Writing articles about films for The Front Pa...

Writing articles about films for The Front Page was my first proper job．Before then I had done bits of reviewing --- novels for other newspapers, films for a magazine and anything I was asked to do for the radio．That was how I met Tom Seaton, the first arts editor of The Front Page, who had also written for television．He hired me, but Tom was not primarily a journalist, or he would certainly have been more careful in choosing his staff．

At first, his idea was that a team of critics should take care of the art forms that didn’t require specialized knowledge: books, TV, theatre, film and radio．There would be a weekly lunch at which we would make our choices from the artistic material that Tom had decided we should cover, though there would also be guests to make the atmosphere sociable．

Tom’s original plan for a team of critics for the arts never took off．It was a good idea, but we didn’t get together as planned and so everything was done by phone．It turned out, too, that the general public out there preferred to associate a reviewer with a single subject area, and so I chose film．Without Tom’s initial push, though, we would hardly have come up with the present arrangement, by which I write an extended weekly piece, usually on one film．

The space I am given allows me to broaden my argument --- or forces me, in an uninteresting week, to make something out of nothing．But what is my role in the public arena（舞台）? I suppose that people choose what films to go to on the basis of the stars, the publicity of the director．So if a film review isn’t really a consumer guide, what is it? I certainly don’t feel I have a responsibility to be ‘right’ about a movie．Nor do I think there should be a certain number of ‘great’ and ‘bad’ films each year．All I have to do is put forward an argument．I’m not a judge, and nor would I want to be．

1.What do we learn about Tom Seaton from the first paragraph?

A．He encouraged Mark to become a writer．

B．He had worked in various areas of the media．

C．He met Mark when working for a film company．

D．He prefers to employ people that he knows．

2.The weekly lunches were planned in order to ______．

A．help the writers get to know each other

B．provide an informal information party

C．divide the work that had to be done

D．entertain important visitors from the arts

3.What does the author mean when he says that Tom’s plan ‘never took off’ in Paragraph 3?

A．It was unpopular．               B．It wasted too much time．

C．It wasn’t planned properly．     D．It wasn’t put into practice．

4.Which of the following best describes what Mark says about his work?

A．His success varies from year to year．   B．He prefers to write about films he likes．

C．He can freely express his opinion．     D．He writes according to accepted rules．

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

When I saw Yosemite National Park for the first time at the age of 13, I was crazy about it. My parents took us there for camping. On the way out, I asked them to wait while I ran up to El Capitan, a ______ rock of 3,300 feet straight up. I touched that giant rock and knew ______ I wanted to climb it. That has been my life’s passion (钟爱) ever since —— ______ the rocks and mountains of Yosemite. I’ve long made Yosemite my ______.

About 15 years ago I started seeing a lot of ______, like toilet paper, beer cans, and empty boxes, around the area. It’s ______ me why visitors started respecting the place ______ and treated such a beautiful home-like place this way.

I tried ______ trash myself, but the job was too big. I would ______ an hour or two on the job, only to find the area trashed all over again weeks later. Finally, I got so ______ it that I decided something had to change.

As a rock-climbing guide, I knew ______ about organizing any big event. But in 2004, together with some climbers, I set a date for a ______. On that day, more than 300 people ______. Over three days we collected about 6,000 pounds of trash. It was amazing how much we were able to ______. I couldn’t believe the ______ we made —— the park looked clean!

Each year volunteers come for the cleanup from everywhere. In 2007 alone, 2,945 people picked up 42,330 pounds of trash and ______ 132 miles of roadway.

I often hear people ______ about their surroundings. If you are one of them, I would say the only way to change things is by ______ rather than complaining. We need to teach by ______. You can’t blame others ______ you start with yourself.

1.A. huge　　 B. narrow　　 C. distant　　 D. loose

2.A. recently　　 B. finally　　 C. gradually　　 D. immediately

3.A. imagining　　 B. painting　　 C. describing　　 D. climbing

4.A. garden　　 B. home　　 C. lab　　 D. palace

5.A. material　　 B. resources　　 C. waste　　 D. goods

6.A. beyond　　 B. against　　 C. over　　 D. within

7.A. more　　 B. less　　 C. most　　 D. least

8.A. throwing away　　 B. picking up　　 C. breaking down　　 D. digging out

9.A. spend　　 B. save　　 C. wait　　 D. kill

10.A. satisfied with　　 B. delighted in　　 C. tired of　　 D. used to

11.A. nothing　　 B. anything　　 C. everything　　 D. something

12.A. concert　　 B. party　　 C. picnic　　 D. cleanup

13.A. dropped out　　 B. showed up　　 C. looked around　　 D. called back

14.A. demand　　 B. receive　　 C. accomplish　　 D. overcome

15.A. plan　　 B. visit　　 C. contact　　 D. difference

16.A. crossed　　 B. measured　　 C. covered　　 D. designed

17.A. talk　　 B. complain　　 C. argue　　 D. quarrel

18.A. doing　　 B. thinking　　 C. questioning　　 D. watching

19.A. method　　 B. explanation　　 C. example　　 D. research

20.A. although　　 B. if　　 C. when　　 D. unless

高二英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

They crossed in front of me as I was driving out of the store parking lot. My first reaction was anger at being delayed for a whole ten seconds. I quickly became patient when I realised that this was an elderly couple.

The man leaned on his wife who walked in front of him. He not only used her for support but it was obvious that he was blind. The two of them worked as one---each needing the other to function in this fast-changing world.

That little example of true strength changed my whole personal perception(理解) of life that day. Suddenly I wasn’t so mad about having to work a few extra hours on Saturdays. I had my strength, and I was still relatively young.

That picture of those two elderly people walking with dignity and strength stayed with me the entire week. My life wasn’t so bad after all. I had my health and a good job. I had a wonderful, supportive wife. I started to think---not only was I lucky to have it all, but so was that wonderful old couple, who, despite the trials and sufferings of a long life, still had the love and support of each other to carry them through this world.

There are so many people out there just like that couple. My wife and I sometimes picture ourselves in our old age, walking arm-in-arm into the sunset. That image always gives us a warm feeling of comfort. Just remember, none of us would be here if it wasn’t for our elders. We should all have a little extra time and patience when it comes to helping our elder friends.

1.When the author was about to drive away, the couple __________________.

2. After he saw the couple, the author would _________________.

3. What did the author think of the couple?

4. From the passage, we learn _______________________.

高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

As I was driving out of the store parking lot, they crossed in front of me．My first reaction was filled with 36  at being delayed for a whole ten seconds．But I quickly became 37  when I realized that it was an elderly 38  ．

The man leaned on his 39  who walked in front of him．He not only used her for 40  but it was obvious that he was blind．The two of them _________41  as one—each needing the other to 42   in this fast-changing world．

That little example of true strength 43  my whole personal perception(理解) of life that day．Suddenly I wasn’t so 44  having to work a few extra hours on Saturdays．I had my 45 ，and I was still 46  young．

That picture of those two elderly people walking with dignity(尊严) and strength 47  me the entire week．My 48  wasn’t so bad after all．I had my health and a good job．I had a wonderful，       49 wife．I started to think—not only was I 50  to have these all, but so was that wonderful old couple，who， _51  the trials and sufferings of a long life，still had the love and support of each other to 52 them through this world．

There are so many people out there just like that couple．My wife and I sometimes 53 ourselves in our old age, walking arm in arm into the sunset. That image always gives us a 54  feeling．Just remember, none of us would be here if it wasn’t for our elders．We all should spend a little extra time and patience, 55  helping our elder friends．

1.A . tension           B. anger            C. surprise             D. puzzle

2.A. nervous                B. worried          C. patient              D. satisfied

3.A. couple                 B. driver               C. policeman            D. truck

4. A. friend                B. daughter             C. wife                 D. mother

5. A. fun               B. free                 C. support              D. care

6.A. worked             B. stood            C. thought              D. considered

7. A. warn              B. point                C. remind               D. function

8.A. ruin               B. remove           C. change               D. fail

9.A. sure of                B. mad about            C. excited with         D. curious about

10.A. courage           B. freedom          C. dream            D. strength

11.A. similarly             B. extremely        C. naturally        D. relatively

12.A. agreed with           B. stayed with     C. happened to     D. connected with

13.A. family                B. plan             C. life            D. salary

14.A. supportive            B. famous               C. active          D. pretty

15. A. lucky                B. fit             C. willing              D. eager

16.A. unless                B. despite              C. owing to        D. since

17.A. challenge             B. value            C. carry                D. arrange

18. A. picture              B. share            C. compare          D. teach

19.A. sad               B. bitter          C. serious            D. warm

20. A. in case of           B. regardless of        C. as a result of      D. when it comes to

高二英语完型填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

If it hadn’t been for the help of my English teacher, I          the first prize in the English Writing Competition.

A. would not win   B. would not have won   C. would win    D. would have won

高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

But for the help of my English teacher，I________the first prize in the English Writing Competition.

A．would not win                          B．would not have won

C．would win                             D．would have won

高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

A mother’s ad calling for her son to come home for Chinese New Year ran on the front page of the Chinese Melbourne Daily newspaper on January 14.

It placed a full page ad, saying “Dear Peng, I’ve called you many times but you don’t pick up, maybe you will see this. Dad and mom won’t ever force you to get married anymore, come home for Chinese New Year! From your mom who loves you.”

The ad, which appeared on the front page of the Chinese Melbourne Daily on Tuesday, would cost $2,796.80 Australian dollars ($2465). The newspaper serves the city’s Chinese community. The mother, who lives in Guangzhou had placed the ad after losing contact with her son.

Every year around this time, many Chinese prepare to head home for China’s most important festival. But many of the younger generation are afraid of facing family confrontations about their love life.

On the online Chinese forum Tianya. cn, a single man asked for advice on facing his family. “It’s almost that time of the year. How should I explain to my family and relatives that I am single?” a user in Guangzhou “1979xiaozhu” posted. Many of the replies were telling him not to go home instead.

User “qianlidaiwanwoduxing” wrote: “Going home means they will either arrange blind dates for you or you get scolded.”

“This year my mom gave me an ultimatum. One, bring 50,000 yuan; second, bring a wife home. If I don’t have both then she said I don’t need to come home. What a tragedy!” said user “fghjkh84”.

Those girls who can’t handle the pressure of parents can rent a boyfriend for the day through China’s online shopping giant, Taobao.com. Rental boyfriends come with services such as meeting the parents, shopping and watching movies.

1.The mother placed a full page ad in order to _______.

A. ask her son to come back to China for the festival

B. beg her son to answer her telephone more times

C. force her son to come home and get married

D. make her son become famous in Melbourne

2.Why did the mother place the ad in the Chinese Melbourne Daily?

A. Because her son didn’t want to get married in China.

B. Because she couldn’t get in touch with her son any more.

C. Because her son wanted to live alone in Australia.

D. Because she wanted her son to come back to work.

3.What leads many Chinese young people not to go home for New Year?

A. Their busy work.　　 B. The long distance.

C. Their low pay.　　　　 D. Their love life.

4.From the passage we can infer ______.

A. the user “1979xiaozhu” is a married young man

B. the user “qianlidaiwanwoduxing” will go home

C. the user “fghjkh84” will bring a wife home

D. some single girls have to bring an untrue boyfriend home

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to apply for the Sales Manager position on the careers page of the King Computers website. Last year King Computers added five new offices, making it the largest computer sales and services company in the state. I understand that one of the company’s aims is to expand outside of the Washington area. I hope to have the chance to play an important role in your growing business. As a sales manager with Diamond Computers, I expanded our sales area by 150% in two years. I am sure that my leadership and experience will help King Computers achieve its goals, too.

I have worked in the field of computer sales for over fifteen years. Now I am a sales manager for Diamond Computers based in Seattle. I am skilled at managing accounts and increasing sales revenue(收益). Last year, my team produced $960,000 in revenue---the highest in the company. I am experienced at planning sales strategies(策略), developing advertising campaigns, and creating sales budgets（预算）.

King Computers is well-known for its customer-first philosophy. In my fifteen years in sales, this way of thinking is the most important thing I have learned. A sales strategy should never be just about getting money from customers. I believe it’s important to take the time to listen to each customer---to understand what he or she really needs. As a sales manager for King Computers, I will be in a great position to do just that.

If you are looking for a skilled sales manager with a history of success, I would be delighted to speak with you.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

Paul Reubens

1.According to the passage, what is Paul Reubens?

A. the sales manager of the Diamond Computers

B. the interviewer of the Diamond Computers

C. the sales manager of the King Computers

2.What is one of King Computers’ aims?

A. To set new goals.　　 B. To add five new offices.

C. To hire more sales managers.　　 D. To make its business grow bigger.

3.Paul Reubens is experienced at _______.

A. managing accounts　　 B. creating sales budgets

C. planning sales strategies　　 D. all above

4.Paul Reubens wrote this letter in order to________.

A. tell us that he is skillful as a sales manager

B. show he is fit for the job at King Computers

C. explain why he is interested in selling computers

D. describe what he has experienced for over fifteen years

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

I remember the first time that I was extremely happy, I was about 8 years old when for the first time, there was a computer in the classroom. I remember that my teacher allowed each student to take turns to play various educational games on the computer. One day, I found the source code for one of these games. Without knowing or being taught any programming language, I was able to figure out some of the BASIC code. I just gave myself a limitless number of lives in the game, so I could continue playing it forever. This was also my first introduction to algebra, and I didn’t even know it at the time. This was a decisive moment in my life. I was quite excited because of what I was learning and what I was able to do. As a result, I was enthusiastic for the rest of my life about self-learning and computers, and I was quite happy doing them too.

I’ve noticed that people who are truly content with life are enthusiastic about what they do. This enthusiasm, along with good health, is the key to being happy. It also leads to self-confidence and content in life too. It may also lead to success, wealth and achievements.

Success , wealth or achievements can also bring some people happiness , yet I know plenty of rich people who are unhappy . I know many people with successful businesses that are not happy with what they are doing .I know people who continuously buy themselves new toys , such as cars , computers ,and televisions ,yet never seem content for too long .Please remember , happiness is the journey of life , not the destination.

1.What can we know from Paragraph 1?

A. The author has a great talent for algebra.

B. Creative thinking is necessary for every child.

C. The BASIC code of the computer is not difficult.

D. The author’s experience in his childhood changed his life.

2.The author wants to tell us through the first paragraph that___________.

A. interest is the best teacher　　　　　

B. children are the hope of the future

C. young people are fearless　　　　　

D. where there’s a will , there’s a way

3.What is the secret of happiness in the author’s opinion?

A. Success and wealth.　　　　　　　　

B. Gifts and self-confidence.

C. Enthusiasm and good health.　　　

D. Knowledge and achievements.

4.We can infer from the last paragraph that ___________.

A. rich people generally feel unhappy

B. wealth can’t bring people any happiness

C. one will feel unhappy once he has gained all the things he wants

D. being enthusiastic about what you are doing is more important than wealth

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

For the last couple of weeks, I had been stuck in front of my computer working on a project that was very important to me. My every waking hour was consumed by the project and although I imagined that I would feel happy after completing parts of the project, I was confused to find that instead, I was feeling rather depressed. I tried a range of methods to help cheer myself up. I had a relaxing bath, cooked a delicious meal to enjoy with my family and even watched a lighthearted movie, but to no avail. It was only when I turned to meditation(沉思)for a solution that the answer came to me: turn to nature!

The very next day, I grabbed my camera and a bottle of water and set off to spend a few hours walking in a nature reserve, even though it was pouring with rain. Within a couple of minutes I felt alive again. To be honest, I felt like a young school girl again and had to stop myself from hopping along the path singing, "I'm singing in the rain", a song I used to sing when I was a child. I think as adults we often try too hard to control our inner children and as a result we restrain(限制) our own spirits, which only leads to depression and stress.

Interestingly, it has been shown that people who spend 40 minutes walking in a nature reserve have a drop in their blood pressure levels, but this does not happen when they spend a similar amount of time walking in a busy city centre.

If you feel a little low in spirit and know that you have spent too much time indoors, relax completely, remove your shoes and let your inner child come out and play.

1.The author walked in a nature reserve in the rain in order to__________.

A. take photos

B. cheer herself up

C. hop along the path

D. find a solution to the project

2.The underlined part "to no avail" in Paragraph 1 probably means " __________".

A. uninteresting　　　　 B. unrelated

C. unsuccessful　　　　 D. unexpected

3.In the author's opinion, __________.

A.a bath can make people relaxed

B. adults should express their inner feelings freely

C. walking in a busy city centre harms people's health

D. depression is usually caused by hard work

4.The last paragraph mainly serves as a(n) __________.

A.　 suggestion　　　 B. explanation

C. introduction　　 D. reminder

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析