In high school, “cool” is the rule, so teenag...

In high school, “cool” is the rule, so teenagers will do anything to avoid possibly embarrassing situations.

But not Samantha Elton, 15. She seeks them out. And if she can make a fool of herself as in the process, well, that’s even better.

For the past two years, Elton, has been a practitioner of improvisation, doing things that others would be embarrassed to consider.

Elton is a member of High School Jesters, a group that teaches improvisation techniques to students. The group was founded two years ago by Nicholas Kopatich, himself a keen improviser.

“I was sitting in my dorm room and some friends were having chats about comedy and improvisation,” Kopatich recalls. They asked for lessons after Kopatich told them he had improvisation experience. The small group turned out to be pretty good at it, so they did a show for the dorm. And things snowballed.

While even her mother marvels at Elton’s ability to get up in front of audience without a script to fall back on, the teen enjoys such opportunities. Performing improvisation comes with a certain freedom that theater doesn’t provide.

“What I like about it the most is that I don’t have to be a certain character or a certain way, and because of that I can’t get anything wrong,” Elton says, “I get to write the story while I’m doing it.”

Monica Elton, Samantha’s mom, thinks the workshops are a valuable outlet that a lot of students may not get in their schools. High school kids don’t usually like to act silly or look uncool, she says, but improvisation teaches them that it’s OK to have flaws.

“I like to think we give kids positively that allows them to gain confidence,” says Brent Mukai, a High School Jesters instructor. The great thing about improvisation is that it is an art form that is open to anyone. But there’s more to it than getting up in front of audience and telling jokes or acting silly.

“You don’t need to be the most amazing actress to be an improviser,” Samantha Elton says, “It’s really a place where I can show people my creativity. I can paint pictures for people and entertain others.”

It’s really free.

1.What do we know about improvisation?

A. Performers act as a certain character.

B. Performers need a script to act on.

C. Performers intend to make audience embarrassed.

D. Performers develop the story as they are playing.

2.According to Monica, practicing improvisation made Elton _______.

A. treat flaws as normal things

B. accept cool as the rule

C. avoid doing embarrassing things

D. care about what others comment on her

3.It can be inferred that Kopatich formed High School Jesters _______.

A. on purpose　　 B. by accident

C. for business　　　 D. out of curiosity

4.The passage mainly tells us that ________.

A. teens make a fool of themselves

B. teens perform improvisation to be cool

C. teens express creativity through arts

D. teens gain confidence in the improvisation

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Bored at school now? How do you think it will look in the future? Last week, about 600 teenagers in the U.S. imagined a future changed by technology in which their lessons are taught by robots and they learn about celebrities and alien languages.

According to a survey published last week by the U.S. Internet service provider American Online( AOL), only one in 100 thinks that in the future they will walk from home to school; the rest believe they will use jet packs, and hover boards( 滑板) as everyday transport.

All the participants of the survey are teenagers born into the Internet age. The study is to show how the first cyber generation dream about a future life created by advanced technology.

Most believe there will still be schools to go to, but that technology will play an increasingly important role in learning. The 600 teens surveyed think there will still be teachers, but 37 percent imagine them to be robots. Some 24 percent believe that teachers will still be human but they will have inter-changeable microchips so that one person can teach all subjects.

More than one in two believe hover boarding will be popular, while one-third say that wearing rocket boots will be their favorite activity. Another third think jet packs will be popular. Nearly 30 percent think playing football and bike-riding will remain popular.

When it comes to the curriculum, they think future generations will be learning about robot building( 63 percent), alien languages( 47 percent) celebrities( 26 percent) and R’n’B music( 22 percent).

Children will wear virtual reality helmets to bring lessons to life, say 40 percent, while over 20 percent believe they will not need lessons because microchips implanted in their head will send relevant information into the brain. Matt Whyman, adviser to the chief medical officer on youth issues of AOL, said: “ The kids seem very aware of the liberation qualities of technology.”

Title : ___1.____ school

高二英语其他题中等难度题查看答案及解析

English teenagers will receive cooking lessons in schools. The idea is to encourage healthy eating to solve the problem that many people are overweight. Also, it worries people that basic cooking and food preparation skills are being lost because parents use too much pre-prepared fast food.

Cooking was once regarded as an important part of education in England---even if it was mainly for girls. In recent years cooking has become less important in schools. But the rising level of obesity has led to rethink about the food that children are given and the skills they should be taught.

“What we want is to teach young people how to do basic, simple meals, which they can use now at home and then in their life,” said Ed Balls, an education expert.

The new lessons will start in September, but some schools without kitchens will be given a longer time to prepare. Also, there may be a shortage of teachers with the right skills, since schools have been teaching food technology rather than practical cooking. Besides, the lessons for hand-on cooking will only be one hour a week for one term. But the well-known cookery writer, Pru Leith, believe it will be worth it.

“If we’d done this thirty years ago we might not have to face the problem about obesity and lack of knowledge about food and so on. Every child should know how to cook, not just so that they’ll be healthy, but because it’s a life skill which is a real pleasure.”

The renewed interest in cooking is an effort to reduce the obesity rate, which is almost the highest in Europe, and according to the government, half of all British people will be obese in 25 years if present trends are not halted.

1.The passage mainly talks about 　　　　 .

A. the reason for obesity　　 B. the lost cooking skills

C. the healthy eating　　 D. the cooking classes

2.Which of the following is NOT the aim of bringing back cooking lessons in Britain?

A. To encourage teenagers to eat healthy food.

B. To reduce the country’s increasing obesity rate.

C. To stop parents from turning to pre-prepared fast food.

D. To prevent basic cooking and food preparation skills from being lost.

3.How will cooking lessons do good to the students?

A. All of them will become good cooks in their later life.

B. Students will be healthy and enjoy the pleasure of such a life skill as well.

C. Students will be able to make food experiments with the knowledge and skills.

D. Students will be able to control the level of obesity in the whole country.

4.The underlined word “halted” in the last paragraph probably means “　　　　 ”.

A. continued　　 B. stopped　　 C. discussed　　 D. kept

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

The students in our school are encouraged to _______ their own opinions about any school rules and require the authority to give them reasonable explanation, which is helpful to develop their critical thinking.

A. draw　　　　　　 B. voice　　　 C. spin　　　　 D. polish

高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

In any unsafe situation, simply ________ the button and a highly-trained agent will get you the help you need.

A.press B.to press

C.pressing D.pressed

高二英语单项填空困难题查看答案及解析

Doing well in high school prepare students for life in college and beyond, so achieving student success is important. High school students learn valuable information form class lectures and homework, and by asking for help when it is needed. Being prepared for tests and engaging in school activities can help a student to achieve success in high school.

Complete any homework you are assigned on time. Then, if you need help understanding a concept you will have plenty of time to get help.

Create a study area in your home. This can be a quiet bench outside or a seating area in your room. If you like to listen to music while studying, listen to classical or reading music. Be sure to have plenty of lighting in the area to read your textbook or notes.

Keep a schedule. If you have extra-curricular activities like sports or school meetings, make sure to schedule your homework and study time around them. Keeping a schedule will allow you to get better grades while having fun in high school.

Eat breakfast. Having breakfast each morning before school will give you energy and brain function to pay better attention in class. Eat snacks during study sessions to keep alert（警惕的） and focused on your work.

Create a study group to help fellow high school students and get help if you need it. Studying with others will help reinforce concepts and information, and if you need help there will always be someone there to help you before you get behind in your studies.

Set up after-school hours with your teacher if you need extra tutoring（家教）. Visiting a teacher for one-on-one time before a test will help you nail down those last few concepts you need help with.

1.Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

A. Doing well in high school prepares students for life in college only.

B. Completing most of the homework on time will help a student to succeed.

C. The students shouldn’t listen to any music to create a quiet study area.

D. The study area should be bright enough for the students to read the textbook.

2.What will make it possible for the high school students to get better grades while having fun?

A. Creating a study area in their home.

B. Keeping a schedule and following it.

C. Eating breakfast every morning before school.

D. Finding a tutor to get one-on-one instruction.

3. How can the students help themselves before they fall behind in their studies?

A. Eat snacks during the study time to keep alert.

B. Create a study group to get help if you need it.

C. Make sure to have plenty of lighting in the study area.

D. Be prepared for the exam and engage in the school activity.

4.What is the best title of the passage?

A. How to Achieve Student Success in High School.

B. How to Make Full Preparations for the Exam.

C. Ways to Get Better Grades than Other Students.

D. Ways to Improve the Learning Efficiency.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Doing well in high school prepares students for life in college and beyond, so achieving student success is important. High school students learn valuable information from　 class lectures and homework, and by asking for help when it is needed. Being prepared for tests and engaging in school activities can help a student to achieve success in high school.

Complete any homework you are assigned on time. Then, if you need help understanding a concept you will have plenty of time to get help.

Create a study area in your home. This can be a quiet bench outside or a seating area in your room. If you like to listen to music while studying, listen to classical or relaxing music. Be sure to have plenty of lighting in the area to read your textbook or notes.

Keep a schedule. If you have extra-curricular activities like sports or school meetings, make sure to schedule your homework and study time around them. Keeping a schedule will allow you to get better grades while they are having fun in high school.

Eat breakfast. Having breakfast each morning before school will give you energy and brain function to pay better attention in class. Eat snacks during study sessions to keep alert and focused on your work.

Create a study group to help fellow high school students and get help if you need it. Studying with others will help reinforce concepts and information, and if you need help there will always be someone there to help you before you get behind in your studies.

Set up after-school hours with your teacher if you need extra tutoring. Visiting a teacher for one-on-one time before a test will help you nail down those last few concepts you need help with.

1.What will make it possible for the high school students to get better grades while they are having fun?

A. Creating a study area in their home.

B. Keeping a schedule and following it.

C. Eating breakfast every morning before school.

D. Finding a tutor to get one-on -one instruction.

2.How can the students help themselves before they fall behind in their studies?

A. Eat snacks during the study time to keep alert.

B. Create a study group to get help if you need it.

C. Make sure to have plenty of lighting in the study area.

D. Be prepared for the exam and engaged in the school activity.

3.What is the best title of the passage?

A. How to achieve student success in high school.

B. How to make full preparations for the exam.

C. Ways to get better grades than other students

D. Ways to improve the learning efficiency

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

On approaching the school you will find in the middle of our school _______.

A. a high statue stands                    B. stands a high statue

C. a high statue is standing　　　　　　　     　　 D. is standing a high statue

高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

High school students need “cool” jobs in summer holidays. Working at popular retail chains(零售连锁店) and ice-cream shops are good choices. The U.S. Department of Labor(美国劳工部) says that about two-thirds of the teenager workers are in fast food business. 1/5 of cooks and food workers are between 16 and 19 years old and 2/5 of food workers are part-time workers.

If you think taking a part-time job is easier, you are wrong. For young people, whatever you do, do your jobs well. Because a good work record will be useful for higher-paid jobs in the future. Let’s share my story.

Unless with my family members, I would go to eat fast food. That doesn’t mean I don’t like working in a fast food restaurant. My first part-time job, at age 16, was at the McDonald’s in Bloomington, Indiana. It was very hard work. Especially on Indiana University football weekends, we had no time to rest, but we still had a lot of fun. Finally I got a higher-paid job.

A future manager believes that difficult work encourages success. The growing U.S. population will bring more restaurants. While many people can’t deal with the pressure(压力) to fill orders quickly, the people who really do a great job will get plenty of rewards in the workplace.

1.According to the U.S. Department of Labor, ______.

A．more than half of teenager workers are in fast food business

B．teenagers in America like to work in a fast food restaurant

C．teenagers like to take a part-time job in summer holidays

D．almost all teenagers are interested in fast food

2.The author uses his own story mainly to tell us that ______.

A．he never liked fast food and would never eat it

B．he didn’t like working in a fast food restaurant at all

C．he did a great job, which enabled him to find a better one

D．he never went to the fast food restaurant with his family

3.The underlined phrase “A future manager” in Paragraph 4 means the person who ______.

A．will become a manager in the future         B．wants to be a manager in the future

C．doesn’t like his job at present             D．worries about his future

4.From the last paragraph, we can learn that ______.

A．a manager will do less work and get more money

B．not all the people are suitable for the job in fast food business

C．a hardworking waiter has few chances to be a manager

D．the growing U.S. population can bring higher-paid jobs

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

If you make a career choice while you are still in high school, you will save time and money in the long run. Students who do not plan ahead may delay starting college or take extra courses 1.(give) themselves time to make up their 2.(mind). U.S. News and World Reports 3.(say) that the average annual tuition at a four-year college is $ 35,000. If you spend 4. extra year in school, you may have to take out additional loans or pay extra money to cover the cost.

Choosing a career while you are in high school also gives you time to explore your 5.(choose) industry. If you find a career 6. sounds interesting, you can follow someone in the field and see what it is 7.(real) like to have that job. You can also apply 8. a chance to get an informal position related to your desired industry. This will help you build a professional network even before you graduate from high school. Professional contacts are very 9.(value), especially when you are looking for a job in your field. If you do as much as you can to build a network 10. you are ready for a job, you will be more likely to succeed.

高二英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析