Mandy Harvey is a 29-year-old singer from the American state of Florida. She suffers from connective tissue disorder. She lost most of her ability to hear when she was 18. As a child and during her teenage years, Harvey was a singer. But she stopped singing for a time after she went deaf.
But she decided to start singing again after she learned how to feel a song’s beat through the wooden floor of a stage or theater. She uses visual aids to make sure her musical instruments are tuned correctly and she is singing in the correct pitch (音高).
Harvey is now a professional singer. But until Tuesday night, not many people in the United States had heard of her. Of course that changed when she appeared on the television show “America’s Got Talent.” The show has four judges who watch people perform and decide if they should continue in the competition.
Mandy Harvey appeared on stage with a small instrument: a ukulele. A sign language interpreter stood next to the judges. One of the judges, Simon Cowell, asked Harvey about the condition that caused her to go deaf. Then she got ready to perform. She sang a piece she wrote, called “Try.” Harvey said: “After I lost my hearing, I gave up. But I want to do more with my life than just give up.” Cowell said: “Good for you,” and clapped his hands loudly.
As she was singing，one camera cut away to capture images of people in the theater. Many were seen crying. At one point, everyone stood up and cheered. By Wednesday afternoon, a video of Harvey’s performance had been played 46 million times.
Shortly after she finished singing, Cowell smiled, and said “Mandy, I don’t think you’re going to need a translator for this.” And he reached over and hit a button that released golden confetti (五彩纸屑) into the air. That meant Harvey automatically moved on to the final part of the talent competition.
1.How does Mandy Harvey sing with her musical instruments as a deaf person?
A. By senses of touch. B. By her instrument.
C. By experience. D. By sight.
2.What does the underlined word “that” in Paragraph 3 refer to?
A. Harvey is not well-known.
B. Harvey is a professional singer.
C. Harvey is popular with Americans.
D. Harvey is lucky with her childhood.
3.What do you know about topic of her song “Try”？
A. Showing her hard situation.
B. Expressing her perseverance.
C. Asking for sympathy from others.
D. Proving her success in her career.
4.What was the result of Mandy’s performance?
A. She got the first place.
B. She moved the three judges.
C. She succeeded in entering the finals.
D. She didn’t satisfy the whole audience.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题
Mandy Harvey is a 29-year-old singer from the American state of Florida. She suffers from connective tissue disorder. She lost most of her ability to hear when she was 18. As a child and during her teenage years, Harvey was a singer. But she stopped singing for a time after she went deaf.
But she decided to start singing again after she learned how to feel a song’s beat through the wooden floor of a stage or theater. She uses visual aids to make sure her musical instruments are tuned correctly and she is singing in the correct pitch (音高).
Harvey is now a professional singer. But until Tuesday night, not many people in the United States had heard of her. Of course that changed when she appeared on the television show “America’s Got Talent.” The show has four judges who watch people perform and decide if they should continue in the competition.
Mandy Harvey appeared on stage with a small instrument: a ukulele. A sign language interpreter stood next to the judges. One of the judges, Simon Cowell, asked Harvey about the condition that caused her to go deaf. Then she got ready to perform. She sang a piece she wrote, called “Try.” Harvey said: “After I lost my hearing, I gave up. But I want to do more with my life than just give up.” Cowell said: “Good for you,” and clapped his hands loudly.
As she was singing，one camera cut away to capture images of people in the theater. Many were seen crying. At one point, everyone stood up and cheered. By Wednesday afternoon, a video of Harvey’s performance had been played 46 million times.
Shortly after she finished singing, Cowell smiled, and said “Mandy, I don’t think you’re going to need a translator for this.” And he reached over and hit a button that released golden confetti (五彩纸屑) into the air. That meant Harvey automatically moved on to the final part of the talent competition.
1.How does Mandy Harvey sing with her musical instruments as a deaf person?
A. By senses of touch. B. By her instrument.
C. By experience. D. By sight.
2.What does the underlined word “that” in Paragraph 3 refer to?
A. Harvey is not well-known.
B. Harvey is a professional singer.
C. Harvey is popular with Americans.
D. Harvey is lucky with her childhood.
3.What do you know about topic of her song “Try”？
A. Showing her hard situation.
B. Expressing her perseverance.
C. Asking for sympathy from others.
D. Proving her success in her career.
4.What was the result of Mandy’s performance?
A. She got the first place.
B. She moved the three judges.
C. She succeeded in entering the finals.
D. She didn’t satisfy the whole audience.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Parker Stewart, a 16-year-old from Sayre School, a college preparatory school in the United States, knew last year that he wanted his independent study on the environment to have a broad impact on the community. In order to "reduce the carbon footprint," Stewart planned to produce enough solar energy to power the school's science labs. Now his plan is set to happen. The installation of 30 solar panels is scheduled for late January.
As he began his research on solar energy, he discovered a useful phone app. By entering an address, he could find out how much sunlight the location receives each day. Based on how much sunlight it receives, Stewart found that his school building was the desired position.
At the suggestion of his science teacher, Debbie Wheeler, Parker first performed an energy audit（测算）of the science lab to see how much energy a typical lab uses per day. Then, he started his research, contacting a local installer of solar panels, Synergy Home, to do the job.
Parker lacked money for launching the project, so he convinced Sayre's head of school to fund him after explaining the benefits of solar power for the school and community. Since Sayre provided the initial seed money to provide supplies and the purchase of one panel, the project has grown to include a total of 30 panels. They are expected to generate enough energy to run all four of the science labs on campus.
"It feels like a dream to think that an idea I had resulted from my AP Environmental class would have this kind of impact," said Stewart, expressing gratitude for Wheeler's help.
Wheeler said the success of the project was due to Parker's efforts and willingness to follow through on the project from start to finish.
“I've had other students talk about environmental initiatives on campus, but Parker had the persistence to make it happen," she said.
1.How did the app help Stewart start his project?
A.To find an ideal location. B.To conduct an energy audit.
C.To look up specific information. D.To introduce financial aids.
2.Who invested in Stewart's project at the beginning?
A.Sayre School. B.His parents.
C.Synergy Home. D.His community.
3.What inspired Stewart to do his solar power project?
A.The phone app he discovered.
B.The air pollution in his community.
C.A suggestion from his science teacher.
D.An idea from his Environmental class.
4.What contributed to Stewart's success according to Wheeler?
A.His wisdom. B.His bravery.
C.His willpower. D.His independence.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
In 1972, Richard Sears, a young American from the state of Tennessee, began learning Chinese because of his fascination with traditional Chinese culture.
“Chinese characters are the only ancient script now still in use in the world and it’s a miracle of human history,” said Sears in fluent Chinese.
As a primitive form of Chinese characters and the oldest fully developed characters in China, Jiaguwen, or oracle bone inscriptions, were first discovered in 1899 and aimed for their inscriptions on tortoise shells and animal bones.
Drawn to the ancient language, Sears often went back and forth between China and the US. In 1994, he made a decision to make the ancient Chinese characters available online. Taking advantage of his professional skill，Sears started programming and building a database of oracle bone inscriptions on his own. It took him seven years just to scan the characters in Chinese ancient books. In 2002, the Jiaguwen enthusiast’s website was launched, though with only a few page views per day in the beginning. However, it surged to 600,000 per day in 2011 after a blogger recommended the site on Chinese social media platform Weibo. “I became a web celebrity overnight and was given a nickname ‘Uncle Hanzi’,” Sears said with a smile. Hanzi means Chinese characters.
During the past 26 years, he has accumulated a great deal of information on his website-more than 96,000 ancient Chinese character forms from archeological sources. Up till now, the web site has been continuously updated, giving lovers of the ancient language from all over the world free access to browse at their leisure. In order to reveal the mystery behind the ancient characters, he spent a great deal of money and time buying and going through dozens of books, living on a shoestring.
Since last year, Sears has been working with a Chinese technology company on a smartphone application for children to learn about how the characters evolved. The app is expected to be launched next year.
1.Which of the following is true of oracle bone inscriptions?
A.They used to spread to other countries in Europe.
B.It is over 100 years since they were first discovered.
C.They are the only ancient language still in use today.
D.They were named for their inscriptions on hard rocks.
2.What can we infer about Richard Sears?
A.He has a good command of the computer. B.He is promoting his website in the U. S. A.
C.He developed a smartphone app for adults. D.He has made a fortune from the website.
3.What happened to Sears’s website in 2011?
A.It was attacked by hackers. B.It declined gradually.
C.It boomed suddenly. D.It suffered a big loss.
4.What kind of life is Richard Sears leading now?
A.He is now leading a wealthy life. B.He is now leading a lonely life.
C.He is now leading a quiet life. D.He is now leading a plain life.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
The American dream is the faith held by many people in the United States of America that through hard work, courage, creativity and determination, they can achieve a better life for themselves. More specifically, they agree on how to get ahead in America: get a college education, find a reliable job, and buy their own house. But do Americans still believe in that path, and if they do, is it attainable?
The most recent National Journal poll asked participants about the American dream, what it takes to achieve their goal, and whether or not they felt the control over their ability to be successful. Obviously, the results show that today, the idea of the American dream and what it takes to achieve it looks quite different from it did in the late 20th century. Generally speaking, people felt that their actions and hard work not outside force deciding their lives. But the participants had definitely mixed feelings about what actions make for a better life in the current economy.
In the last seven years, Americans have grown more pessimistic(悲观的) about the power of education to lead to success. Even though they see going to college as a fairly achievable goal, a majority 52 percent think that young people do not need a 4-year college education in order to be successful.
Miguel Maeda, 42, who has a master’s degree and works in public health, was the first in his family to go to college, which has allowed him to achieve a sense of financial stability(稳定) his parents and grandparents never did. While some, like Maeda, emphasized the value of degree rather than the education itself, others still see college as a way to gain new viewpoints and life experiences. To Fendley, a sense of drive and purpose, as well as an effective high-school education, and basic life skills, like balancing a checkbook(支票簿), are the necessary elements for a successful life in America.
1.It used to be commonly acknowledged that to succeed in America, one had to have ____.
A. a sense of drive and purpose B. an advanced academic degree
C. a firm belief in their dream D. an ambition to get ahead
2.What is the finding of the latest National Journal poll concerning the American dream?
A. More and more Americans are finding it hard to realize.
B. It remains alive among the majority of American people.
C. An increasing number of young Americans are abandoning it.
D. Americans’ idea of it has changed over the past few decades.
3.What do Americans now think of the role of college education in achieving success?
A. It still remains open to debate.
B. It has proved to be beyond doubt.
C. It is much better understood now than ever.
D. It is no longer as important as it used to be.
4.How do some people view college education these days?
A. It helps broaden their minds. B. It needs to be strengthened.
C. It widens cultural diversity. D. It promotes gender equality.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
The United States is home to 562 recognized American Indian Nations each with its own language.
Yet the number of native. Americans with the ability to speak their tribe's language has decreased over the past century.
Now, Indian Nations are trying different ways to expand the number of native speakers, and increase interest in their communities to learn tribal languages.
Since the late 1800s. many American Indian children have attended boarding schools. At that time, Indian children were required to attend schools by law, and the government forced Indian families to send their children to such schools.
The children were separated from their families. and given English name The teachers often taught native American students in English, instead of the language of their parents. They were told they needed to learn English in order to get a job, earn money and buy a house or nice things.
However, fearing a loss of history and culture, the Indian Nations are experimenting with new ways to increase the language ability of tribal members.
At least one organization is turning to modern technology---The Sealaska Heritage Institute, a nonprofit group, has developed two apps for speakers of the Tlingit language.
The “Learning Tlingit” app serves as a reference for important language topics such as conversation phrases, number, and letters.
The Tlingit tribe has about 10, 000 members. They live mainly in southeastern Alaska. But as of 2013, the tribe had only 125 native speakers left. in addition, very few young people are able to speak Tlingit.
Currently there are two apps, called “Learning Tlingit” and “Tlingit Language Games”. The “Learning Tlingit” app serves as a language guide. It provides Tlingit words and expressions, the tribal alphabet, as well as a basic list of the words included. With the “Tlingit Language Games” app, users are given a choice of different places of environments, like a house, forest or ocean.
1.What is the problem the native Americans are facing now?
A.The number of native Americans has been increasing.
B.Fewer and fewer native Americans speak their own language.
C.Their native language has been extinct.
D.It's hard to increase the interest of hearing native languages.
2.What will be the result if more and more native Americans only speak English?
A.They will get better jobs and higher pay.
B.They will teach their own children to speak English.
C.They will lose their history and culture.
D.They will get along well with the government.
3.What can we know about Tlingit?
A.It can help the native people know some language topics.
B.It can help the: native people earn money and buy a. house or nice things
C.It is a very popular app among the native speakers
D.It is a native language spoken by fewer than 200 people.
4.What is the main idea of the passage?
A.American Indian tribes' efforts to increase native speakers.
B.Reasons for the disappearance of some American Indian languages.
C.Ways to help the native tribes lead a traditional life.
D.The popularity of the language learning apps.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
72-year-old Darlene Mullins recently graduated from Tennessee State University in Nashville, Tennessee. Darlene left school nearly 55 years ago in the name of love. She was studying at the college and met her husband-to-be, John Mullins, in 1962, The two knew they would marry each other the moment they met. She finished her freshman year with 25 credits and married John in 1963. Her husband graduated in 1964 and began working.
Darlene took care of the household and was a stay-at-home mother to their son and daughter. The family lived in six states over the years, due to John's successful career in business. Darlene eventually began a career in retail as their children grew older. Though she remained busy, she always longed to finish school. She always told her children to make sure they finish what they started and she kind of felt it was time to live up to her own dream.
John was very supportive when she told him she was going back to school. He knew the day would come when she decided to finish her degree. He told her whenever she was ready they would go. The couple moved back to Nashville in 2013 when Darlene re-enrolled. She had to adjust to the technological advances in the classroom, saying that she was determined to finish no matter how long it took. After completing four years, Darlene graduated with a degree, “I feel like God has given me a second chance.” she said‘ She hopes that her story can inspire others to pursue a degree.
1.Why did Darlene decide to leave university early?
A. She was tired of school life.
B. She met a boy she loved a lot.
C. Her family was too poor then.
D. Her friend John Mullins left her.
2.What happened to Darlene during the 55 years after leaving school?
A. Her husband's career failed eventually.
B. The whole family lived in the same city.
C. She often longed to go back to school.
D. Her children advised her to finish school.
3.How did John respond to Darlene’s decision to go back to school?
A. He did his best to help her,
B. He managed to hold her back.
C. He told her that it was impossible.
D. He asked her to continue her career.
4.What does the author want to tell us?
A. Never leave school too early.
B. It's nothing to leave school early.
C. It's often great to put family first.
D. It's never late to return to school.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Leehom Wang（王力宏）is different from other pop singers. He has a lot of musical talent. He can play the violin, the drums and the piano.
However, this time it is his environmentally-friendly behavior that is making him stand out. When his latest album Change Me came out, Wang used recycled paper rather than plastie to package his album and went by bicycle to the press conference. “Everyone can make the world a better place on a daily basis,” he said.
Wang gives 10 pieces of advice in his new album. For example, he suggests that the temperature of an air-conditioner（空调）should not be lower than 28 ℃.
Wang has Captured the hearts of millions of fans by singing, dancing, acting, composing songs, and working as a producer of many major records. “I admire Wang for his sense of duty, responsibility and hard work,” said Li Xiaoshan, 17, who traveled from Nanjing to see Wang when he was in Beijing to promote （促销）his new CD.
Wang has established himself as a versatile （多才多艺的）musician in the pop scene and a good role model for Chinese youths around the world. He grew up in New York and first became fascinated at the sight of a violin at the age of six. His ambition has always been to be a musician. However, this was not what his parents’ wanted. They hoped he would be a doctor, which they saw as a steady and well-paid job.
Decisions about what Wang should do when he was older created tension in his family. So Wang decided to study biology at university to please his parents. But while he was studying, he continued practising singing and dancing and finally landed a record contract, which was the beginning of his career.
1. Wang rode a bicycle to attend the press conference ________.
A. to avoid the traffic jams B. to show off his cycling skills
C. to cut down on the cost of trips D. to show his environmental awareness
2. Li Xiaoshan travelled to Beijing ________.
A. to buy Wang’s latest album B. to promote his own new CD
C. to welcome Wang’s new album D. to make friends with Wang’s fans
3. Why did Wang’s parents intend him to become a doctor?
A. Doctors have a big and stable salary.
B. Doctors enjoy a high social status.
C. It is easy for doctors to become famous.
D. It is doctors’ duty to save lives.
4. What can we learn from Leehom Wang’s story?
A. Diligence is the mother of good fortune.
B. The wisest men follow their own direction.
C. Determination today leads to success tomorrow.
D. Other people’s opinion of you does not have to become your reality.
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
With brown curly hair and a pair of glasses, 19-year-old Nicholas Allegra from New York state, US, looks like a real-life Harry Potter. However, rather than waving a wand, Nicholas is a "wizard " at "jailbreaking ". This is probably why he ended up with an internship at Apple, a job many of his fellow Brown University students dream of.
Jailbreaking is the process of removing the limitations set by Apple on devices with the iOS operating system. These devices include the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad. It allows users to gain full access to the operating system and download additional materials that are unavailable through the official Apple App Store. However, it is estimated that Apple loses $100 million (640million yuan) from jailbreaking each year.
Nicholas, with a famous nickname "Comex", is the teenage hacker behind the jail-breaking site JailbreakMe. com. The site tells users how to unlock their iPhones using software that is not approved by Apple. The jailbreaking software he made has been downloaded millions of times by users around the world.
Then Forbes magazine suggested in an article that Apple's security team might need him as a new intern. It seems that they do. Little more than a day after Steve jobs stepped down as CEO, Apple welcomed Nicholas Allegra. Nicholas wrote on his Twitter on August 26 that " It's been really, really fun, but it's also been a while and I've been getting bored. So, the week after next I will be starting an internship with Apple.
Apple is not the only company embracing the skills of hackers. Facebook recently hired iPhone jailbreaker George "Geohot" Hotz as a full-time employee.
However, there are still hot debates about whether employing hackers is a wise solution. The word "hacker" has always had a double meaning. In the press, "hacker" means someone who breaks into computers. They steal from people's bank accounts, download sensitive information and attack legal websites. Among computer lovers, it means a cool programmer who can make a computer do whatever he wants.
Hiring a hacker does have its advantages. A talented hacker is probably quite capable of finding problems and suggesting corrections. On the other hand, because of a hacker's former behavior, many people doubt their morals .Can the company trust them with its valuable assets ? And can someone who is so used to working alone in the dark fit into a new role within a company?
One thing is for sure- Comex isn't the first member of the hacker community to land the job of his dreams. It's likely that he won't be the last.
1.What did Nicolas Allegra do before working for Apple?
A. He was a wizard.
B. He designed software for Apple.
C. He ran an Apple app store.
D. He set up JailbreakMe. com.
2.According to the article, jailbreaking _______.
A. enables iPhone users to access more functions on their phones
B. doesn't cause much financial loss to Apple
C. destroys the operating system of Apple products
D. helps promote Apple products around the world
【小题3 The underlined word "embracing" in Paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to
A. praising B. Preventing
C. accepting D. protesting
3.Some people think it unwise to hire hackers because they _______.
A. are likely to quit their job very quickly
B. are not reliable and adaptable enough
C. lack professional problem solving skills
D. are used to working at night rather than in the daytime
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
The United States is a country of immigrants. It is a place where people from all over the world come to build a better life. Some immigrants bring their families. Some bring a few of their favorite things. Others come alone with nothing but determination. One thing that every immigrant brings with them is their culture.
American immigration began in 1607 with the colony (殖民地) of Jamestown. In 1620, another group of people left England to build a settlement in America. They wanted to go to a place where they could practice their religion freely. Then many more people left their homes in Europe to build a better life in America. Many also came to America from Africa. By 1770, more than two million people had moved to America. Later on, more people came to the United States than ever before.
In cities all over America, you can see different cultures that formed this country. Many things that you may think of as being “American” are actually from a foreign culture. Some of the best examples of this are the foods people eat. Pizza and spaghetti are foods that all Americans know and love. But both of them are from Italy. Baseball is an all-American sport. But the hot dogs that people eat during the game are a type of food that was brought to America by German immigrants.
Over time, pizza and hot dogs have become a part of what is considered to be American food. In the same way, different groups of people have come together to define what an American is. An American can be a person of any background. An American can be of any faith. An American can be of any skin color. They can speak English clearly. They can speak English with an accent. Each new immigrant adds something new to American culture. It will keep changing as more people come to this country.
1.Paragraph 2 is mainly about _____.
A. the history of American immigration
B. why people chose to move to America
C. the rapid growth of the population of America
D. what immigrants have brought to America
2.Several foods are mentioned in the text to show _____.
A. they have a long history in America
B. they are very popular with Americans
C. America is a country full of tasty foods
D. America is made up of different cultures
3.The author probably agrees that American culture is _____.
A. simple B. strange
C. diverse D. advanced
4.What would be the best title for the text?
A. Immigrants and their American dreams
B. America: a melting pot of cultures
C. America: a land of opportunity
D. Life in the US: culture shock
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Stella, a 25-year-old American woman, was known as a brave survivor. Despite suffering from four cancers, she_______fought against the diseases and_______money for herself and others. Last October Stella and supporters_______an organization called Change for a Cure, which called out people to donate their_______change so she could donate the money to the University of Alberta for_______research. She opened Facebook and Twitter accounts for the _______ as well, whose motto is “Together we can change the world one penny at a time.”
Earlier this week Daisy_______she never had cancer. She had_______her head and eyebrows to fake the signs of chemotherapy (化疗), and had spent much of the money given to her on personal _______. She was arrested and has been ________with four counts of cheat. ________ a few of her friends and supporters have cast her as a victim, most have written on blogs about their ________of being cheated. Many patients had ________Daisy because they, too, were dealing with cancer and had________their personal stories with a person who had lied to them from the start.
In 2018 Cindy, a divorced mother, told her friends and family she had suffered from stomach cancer. Like Stella, she updated everyone on her________through blogs, and many people shared her grief and________money for her treatments. Earlier this year________discovered it was all a trick.
Cindy had ________to be sick for over three years; she was charged with theft, and is________waiting for sentencing.
People lie about having cancer and other ________diseases for various reasons. But most just love the attention and sympathy, the constant stream of well-wishes and gifts.
1.A.always B.bravely C.constantly D.often
2.A.rose B.spent C.earned D.raised
3.A.managed B.began C.started D.produced
4.A.full B.enough C.spare D.more
5.A.theory B.cancer C.illness D.technology
6.A.organization B.patients C.volunteers D.relatives
7.A.explained B.realized C.knew D.admitted
8.A.comforted B.touched C.shaved D.scratched
9.A.materials B.accounts C.problems D.expenses
10.A.charged B.accused C.sentenced D.punished
11.A.When B.However C.Therefore D.While
12.A.attitudes B.feelings C.enthusiasms D.pains
13.A.supported B.opposed C.disliked D.agreed
14.A.accompanied B.talked C.shared D.communicated
15.A.articles B.treatments C.cases D.misfortune
16.A.donated B.contributed C.devoted D.searched
17.A.friends B.police C.family D.patients
18.A.considered B.suffered C.convinced D.pretended
19.A.currently B.immediately C.temporarily D.permanently
20.A.cautious B.ordinary C.serious D.common
高三英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析