearful,angry and depressed,she felt out of options for recovery.
I read my sister a few of my friend's messages.I was careful not to say,"Why can't you be more like her?"Instead,I let the words do their work.I'm grateful to say that an attitude of gratitude began to replace her anger and fear.I believe this helped her to heal.
We can't be grateful for all that happens,but we can practice gratefulness for all that happens,but we can practice gratefulness for life itself,for all we can learn to deal with,for all the ways we can help each other grow and heal.
1.How did the author's sister feel when she was ill?
A.calm.
B.lonely.
C.sad.
D.confused.
2.What happened when the author's friend found she had an incurable disease?
A.She complained that life was unfair to her.
B.She started to appreciate and enjoy the small things in life.
C.She tried her best to look for treatment.
D.She repeatedly blogged about how painful it was.
3.What message does the article mainly convey?
A.A friend in need is a friend indeed.
B.Gratitude has the power of lifting people's spirits.
C.Health is the most important thing for people.
D.Families will always be there no matter what happens.
高二英语阅读选择中等难度题查看答案及解析
A huge 3D printer is now building new homes in the countryside in Southern Mexico. It is the world’s first 3D-printed village. Could this be part of the global housing solution?
The 500-square-foot houses are finished with roofs, windows and the inside parts. A nonprofit organization called New Story leading the project believes that the new construction could be part of the solution for affordable housing in some of the places in the world. The organization hopes to build 50 new houses by the end of 2020, replacing the ones that residents built themselves out of wood, metal and whatever materials they could afford.
The families live in a seismic zone that usually suffer from flooding. Building something that will stand up to an earthquake and keep them dry during heavy rains is a key consideration when it comes to the design.
New Story has been helping families in need of shelter. It has built more than 2,700 homes in South America and Mexico since it was founded in 2014. This is the first home-building project that it’s done with 3D printing.
Each house takes 24 hours, which is about two times faster than it takes to build a home with regular construction. The house has two bedrooms, one bathroom, a living room and a kitchen. And the houses can resist powerful earthquakes.
The technology is there and the application to building homes for those in need brings a lot of hope for the future. Experts say 3D printing is not science fiction. We have moved beyond science fiction into reality.3D printers build homes faster, better and less expensively. In the future, this will be humanity’s perfect housing solution that matches our highest values and ideals.
1.What do we know about New Story?
A.It must be a famous company. B.It values 3D printing technology.
C.It earns a lot by building houses. D.It takes the lead in 3D printing technology.
2.What's the focus for people living in the earthquake zone to build houses?
A.Predicting floods. B.Resisting earthquakes.
C.Saving building costs. D.Using expensive materials.
3.What does the author think of 3D printing?
A.It is hard to apply. B.It is science fiction.
C.It has a bright future. D.It has perfectly solved housing problems.
4.What’s the best title for the text?
A.A Huge 3D Printer B.New Story, a Great Nonprofit
C.The World’s First 3D-printed Village D.3D-printed Houses, Popular Worldwide
高二英语阅读选择中等难度题查看答案及解析
The fight is on to get rid of air pollution in our cities. While the best solution in the long-term would be to ban fossil-fueled cars, that won’t help the millions who are dying in the meantime, and so some high-tech solutions are now on the cards.
London’s air pollution problem has been getting worse for years. In March 2016, ten London pigeons became famous. These pigeons took to the sky, wearing backpacks monitoring air pollution. Once in the air, the backpacks sent live air-quality updates to the smartphones of the Londoners below.
Another promising approach can be found in Beijing. A seven-metre-high “Smog Free Tower”, designed by a Dutch scientist, Daan Roosegaarde, opened in Beijing’s 751 D Park in September 2016. It is a huge, outdoor air purifier. Airborne particles (颗粒) are sucked into the tower and caught by a dust-removal plate. Finally, clean air is blown out of the other end. “Changing smog particles does not take much power.” Roosegaarde said.
As for what to do with the collected PM waste, he has currently set up a business making jewellery out of the waste. Prince Charles owns a set of “smog free” cufflinks (袖扣). If collected on at a big scale, Roosegaarde believes it could even be used as a building material.
Mexico City has an alternative solution. Looking to Nature to maximize the surface area of a building, Allison Dring, a Berlin-based architect, managed to catch light and wind from all sides. She is now making a building material by burning agricultural crop by-products in the absence of oxygen. “It means that you are actually taking carbon (碳) out of the sky, transforming it into a material, and then using it to build,” says Dring.
The fight against outdoor air pollution is really just starting. Even if none of the ideas take off, at least Prince Charles’ cufflinks, the special building surface and pigeons wearing back-packs will have brought the issue more to the public’s attention.
1.The underlined words “on the cards” in Para.1 probably mean ________.
A.hardly to achieve
B.widely questioned
C.very likely to happen
D.publicly welcomed
2.The ten pigeons in London were used to ________.
A.monitor air pollution
B.warn Londoners
C.update weather forecast
D.promote backpacks
3.What can we learn about the Smog Free Tower?
A.It can catch light and wind.
B.Its power consumption is high.
C.PM waste from it can be reused.
D.It is the first air purifier in the world.
4.What’s the best title for the passage?
A.When can humans get rid of smog?
B.Why is technology used to fight smog?
C.How are the world’s cities fighting smog?
D.What makes smog a worldwide problem?
高二英语阅读选择中等难度题查看答案及解析
Denmark is only about half the size of South Carolina, but it produces more of its electricity from wind than any other country in the world. Denmark now gets 47%of its electricity from wind, and there will be more to come, thanks to a combination of history and policy.
Paul la Cour was a scientist and inventor who experimented with early wind power machines at the start of the 20th century. So it's not surprising that Denmark invested in building wind power the earliest. Since the 1970s,Denmark has been investing in wind energy all over the country. In the 1980s,due to a strong movement opposing nuclear power plants, Denmark increased its production of clean energy even before many other countries considered it.
Even back in 2002,Denmark took climate change warnings seriously. They drew up policies, aiming to cut fossil-fuel emissions by 20%,which they did via renewable energy investment. Some of the world's largest companies in the field—including Vestas, which builds turbines(涡轮机)，and Orsted, which specializes in offshore wind projects—are Danish, so the country has an impact beyond its borders.
The huge impact of Denmark’s wind industry is important. But Denmark is a small country, so while almost 50%of its electricity from wind is admirable, it's also minor in terms of entire global impact.
While Denmark gets half its electricity from 5,758 megawatts (MW) of capacity, Spain's 23,000 MW covers just 18 percent of its electricity supply as it’s a much bigger country. China is the leader in wind energy at 221,000 MW, and the U.S.is the second in the world at about 96,000 MW.
At the end of 2019,lawmakers in Denmark set a new goal: increasing the share of electricity coming from renewable power to 100%.
1.What can we know about Demark?
A.It is a leader in solar energy. B.It is a pioneer in clean energy.
C.It is a victim of climate change. D.It is an advocate of nuclear energy.
2.What is Denmark government's attitude towards fossil-fuel energy projects?
A.Indifferent. B.Ambiguous
C.Positive. D.Opposed.
3.Which country produces the most wind energy in the world?
A.Denmark. B.China. C.The U.S D.Spain.
4.What is the best title for the text?
A.Almost Half of Denmark’s Electricity Comes from Wind Power
B.Denmark's Government Pushes ahead with Fossil-fuel Projects
C.Denmark Has a Great Effect on World's Wind Power Equipment
D.Denmark Has a Long History of Developing Renewable Power
高二英语阅读选择中等难度题查看答案及解析
The clock is ticking. David Brunelli has just swallowed a huge burger. The crowd cheers excitedly as he downs fistfuls of fries.
Welcome to the world of competitive eating.
Brunelli is part of a select group who compete to eat massive quantities of food as quickly as possible. Eating contests may seem like harmless fun, but they have a dark side and some critics are saying it’s time for them to stop.
Pouring crazy amounts of food down our throats is nothing new. Gorging banquets (狼吞虎咽会）were a regular part of ancient Roman culture. In the 1800s, some New York City politicians settled bets through eating challenges. Pie-eating contests have been a Fourth of July tradition for more than a century.
For supporters like Brunelli, though, eating contests are more than a custom. They are a path to fortune.
But prize money does nothing to reduce the health risks of competitive eating. Competitive eating can even be life-threatening. In 1991，a man in Virginia suffered a stroke (中风)after eating 38 eggs in 29 seconds; In Florida, in 2012, a man died shortly after winning an eating contest leading a group of doctors to call for a ban on eating contests.
In any event, the risk to competitors is only part of the story. Nearly two-thirds of Americans are overweight, and competitive eating sets a terrible example by encouraging overeating. And in a world where 805 million people go hungry every day, downing ridiculous quantities of food for entertainment seems not just wasteful but also cruel.
For now, though，it seems eating contests are here to stay. Last year, more than three million viewers watched Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest on TV. This year, Matt Stonie ate 182 pieces of bacon in 5 minutes, breaking the world record.
What record will be broken next? Do you really want to find out?
1.What does the author try to express in Paragraph 4?
A. Competitive eating is a tradition.
B. It’s great to learn from ancient people.
C. Competitive eating should be accepted.
D. It’s exciting to challenge others to eat.
2.Why does Brunelli take part in the eating contest?
A. For food. B. For fun.
C. For honor. D. For money.
3.The examples given in Paragraph 6 are used to show eating contests .
A. use unhealthy food. B. waste too much food.
C. put competitors at risk. D. set a bad example to kids.
4.What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
A. The author hopes to break the record.
B. The author is eager to know the result.
C. The author wants readers to find out the result.
D. The author disapproves of competitive eating.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Searching for love is no longer just a favorite subject for songs. It has also become a huge industry. Researchers say the online dating industry in the US earned 649 million dollars in 2006. They expect this number to increase to more than 9 million dollars by 2011.
Experts say that the industry has grown because traditional social ties have weakened. Many young people leave behind a close community of friends and family to find work in bigger cities. People work longer hours, so they have less time to meet new people.
This helps explain the popularity of online dating. Some estimates say120 thousand marriages a year result from matches made on the Internet.
The dating industry has also been expanding in new ways. Many companies offer personalized services for finding the perfect mate. These companies are answering a large demand by single people. They are willing to invest their time and money to find love with carefully planned methods, instead of leaving love to chance.
AskRomeo is a company in Virginia. It provides single people with advice on how to meet a person for the first time.
Also in Virginia, the company True Life Partners provides a more costly and detailed dating service. The company hires a team of professional persons who help couples meet. But this level of service comes at a high price. Men pay thousands of dollars for the service. But women get to take part at no cost.
There are lots of other costs linked to dating. And we wonder how the economic recession(衰退) has affected dating in the US.
1.What can we infer from the first paragraph?
| A．Songs were only written to express love in the past. |
| B．Many people will take part in the industry in two thousand eleven. |
| C．The industry will increase the interest by nine hundred million dollars. |
| D．Love is not only the soul of some songs but also the heart of an industry now. |
2.According to the passage, we can know ______.
| A．most of the marriages result from the Internet. |
| B．the dating industry is popular now |
| C．women won’t spend money when dating |
| D．single people like love at the first sight now |
3.The author took AskRomeo and True Life Partners for examples to ______.
| A．emphasize the important role of the companies |
| B．praise the two companies’ good work |
| C．show how the companies help expand the dating industry |
| D．show the companies are the base of the industry |
4. What will the author talk about in the following paragraph?
| A．The situation of dating now in the economic recession |
| B．How to deal with the economic recession |
| C．What the economic recession is. |
| D．Whether the cost of dating is decreasing now in the US. |
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。
I’m not sure when I started to love qipaos. I just remember that when I saw Zhao Weiand other stars 1.(wear) qipaos in the TV series Romance in the Rain, I 2.(impress). Although Chinese women are fond of wearing qipaos for special events, for example, red ones for weddings, I wear them more 3.(frequent), not only for parties but also sometimes even in the office.
I’ve collected some qipaos, 4.(buy) at a store in one of Beijing’s historical neighborhoods. A Chinese friend of mine recently gave me one of her old qipaos, which almost reaches my ankles. The qipao fits well at the shoulders, 5.it was simply too tight（紧的）at the waist.
Many foreigners’6.(body) differ from those of the Chinese, which makes7. hard for some foreigners to take off qipaos. Because I am not too short, and pretty thin, I can often buy ready-made qipaos in China.
In my native United States, non-Asians 8.(be) sometimes blamed on social media for wearing qipaos because of 9.(culture)differences, but in China, people have what I consider a more reasonable and open-minded approach: If foreigners wear qipaos, it is seen 10. an attitude of appreciation for Chinese culture.
高二英语语法填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Edmonton's Downtown Park is transformed into one huge stage for five days where artists are able to share their talents, and where people are able to celebrate and enjoy themselves. Since its beginning in 1980, the Edmonton Folk Music Festival has been commemorating (纪念）the true feeling of what folk music is all about and that’s the traditional togetherness (友爱）that is felt when people gather to share stories and feelings through song.
This year will be the sixth year when volunteer Riedel will be offering up her time to the festival. “People coming off a busy spring and summer have a moment of relaxation,” Riedel said. “It’s really easy to relax, and it’s great seeing family and friends have fun together.” These families and friends come from all different kinds of musical tastes. People who take pleasure in Blues are there, so are people who love Bluegrass. This festival does its best to develop everyone's musical interests.
With so many years of experience, the festival has become a well-oiled machine, and does whatever it can to make attendees feel as comfortable as possible. There are free water stations throughout the venue (举办地）for people to fill up their travel cups. When people buy food, reusable dishes are given a $2 plate fee, but that is returned when the plate is brought back.
The festival has completely sold out of tickets, and in record time. But with big names such as Van Morrison and Jakob Dylan, it’s easy to see how that was going to happen. There is no parking area during the festival, so using the Park & Ride system or Edmonton Transit is highly recommended. A bike lock-up area is provided and will be available Thursday until Sunday one hour before the gates open until 45 minutes after the gates close.
The Edmonton Folk Music Festival begins on Wednesday, Aug.4 with Van Morrison playing the special donation fund concert, and will finish up on Sunday, Aug.8.
1.The Edmonton Folk Music Festival is held mainly to _______.
A. gather people with different musical tastes
B. collect old stories of folk music
C. exhibitive good voices of great talents in folk music
D. remind people of the real sense of folk music
2.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. It costs people a little to fill up their cups from water stations.
B. It’s hard for people to appreciate Blues.
C. Riedel has volunteered for the festival for at least 5years.
D. People have to pay $2 for a plate of food.
3.We can learn from the passenger that .
A. the Edmonton Folk Music Festival is well organized
B. people can get tickets easily for the festival
C. driving one’s own car to the festival is highly recommended
D. bikes are available at the festival from Wednesday to Sunday
4.What would the best title for the passage?
A. Folk Music of Blues
B. Edmonton’s Downtown Park
C. Festival for Family Gathering
D. One Festival for All
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
You’ve just come home, after living abroad for a few years. Since you’ve been away, has this country changed for the better or for the worse?
If you’ve just arrived back in the UK after a fortnight’s holiday, small changes have probably surprised you—anything from a local greengrocer suddenly being replaced by a mobile-phone shop to someone in your street moving house.
So how have things changed to people coming back to Britain after seven, ten or even 15 years living abroad? What changes in society can they see that the rest of us have hardly noticed—or now take for granted? To find out, we asked some people who recently returned.
Debi: When we left, Cheltenham, my home town, was a town of white, middle-class families—all very conservative (保守的).The town is now home to many eastern Europeans and lots of Australians, who come here mainly to work in hotels and tourism. There are even several shops only for foreigners.
Having been an immigrant (移民) myself, I admire people who go overseas to find a job. Maybe if I lived in an inner city where unemployment was high, I’d think differently, but I believe foreign settlers have improved this country because they’re more open-minded and often work harder than the natives.
Christine: As we flew home over Britain, both of us remarked how green everything looked. But the differences between the place we’d left behind and the one we returned to were brought sharply into focus as soon as we landed.
To see policemen with guns in the airport for the first time was frightening — in Cyprus, they’re very relaxed — and I got pulled over by customs officers just for taking a woolen sweater with some metal-made buttons out of my case in the arrivals hall. Everyone seemed to be on guard. Even the airport car-hire firm wanted a credit card rather than cash because they said their vehicles had been used by bank robbers. But anyway, this is still a green, beautiful country. I just wish more people would appreciate what they’ve got.
1.After a short overseas holiday, people tend to ______ .
A. expect small changes B. notice small changes
C. welcome small changes D. exaggerate (夸大) small changes
2.How does Debi look at the foreign settlers?
A. Cautiously. B. Skeptically. C. Positively. D. Critically.
3.When arriving at the airport in Britain, Christine was shocked by ______ .
A. the tight security B. the messy arrivals hall
C. the relaxed policemen D. the bank robbers
4.Which might be the best title for the passage?
A. Life in Britain. B. Britain in Memory.
C. Britain in Future. D. Back in Britain.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析