Although the United States covers so much lan...

Although the United States covers so much land and the land produces far more food than the present population needs，its people are by now almost entirely an urban society. Less than a tenth of the people are engaged in agriculture and forestry(林业), and most of the rest live in or around towns，small and large．Here the traditional picture is changing: every small town may still be very like other small towns，and the typical small town may represent a widely accepted view of the country，but most Americans do not live in small towns any more. Half the population now lives in some thirty metropolitan areas(1arge cities with their suburbs, of more than a million people each—a larger proportion than in Germany or England，let alone France). The statistics(统计)of urban and rural population should be treated with caution because so many people who live in areas classified as rural travel by car to work in a nearby town each day. As the rush to live out of town continues，rural areas within reach of towns are gradually filled with houses, so that it is hard to say at what moment a piece of country becomes a suburb. But more and more the typical American lives in a metropolitan rather than a small town environment．

1.If now America has 250 million people．how many of them are engaged in agriculture and forestry?

2.Which of the following four countries has the smallest proportion of people living in metropolitan areas?

3.What’s the meaning of the word“metropolitan”in the middle of the passage?

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

The United States covers a large part of the North American continent. Its neighbors are Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. Although the United States is a big country, it is not the largest in the world. In 1964, its population was over 185,000,000.

When this land first became a nation, after winning its independence (独立) from England, it had thirteen states. Each of the states was represented(代表) on the American flag by a star. All these states were in the eastern part of the continent. As the nation grew toward the west, new states were added and new stars appeared on the flag. For a long time, there were 48 stars. In 1959, however, two more stars were added to the flag, representing the new states of Alaska and Hawaii.

Indians were the first people of the land which is now the United States. There are still

many thousands of Indians now living in all parts of the country. Sometimes it is said that the Indians are "the only real Americans". Most Americans come from all over the world. Those who came first in greatest numbers to make their homes on the eastern coast of North America were mostly from England. It is for that reason that the language of the United States is English and that its culture and customs are more like those of England than those of any other country in the world.

68. The United States didn't have______ states until _____.

A. thirteen; 1959      B. fifty; 1959

C. fifty; this land first became a nation     D. fifty;1964

69. Why is English the language of America?

A. English is the Indian's native language.

B. Most Americans come from all over the world.

C. Most of the people who first settled in America were from England

D. Canada is America's nearest neighbor.

70. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

A. The States of America            B. The Language of America

C. The United States of America      D. The Culture and Customs of America

高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

Death Valley is one of the most famous deserts in the United States, covering a wide area with its alkali sand. Almost 20 percent of this area is well below sea level, and Badwater, a salt water pool, is about 280 feet below sea level and the lowest point in the United States.

Long ago the Panamint Indians called this place “Tomesha”— the land of fire. Death Valley’s present name dates back to 1849, when a group of miners coming across from Nevada became lost in its unpleasantness and hugeness and their adventure turned out to be a sad story. Today Death Valley has been declared a National Monument(纪念碑) and is crossed by several well-marked roads where good services can be found easily. Luckily the change created by human settlement has hardly ruined the special beauty of this place.

Here nature created a lot of surprising, almost like the sights on the moon, ever-changing as the frequent wind moves the sand about, showing the most unusual colors. One of the most astonishing and variable parts of Death Valley is the Devil’ s Golf Course, where it seems hard for one to tell reality from terrible dreams. Sand sculptures(沙雕) stand on a frightening ground, as evening shadows move and lengthen.

1.______ is the lowest place in the desert.

A.　 Tomesha　　 B. Death Valley

C. Nevada　　 D. Badwater

2.The name of the valley comes from _______.

A. an Indian name　　 B. the death of the miners

C. the local people　　 D. a National Movement

3.From the passage we can learn that _______.

A. no one had ever known the desert before the miners

B. it’s still not easy to travel across the desert

C. people can find gas-stations, cafes and hotels in the desert

D. people have changed the natural sight of the desert

4.Devil Golf Course is famous for _______.

A. the frequent wind　　 B. the colors of the sand

C. dream-like sights　　 D. the sand sculptures

5.From the passage we can see that the writer _______ the Death Valley.

A. appreciates　　 B. is fearful of

C. dislikes　　　 D. is tired of

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Death Valley is one of the most famous deserts in the United States, covering a wide area with its alkali sand. Almost 20 percent of this area is well below sea level, and Badwater, a salt water pool, is about 280 feet below sea level and the lowest point in the United States.

Long ago the Panamint Indians called this place “Tomesha”— the land of fire. Death Valley’s present name dates back to 1849, when a group of miners coming across from Nevada became lost in its unpleasantness and hugeness and their adventure turned out to be a sad story. Today Death Valley has been declared a National Monument(纪念碑) and is crossed by several well-marked roads where good services can be found easily. Luckily the change created by human settlement has hardly ruined the special beauty of this place.

Here nature created a lot of surprising, almost like the sights on the moon, ever-changing as the frequent wind moves the sand about, showing the most unusual colors. One of the most astonishing and variable parts of Death Valley is the Devil’ s Golf Course, where it seems hard for one to tell reality from terrible dreams. Sand sculptures(沙雕) stand on a frightening ground, as evening shadows move and lengthen.

1._______ is the lowest place in the desert.

A. Tomesha　 　 B. Death Valley

C. Nevada 　 D. Badwater

2.The name of the valley comes from _______.

A. an Indian name

B. the death of the miners

C. the local people

D. a National Movement

3.From the passage we can learn that _______.

A. no one had ever known the desert before the miners

B. it’s still not easy to travel across the desert

C. people can find gas-stations, cafes and hotels in the desert

D. people have changed the natural sight of the desert

4.Devil Golf Course is famous for _______.

A. the frequent wind　 　 B. the colors of the sand

C. dream-like sights　 　 D. the sand sculptures

5.From the passage we can see that the writer _______ the Death Valley.

A. appreciates B. is fearful of

C. dislikes　 　　 D. is tired of

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Although there are no state controlled survival courses in Britain or the United States，there are various independent organizations offering similar activities．Students can participate(take part)in outdoor training courses through university clubs and societies．Anyone can register with such groups，which then organize courses，training and trips for all members．

One of the most popular outdoor training programmes in both the US and Britain is Outward Bound(户外训练)．It was founded in 1941 in Wales and attracts hundreds of thousands of adventurous types every year. The courses are intended to broaden minds through experiences that build confidence, self-esteem(自尊)and character．As well as specialist courses such as canoeing，leadership skills and sailing，participants can take part in week long adventure training camps which include a host of sports and survival training education skills．

Michael Williams，an American student，took part in an Outward Bound course last year．He said：“We learned lots of first aid skills，lots of natural history ,lots of environmental facts, and participated in a wildlife preservation programme．Beyond that，my favorite skills learned were sailing and rock climbing.”Courses can last up to 40 days and are open to anyone over the age of 14．Students must be in general good health，but do not need to be experienced in outdoor-sports．There is no selection process；everyone is welcome，although new participants are advised to pick a course matching their physical capacity．Most of the British courses take place in the Brecon Beacons in Wales．Another similar organization is the UK Survival School，which includes courses on learning to 1ive with the environment， sailing and  winter survival．On a basic survival weekend students will learn how to get water and food, how to make fire and cook with it，to find and build a shelter，control survival life support，how to cross rivers．Send off a distress signal，and to use compasses(指南针)by day and night．

According to the leaders，such adventures are “an awakening, an exploration into the unknown.”Outward Bound believes that participants will “use mind and body traveling some of the Earth’s roughest wilderness areas．”

1.In Britain and the United States，survival courses are popular with________．

2.The advantage of the training courses is that________.

3.In an Outward Bound course last year，the most exciting experience Michael Williams had was________.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Among rich countries, people in the United States work the longest hours. They work much longer than in Europe. This difference is quite surprising because productivity per hour worked is the same in the United States as it is in France, Spain and Germany, and it is growing at a similar speed.

In most countries and at most times in history, as people have become richer they have chosen to work less. In other words they have decided to “spend” a part of their extra income on a fuller personal life. Over the last fifty years Europeans have continued this pattern, and hours of work have fallen sharply. But not in the United States. We do not fully know why this is. One reason may be greatly lower taxes in America, which increase the rewards to work. Another may be more satisfying work, or less satisfying personal lives.

Longer hours do of course increase the GDP (国内生产总值). So the United States has produced more per worker than, say, France. The United States also has more of its people at work, while in France many more mothers and older workers have decided to stay at home. The overall result is that American GDP per head is 40% higher than in France, even though productivity per hour worked is the same.

It is not clear which of the two situations is better. As we have seen, work has to be compared with other values like family life, which often get lost in interest. It is too early to explain the different trends（趋势）in happiness over time in different countries. But it is a disappointing idea that in the United States happiness has made no progress since 1975, while it has risen in Europe. Could this have anything to do with trends in the work-life balance?

1.From the text we know that the author ________.

A. believes that longer working hours is better

B. prefers shorter working hours to longer ones

C. says nothing certain about which pattern is better

D. thinks neither of the patterns is good

2.Which of the following countries has more of its people at work?

A. Spain.           B. France.        C. Germany.         D. America.

3.In the last paragraph, the underlined word “which” refers to ______.

A. family life        B. situations      C. other values       D. trends

4.What message can we get from the text?

A. The GDP of Europe is higher than that of America.

B. Two possible reasons are given for working longer hours in the US.

C. People all over the world choose to work less when they are richer.

D. Americans are happier than Europeans.

5.Which of the following would be the best title for the text?

A. Americans and Europeans            B. Staying at Home

C. Work and Productivity               D. Work and Happiness

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Children in the United States eat too much pizza that some researchers now argue the food should join the ranks of sugary drinks and fast food for the harm they do to health．

In a new study, the researchers found that pizza is a large source of calories, saturated fat(饱和脂肪)and salt in children’s diets．Children should not eat more than two slices of pizza for a meal，and should pair that with salad, rather than with another high-calorie food，the researchers concluded．

“Parents should aim to control pizza consumption(消费), particularly as a snack where it was shown to have a very adverse impact on children, and they should put their pizza dollars toward healthier brands．”Said Lisa Powel, director of the Illinois Prevention Research Center．

Pizza has become a matter of focus in recent years for researchers who look at the meals children eat, rather than the nutrients within them．Studies have found pizza is among the greatest sources of calories for children．

“Since pizza remains a common part of children’s diet, we need to make ‘healthy’ pizza．”Powel said．To make pizza healthier, food producers should reduce its saturated fat and salt, and increase its whole grain content,” she said．

Whether or not pizza is harmful enough to be picked out as an unhealthy food, the study attracts attention to a larger issue with the modern American lifestyle, said Alexis Tindall, who was not involved in the flow research. “Many foods are eaten too frequently and in large sizes,” said Tindall．To solve the problem, people don’t have to give up eating pizza, but instead, they can eat smaller and healthier pizza，”she said．

“Make it at home, instead of ordering it out where you don’t have any control over how it’s made.” Tindall said. “When we make it at home, we can choose healthier ingredients，increase the vegetables, reduce fat, and put in less cheese．Pizza doesn’t have to be just pepperoni(意大利辣香肠)and cheese．”

1.According to the research, children shouldn’t eat　　　　 ．

A．more than two slices of pizza in a day

B．two slices of pizza for a meal

C．pizza along with salad

D．more pizza with French fries

2.Powel suggests healthier pizza should be made 　　　　　　 ．

A．with more ingredients　 B．with less salt

C．in smaller sizes　　　　 D．at home

3.The last sentence of the passage implies that pepperoni and cheese　　　　　　 ．

A．are necessary ingredients of pizza

B．are not the only healthy ingredients of pizza

C．should all be replaced with healthier ingredient．

D．should be reduced by adding healthier ingredients．

4.What is the best title for the passage?

A．Pizza—a real junk food!

B．How to prepare better meals for your kids?

C．Discover the harm of eating pizza

D．Bring in healthier pizza for Americans

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Passenger pigeons(旅鸽) once flew over much of the United States in unbelievable numbers. Written accounts from the 18th and 19th centuries described flocks(群) so large that they darkened the sky for hours.

It was calculated that when its population reached its highest point, there were more than 3 billion passenger pigeons--a number equal to 24 to 40 percent of the total bird population in the United States, making it perhaps the most abundant bird in the world. Even as late as 1870 when their numbers had already become smaller, a flock believed to be 1 mile wide and 320 miles (about 515 kilometers) long was seen near Cincinnati.

Sadly, the abundance of passenger pigeons may have been their undoing. Where the birds were most abundant, people believed there was an ever-lasting supply and killed them by the thousands. Commercial hunters attracted them to small clearings with grain, waited until pigeons had settled to feed, then threw large nets over them, taking hundreds at a time. The birds were shipped to large cities and sold in restaurants.

By the closing decades of the 19th century, the hardwood forests where passenger pigeons nested had been damaged by Americans’ need for wood, which scattered (驱散) the flocks and forced the birds to go farther north, where cold temperatures and spring storms contributed to their decline. Soon the great flocks were gone, never to be seen again.

In 1897, the state of Michigan passed a law prohibiting the killing of passenger pigeons, but by then, no sizable flocks had been seen in the state for 10 years. The last confirmed wild pigeon in the United States was shot by a boy in Pike County, Ohio, in 1900. For a time, a few birds survived under human care. The last of them, known affectionately as Martha, died at the Cincinnati Zoological Garden on September 1, 1914.

1.In the 18th and early 19th centuries, passenger pigeons________.

A. were the largest bird population in the Us

B. lived mainly in the south of America

C. did great harm to the natural environment

D. were the biggest bird in the world

2.The underlined word “ undoing” probably refers to the pigeons’ ________.

A. escape　　　　 B. liberation

C. ruin　　 　　　 D. evolution

3.What was the main reason for people to kill passenger pigeons?

A. To seek pleasure.　　　　 B. To save other birds.

C. To make money.　　　　　　 D. To protect crops.

4.What can we infer about the law passed in Michigan?

A. It was ignored by the public.

B. It was declared too late.

C. It was unfair.

D. It was strict.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Passenger pigeons (旅鸽)once flew over much of the United States in unbelievable numbers.

Written accounts from the 18th and 19th centuries described flocks (群)so large that they darkened　 the sky for hours.

It was calculated that when its population reached its highest point ,there were more than 3 billlion passenger pigeons—a number equal to 24 to 40 percent of the total bird population in the United States, making it perhaps the most abundant bird in the world. Even as late as 1870 when their numbers had already become smaller, a flock believed to be 1 mile wide and 320 miles (about 515 kilometers) long was seen near Cincinnati.

Sadly the abundance of passenger pigeons may have been their undoing. Where the birds were

most abundant, people believed there was an ever-lasting supply and killed them by the thousands.

Commercial hunters attracted them to small clearings with grain, waited until pigeons had settled to feed, then threw large nets over them, taking hundreds at a time. The birds were shipped to large cities and sold in restaurants.

By the closing decades of the 19th century ,the hardwood forests where passenger pigeons nested had been damaged by American’s need for wood, which scattered (驱散) the flocks and forced the birds to go farther north, where cold temperatures and storms contributed to their decline. Soon the great flocks were gone, never to be seen again.

In 1897, the state of Michigan passed a law prohibiting the killing of passenger pigeons but by then,

no sizable flocks had been seen in the state for 10 years. The last confirmed wild pigeon in the United

States was shot by a boy in Pike County, Ohio, in 1900. For a time , a few birds survived under human

care. The last of them, known affectionately as Martha, died at the Cincinnati Zoological Garden on

September 1, 1914.

1.In the 18th and early 19teh centuries, passenger pigeons____.

A. were the biggest bird in the world

B. lived mainly in the south of America

C. did great harm to the natural environment

D. were the largest bird population in the US

2.The underlined word “ undoing” probably refers to the pigeons’ ____.

A. escape　　 B. ruin

C. liberation　　 D. evolution

3.What was the main reason for people to kill passenger pigeons?

A. To seek pleasure.　　 B. To save other birds.

C. To make money.　　 D. To protect crops.

4.What can we infer about the law passed in Michigan?

A. It was ignored by the public.　　 B. It was declared too late.

C. It was unfair.　　 D. It was strict.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Weddings in the United States vary as much as the people do. There are church weddings with a great deal of fanfare(仪式上的短曲); there are weddings on mountain tops with guests barefooted; there have been weddings on the ocean floor with oxygen tanks for the guests. But many weddings, no matter where or how they are performed, include certain traditional customs.

Before a couple is married, they become engaged. And then invitations are sent to those who live nearby, their close friends and their relatives who live far away. When everything is ready, then comes the most exciting moment.

The wedding itself usually lasts between 30 and 40 minutes. The wedding party enters the church while the wedding march is played. The bride carrying a bouquet enters last with her father who will “give her away”. The groom enters the church from a side door. When the wedding party is gathered by the altar, the bride and groom exchange vows(誓言). It is traditional to use the words “to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part.” Following the vows, the couple exchange rings. Wearing the wedding rings on the fourth finger of the left hand is an old custom.

After the ceremony, there is often a party, called a “reception” which gives the wedding guests an opportunity to congratulate the new couple.

The car in which the couple leaves the church is decorated with balloons. The words “Just Married” are painted on the trunk or back window. And then the couple go in their honeymoon.

1.The underlined word “party” in Paragraph 3 probably means______.

A. a group of people　

B. a legal agreement

C. a political organization

D. a social event

2. According to the passage, the bride enters the church______.

A. carrying a bunch of flower

B. with the groom

C. with the bridesmaid

D. from a side door.

3.Which of the following statement is NOT true?

A. In the United States, there are different weddings.

B. Americans seldom send invitations to others when get married.

C. At the reception, guests usually give their wishes to the new couple.

D. Americans usually wear rings on the fourth finger of the left hand.

4. What will the author most probably talk about next?

A. The food served in the wedding party.

B. The possible places where the new couple spend their honeymoon.

C. How to congratulate the new couple.

D. The estimated cost of a wedding ceremony.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析