The Great Gatsby was not well received when it was published in 1926. F. Scott Fitzgerald appeared to destroy the American Dream, where in anyone, with enough hard work, could get rich and have whatever they wanted from life. He exposed the truth about such myths in this classic book. Basically, the plot could be described as follows:
Poor boy goes East in search of wealth, bored and dissatisfied with inactive Mid West country life.
He meets the super-rich there, attends parties and makes friends with one man in particular, a lonely millionaire of uncertain origins, Jay Gatsby.
He becomes involved with these rich but immoral people, the worst of whom are his own cousin Daisy Buchanan, and her husband Tom.
He observes, with dawning recognition, the corruption in their lives, how lacking in human values or ethical beliefs they seem to be.
He watches tragedy unfold, brought about by the handlings of the wealthy, and visited on the poorer characters.
He remains the only friend of Gatsby, arranging his funeral and mourning his death, and possibly the death of his own American Dream.
He wakes up to the reality of what is important in life, and decides to choose what is of value to him.
He returns to his origins, having recognized the worth of his up-bringing and the moral values it instilled. He sees that money is not everything.
But let us look at this in a little more depth, because the novel is much more complicated than those simple outlines above suggest.
The young man, Nick Caraway, aged 29, lived in a cottage on Long Island. He was an apprentice (学徒) Wall Street trader, and in 1920s, when the novel is set, this job represented a way to get rich, the core value of the American Dream.
Gatsby was a millionaire, who chased a dream too, one of rekindling love with Daisy, Nick’s cousin, a bored, rich, totally unfeeling and spoilt woman. Her rich husband, Tom Buchanan, a businessman, was also less than moral, flattering his mistress, Myrtle Wilson, the wife of a garage owner. It was George Wilson’s love for Myrtle that brought about the tragedy contained in the Gatsby plot.
Gatsby wanted to recapture his dream of love. So he began an affair with Daisy; she was flattered and bored. This action helped to erode Nick’s illusions, and show what wealth can do to people. Gatsby suffered from the realization that Daisy was not the wonderful person he dreamed of, but a shallow and materialistic person.
Eventually, Tom Buchanan suspected what was happening between Gatsby and Daisy, and confronted Gatsby. It was soon after this that Daisy ran Myrtle Wilson down, while driving Gatsby’s yellow automobile.
The tragedy was begun, when Tom Buchanan put the idea into head of George Wilson, that Gatsby had killed Myrtle. In fact, Daisy was secure in the belief that superior status and wealth made her immune, and also, her character was such that she cared little for another human being. Tom Buchanan was the catalyst (催化剂) that sent the emotionally disturbed George to shoot Gatsby for killing Myrtle, then committing suicide. Two dreams turned to dust：George’s of love and the chance to pursue the dream of capitalist endeavor and success, Gatsby’s of recapturing romantic love and the more innocent past, when, in his mind, Daisy was golden and true.
The complete destruction was symbolically expressed when none of Gatsby’s rich “friends” were touched by his death. It was left to Nick, a relative stranger, to make the funeral arrangements. This highlighted the total shallowness of that wealthy, corrupt society, and showed what a worthless person Daisy herself was.
At the end, Nick returned to the beliefs of his Mid Western upbringing. After one last meeting with Tom Buchanan, one last look at Gatsby’s mansion, having buried his friend, he left for home. As Gatsby lost his dream and his life, Fitzgerald drew a portrait of the death of the American Dream.
1.According to the author, that The Great Gatsby was not being popular in 1926 was probably because it__________.
A. informed readers of American value
B. destroyed American dream of that time
C. described the life of American upper class
D. had complicated relationships of the roles
2.The following statements about Nick are true EXCEPT that he_______.
A. is Daisy Buchannan’s cousin
B. betrays his only friend—Gatsby
C. was an apprentice Wall Street trader
D. is dissatisfied with Mid West country life
3.We can infer from the passage that_______.
A. Gatsby was wrongly killed for Daisy setting him a trap
B. it was actually Tom Buchanon that killed Myrtle Wilson
C. George Wilson’s love for Daisy was sure to turn to dust at last
D. Gatsby died because of his appetite for unrealistic romantic love
4.The author writes the passage mainly to_______.
A. teach readers how to appreciate a tragic love novel
B. inform us that wealth is more important than morality
C. convince us to look at the American Dream another way
D. persuade us to read the famous American writer’s novel
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题
The Great Gatsby was not well received when it was published in 1926. F. Scott Fitzgerald appeared to destroy the American Dream, where in anyone, with enough hard work, could get rich and have whatever they wanted from life. He exposed the truth about such myths in this classic book. Basically, the plot could be described as follows:
Poor boy goes East in search of wealth, bored and dissatisfied with inactive Mid West country life.
He meets the super-rich there, attends parties and makes friends with one man in particular, a lonely millionaire of uncertain origins, Jay Gatsby.
He becomes involved with these rich but immoral people, the worst of whom are his own cousin Daisy Buchanan, and her husband Tom.
He observes, with dawning recognition, the corruption in their lives, how lacking in human values or ethical beliefs they seem to be.
He watches tragedy unfold, brought about by the handlings of the wealthy, and visited on the poorer characters.
He remains the only friend of Gatsby, arranging his funeral and mourning his death, and possibly the death of his own American Dream.
He wakes up to the reality of what is important in life, and decides to choose what is of value to him.
He returns to his origins, having recognized the worth of his up-bringing and the moral values it instilled. He sees that money is not everything.
But let us look at this in a little more depth, because the novel is much more complicated than those simple outlines above suggest.
The young man, Nick Caraway, aged 29, lived in a cottage on Long Island. He was an apprentice (学徒) Wall Street trader, and in 1920s, when the novel is set, this job represented a way to get rich, the core value of the American Dream.
Gatsby was a millionaire, who chased a dream too, one of rekindling love with Daisy, Nick’s cousin, a bored, rich, totally unfeeling and spoilt woman. Her rich husband, Tom Buchanan, a businessman, was also less than moral, flattering his mistress, Myrtle Wilson, the wife of a garage owner. It was George Wilson’s love for Myrtle that brought about the tragedy contained in the Gatsby plot.
Gatsby wanted to recapture his dream of love. So he began an affair with Daisy; she was flattered and bored. This action helped to erode Nick’s illusions, and show what wealth can do to people. Gatsby suffered from the realization that Daisy was not the wonderful person he dreamed of, but a shallow and materialistic person.
Eventually, Tom Buchanan suspected what was happening between Gatsby and Daisy, and confronted Gatsby. It was soon after this that Daisy ran Myrtle Wilson down, while driving Gatsby’s yellow automobile.
The tragedy was begun, when Tom Buchanan put the idea into head of George Wilson, that Gatsby had killed Myrtle. In fact, Daisy was secure in the belief that superior status and wealth made her immune, and also, her character was such that she cared little for another human being. Tom Buchanan was the catalyst (催化剂) that sent the emotionally disturbed George to shoot Gatsby for killing Myrtle, then committing suicide. Two dreams turned to dust：George’s of love and the chance to pursue the dream of capitalist endeavor and success, Gatsby’s of recapturing romantic love and the more innocent past, when, in his mind, Daisy was golden and true.
The complete destruction was symbolically expressed when none of Gatsby’s rich “friends” were touched by his death. It was left to Nick, a relative stranger, to make the funeral arrangements. This highlighted the total shallowness of that wealthy, corrupt society, and showed what a worthless person Daisy herself was.
At the end, Nick returned to the beliefs of his Mid Western upbringing. After one last meeting with Tom Buchanan, one last look at Gatsby’s mansion, having buried his friend, he left for home. As Gatsby lost his dream and his life, Fitzgerald drew a portrait of the death of the American Dream.
1.According to the author, that The Great Gatsby was not being popular in 1926 was probably because it__________.
A. informed readers of American value
B. destroyed American dream of that time
C. described the life of American upper class
D. had complicated relationships of the roles
2.The following statements about Nick are true EXCEPT that he_______.
A. is Daisy Buchannan’s cousin
B. betrays his only friend—Gatsby
C. was an apprentice Wall Street trader
D. is dissatisfied with Mid West country life
3.We can infer from the passage that_______.
A. Gatsby was wrongly killed for Daisy setting him a trap
B. it was actually Tom Buchanon that killed Myrtle Wilson
C. George Wilson’s love for Daisy was sure to turn to dust at last
D. Gatsby died because of his appetite for unrealistic romantic love
4.The author writes the passage mainly to_______.
A. teach readers how to appreciate a tragic love novel
B. inform us that wealth is more important than morality
C. convince us to look at the American Dream another way
D. persuade us to read the famous American writer’s novel
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
—When was your new book published? —Well, ______ was in October 2011.
A. that B. which C. it D. this
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Lady Gaga is so well-received a singer all over the world, and it is a great ______ for a reporter to have a face-to-face conversation with her.
A. advantage B. benefit C. drawback D. privilege
高二英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
The south and east of the Great Lakes is famous for the huge amounts of snow it receives. When the snow starts to fall every year, people start discussing the phrase “lake-effect snow”.
Lake-effect snow which is influenced by the movement of cold air over the relatively warm water of the Great Lakes often comes in late autumn and early winter. Because of the at least 20 degrees’ difference between the lake water and the overrunning air, it’s easy to form huge amounts of snow.
As the cool air crosses the water of Great Lakes, the lowest levels of the atmosphere begin to warm and pick up moisture. This newly warmed atmosphere is lighter than the cold air above it, so it starts rising. As the changed air continues to climb higher and higher, it finally meets much colder atmosphere which changes the moisture into water drops and ice, forming clouds. After this course repeats a number of times, the clouds become heavier and heavier, and then they are changed into snow and fall down.
The most important point that decides the amount of snowfall is the direction of the wind. If the wind runs perpendicularly（垂直地）across the lake, there won’t be plenty of time for clouds to develop. However, if the wind runs in the opposite direction, clouds will form easily. The longer the cold air travels over the lake, the more moisture it is able to produce, which leads to a greater amount of snow.
The largest amount of the lake-effect snow was found across the U.P. of Michigan, the northwestern Pennsylvania and the far southwestern and northwestern New York, which are all along the south or east of the Great Lakes. It has been over 100 inches of snowfall in a winter season.
1.The level of the snowfall depends on ________.
A．the size of the lake
B．the direction of the wind
C．the temperature of the lake
D．the strength of the wind
2.From the passage, we can learn that ________.
A．clouds are easy to produce with the help of the perpendicular wind
B．cold air always falls down and picks up moisture to form clouds
C．the temperature of the lake water is the same as the overrunning air’s above it
D．the longer journey of the cold atmosphere can make a grater amount of snow
3.The passage is mainly about ________.
A．the influences of the lake-effect snow for local people
B．the weight between moisture and atmosphere
C．how the phrase “lake-effect snow” comes in New York
D．how the lake-effect snow forms around the Great Lakes
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
_______ on the American Civil War, the book attracted a large number of readers when it was published.
A．Based B．Basing
C．Having based D．Being based
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
It was 4 o’ clock in the morning when I received the phone call.
“This is the emergency room calling and your son was just in with severe burns on his face, neck and arms. We have called for a (n) and are going to fly him to the burn unit in Seattle.” Seattle was 350 miles from his college, so we knew immediately this was .
The doctor described the , which caused the burns. Our son and his friends decided to barbecue hamburgers in the courtyard of their apartment. When they the charcoal(木炭), it burst into flames because they had sprayed too much gasoline(petrol). The flames my son’s shirt tail(下摆) and shot from his waist to well over his head.
, one of the boys was quick-minded, grasped(抓住) my son, and him on the grass. While it saved his life, it was not in to save him from severe burns and the terrible scars(伤疤).
After he from the treatments, the doctors told him they would not do plastic surgery(整容) for 6 months it takes that long for the skin to stop shrinking(缩水) and wrinkling(起皱). So, he had to return to college with scars typical of severe burns.
When I was a child, my mother told my sister, who had a 10-inch, very scar on her arm, “Nancy, if you ignore the scar, other people will ignore it. It does not mean they will not it, but it means it will not matter to them if it doesn’t matter to you.”
I this wisdom on to my son. He took my advice to his and returned to school with his head held high —— glad he was alive.
By the end of the six-month waiting period, he decided that the scars did not , so he made the to give up any plastic surgery.
We all have “scars” that we believe people to keep away from us. And we spend a lot of time thinking that if only we looked differently, or dressed differently, people would like us better.
But you see, people will only judge you by your looks, or your clothes, if you are judging yourself by these same standards. Put your imperfections out of your mind and concentrate on what you value yourself, and your beauty will shine through.
1.A. brought B. given C. turned D. showed
2.A. doctor B. hospital C. aircraft D. ambulance
3.A. serious B. terrible C. dangerous D. important
4.A. event B. process C. reason D. accident
5.A. got B. lit C. burned D. moved
6.A. took B. held C. caught D. attracted
7.A. Fortunately B. Surprisingly C. Happily D. Slowly
8.A. pushed B. threw C. dropped D. rolled
9.A. shape B. place C. fact D. time
10.A. benefited B. recovered C. suffered D. relaxed
11.A. if B. while C. because D. although
12.A. normal B. violent C. obvious D. popular
13.A. mention B. notice C. laugh D. hide
14.A. sent B. kept C. handed D. passed
15.A. heart B. life C. practice D. consideration
16.A. grow B. matter C. exist D. appear
17.A. mistake B. effort C. decision D. request
18.A. invite B. cause C. allow D. remind
19.A. false B. strict C. attractive D. general
20.A. by B. over C. beyond D. within
高二英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
It was 4 o'clock in the morning, when I received the phone call.
“This is the emergency room calling and your son was just 36 in with severe burns on his face, neck and arms. We have called for a(n)37 and are going to fly him to the burn unit in Seattle.” Seattle was 350 miles from his college, so we knew immediately this was38 . The doctor described the39, which caused the burns. At 6 am, our son and his friends decided to barbecue hamburgers in the courtyard of their apartment. When they 40 the charcoal(木炭),it burst into flames because they had sprayed too much gasoline(petrol).The flames41 my son’s shirt tail and shot from his waist to well over his head.
42, one of the boys was quick-minded, grasped my son, and43 him on the grass. While it saved his life, it was not in 44 to save him from severe burns and the terrible scars(伤疤).
After he45 from the treatments, the doctors told him they would not do plastic surgery(整容)for 6 months46 it takes that long for the skin to stop shrinking and wrinkling. So, he had to return to college with scars typical of severe burns.
When I was a child, my mother told my sister, who had a 10-inch very47 scar on her arm, “Nancy, if you ignore the scar, other people will ignore it. It does not mean they will not 48 it, but it means it will not matter to them if it doesn’t matter to you.”
I 49 this wisdom on to my son. He took my advice to 50 and returned to school with his head held high--glad he was alive.
By the end of the six-month waiting period, he decided that the scars did not51. So he made the52 to give up any plastic surgery. We all have “scars” that we believe53 people to keep away from us. And we spend a lot of time thinking that if only we looked differently, or dressed differently, people would like us better.
But you see, people will only judge you by your looks, or your clothes, if you are judging yourself by these same54 standards. Put your imperfections out of your mind and concentrate on what you value55 yourself, and your beauty will shine through.
1. A．brought B．given C．turned D．showed
2. A．doctor B．hospital C．aircraft D．ambulance
3. A．serious B．terrible C．dangerous D．important
4. A．event B．process C．reason D．accident
5. A．got B．lit C．burned D．moved
6. A．took B．held C．caught D．attracted
7. A．Fortunately B．Surprisingly C．Happily D．Slowly
8. A．Pushed B．threw C．dropped D．rolled
9. A．shape B．place C．fact D．time
10. A．benefited B．recovered C．suffered D．relaxed
11. A．if B．while C．because D．although
12. A．normal B．violent C．obvious D．popular
13. A．mention B．notice C．laugh D．hide
14. A．sent B．kept C．handed D．passed
15. A．heart B．life C．practice D．considerate
16. A．grow B．matter C．exist D．appeal
17. A．mistake B．effort C．decision D．request
18. A．invite B．cause C．allow D．Remind
19. A．false B．strict C．moral D．general
20. A．by B．over C．beyond D．within
高二英语完型填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
It was 4 o’clock in the morning, when I received the phone call.
“This is the emergency room calling and your son was just_________in with severe burn on his face, neck and arms. We have called for a(n) _________and are going to fly him to the burn unit in Seattle.” Seattle was 350 miles from his college, so we knew immediately this was _______.
The doctor described the _________, which caused the burns. At 6 a.m., our son and his friends decided to barbecue hamburgers in the courtyard of their apartment. When they_______the charcoal(木炭), it burst into flames because they had sprayed too much petrol. The flames_________my son’s shirt tail and shot from his waist to well over his head.
_______, one of the boys was quick-minded, gasped my son, and _________him on the grass. While it saved his life, it was in not enough _______to save him from severe burns and the terrible scars.
After he ____________from the treatments, the doctors told him they would not do plastic surgery(整容) for 6 months ____________it takes that long for the skin to stop shrinking and wrinkling. So, he had to return to college with scars typical of severe burns.
When I was a child, my mother told my sister who had a 10-inch very ____________scar on her arm, “Nancy, if you ignore the scar, other people will ignore it. It does not mean they will not__________it, but it means it will not matter to them if it doesn’t matter to you.”
I__________this wisdom on to my son. He took my advice to____________and returned to school with his head held high－glad he was alive. By the end of the six-month waiting period, he decided that the scars did not____________, so he made the____________to give up any plastic surgery.
We all have “scars” that we believe__________people to keep away from us. And we spend a lot of time thinking that if only we looked differently, or dressed differently, people would like us better. But you see, people will only judge you by your looks, or your clothes, if you are judging yourself by these same__________standards. Put your imperfections out of your mind and concentrate on what you value__________yourself, and your beauty will shine through.
1.A.brought B.given C.turned D.showed
2.A.doctor B.hospital C.aircraft D.ambulance
3.A.serious B.terrible C.dangerous D.important
4.A.event B.process C.reason D.accident
5.A.got B.lit C.burned D.moved
6.A.took B.held C.caught D.attracted
7.A.Fortunately B.Surprisingly C.Happily D.Slowly
8.A.pushed B.threw C.dropped D.rolled
9.A.shape B.place C.fact D.time
10.A.benefited B.recovered C.suffered D.relaxed
11.A.if B.while C.because D.although
12.A.normal B.violent C.obvious D.popular
13.A.mention B.notice C.laugh D.hide
14.A.sent B.kept C.handed D.passed
15.A.heart B.life C.practice D.considerate
16.A.grow B.matter C.exist D.appear
17.A.mistake B.effort C.decision D.request
18.A.invite B.cause C.allow D.remind
19.A.false B.strict C.moral D.general
20.A.by B.over C.beyond D.within
高二英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
It was 4 o’clock in the morning, when I received the phone call.
“This is the emergency room calling and your son was just _______ in with serious burn on his face, neck and arms. We have called for a(n) _______ and are going to fly him to the burn unit in Seattle.” Seattle was 350 miles from his college, so we knew immediately this was _______.
The doctor described the _______, which caused the burns. At 6 a.m., our son and his friends decided to barbecue hamburgers in the courtyard of their apartment. When they _______ the charcoal (木炭), it burst into flames because they had sprayed too much petrol. The flames _______ my son’s shirt tail and shot from his waist to well over his head.
_______, one of the boys was quick-minded, grasped my son, and _______ him on the grass. While it saved his life, there was not enough _______ to save him from fearful burns and the terrible scars (伤疤).
After he ________ from the treatments, the doctors told him they would not do plastic surgery (整容) for 6 months ________ it takes that long for the skin to stop shrinking and wrinkling. So, he had to return to college with scars typical of burns.
When I was a child, my mother told my sister who had a 10-inch very ________ scar on her arm, “Nancy, if you ignore the scar, other people will ignore it. It does not mean they will not ________ it, but it means it will not matter to them if it doesn’t matter to you.”
I ________ this wisdom on to my son. He took my advice to ________ and returned to school with his head held high-glad he was alive. By the end of the six-month waiting period, he decided that the scars did not ________, so he made the ________ to give up any plastic surgery.
We all have “scars” that we believe ________ people to keep away from us. And we spend a lot of time thinking that if only we looked differently, or dressed differently, people would like us better. But you see, people will only judge you by your looks, or your clothes, if you are judging yourself by these same ________ standards. Put your imperfections out of your mind and concentrate on what you value ________ yourself, and your beauty will shine through.
1.A.turned B.given C.brought D.showed
2.A.airplane B.hospital C.doctor D.ambulance
3.A.optimistic B.cautious C.severe D.complex
4.A.event B.accident C.reason D.process
5.A.got B.moved C.burned D.lit
6.A.caught B.held C.took D.attracted
7.A.Happily B.Surprisingly C.Fortunately D.Slowly
8.A.pushed B.rolled C.dropped D.threw
9.A.space B.time C.room D.place
10.A.benefited B.recovered C.suffered D.relaxed
11.A.if B.while C.because D.although
12.A.specific B.violent C.obvious D.cruel
13.A.mention B.notice C.reject D.blame
14.A.passed B.kept C.handled D.sent
15.A.mind B.life C.spirit D.heart
16.A.grow B.exist C.matter D.appear
17.A.attempt B.effort C.decision D.conclusion
18.A.invite B.cause C.allow D.remind
19.A.casual B.tough C.false D.general
20.A.by B.over C.beyond D.within
高二英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
It was 4 o'clock in the morning, when I received the phone call．
“This is the emergency room calling and your son was just ______ in with severe burns on his face, neck and arms. We have called for a(n) ______ and are going to fly him to the burn unit in Seattle.” Seattle was 350 miles from his college, so we knew immediately this was ______.
The doctor described the ______, which caused the burns. At 6 am, our son and his friends decided to barbecue hamburgers in the courtyard of their apartment. When they ______ the charcoal(木炭), it burst into flames because they had sprayed too much gasoline. The flames _____ my son’s shirt tail and shot from his waist to well over his head.
______, one of the boys who was quick—minded grasped my son and ______ him on the grass. While it saved his life, it was not in _____ to save him from severe burns and the terrible scars.
After he ______ from the treatments, the doctors told him they would not do plastic surgery(整容)for 6 months ______ it takes that long for the skin to stop shrinking and wrinkling. So, he had to return to college with scars typical of severe burns．
When I was a child, my mother told my sister，who had a 10-inch very ______ scar on her arm, “Nancy，if you ignore the scar，other people will ignore it. It does not mean they will not ______ it, but it means it will not matter to them if it doesn’t matter to you. ’’
I ______ this wisdom on to my son. He took my advice to __ ___ and returned to school with his head held high—glad he was alive.
By the end of the six-month waiting period, he decided that the scars did not ______. So he made the ______ to give up any plastic surgery.
We all have “scars” that we believe _____ people to keep away from us. And we spend a lot of time thinking that if only we looked differently, or dressed differently, people would like us better.
But you see, people will only judge you by your looks or your clothes if you are judging yourself by these same ______ standards. Put your imperfections out of your mind and concentrate on what you value ______ yourself, and your beauty will shine through.
1.A. brought B. given C. turned D. showed
2.A. doctor B. hospital C. aircraft D. ambulance
3.A. serious B. terrible C. dangerous D. important
4.A. event B. process C. reason D. accident
5.A. got B. lit C. burned D. moved
6.A. took B. held C. caught D. attracted
7.A. Fortunately B. Surprisingly C. Happily D. Slowly
8.A. pushed B. threw C. dropped D. rolled
9.A．shape B. place C. fact D. time
10.A. benefited B. recovered C. suffered D. relaxed
11.A. if B. while C. because D. although
12.A. normal B. violent C. obvious D. popular
13.A. mention B. notice C. 1augh D. hide
14.A. sent B. kept C. handed D. passed
15.A. heart B. life C. practice D. considerate
16.A. grow B. matter C. exist D. Appear
17.A. mistake B. effort C. decision D. request
18.A. invite B. cause C. allow D. remind
19.A. false B. strict C. moral D. general
20.A. by B. over C. beyond D. within
高二英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析