Best friends may be priceless but the cost of keeping the relationship alive is £23,870.
According to a study, a BFF (best friends forever) does not come cheap with devoted friends spending £4,679 on birthday presents alone over a lifetime. And while it costs nothing to be a shoulder to cry on, big-hearted Britons go the extra mile and spend £168 on pick-me-ups(提神物品) to get their mate through a rocky patch (艰难时刻)like the breakup of a relationship.
There’s a further £242 spent on presents to show how much they mean from gifts bought on holiday to treats for no reason. And distance does not break up a close friendship as BFFs spend a whopping(巨大的) £18,000 on travel to see each other despite being miles apart because of university, jobs and marriage.
The study by cashback site TopCashBack found on average BEFs who marry can expect £431 spent on them and a further £283 on gifts when they have children. And they can rely on their pals to help out when they move houses as they will obtain £127 worth of housewarming presents and takeaways(a kind of food).
The survey based on a friendship lasting 40 years found more than eight in ten adults with a BFF felt their friendships were worth every penny.
TopCashback spokesperson Natasha Smith said: “Those friendships which stand the test of time are often the most important in our lives. However, they come at a cost. From train tickets once a month to flights and a new dress for a wedding on the Italian coast, the price paid for having a best mate can soon add up. But when we asked people to compare their friendship with the financial investment(投资), only 14% thought their friendship was equal to their investment with the vast majority thinking it was worth more."
1. What does the underlined word in Paragraph 2 mean?
A. generous B. ambitious
C. troublesome D. energetic
2.To keep the relationship, where do BEFs spend the most money?
A. Buying birthday presents.
B. Cheering up a friend in low spirits.
C. Paying for holiday gifts and other treats.
D. Going a particular distance to visit friends.
3.What is Natasha’s understanding of BEF friendship?
A. It’s costly and unaffordable.
B. It’s expensive but worthwhile.
C. It’s rewarding but hard to keep.
D. It’s changeable but worth possessing.
4. How is the passage developed?
A. By listing figures.
B. By giving examples.
C. By analying causes.
D. By making comparisons.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题
Best friends may be priceless but the cost of keeping the relationship alive is £23,870.
According to a study, a BFF (best friends forever) does not come cheap with devoted friends spending £4,679 on birthday presents alone over a lifetime. And while it costs nothing to be a shoulder to cry on, big-hearted Britons go the extra mile and spend £168 on pick-me-ups(提神物品) to get their mate through a rocky patch (艰难时刻)like the breakup of a relationship.
There’s a further £242 spent on presents to show how much they mean from gifts bought on holiday to treats for no reason. And distance does not break up a close friendship as BFFs spend a whopping(巨大的) £18,000 on travel to see each other despite being miles apart because of university, jobs and marriage.
The study by cashback site TopCashBack found on average BEFs who marry can expect £431 spent on them and a further £283 on gifts when they have children. And they can rely on their pals to help out when they move houses as they will obtain £127 worth of housewarming presents and takeaways(a kind of food).
The survey based on a friendship lasting 40 years found more than eight in ten adults with a BFF felt their friendships were worth every penny.
TopCashback spokesperson Natasha Smith said: “Those friendships which stand the test of time are often the most important in our lives. However, they come at a cost. From train tickets once a month to flights and a new dress for a wedding on the Italian coast, the price paid for having a best mate can soon add up. But when we asked people to compare their friendship with the financial investment(投资), only 14% thought their friendship was equal to their investment with the vast majority thinking it was worth more."
1. What does the underlined word in Paragraph 2 mean?
A. generous B. ambitious
C. troublesome D. energetic
2.To keep the relationship, where do BEFs spend the most money?
A. Buying birthday presents.
B. Cheering up a friend in low spirits.
C. Paying for holiday gifts and other treats.
D. Going a particular distance to visit friends.
3.What is Natasha’s understanding of BEF friendship?
A. It’s costly and unaffordable.
B. It’s expensive but worthwhile.
C. It’s rewarding but hard to keep.
D. It’s changeable but worth possessing.
4. How is the passage developed?
A. By listing figures.
B. By giving examples.
C. By analying causes.
D. By making comparisons.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
In the eyes of dog lovers, the dog is man’s best friend. But for much wildlife, loose dogs may be a dangerous enemy, according to a study by a biologist from Utah State University in the US.
Based on much existing research and their own case studies, Julie Smith of Utah State University and four other scientists conclude that loose dogs may represent a huge danger to wildlife, especially endangered species, by hunting down or worrying them and by spreading diseases. They also found that dogs, their worldwide numbers around 500 million, can cause more damage to wildlife and livestock(牲畜) than wolves and other enemies of these animals.
Smith gave examples from the US state of Idaho, where research showed the presence of dogs reducing some deer populations. On the Navajo American Indians’ reservation in northeastern Arizona, packs of loose dogs are attacking livestock. They have killed populations of small animals such as rabbits and act as a disease carrier for rabies(狂犬病) among people and other animals, she said. Loose dogs also were to blame for distemper(温热病) outbreak leading to a die-off of endangered black-footed ferrets in northwestern Wyoming in the 1980s.
The phenomenon is not just limited to US; it’s a global problem. Julie Smith once studied three endangered species in central Asia: wild sheep, gazelles and antelope. The rate of injury and death to these animals by loose dogs was very high. In another case, Smith found that dogs, not wolves, as originally suspected, were responsible for a large number of livestock killings in the mountainous Basque country between Spain and France.
Authors of the new study said the problem is likely to worsen as communities expand. Then how to deal with it?
Indeed, in many countries, leash(拴狗的皮带) laws permit punishment of dog owners whose pets attack wildlife. But lawbreakers are rarely punished because the police lack both people and money.
Smith has low-cost solutions to the problem for dog lovers, though. They include public dog-training programs and vaccinating (预防接种) dogs against rabies and other illnesses.
1.Julie Smith’s study mainly tells us that _______.
A.many species are endangered because they are killed by loose dogs. |
B.wild dogs are immune to many diseases. |
C.wolves are still the greatest enemy of livestock. |
D.loose dogs are a great danger to wildlife. |
2.Which of the following statements about loose dogs is TRUE according to the research?
A.There are around 500 million loose dogs around the world. |
B.The black-footed ferrets in northwestern Wyoming were once the main food source of local loose dogs. |
C.The problem caused by loose dogs is the most serious in the US. |
D.People used to think that wolves, rather than loose dogs killed livestock in the Basque country. |
3.Which of the following is among Julie Smith’s solutions to the trouble caused by loose dogs?
A.More strict leash laws |
B.Public dog-training programs. |
C.Vaccinating people against rabies and other illnesses. |
D.More support from the police. |
4.What is the main point of the article?
A.A global disaster caused by loose dogs. |
B.What makes the dog man’s greatest friend. |
C.The problem of loose dogs and the possible solutions. |
D.The danger of the increasing numbers of dogs. |
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend. But some women show great interest in colorful beads(珠子)from Uganda made of recycled paper. The beads are sold by a nonprofit organization called BeadforLife.
BeadforLife began as a chance meeting between three American women on a trip to Uganda and a local jewelry maker. Millie Grace Akena was rolling paper beads near her home. She made paper beads as a hobby. But there was no real market in her country.
Torkin Wakefield says she and her daughters Devin and Ginny brought some of the beads back home. Immediately people started admiring the beads. The three Americans started BeadforLife in 2004. Nearly 700 women have taken part.
The group says its beaders earn an average of more than 2,000 dollars a year in the program. This is five times what they earned before. The beads are sold across Uganda and in Boulder, Colorado. They are also sold online and at jewelry shows called bead parties. “Because they have meaning, because these are gifts that help people, when folks in America and beyond buy our beads, they feel a sense of generosity. They feel a direct connection, like they can really take part in getting rid of poverty.” Torkin said.
The jewelry costs between five and thirty dollars. BeadforLife reported sales in its last budget year of more that 3.5 million dollars. It says for every ten-dollar necklace sold, the beader gets two dollars and forty-three cents in money or materials. It says more than 90% of earnings are reinvested in community development projects in Uganda. Torkin Wakefield estimates that BeadforLife has helped more than 8,000 people this way.
So what about Millie Grace Akena, the jewelry maker? Mrs Wakefield says she has gone on to organize a small group of women who work with her, and they sell their beads to a religious group.
1.According to the passage, BeadforLife is an organization that ______.
A. provides poor people worldwide with free education
B. mainly encourages people to learn to earn a living on their own
C. has attracted many businessmen to invest in beading
D. supports community development projects in Uganda
2.When Torkin Wakefield brought the beads to America, ______.
A. she didn’t know people would like them
B. she wanted to make a fortune out of them
C. people showed great interest in them at once
D. she was thinking of how to find investors
3.According to Paragraph 4, the beads are popular because ______.
A. people think buying them is a good way to help the poor
B. they are of good quality and can be kept for a long time
C. they symbolize the most important thing in people’s life
D. they look even more beautiful than diamonds
4.Which of the following can best summarize the main idea of the passage?
A. Mrs Wakefield makes a great contribution to developing countries.
B. BeadforLife makes beads out of recycled paper.
C. BeadforLife uses paper beads to improve people’s lives.
D. Mrs Wakefield’s career takes off thanks to paper beads.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Keeping the kids busy over the school holidays can be discouraging and cost parents a lot. But we’ve found some cheap and cheerful ways to enjoy family time this Easter from free days out to fun-filled theme parks which won’t cost us much. We’ve done the homework so you can get started on having a great time.
Theme Parks
♦Save from 10% to 25% off the price of tickets for Legoland in Windor by booking in advance online. A family of four can save up to ₤45.90 on a one-day ticket, paying ₤137.70.
♦Book seven days in advance and save ₤43 off the price of a family of four tickets for Drayton Manor Theme Park. Call 0844-472-1950 or book online and you’ll pay ₤65 on the day.
♦You can pick up a family of four ticket for a day at Alton Towers in Staffordshire for ₤43.80 off the day price.
♦Save ₤16 off the price for a family trip to The Making of Harry Potter by buying a family ticket (two adults and two children) online. Family of four ₤101, compared to ₤117.
Activities
Students looking for a cut-price trip to see the animals can save 15% off the ticket price at Bristol Zoo and pay ₤12.71 rather than the full adult price ₤14.53. Teens should show their identity as students.
Freebies
Let your kids discover what it’s like to be an animal on the African Plain in the ocean. Or, they can learn to love leaf beetles or become a scientist for the day at the Natural History Museum in London.
1.Which of the following theme parks can save you most on Easter Day?
A. Alton Towers. B. Legoland in Windsor
C. Drayton Manor Theme Park. D. The Making of Harry Potter.
2.How can tourists enjoy a cut-price trip at Bristol Zoo?
A. By showing their birthdays and birthplaces.
B. By showing their family addresses
C. By showing their driving licenses.
D. By showing their students’ cards.
3.Who is the text mainly intended for?
A. The students. B. The scientists.
C. The families. D. The kids
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Keeping the kids busy over the school holidays can be discouraging and cost parents a lot. But we’ve found some cheap and cheerful ways to enjoy family time this Easter from free days out to fun-filled theme parks which won’t cost us much. We’ve done the homework so you can get started on having a great time.
Theme Parks
♦ Save from 10% to 25% off the price of tickets for Legoland in Windor by booking in advance online. A family of four can save up to ₤45.90 on a one-day ticket, paying ₤137.70.
♦Book seven days in advance and save ₤43 off the price of a family of four tickets for Drayton Manor Theme Park. Call 0844-472-1950 or book online and you’ll pay ₤65 on the day.
♦ You can pick up a family of four ticket for a day at Alton Towers in Staffordshire for ₤43.80 off the day price.
♦ Save ₤16 off the price for a family trip to The Making of Harry Potter by buying a family ticket (two adults and two children) online. Family of four ₤101, compared to ₤117.
Activities
Students looking for a cut-price trip to see the animals can save 15% off the ticket price at Bristol Zoo and pay ₤12.71 rather than the full adult price ₤14.53. Teens should show their identity as students.
Freebies(免费赠品)
Let your kids discover what it’s like to be an animal on the African Plain in the ocean. Or, they can learn to love leaf beetles(甲壳虫) or become a scientist for the day at the Natural History Museum in London.
1.Which of the following theme parks can save you most on Easter Day?
A. Alton Towers. B. Legoland in Windsor
C. Drayton Manor Theme Park. D. The Making of Harry Potter.
2.How can tourists enjoy a cut-price trip at Bristol Zoo?
A. By showing their birthdays and birthplaces.
B. By showing their family addresses
C. By showing their driving licenses.
D. By showing their students’ cards
3.Who is the text mainly intended for?
A. The students. B. The scientists
C. The families D. The kids
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
A person’s quality may usually be known by his behavior ________ by the friends he keeps.
A. as well as B. as if
C. as soon as D. as usual
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
It just may be the world’s most costly vacuum cleaner ( 吸尘器). The price of CleanSpace One is eleven million dollars. But yet, it has a big job to do. Recently, researchers in Switzerland said they planned to build this new cleaning machine.
CleanSpace One will not be for use in homes or businesses. It will be shot into space to help remove thousands of pieces of space junk floating around up there.
Last year, we reported on the problem of space junk. Over time, many unused spacecraft have hit each other far above the Earth. Big pieces break into thousands of small pieces. Sometimes they fall back into the atmosphere (大气层) and burn up. But when they do not, it creates big problems.
Scientists fear that if something is not done to remove these objects, it may soon become too dangerous to send people and machines into space. There is a large chance that they might hit some of this junk. So that is why the Swiss researchers are developing the new machine.
CleanSpace One is not really a vacuum cleaner. It will not be used to take away space junk. But scientists plan to move it close to an old satellite that is no longer being used. Then a claw-like instrument will catch the satellite, and force it back through the atmosphere. There, the satellite will be destroyed by the heat of friction (摩擦) with the air.
Researchers say that all they need to do is slow down the speed of some of these unwanted objects. Once they begin to move more slowly, they will fall back to the Earth. There is little chance that they will fall through the atmosphere and harm the people or things below.
1.Space junk is created when .
A. unused spacecraft hit each other
B. people in space throw away rubbish
C. a new spaceship is sent up
D. an old spaceship creates friction with the air
2.What’s the danger of space junk?
A. It will pollute space.
B. It will hurt people on the Earth.
C. It will hit a spaceship.
D. It will burn in the atmosphere.
3.Unwanted objects will fall back to the Earth when .
A. they are made to move slowly
B. they meet other objects in space
C. they are not used for years
D. they are near the atmosphere
4.The passage is most probably a .
A. science research paper B. science fiction story
C. newspaper ad D. science news report
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Who cares if money can’t buy you love? But it can still be your best friend forever.That’s one of the surprising findings in a new research paper, “The Power of Money”,published in me journal Psychological Science.
Like any best friend forever,money demonstrated to researchers its ability to soothe us,reduce our sense of social exclusion and even reduce life’s painful moments.
“I was surprised” says Katherine Vohs,one of the researchers and professor at the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management.“The findings were surprising because no one had connected the meaning of money to pain.The money wasn’t buying the subjects more friends;it was only psychologically helpful.”
In the research ,students were told they would be participating in a test of finger dexterity(敏捷度).One group was given some paper money to count,while the other group was given blank pieces of paper.Once the counting was complete, all the test subjects were asked to dip their fingers into bowls of water heated to 122 degrees—roughly the temperature of a very hot bath.
Result? Those who had been counting money reported less pain than those who had not.Subjects also were asked about their feelings.Those who handled actual money reported feeling stronger even 10 minutes after they put down the cash.
Combined with previous experiments,the findings confirmed what researchers have long doubted,that money acts as a general panacea(万能药)in the brain,giving us social self-confidence and reducing physical pain without having to spend a dime on aspirin.
But can we get the same effect by using credit cards? “No,credit cards do not have the same effect,” Vohs says.“They are scary for most people,and they in fact represent debt m many ways.”The findings could have an interesting effect in the business world, where recent trends have been to issue non-monetary rewards and bonuses instead of what was thought of as “cold, hard cash”.
1.The underlined word “soothe” in Paragraph 2 is the closest in meaning to“____________” .
A.encourage B.remind C.calm D.trust
2.What’s Katherine Vohs’s attitude towards the result of the study?
A.He found it totally unexpected.
B.He had no doubt about it.
C.He thought it needed further experiments.
D.He thought it was not convincing.
3.What do we know about the students involved in the study?
A.They were divided into two groups according to their ages.
B.One group was given paper money while the other was given coins.
C.They were holding the money while dipping fingers into hot water.
D.Both groups were asked to dip fingers into hot water.
4.We can 1earn from the passage that_________.
A.the effect of money can only last until we put it down
B.money is both psychologically and socially helpful to us
C.the result of the research hasn’t been confirmed(证实) by experts
D.credit cards have the same effect on us as money
5.The last paragraph suggests that___________.
A.the recent trend in the business world is to give cash as rewards
B.employers should give non-monetary rewards to employees
C.cash is a better way to reward employees than credit cards
D.more and more employees prefer non-monetary rewards to cash
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
He _______ the best person you had been expecting for the job, but who else _______?
A.may not be; could be
B.couldn’t be; might be
C.might not have been; could have been
D.mustn’t be; must have been
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
------“The Leaning Tower of Pisa must be saved, __________ the cost.”
------“But Italy is now deep in the European Debt Crisis. It would be unlikely __________ its government hoped to ”
A.however, even though B.whatever, even if
C.whoever, as if D.whichever, as though
高二英语单项填空困难题查看答案及解析