When I heard the piano, I walked to Mrs. Windsor’s house and waited outside as I always did. That meant she was working with another student, and I was not supposed to bother them by ringing the bell. I stood against the wall and daydreamed what I’d rather be doing. “Almost anything”, I sighed dejectedly. I had been tutored enough to read, understand, and even write some musical compositions, but I just didn’t have a gift for it. It didn’t come to me naturally. I thought back to happier times when I was writing stories and acting them out with my friends, cutting up old clothes to make dresses that performers wear in plays, and building scenery out of old things we found. But Mrs. Windsor had offered to give me the lessons for free, so I felt my duty to try.
The door opened and Wendy Barton came out. I walked in, sat down on the piano bench and began to sort through my sheet music.
“Hello,” I heard a voice behind me say softly. I turned around to see a little girl standing behind me, eating an apple. But before I could make any response, Mrs. Windsor walked into the room in her usual urgent manner and announced, “Jennifer, this is my niece, Pasha. Pasha, this is Jennifer. Pasha will be giving you your lesson today. I’m up to my ears in something else!” she then exited to the kitchen.
Pasha set her apple down on the side table and slid beside me on the piano bench.
“What piece do you like best?” she asked.
“What do you mean?” I asked. “They’re all the same to me. I don’t know.
“You mean you don’t have a favorite?”
“No, not really.”
Pasha looked at me, rather puzzled, then opened my sheet music to the beginning page and asked me to play. I arranged my fingers on the keys and studied the notes on the page for a moment. Then I frowned and concentrated to make the notes on the page match the finger movements. I have to admit I was a rather mechanical pianist.
After about a page or two, Pasha gently put her hand on top of mine as if to calm my fingers. There was a long pause. “What are you hearing in the music?” I looked at her rather strangely and admitted I didn’t know what she meant.
“Like a story. What story is being playing out within the music?”
“I guess I’ve never thought about it before. I don’t know.”
“Here, let me try and you listen,” Pasha advised.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting her fingers dance lightly over the keys. Then, she began to play. “See, it begins here beside some kind of river. Hear the water flowing beside you?”
Her fingers rose and fell gently on the keys. “Now the princess appears and she’s picking flowers from the water’s edge.”A carefree, happy piece of music filled the air in time to Pasha’s dancing fingers. “Oh, but she slips!”The music changed. “And our princess is being carried off by the fast-flowing stream. Quickly, the princess’s horse sees her plight (困境),” Pasha continued, “and races to the river’s edge where he swims out to let her catch hold of him. They make it to the bank and she hugs her faithful horse and swears she will never again wear princess skirts that weigh her down.” Pasha finished with a big smile and then looked at me.
“Aren’t you the girl who tells the stories?” she asked.
“I guess. I do tell a lot of stories.”
“Oh, yes! All the kids talk about them. I’ve heard about you. Well, all you have to do is learn to hear the stories in the music. That’s all there is to it.”
“I’ve never thought it that way.”
“Let’s try another one, shall we?”Pasha smiled and together we played that afternoon, finding the stories in the music and learning that sometimes it takes a friend to pull you out of the river onto dry land again.
1.The underlined word “dejectedly” in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to _______
A. nervously B. desperately
C. impatiently D. unhappily
2.Jennifer got lost in thought when she ________
A. played the piano with Pasha for the first time
B. listened to Pasha tell her story about the princess
C. remembered happier times of writing stories and acting them out
D. discovered that Mrs. Windsor’s niece would be giving the piano lesson
3.By describing herself as a mechanical pianist, the author showed ______
A. she could remember the notes in a short time
B. she was playing the piano without thinking
C. Pasha was showing off her skills
D. it had been a long time since she played last time
4.Which of the following can best describe Pasha?
A. Creative B. Naughty
C. Humorous D. Brave
5.This text would be probably found in ______
A. a collection of stories about friendship and learning
B. a book of daily records about famous young musicians
C. a magazine series about the challenges of overcoming fears
D. a series of newspaper articles about musical instruments
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题
When I heard the piano, I walked to Mrs. Windsor’s house and waited outside as I always did. That meant she was working with another student, and I was not supposed to bother them by ringing the bell. I stood against the wall and daydreamed what I’d rather be doing. “Almost anything”, I sighed dejectedly. I had been tutored enough to read, understand, and even write some musical compositions, but I just didn’t have a gift for it. It didn’t come to me naturally. I thought back to happier times when I was writing stories and acting them out with my friends, cutting up old clothes to make dresses that performers wear in plays, and building scenery out of old things we found. But Mrs. Windsor had offered to give me the lessons for free, so I felt my duty to try.
The door opened and Wendy Barton came out. I walked in, sat down on the piano bench and began to sort through my sheet music.
“Hello,” I heard a voice behind me say softly. I turned around to see a little girl standing behind me, eating an apple. But before I could make any response, Mrs. Windsor walked into the room in her usual urgent manner and announced, “Jennifer, this is my niece, Pasha. Pasha, this is Jennifer. Pasha will be giving you your lesson today. I’m up to my ears in something else!” she then exited to the kitchen.
Pasha set her apple down on the side table and slid beside me on the piano bench.
“What piece do you like best?” she asked.
“What do you mean?” I asked. “They’re all the same to me. I don’t know.
“You mean you don’t have a favorite?”
“No, not really.”
Pasha looked at me, rather puzzled, then opened my sheet music to the beginning page and asked me to play. I arranged my fingers on the keys and studied the notes on the page for a moment. Then I frowned and concentrated to make the notes on the page match the finger movements. I have to admit I was a rather mechanical pianist.
After about a page or two, Pasha gently put her hand on top of mine as if to calm my fingers. There was a long pause. “What are you hearing in the music?” I looked at her rather strangely and admitted I didn’t know what she meant.
“Like a story. What story is being playing out within the music?”
“I guess I’ve never thought about it before. I don’t know.”
“Here, let me try and you listen,” Pasha advised.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting her fingers dance lightly over the keys. Then, she began to play. “See, it begins here beside some kind of river. Hear the water flowing beside you?”
Her fingers rose and fell gently on the keys. “Now the princess appears and she’s picking flowers from the water’s edge.”A carefree, happy piece of music filled the air in time to Pasha’s dancing fingers. “Oh, but she slips!”The music changed. “And our princess is being carried off by the fast-flowing stream. Quickly, the princess’s horse sees her plight (困境),” Pasha continued, “and races to the river’s edge where he swims out to let her catch hold of him. They make it to the bank and she hugs her faithful horse and swears she will never again wear princess skirts that weigh her down.” Pasha finished with a big smile and then looked at me.
“Aren’t you the girl who tells the stories?” she asked.
“I guess. I do tell a lot of stories.”
“Oh, yes! All the kids talk about them. I’ve heard about you. Well, all you have to do is learn to hear the stories in the music. That’s all there is to it.”
“I’ve never thought it that way.”
“Let’s try another one, shall we?”Pasha smiled and together we played that afternoon, finding the stories in the music and learning that sometimes it takes a friend to pull you out of the river onto dry land again.
1.The underlined word “dejectedly” in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to _______
A. nervously B. desperately
C. impatiently D. unhappily
2.Jennifer got lost in thought when she ________
A. played the piano with Pasha for the first time
B. listened to Pasha tell her story about the princess
C. remembered happier times of writing stories and acting them out
D. discovered that Mrs. Windsor’s niece would be giving the piano lesson
3.By describing herself as a mechanical pianist, the author showed ______
A. she could remember the notes in a short time
B. she was playing the piano without thinking
C. Pasha was showing off her skills
D. it had been a long time since she played last time
4.Which of the following can best describe Pasha?
A. Creative B. Naughty
C. Humorous D. Brave
5.This text would be probably found in ______
A. a collection of stories about friendship and learning
B. a book of daily records about famous young musicians
C. a magazine series about the challenges of overcoming fears
D. a series of newspaper articles about musical instruments
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
When Emily Beardmore first heard that a trip was being planned by the biology class at Windsor High School, she thought about how much fun it would be.
“I thought it would be a really good experience to go with other friends and teachers to another country in an environment other than a vacation environment,” the 10- year-old girl said.
A few months later, Emily got her chance when she and 14 of her classmates, along with biology teacher Tamara Pennington went to Costa Rica for eight days in late May.
“It was not just a tour,” said Pennington, who organized the trip. “You can go to any place in the world on just a tour. This one was practical, really working with the sea turtles and practicing conservation (保护). It just seemed like the perfect science field trip for kids who think they want to get into science to see what it’s really like to be out in the field and enjoy themselves.”
Emily said her time on the turtle project, which was the focus of the trip, was “crazy”. “We were walking on the beach at night and you can’t see anything — just see a big black dot (点),” she said with a laugh. “I was not expecting the turtles to be that big.” The turtles are leatherback turtles, which are becoming extinct because their eggs are used as food.
“When they would move their legs while laying their eggs they were really hard to control because they were a lot more powerful than you would imagine,” Emily said.
Once the eggs were collected, the students took them back to a hatchery (孵化场) and dug holes to copy the hole the mother turtle had made and then buried the eggs for the 60 days needed to hatch.
“It was an amazing experience,” Emily said. “You go to another country to see what their culture is like and learn what their everyday lives are like. It made me really want to help out my mom a lot more than I do, and value what I have.”
1.What did Pennington consider the trip to be?
A. It was a common tour to a foreign country.
B. It was a journey to practice what students learned.
C. It was a trip to do practical science activities.
D. It was to attract students’ interest in science.
2.From what Emily said on her turtle project, we know that _____.
A. she was afraid of walking on the beach at night
B. she didn’t dare to catch the powerful turtles
C. she got crazy at the sight of turtles at night
D. she had thought turtles were small animals
3.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. Emily thought the trip being planned by the biology class would be fun.
B. Totally, 16 people went to Costa Rica for the 8-day trip in May.
C. Generally, it takes about 60 days to hatch little turtles.
D. The trip mainly aimed to get fun and rest.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Yesterday afternoon John and I were walking along the road when we heard someone shout. “ _!” He called out several more times __we could find him. He was in the lake, and there was a small boat nearby. At we knew he had fallen from the boat and couldn’t swim ___enough to reach it or to get to shore. As we ran toward the lake I saw him _ , and I was sure that he had drowned. But after a moment his head again.
Quickly John took off his shoes, into the water, and started swimming toward the man. He reached him just as the man was down again. He was enough to stretch out his hand and try to catch of the man’s clothing or his hair before he sank. But the man out his arms, caught John the neck and began to him down under the water. John fought to his head above the water, and at the same time
to swim toward the boat, pulling the man with him.
I also jumped into the water to help, the boat with one hand and swimming with the . The man looked dead, with his heart weakly. We did what we _ to save him. At last we succeeded.
1.A. Save B. Dangerous C. God D. Help
2.A. before B. when C. since D. as
3.A. first B. last C. once D. well
4.A. quick B. fast C. far D. well
5.A. sink B. swim C. fall D. float
6.A. nodded B. missed C. dropped D. appeared
7.A. jumped B. rushed C. running D. setting
8.A. dangerous B. drowning C. danger D. drowned
9.A. falling B. going C. dropping D. getting
10.A. close B. brave C. strong D. clever
11.A. something B. out C. the hand D. hold
12.A. took B. set C. got D. reached
13.A. on B. with C. around D. by
14.A. drive B. push C. draw D. make
15.A. let B. remain C. keep D. have
16.A. managed B. failed C. tried D. continued
17.A. got B. swam C. going D. holding
18.A. side B. boat C. man D. other
19.A. jumping B. knocking C. beating D. setting
20.A. had B. could C. might D. would
高二英语完型填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
One morning, the door to the classroom opened and a new teacher, Mrs Cosby, walked in. She looked too ____ to handle us. And we sure gave her a ____ time,but she never lost her temper. And then came the last day of the first month. She ____ a bunch of papers”. We ____ the worst—a test. But oh no, it was something that totally ____ us.
Mrs Cosby asked us to come to the front of the class, and gave each of us a piece of ____, on which she had written what the student had been ____ at during the last month. You see, no one had ever ____ us. No one had ever liked us. We were constantly told what good - for - nothing Students we were. And here, ____,was someone who had been ____ us closely for a month. We made things as difficult for her as we could. And yet she could find something ____ to say about each of us.
Mrs Cosby did this every ____ from then on. Each month we got a piece of paper that emphasized our ____. She commented on my courage, how punctual I was, how good to ____ arguements if I wanted. Her positive attitude transformed our class. We did not want to ____ her feelings anymore. We actually started to ____.
And then came the day of our graduation. Mrs Cosby hugged us and told us with tears in her eyes how ____ she was of us. Then she ____ each one of us a book. All the encouraging words through the years were there, in hard covers.
She said, “I want you each to keep this book and if ever during your life you feel unworthy, ____ this and read how good you are. You can be anything you want to be ____ you believe in yourself. Promise me you’ll remember that!”
1.A. soft B. short C. foolish D. common
2.A. happy B. hard C. good D. valuable
3.A. picked up B. took out C. paid for D. came across
4.A. hoped B. needed C. feared D. dreamed
5.A. disappointed B. surprised C. excited D. satisfied
6.A. sentence B. comment C. paper D. letter
7.A. good B. angry C. poor D. glad
8.A. forgot about B. played with C. believed in D. looked for
9.A. naturally B. generally C. gradually D. suddenly
10.A. teaching B. praising C. following D. observing
11.A. strange B. positive C. wrong D. interesting
12.A. day B. week C. month D. year
13.A. shortcomings B. mistakes C. wishes D. strengths
14.A. start B. continue C. settle D. write
15.A. hurt B. know C. understand D. read
16.A. study B. play C. fight D. joke
17.A. tired B. proud C. ashamed D. kind
18.A. promised B. bought C. handed D. suggested
19.A. remember B. change C. borrow D. open
20.A. even if B. as long as C. unless D. as though
高二英语七选五中等难度题查看答案及解析
短文改错
Mrs Smith heard her new neighbor would come and moved into his new house, but she hadn’t seen him. One day when she came back, she saw a man wear a brown hat and dark glasses carrying a ladder on his shoulder. The man put the ladder against the window of the new house and went up to break in the window. Mrs Smith said to himself , “ Thief, it is a thief. ” She rang up the police immediate and soon two policemen appeared in the front of the house. When the man was told to hand in everything what he had stolen, he looked greatly surprising. It was then he understood the reason why the policemen came. He said in a smile on his face, “I can’t find my key. It’s my new house.”
高二英语短文改错中等难度题查看答案及解析
When the old man ______ to walk back to his house, the sun ________itself behind the
mountain.
A.started; had already hidden | B.had started ;had already hidden |
C.had started; was hiding | D.was starting; hid |
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
A boy selling magazines walked up to a house people seldom visited. The house was old and the owner 36 came out. When he did come out he wouldn’t say hello to anybody 37 simply stared at them.
The boy knocked on the door and 38 . As he was ready to 39 away, the door slowly opened. “What do you want?” the old man said.
“Uh, sir, I’m selling these magazines and I was 40 if you’d like to buy one.” The old man 41 stared at the boy. The boy could see the inside of the house and 42 some dog figurines(小雕像). “Do you 43 dogs?” the boy asked. “Yes, I do. They’re my family here and they’re all I have.” The boy felt sorry for the man, as he seemed to be very 44 . “I’ve a magazine here for collectors. It’s perfect for you. I also have one about dogs since you like dogs so much.” But the old man said, “I need 45 of the magazines, now goodbye.”
The boy was sad. He went home and then an idea 46 to him. He had a little dog figurine. He walked back to the old man’s house with the 47 . He knocked on the door again and this time the old man came right to the door. “Boy, I 48 I told you no magazines.”
“No, sir. I know that. I wanted to bring you a 49 . ” The boy handed him the figurine and the old man’s face 50 . “It’s a Golden Retriever. I have one at home. This one is 51 you.” The old man was 52 ; no one had ever shown him so much 53 . “Boy, you have a kind 54 . Thank you!” From that day on the old man 55 coming out of the house and talking with people.
1.A. hardly B. never C. regularly D. nearly
2.A. so B. when C. as D. but
3.A. hurried B. left C. remained D. waited
4.A. walk B. run C. escape D. drive
5.A. doubting B. wondering C. saying D. hoping
6.A. ever B. yet C. just D. still
7.A. loved B. sensed C. noticed D. contacted
8.A. help B. collect C. raise D. like
9.A. alone B. cruel C. lonely D. terrible
10.A. nothing B. none C. either D. some
11.A. happened B. brought C. reached D. occurred
12.A. fear B. magazine C. idea D. figurine
13.A. imagined B. thought C. wished D. expected
14.A. friend B. gift C. dog D. book
15.A. lit up B. went up C. grew up D. turned up
16.A. for B. on C. with D. in
17.A. calm B. encouraged C. disappointed D. surprised
18.A. pity B. happiness C. politeness D. kindness
19.A. eye B. heart C. hand D. head
20.A. continued B. avoided C. started D. risked
高二英语完型填空困难题查看答案及解析
Little Bit
"Meow, meow, meow," is what I heard as I walked. I went to the noise and found there was a
36 black and white cat under a piece of wood. I picked him up and 37 he must be freezing to death. I 38 home with the cat held in my jacket.
My new best friend, who soon became known as Little Bit, received his name because he was almost 39 when I held him in my hands. He stood about five inches tail. Little Bit' s small size had a great advantage -- he 40 perfectly in the pocket of my jacket, which made41 him everywhere very easy. Any time I was home, he wouldn' t leave my 42 . He was always eager to play with me. When I fell asleep at night, he would always roll up around my head to keep me 43 .
Unfortunately, I grew up. My teenage life 44 my relationship with Little Bit. I lived at such a fast pace (节奏) that I stopped making time for him. My free time was spent with my 45 ________ instead. I would come in the house on my phone and not 46 him at all. His meows became an annoyance to me, but it wasn' t his fault that he 47 his best friend back.
Time had caused a 48 to Little Bit. His body began shutting down and by the time I realized 49 was wrong with him, he had already lost his balance. He lay there and looked at me, and 50 this day I still remember the 51 look in his bright green eyes. I took him to the vet (兽医), but there was nothing he could do. The last time I 52 him he wasn' t the same tiny cat I had found ten years before. Little Bit filled my arms and he was put to sleep that day.
Little Bit' s 53 made me realize how much he meant to me. He was always there for me when I 54 him. I regret our last years together and I feel sorry for not always being there for him. I will always 55 the special memories we made.
1.A. lovely B. tiny C. pretty D. friendly
2.A. agreed B. remembered C. realized D. proved
3.A. left B. stayed C. drove D. hurried
4.A. weightless B. useless C. breathless D. hopeless
5.A. grew B. fitted C. played D. existed
6.A. showing B. keeping C. taking D. putting
7.A. pocket B. heart C. mind D. side
8.A. quiet B. asleep C. safe D. warm
9.A. weakened B. built C. deepened D. sharpened
10.A. friends B. computer C. parents D. relatives
11.A. find B. feed C. notice D. hear
12.A. pulled B. won C. wanted D. permitted
13.A. fear B. loss C. accident D. concern
14.A. everything B. nothing C. anything D. something
15.A. before B. until C. during D. for
16.A. shameful B. serious C. long D. sorrowful
17.A. helped B. met C. held D. doubted
18.A. illness B. death C. sadness D. story
19.A. needed B. caught C. protected D. picked
20.A. treasure B. admire C. remind D. explore
高二英语简单题查看答案及解析
After a very busy afternoon, as I walked into my house, I heard the phone ringing. It was my friend Lydia, upset over an argument with her husband. My usual approach is to offer advice, but this time, extremely tired from chores, I simply pulled off my coat, sat down in a chair and listened to my friend's frustration and sadness. Without the disturbance of judgment or the desire to comfort her, I stayed totally quiet while she talked. Eventually Lydia's depression eased and we said our goodbyes. The next day she phoned to thank me. "I'm so grateful for the way you helped me through this," she said.
At first I was surprised. After all, I had done nothing except be there for her. But after I had my own venting(发泄的) experience with another friend later that evening, I realized that my focused silence had some value. In fact, most relationship experts agree that talk is cheap; it's listening that's rare and valuable. It allows you not only to hear what the other person is saying, but also to have a clear understanding of her thoughts and feelings. And for the speaker, that level of understanding translates into concern and respect.
Unfortunately, listening isn't as easy as it sounds. Thanks to schedules filled with family and work, multitasking has become the barrier(障碍) to listening. My tiredness may have been the only thing stopping me from folding laundry or checking my e-mail while Lydia talked that afternoon.
Another barrier to listening is our listening system: Most of us take in only about half of what's being said during a conversation, according to the International Listening Association. Research shows that we speak at 125 to 150 words per minute, yet think at 500 words a minute. Therefore, because we think much more quickly than we speak, it is easy for us to lose our concentration when listening to speakers.
While it can be hard to focus at times, it's a skill worth developing. With a little practice — employing some techniques— you can become a better listener.
1. In Paragraph 2, the author mainly talks about ____.
A. the importance of listening B. the importance of venting anger
C. her own listening experience D. her own venting experience
2.The author uses the result of the research in Paragraph 4 to mainly show that ____.
A. we think much more quickly than we speak
B. we can only understand about half of what we hear
C. there is not much thinking time available while we are listening
D. we lose our concentration easily while we are listening
3. What will be discussed following the passage?
A. Why listening is valuable. B. What we should do while listening
C. How to become a good listener D. How to stop drifting off while listening.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
I just finished the household chores for the night and was preparing to go to bed, when I heard a noise in the front of the house. I opened the door to the front room and to my surprise, Santa himself stepped out from behind the Christmas tree.
He placed his finger over his mouth so I would not cry out. “What are you doing?” I started to ask. The words choked up in my throat, and I saw he had tears in his eyes. His usual jolly manner was gone. Gone was the eager, boisterous soul we all know.
He then answered me with a simple statement“TEACH THE CHILDREN!”
I was puzzled; what did he mean?
Santa then reached in his bag and pulled out a FIR(杉木) TREE .“Teach the children that the pure green color of the stately fir tree remains green all year round,describing the everlasting hope of mankind,all the needles point heavenward, making it a symbol of man's thoughts turning toward heaven.”
He again reached into his bag and pulled out a brilliant STAR. “Teach the children that the star was the heavenly sign of promises long ago. God promised a savior(救世主) for the world, and the star was the sign of fulfillment of his promise.”
He then reached into his bag and pulled out a CANDLE. “Teach the children that the candle symbolizes that Christ is the light of the world, and when we see this great light we are reminded of he who displaces(取代) the darkness.”
Suddenly I heard a soft twinkling sound, and from his bag he pulled out a BELL. “Teach the children that as the lost sheep are found by the sound of the bell, it should ring mankind to the fold. The bell symbolizes guidance and return.”
Santa looked back and was pleased. I saw that the twinkle was back in his eyes. He said, “Remember, teach the children the true meaning of Christmas and do not put me in the center, for I am but an humble servant of the one that is, and I bow down to worship HIM, our LORD, our GOD.”
1.Author opened the door when he was going to sleep because________.
A. he heard something unusual
B. he was not sleeping at the moment
C. he saw the Santa at the moment
D. he wanted to step out of the room
2.According to Santa, the star was ________.
A. a symbol of man's thoughts turning towards heaven
B. the sigh of fulfillment of the Santa's promise
C. the symbol of the light of the world
D. the sound of the bell which ring mankind to the fold
3.What does the underlined word “twinkle” refer to?
A. Tears. B. Smiles. C. Glasses. D. Eyes.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析