Many people have heard stories of the California gold rush during the 19th century, when lots of people went there in search for gold. Panning (淘洗) for gold has a rich and interesting history. Nowadays some people continue to pan for gold in California. Although it cannot be regarded as a method for earning income, taking on gold-panning as a hobby can give you a feeling of being in the old west and get you out into nature.
The only tool that is required to pan for gold is a gold pan. You can use a regular old flat pan, but “officially” gold pans are quite cheap so you may as well buy one that is made for the task. Most sold pans come in either plastic or medal.
Once you have your pan you will want to start practicing your gold panning technique. Panning for gold works because gold is much heavier than most rocks. To pan for gold you add rock and dirt form the bottom of a stream to your pan and then gently let water flow through the pan. The lighter-weight rocks are slowly swept away while any gold will be left behind in the pan.
To start panning for gold, first you will need to find a good location. Try checking maps of your area and old history books to find location where there were gold mines in the past. Even though most of the gold have already been removed, there are likely to be small leftovers that you can find. Once you have found an area that looks promising, look for any small stream or river where you can try out panning for gold.
Panning for gold requires patience and it may be a long time before you hit anything of value. However, it is an enjoyable hobby and provides a great opportunity to get outdoors, so don’t give up too quickly.
1.What is Paragraph 4 mainly about?
A. Where to pan for gold.
B. How gold-panning works.
C. What tools are needed.
D. A promising area for panning.
2.What is the author’s attitude toward modern gold-planning?
A. Opposed. B. Indifferent . C. Positive. D. Neutral .
3.In which part of a newspaper would you probably find this article?
A. Lifestyle. B. Health. C. Travel. D. Sports.
高三英语阅读理解困难题
Many people have heard stories of the California gold rush during the 19th century, when lots of people went there in search for gold. Panning (淘洗) for gold has a rich and interesting history. Nowadays some people continue to pan for gold in California. Although it cannot be regarded as a method for earning income, taking on gold-panning as a hobby can give you a feeling of being in the old west and get you out into nature.
The only tool that is required to pan for gold is a gold pan. You can use a regular old flat pan, but “officially” gold pans are quite cheap so you may as well buy one that is made for the task. Most sold pans come in either plastic or medal.
Once you have your pan you will want to start practicing your gold panning technique. Panning for gold works because gold is much heavier than most rocks. To pan for gold you add rock and dirt form the bottom of a stream to your pan and then gently let water flow through the pan. The lighter-weight rocks are slowly swept away while any gold will be left behind in the pan.
To start panning for gold, first you will need to find a good location. Try checking maps of your area and old history books to find location where there were gold mines in the past. Even though most of the gold have already been removed, there are likely to be small leftovers that you can find. Once you have found an area that looks promising, look for any small stream or river where you can try out panning for gold.
Panning for gold requires patience and it may be a long time before you hit anything of value. However, it is an enjoyable hobby and provides a great opportunity to get outdoors, so don’t give up too quickly.
1.What is Paragraph 4 mainly about?
A. Where to pan for gold.
B. How gold-panning works.
C. What tools are needed.
D. A promising area for panning.
2.What is the author’s attitude toward modern gold-planning?
A. Opposed. B. Indifferent . C. Positive. D. Neutral .
3.In which part of a newspaper would you probably find this article?
A. Lifestyle. B. Health. C. Travel. D. Sports.
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
In 1848 gold was found in California. Thousands of people rushed there to get some. Many people liked living there. But there wasn’t a whole lot between California (CA) and Missouri (MO), where the nearest trains ran. The train line to California wasn’t finished until 1869.
In I860 and 1861, the Pony Express was the fastest way to get news to and from the West. The trail that they rode was around 2000 miles long. It took most people weeks or months to ride that far. The Pony Express could make the trip in just ten days. Those speeds were unheard of at the time. So how did they do it? Well, they had a good system.
The Pony Express had 184 stations along the trail. The stations were around ten miles apart. This is about how far a horse could run at a gallop (疾驰) before tiring. The rider would switch to a new horse at each station. He would only take his mail pouch (邮袋) with him. Every 75-100 miles, the rider would get to a home station. At each home station, riders would rest. The mail never stopped moving, even while the horses and riders rested.
It was tough to ride for the Pony Express. Each rider had to weigh less than 125 pounds. Speed was the key. Most of the riders were teenage boys. They rode at a fast pace for up to 100 miles a day. If there were an emergency, one might have to ride 200 miles in a day.
The Pony Express filled an important role for a time, but it did not last. The Civil War started in April of 1861. On October 24th, 1861, the first telegraph line to California was finished. This linked them to the rest of the country. People could send messages in an instant. Two days later the Pony Express closed.
1.Which happened first?
A.The Pony Express was started. B.The American Civil War broke out.
C.The train line to California was finished. D.Settlers rushed to California to find gold.
2.How long did it take the Pony Express to send mail from CA to MO?
A.About 24 hours. B.About ten days.
C.About twenty days. D.About one month.
3.What would a rider do at the home station?
A.Give his mail to a new rider. B.Rest a while and go on riding.
C.Collect new mail for customers. D.Feed the horse and check the mail.
4.What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?
A.To prove communication industry develops rapidly.
B.To explain why horses were used to deliver mail.
C.To describe the I860 - 1861E Fastest Mail Service.
D.To tell the brave stories of the Pony Express.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Have you heard of the story of the four-minute miles? Many years ago, people believed that it was impossible for a human being to run a mile in less than four minutes until Roger Banister proves it wrong in 1954.
What happens if you put an animal in a pond? Any animal, big or small, will swim its way through. What happens when people, who do not know how to swim, fall in deep waters? They drown. If an animal who has not learned swimming could escape by swimming, why not you? Because you believe you will drown while the animal does not.
Have you ever wondered why the letters are organized in a particular order on your keyboard? You might have thought it is to increase the typing speed. But the fact is that this system was developed to reduce the typing speed at a time when typewriter parts would jam (堵塞) if the operator typed too fast.
These three cases show the power of our beliefs. There is no other more powerful directing force in human behavior than belief. Your beliefs have the power to create and to destroy. A belief delivers command to your nervous system.
I used a snake in my workshops of children to learn how unrealistic some of their beliefs are. Students of a school in India, said snakes were slippery, slimy(黏糊糊的) and poisonous. After doing an exercise for changing beliefs, they handled my snake and found it to be dry and clean. They also remembered that only three types of poisonous snakes exist in India.
Did this story end the way you thought? Review your beliefs now and find out which ones you need to change.
1.From the first paragraph, we know that _________.
A. several people have run a mile in four minutes.
B. Roger Banister set a record
C. nobody has run a mile in three minutes.
D. Roger Banister tied a world record
2. By comparing a drowning animal and a person, the writer tried to show _________.
A. the power of confidence
B. the responses of humans and animals to dangers
C. the difference between humans and animals
D. the power of belief
3.Which of the following statements would the writer agree with?
A. Our beliefs are impossible to change
B. How we act mainly depends on our beliefs.
C. Our beliefs create or destroy our nervous system
D. Our beliefs always go against the truth
4.The children visiting the writer’s workshops might_________.
A. learn how to keep off snakes
B. become brave and realistic
C. become clever and strong
D. learn to review their beliefs
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Have you ever heard the story of the four-minute mile? Many years ago, people believed that it was impossible for a human being to run a mile in less than four minutes until Roger Banister proved it wrong in1954.
What happens if you put an animal in a pond? Any animal, big or small, will swim its way through. What happens when someone, who does not know how to swim, falls in deep waters? They drown. If an animal who has not learned swimming could escape by swimming, why not you? Because you believe you will drown while the animal does not.
Have you ever wondered why the letters are organized in a particular order on hour keyboard? You might have thought it is to increase the typing speed. Most people never question it. But the fact is that this system was developed to reduce the typing speed at a time when typewriter parts would jam if the operator typed too fast.
These three cases show the power of our beliefs. There is no other more powerful directing force in human behavior than belief. Your beliefs have the power to create and to destroy. A belief delivers a direct command to your nervous system.
I used a snake in my workshops for children to show them how unrealistic some of their beliefs are. Students of a school in India, said snakes were slippery, slimy (黏糊糊的) and poisonous. After doing an exercise for changing beliefs, they handled my snake and found it to be dry and clean. They also remembered that only three types of poisonous snakes exist in India.
Did this story end the way you thought? Review your beliefs now and find out which ones you need to change.
1.In the author’s opinion, if a person in deep water doesn’t know how to swim he will drown because _________.
A. he is afraid of water B. he doesn’t want to live in the world
C. he hasn’t learned to swim before D. he believes he will drown
2.The author thinks that the letters are organized in a particular order on your keyboard in order to _________.
A. reduce one’s typing speed B. satisfy the operator
C. save more space D. increase one’s typing speed
3.The author’s experiment shows that __________.
A. snakes in India aren’t poisonous B. snakes can be caught easily
C. snakes are slimy and poisonous D. snakes are dry and clean
4.According to the passage, we know that ________.
A. students from India have unrealistic beliefs on how to live a better life
B. an animal who has not learned to swim will drown if you put it in a pond.
C. Roger Banister was the first person who ran a mile in less than four minutes.
D. most people don’t like the order the letters are arranged on your keyboard
5.The main idea of this passage should be that _______.
A. beliefs make us seem stupid B. beliefs are very powerful
C. changing your beliefs now if necessary D. people should always believe in themselves
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Have you ever heard the story of the four-minute mile? Many years ago, people believed that it was impossible for a human being to run a mile in less than four minutes until Roger Banister proved it wrong in1954.
What happens if you put an animal in a pond? Any animal, big or small, will swim its way through. What happens when someone, who does not know how to swim, falls in deep waters? They drown. If an animal who has not learned swimming could escape by swimming, why not you? Because you believe you will drown while the animal does not.
Have you ever wondered why the letters are organized in a particular order on hour keyboard? You might have thought it is to increase the typing speed. Most people never question it. But the fact is that this system was developed to reduce the typing speed at a time when typewriter parts would jam if the operator typed too fast.
These three cases show the power of our beliefs. There is no other more powerful directing force in human behavior than belief. Your beliefs have the power to create and to destroy. A belief delivers a direct command to your nervous system.
I used a snake in my workshops for children to show them how unrealistic some of their beliefs are. Students of a school in India, said snakes were slippery, slimy (黏糊糊的) and poisonous. After doing an exercise for changing beliefs, they handled my snake and found it to be dry and clean. They also remembered that only three types of poisonous snakes exist in India.
Did this story end the way you thought? Review your beliefs now and find out which ones you need to change.
36. In the author’s opinion, if a person in deep water doesn’t know how to swim he will drown because _________.
A. he is afraid of water B. he doesn’t want to live in the world
C. he hasn’t learned to swim before D. he believes he will drown
37. The author thinks that the letters are organized in a particular order on your keyboard in order to _________.
A. reduce one’s typing speed B. satisfy the operator
C. save more space D. increase one’s typing speed
38. The author’s experiment shows that __________.
A. snakes in India aren’t poisonous B. snakes can be caught easily
C. snakes are slimy and poisonous D. snakes are dry and clean
39. According to the passage, we know that ________.
A. students from India have unrealistic beliefs on how to live a better life
B. an animal who has not learned to swim will drown if you put it in a pond.
C. Roger Banister was the first person who ran a mile in less than four minutes.
D. most people don’t like the order the letters are arranged on your keyboard
40. The main idea of this passage should be that _______.
A. beliefs make us seem stupid B. beliefs are very powerful
C. changing your beliefs now if necessary D. people should always believe in themselves
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
Today's word, pan, takes us back to the days of the gold rush in California.
On January 24th, 1848, a man named James Wilson Marshall discovered gold in California. The news spread quickly. Thousands rushed west. They traveled on foot, on horseback and by boat to reach the gold fields. By 1849, the great gold rush was on. Towns and cities grew overnight. Throughout California --- in the mountains, along the streams and rivers --- thousands of people searched for gold.
Some found areas of mountain rock thick with gold. These men got rich. But such areas were few and quickly claimed by the first men to find them. Others searched for gold in the rivers coming down the mountains. They were after pieces of gold that the rains had washed down from above .
The only way to find this gold was by panning. First a gold miner put dirt in a metal pan and added water. Then he shook the pan so that the water would wash the dirt. Slowly, he poured the water out of the pan. If he was a lucky miner, pieces of gold would remain.
Across the nation, newspapers carried stories of the gold being found. Each one hoped that the place he claimed panned out well --- had some gold.
For many, gold mining did not pan out. For a few, it panned out well. But in time, huge machines were built that could wash many tons of dirt at a time. Panning died out.
The word, however, remained in the language. Today, Americans still say, “ It panned out well ,” when something they have done pleases them. A business, a discovery, a simple event pans out well if it is successful. Unhappily, sometimes things do not pan out.
In recent years, the word pan has taken on another meaning. Today, it also means to criticize. How it got this meaning is hard to discover. But the job of a critic is to sometimes pan the work of a writer, artist or singer.
1.Why did so many people flood to California in 1848?
A. Because towns and cities there developed quickly.
B. Because the mountains in California were a great place for travel.
C. Because they wanted to get rich by looking for gold.
D. Because the land of California was fertile at that time.
2.The underlined part “It panned out well" in Paragraph 7 has the same meaning as “______”
A. Everything turned out well B. Nothing could be worse
C. It's not the case D. It's a pity
3.What is the purpose of this passage?
A. To tell us some stories about the gold rush.
B. To introduce the word "pan" in American English.
C. To teach us how to look for gold in rivers.
D. To introduce the history of the gold rush in California
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
The discovery of gold in California ________a rush to get there.
A．set off B．set up C．set out D．set in
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
Have you ever heard the story of the four-minute mile? For years people believed that it is impossible for a human being to ________1 a mile in less than four minutes until Roger Banister proved it ________2 in 1954．Within one year, 37 runners ________3 the belief barrier．And the year after that, 300 other runners did the same thing．
What happens if you put an animal in a ________4 ? Any animal, big or small, will swim its way through．What happens when someone, who does not know how to swim, falls in deep waters? You ________5 ．If an animal who has not learned swimming could ________6 by swimming, why not you? Because you believe you will drown while the animal does not．
These ________7 show the power of beliefs．There is no other more ________8 force in directing human behavior than belief．Our beliefs have the power to ________9 and to destroy．
In a way it is our beliefs that determine how much we’ll be able to ________10 our potential．So pay attention to some of your ________11 ．Do you believe you are weak in mathematics? Do you believe that other people dislike you？Do you believe life is full of ________12 ？
Belief is not ________13 , however．It’s nothing but the generalization of a past incident．As a kid, if a dog bit you, you believed all dogs to be ________14 ．To change certain behavior, identify the beliefs associated with it．Change those beliefs and a new pattern is ________15 created．
1．A．run B．walk C．swim D．jog
2．A．right B．wrong C．fake D．true
3．A．broke B．built C．faced D．lowered
4．A．cage B．desert C．forest D．pond
5．A．drown B．swim C．float D．sink
6．A．struggle B．escape C．drown D．leave
7．A．samples B．cases C．situations D．periods
8．A．terrible B．reasonable C．considerable D．powerful
9．A．damage B．provide C．create D．withdraw
10．A．discover B．realize C．show D．perform
11．A．problems B．beliefs C．possibilities D．subjects
12．A．surprises B．choices C．problems D．possibilities
13．A．beautiful B．changeable C．strong D．mysterious
14．A．safe B．rude C．merciless D．dangerous
15．A．occasionally B．immediately C．accidentally D．automatically
高三英语完型填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
You may have heard about the many benefits of yoga, but a recent New York Times story, has stirred up more than a little controversy in the yoga community.
"How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body," by science writer William J. Broad, quotes a long-time yoga teacher who "...has come to believe that 'the vast majority of people' should give up yoga altogether. It's simply too likely to cause harm." He goes on to describe a number of cases where people have been injured doing yoga, including himself.
The research in the article isn't groundbreaking: doing any form of exercise you could potentially hurt yourself. If you look at the injury rates of other physical activities, the number of injuries sustained from yoga would pale in comparison.
Practicing yoga is just like anything in life: You have to push yourself in order to grow. But you also have to know your limits and when you're breaking them. If you stick to your comfort zone, you'll never be able to increase your flexibility. If you push to the point where you're not only uncomfortable, but in real pain, you'll likely injure yourself.
The reasons that yoga causes "serious injury”, according to the Times story, range from students' physical weaknesses to inexperienced teachers pushing too hard to the growing number of inflexible "urbanites who sit in chairs all day" trying hard to twist themselves into difficult postures.
Yoga is called a "practice" for a reason. You don't have to be perfect. You don't have to tackle every pose. It doesn't matter if you can touch the floor with your palms during your first forward bend or your thousandth, or if you never get there.
We go to the mat to learn to better listen to what our bodies are telling us, and to better hear that quiet inner voice drowned out by the noise of our busy lives. It's a shame to discourage the majority of people from practicing yoga and missing out on all of the mind-body benefits that going to the mat has to offer.
1.The underlined word is best replaced by __.
A. Injure B. Benefit C. Push D. Shape
2.What does author mainly want to tell us in the 3rd paragraph?
A. All physical activities are equally harmful.
B. Yoga causes much less injuries than other physical activities.
C. Similar researches have been done before.
D. Yoga, like any other form of exercise, can hurt people.
3.Which is not mentioned among the reasons for yoga being likely to cause injury?
A. Teachers lack the knowledge of students’ limits.
B. Modern lifestyle decreases our flexibility.
C. The body doesn’t tell when you are in real pain.
D. Students themselves might not be in good physical condition.
4.What is the author’s attitude towards practicing yoga?
A. It’s a shame not to practice yoga.
B. One should push the limits in order to be perfect.
C. The majority should give up yoga for it may cause harm.
D. One should enjoy the physical and mental benefit that yoga brings.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Many of us have heard stories about teachers who can “see” into a student’s future. Even if a student is not performing well, they can predict success. We are convinced that this ability, this gift, is evidence that they were “called to teach.” If the gift of sight is evidence, how greater must be the gift of touch. I have a story.
I grew up in the fifties in a poor African American neighborhood in Stockton, California, that had neither sidewalks nor an elementary school. Each day, always in groups at our parents’ insistence, my friends and I would leave home early enough to walk eight blocks to school and be in our seats when the bell rang. For four blocks, we walked on dusty roads. By the fifth block, we walked on sidewalks that led to lovely homes and to Fair Oaks Elementary School. It was at Fair Oaks, in a sixth grade English class, that I met Ms. Victoria Hunter, a teacher who had a huge influence on my life.
During reading periods, she would walk around the room, stop at our desks, stand over us for a second or two, and then touch us. Without saying anything to us (nothing could break the silence of reading periods), she would place two fingers lightly on our throats and hold them there for seconds. I learned many years later when I was a student at Stanford University that teachers touch the throat of students to check for sub-vocalization (默读), which slows down the reading speed. I did not know at the time why Ms. Hunter was touching our throats, but I was a serious and respectful student and so, during silent reading period, I did what Ms. Hunter told us to do. I kept my eyes on the material I was reading and waited for her to place her fingers lightly on my throat.
One day, out of curiosity, I raised my head from my book — though not high — so that I could see Ms. Hunter, a white woman from Canada, moving up and down the rows, stopping at the desks of my classmates. I wanted to see how they reacted when she touched their throats. She walked past them. I was confused. Did she pass them by because they were model students? What did we, the students who were touched, not do right? I sat up straighter in my chair, thinking that my way of sitting might be the problem. I was confused. Several days later, I watched again, this time raising my head a little higher. Nothing changed. Ms. Hunter touched the same students. Always, she touched me.
She touched me with her hands. She also touched me with her belief in my ability to achieve. She motivated me by demanding the best from me and by letting teachers I would meet in junior high school know that I should be challenged, that I would be serious about my work. I am convinced that she touched me because she could “see” me in the future. That was true of all of us at Fair Oaks who sat still and silent as Ms. Hunter placed her fingers lightly on our throats. We left Fair Oaks as “best students,” entered John Marshall Junior High School, finished at the top of our high school class, and went on to earn graduate degrees in various subjects. Ms. Hunter saw us achieving and she touched us to make certain that we would.
I was not surprised that she came to my graduation ceremony at Edison High School in Stockton or that she talked to me about finishing college and earning a Ph. D. She expected that of me. She gave me a beautifully wrapped box. Inside was a gift, the beauty of which multiplies even as it touches me: a necklace to which I can add charms for each stage of my life.
1.According to the writer, what is a special ability many good teachers possess?
A. The ability to make all students behave well.
B. The ability to treat different students in the same way.
C. The ability to discover a student’s potential to succeed.
D. The ability to predict the near future of a poor student.
2.When she saw Ms. Hunter walk past some students without touching their throats, the writer felt ______.
A. disturbed B. puzzled C. ashamed D. annoyed
3.What does the writer mean by “a necklace to which I can add charms for each stage of my life” (paragraph 6)?
A. A gift which encourages me to do well on the journey of my life.
B. A gift which becomes more and more valuable as time goes by.
C. A necklace which I wear on all important occasions in my life.
D. A necklace which suits me and adds to my charm.
4.Which of the following serves as the best title for the story?
A. Ms. Hunter’s Surprise B. Ms. Hunter’s Challenge
C. A Teacher’s Touch D. A Teacher’s Memory
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析