One day, a woman sat down next to a man on a bench near a playground. The woman _36__ a little boy in a red coat and said: “That is my son __37__ is moving smoothly down the slide (滑板)”. “What a lovely boy!” the man replied. Then he went __38__ saying, “That is my daughter on the bike. She is __39__ a white dress”.
After a while, the man looked at his __40__ and called to the girl in white, “Shall we go home, Mary?” “Only five __41__ minutes, Dad, please?” little Mary cried. The man __42__ and Mary went on riding her bike happily. Five minutes passed soon. The father __43__ and called again to his daughter: “It’s time __44__ now, Mary?” Again, Mary pleaded (恳求), “Give me more minutes, Dad. __45__ five more minutes, OK?” The man smiled and said: “OK.”
The __46__ responded, “You are surely a patient father.” __47__ in thought, the man said nothing. However, after a __48__, he smiled and then said: “Her elder brother Tom was killed by a __49__ driver last year while he was riding his bike near here. I never __50__ much time with Tom and now I would give anything for just five more minutes with him. I wouldn’t make the same __51__ with Mary. She thinks she has five more minutes to ride her bike. The __52__ is that I get five more minutes to watch her play. Life sometimes __53__ too suddenly. ”
Yes, life is all about making priorities (优先考虑的事), and what are your priorities? Don’t always __ 54__ excuses for your not being able to accompany your family members or your friends. Give someone you are __55__ five more minutes of your time today!
1. A.pointed to B.looked up C.shouted at D.argued with
2. A.which B.who C./ D.whose
3. A.in B.up C.on D.out
4. A.wearing B.putting C.folding D.glaring
5. A.feet B.watch C.honey D.gift
6. A.less B.illegal C.latter D.more
7. A.nodded B.shook C.refused D.shocked
8. A.put down B.stood up C.cut down D.picked up
9. A.going B.gone C.went D.to go
10. A.Too B.Immediately C.Clearly D.Just
11. A.woman B.man C.girl D.boy
12. A.Reacted B.Frightened C.Lost D.Rebuilt
13. A.rank B.while C.reality D.shelter
14. A.social B.drunk C.suitable D.unfair
15. A.spent B.wasted C.exploded D.fed
16. A.ride B.ground C.mistake D.preparations
17. A.chance B.truth C.injury D.glory
18. A.harvests B.ignores C.changes D.orders
19. A.operate B.question C.make D.purchase
20. A.proud of B.beneficial to C.worried about D.devoted to
高三英语完型填空中等难度题
One day, a woman sat down next to a man on a bench near a playground. The woman _36__ a little boy in a red coat and said: “That is my son __37__ is moving smoothly down the slide (滑板)”. “What a lovely boy!” the man replied. Then he went __38__ saying, “That is my daughter on the bike. She is __39__ a white dress”.
After a while, the man looked at his __40__ and called to the girl in white, “Shall we go home, Mary?” “Only five __41__ minutes, Dad, please?” little Mary cried. The man __42__ and Mary went on riding her bike happily. Five minutes passed soon. The father __43__ and called again to his daughter: “It’s time __44__ now, Mary?” Again, Mary pleaded (恳求), “Give me more minutes, Dad. __45__ five more minutes, OK?” The man smiled and said: “OK.”
The __46__ responded, “You are surely a patient father.” __47__ in thought, the man said nothing. However, after a __48__, he smiled and then said: “Her elder brother Tom was killed by a __49__ driver last year while he was riding his bike near here. I never __50__ much time with Tom and now I would give anything for just five more minutes with him. I wouldn’t make the same __51__ with Mary. She thinks she has five more minutes to ride her bike. The __52__ is that I get five more minutes to watch her play. Life sometimes __53__ too suddenly. ”
Yes, life is all about making priorities (优先考虑的事), and what are your priorities? Don’t always __ 54__ excuses for your not being able to accompany your family members or your friends. Give someone you are __55__ five more minutes of your time today!
1. A.pointed to B.looked up C.shouted at D.argued with
2. A.which B.who C./ D.whose
3. A.in B.up C.on D.out
4. A.wearing B.putting C.folding D.glaring
5. A.feet B.watch C.honey D.gift
6. A.less B.illegal C.latter D.more
7. A.nodded B.shook C.refused D.shocked
8. A.put down B.stood up C.cut down D.picked up
9. A.going B.gone C.went D.to go
10. A.Too B.Immediately C.Clearly D.Just
11. A.woman B.man C.girl D.boy
12. A.Reacted B.Frightened C.Lost D.Rebuilt
13. A.rank B.while C.reality D.shelter
14. A.social B.drunk C.suitable D.unfair
15. A.spent B.wasted C.exploded D.fed
16. A.ride B.ground C.mistake D.preparations
17. A.chance B.truth C.injury D.glory
18. A.harvests B.ignores C.changes D.orders
19. A.operate B.question C.make D.purchase
20. A.proud of B.beneficial to C.worried about D.devoted to
高三英语完型填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
A beautiful woman took a plane on business. She found her seat and sat down next to a young man. The man was just thinking of making a few dollars on the plane. When he saw the woman, he got an idea.
“Hey! Would you like to play a game?” he asked the woman. “No, thank you. I just want to take a nap (打盹),” the woman answered. “It’s really easy. All you have to do is to answer the questions that I ask you. If you don’t know the answer, you give me five dollars. If I don’t know the answer to your question, then I’ll give you five dollars.” “No,” the woman still refused. “OK. If I don’t know the answer to your question, I’ll give you five hundred dollars. How about that?” the man said. Then the woman became interested and decided to join in the game.
“OK. How many moons does Jupiter (木星) have?” asked the young man. The woman reached into her purse and took out a five-dollar bill. “What goes up the mountain with three legs and comes back with four?” the woman asked. Then the young man took out his computer and searched the Internet for an answer. Minutes later, the young man handed five hundred dollars to the woman.
After a few hours, the young man really wanted to know the answer to the question. So he asked the woman, “What is the answer to your question?” The woman reached into her purse and handed the young man a five-dollar bill.
1.Why did the man ask the woman to play a game?
A. He wanted to show his kindness.
B. He wanted to have a pleasant journey.
C. He wanted to earn some money from it.
D. He wanted to make friends with the woman.
2.How much did the woman get at the end of the story?
A. $ 500. B. $ 5. C. $ 10. D. $ 490.
3.What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A. The woman told the man the answer to her question.
B. The woman gave the man’s money back to him.
C. The woman asked the man another question.
D. The woman didn’t know the answer, either.
4.We can learn from the story that the woman is ______.
A. clever B. friendly C. polite D. honest
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
One day a woman was walking down the street when she saw a beggar sitting on the corner. As he sat there, passers-by walked by him giving him dirty looks. But when she saw him, the woman was willing to help him.
She stopped and looked down, asking him whether he was all right. The man slowly looked up. This was a woman clearly used to the finer things of life. She looked like that she had never missed a meal in her life. His first thought was that she wanted to make fun of him, like so many others had done before. “Leave me alone,” he said angrily.
To his surprise, the woman continued standing and smiled. “Are you hungry?” she asked.
"No," he answered. "I've just come from dining with the president. Now go away."
The woman's smile became even broader. Suddenly the man felt a gentle hand under his arm. "What are you doing, lady?" the man asked angrily. "I said to leave me alone." However, the woman insisted on getting him something to eat in the restaurant across the street. She even asked a passer-by to help grab his other arm and lift him up. Finally, Jack was taken into the restaurant. The woman explained to the manager that she would buy him something to eat.
"Not in here!" the manager replied angrily. "Having a person like that here is bad for business."
Old Jack smiled. "See, lady. I told you so. Can I leave now?"
The woman turned to the manager and smiled. "Sir, are you familiar with E&A, the banking firm down the street?"
"Of course I am," the manager answered impatiently. "They hold their weekly meetings in one of my banquet rooms."
"And do you make a good profit from that?"
"It’s none of your business."
"I am Penelope Eddy, CEO of the company."
1.When the beggar first saw the woman, he thought _______.
A. she would laugh at him
B. she would have meals with him
C. she might be fond of him
D. she wanted to give him a hand
2.The beggar mentioned his dining with the president to _______.
A. show his pride
B. prove he was full
C. refuse the woman
D. pretend to be rich
3.What did the manager probably feel after hearing what the woman said?
A. Satisfied. B. Embarrassed.
C. Excited. D. Disappointed.
4.From the article we can know the woman was _______.
A. kind and honest
B. helpful and generous
C. funny and warm-hearted
D. modest and hard-working
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
One day Bill went to eat at a restaurant in London.Suddenly a young woman sat down beside him.Bill could not think what she wanted.She did not look very happy.Bill asked her what was wrong.“The problem is,” she began.But then she stopped.She didn’t find it easy to tell Bill about it, it seemed.
“My husband and I wanted to meet here for lunch at 12,” she said at last, “but he hasn’t come.”
“Well, don’t you know where he is? Can you ring him up?”
“No, I can’t.” said the woman, “And I have had lunch now and I can’t pay the bill.Because I haven’t got any money with me.”
“Never mind, I’ll pay the bill for you.You can pay me back later.” Bill said.“If you give me your address, I’ll send you the money as soon as I get home.” With these words she left the restaurant.
A few weeks later, when Bill was having lunch at another restaurant, he suddenly heard a familiar(熟悉的)voice, “Excuse me.May I just sit here for a moment?” Bill turned round.It was the same young woman again.This time she was talking to a man with gray hair at a table not far from the gate.Bill smiled at the woman and got up from his chair and walked across the room.
1.One day Bill came to eat at a restaurant _____ .
A.to meet a young woman
B.to help a woman
C.to have lunch
D.to have the last meal of the day
2.The woman said she would _____ .
A.return Bill’s money as early as possible
B.go to Bill’s home to return the money
C.give Bill’s money back the next day
D.return Bill’s money at the restaurant
3.Bill walked across the room _____ .
A.to pay the woman’s bill
B.to say hello to the man with gray hair
C.to meet the woman
D.to go away from the woman
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Nearing the age of 101 has not slowed down one Japanese woman.In fact,in the swimming pool—she is only getting faster.
Recently,a 100-year-old Japanese woman became the world’s first centenarian to complete a 1,500-meter freestyle swimming competition in a 25-meter poo1.
Her name is Mieko Nagaoka.Ms.Nagaoka set a world record for her age group at a recent Japan Masters Swimming Association event in the western city of Matsuyama.She swam the race in 1hour,15 minutes and 54 seconds.
By comparison,the overall female world record holder completed the same distance in just under 15 and a half minutes.But that swimmer,Katie Ledecky,is only 17 years old.And Ms.Nagao.ka was not competing against her.In fact,Ms.Nagaoka was the only competitor in the 100-104 year old category.Her race was not a race of speed but of endurance,or not giving up.
Breaking swimming records is nothing new to Ms.Nagaoka.So far she has broken 25 records.But she began competing when she was much younger—at 88.
Ms.Nagaoka sufferred a knee injury in her 80s,so she began swimming to help her body recover.Since her first international swimming competition,she hasn’t looked back,except maybe to see if her competition is catching up.
In 2002.at a masters swim meet in New Zealand,Ms.Nagaoka took the bronze medal in the 50-meter backstroke.In 2004,she won three silver medals at an Italian swim meet.
Masters swimming is a special class of competitive swimming to promote health and friendship among participants.Swimmers compete within age groups of five years.
Japan has a large number of people who live beyond 100 years old.Until she passed away this month,the oldest person in the world was also from Japan.Misao Okawa was born in 1 898.She said her secrets for longevity,or long life,were good genes,regular sleep,sushi and exercise.
1.The underlined word“centenarian”refers to someone who is____.
A.from Japan B.100 or older
C.an old competitor D.a new swimmer
2.Which is possibly the age category of the masters swimming competition?
A.82 to 87 years old. B.93 to 97 years old.
C.95 to 99 years old. D.106 to 110 years old.
3.It can be inferred from the passage that_____.
A.some people are born with longevity genes
B.people who like swimming live longer
C.the Japanese are interested in swimming
D.woman usually live much longer than men
4.Which can best explain the spirit of Ms.Nagaoka?
A.Not to advance is to go back.
B.After a storm comes a calm.
C.The early bird catches the worm.
D.Keep on going,never give up.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Nearing the age of 101 has not slowed down one Japanese woman.In fact,in the swimming pool—she is only getting faster.
Recently,a 100-year-old Japanese woman became the world’s first centenarian to complete a 1,500-meter freestyle swimming competition in a 25-meter poo1.
Her name is Mieko Nagaoka.Ms.Nagaoka set a world record for her age group at a recent Japan Masters Swimming Association event in the western city of Matsuyama.She swam the race in 1hour,15 minutes and 54 seconds.
By comparison,the overall female world record holder completed the same distance in just under 15 and a half minutes.But that swimmer,Katie Ledecky,is only 17 years old.And Ms.Nagao.ka was not competing against her.In fact,Ms.Nagaoka was the only competitor in the 100-104 year old category.Her race was not a race of speed but of endurance,or not giving up.
Breaking swimming records is nothing new to Ms.Nagaoka.So far she has broken 25 records.But she began competing when she was much younger—at 88.
Ms.Nagaoka sufferred a knee injury in her 80s,so she began swimming to help her body recover.Since her first international swimming competition,she hasn’t looked back,except maybe to see if her competition is catching up.
In 2002.at a masters swim meet in New Zealand,Ms.Nagaoka took the bronze medal in the 50-meter backstroke.In 2004,she won three silver medals at an Italian swim meet.
Masters swimming is a special class of competitive swimming to promote health and friendship among participants.Swimmers compete within age groups of five years.
Japan has a large number of people who live beyond 100 years old.Until she passed away this month,the oldest person in the world was also from Japan.Misao Okawa was born in 1 898.She said her secrets for longevity,or long life,were good genes,regular sleep,sushi and exercise.
1.The underlined word“centenarian”refers to someone who is____.
A.from Japan
B.100 or older
C.an old competitor
D.a new swimmer
2.Which is possibly the age category of the masters swimming competition?
A.82 to 87 years old.
B.93 to 97 years old.
C.95 to 99 years old.
D.106 to 110 years old.
3.It can be inferred from the passage that_____.
A.some people are born with longevity genes
B.people who like swimming live longer
C.the Japanese are interested in swimming
D.woman usually live much longer than men
4.Which can best explain the spirit of Ms.Nagaoka?
A.Not to advance is to go back.
B.After a storm comes a calm.
C.The early bird catches the worm.
D.Keep on going,never give up.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
The other morning on the subway I sat next to an attractive young blonde woman who was reading something on her iPad. She was very well-dressed, carrying a Prada bag with tastefully applied make-up indeed, she had an unmistakable air of wealth, material success and even authority. I suspected she worked as a highly-paid Wall Street lawyer or stockbroker or something of that sort. So, I was curious to see what she was so focused on. The Wall Street Journal perhaps? The Economist?
Quite the contrary; rather, she was concentrating on a romance novel. Then I realized that I have known many women who love romance novels—smart, attractive, successful, “liberated,” modern females who nonetheless find some kind of deep satisfaction and thrill from those hyper-romantic, artificial and extremely unrealistic tales of handsome, manly heroes falling in love with virginal women, enduring a series of adventures, then no doubt having a happy ending.
These romance stories are to literature what hot dogs are to fine food. Yet, the genre(体裁) remains enormously popular. Consider some of these surprising statistics from the good folks at the Romance Writers of America (RWA):
*More than 9,000 romance titles were released last year, with sales of about $1.44 billion (more than triple the taxes produced by classic literary fiction).
*More than 90 percent of the market are women (okay, that’s not at all surprising).
* Readers are typically women between the ages 30 and 54 who are themselves involved in a romantic relationship (betraying the stereotype that only lonely women long for these tales of love and adventure).
*Almost 40 percent of romance book consumers have an annual income of between $50,000 and $99,900 (placing them firmly in the middle class).
I had thought that romance novels accounted for a very small share of the literary market, so I was quite surprised that this part has such enormous popularity. But I must wonder why so many women—forty years after the women’s liberation movement—continue to enjoy themselves in the fanciful tales?
I’m not sure if it represents a kind of “rejection” of the women’s liberation movement, but clearly something is missing in the lives of contemporary ladies. A romance author named Donna Hatch who focuses on the Regency period (early 19th century Britain) explained the appeal of such books this way: “Regency men were civilized and treated women with courtesy. When a lady entered the room, gentlemen stood, doffed their hats, offered an arm, bowed, and a hundred other little things I wish men still did today. But they were also very athletic; they hunted, raced, boxed, rode horses. They were manly. Strong. Noble. Honorable. And that is why I love them!”
Mrs. Hatch may have expressed the secret desires and attitudes of untold millions of her peers—that is, in the early 21st century, have women grown tired of the burdens and expectations that the “freedoms” they have gained give them? Is this a rejection of modern feminism? Do women long for days of old when men were masculine gentlemen and women were feminine and protected as precious treasures and regarded as possessions?
Perhaps most women (even the ones who get lost in romance novels) do not want to go all the way back but it is obvious,______.
1.What is the function of the opening paragraph?
A. To summarize the whole passage. B. To prove the author’s argument.
C. To lead in the main topic of the passage. D. To raise problems that will be solved later.
2.What does the underlined sentence in the third paragraph imply?
A. Romance novels are satisfying and thrilling.
B. Romance novels are not of much “nutrition”.
C. Romance novels are as popular as hot dogs.
D. Romance novels are an essential part of contemporary life.
3.In the author’s opinion, what is missing in the lives of contemporary women?
A. Authority. B. Dignity. C. Liberty. D. Care.
4.Which sentence can be put in the blank in the last paragraph?
A. they prefer tales of innocent romance to classics
B. they are unhappy with how the world has turned out
C. true love described in romance novels does exist in reality
D. romance novels provide them with an access to society
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
The other morning on the subway I sat next to an attractive young blonde woman who was reading something on her iPad. She was very well-dressed, carrying a Prada bag with tastefully applied make-up indeed, she had an unmistakable air of wealth, material success and even authority. I suspected she worked as a highly-paid Wall Street lawyer or stockbroker or something of that sort. So, I was curious to see what she was so focused on. The Wall Street Journal perhaps? The Economist?
Quite the contrary; rather, she was concentrating on a romance novel. Then I realized that I have known many women who love romance novels—smart, attractive, successful, “liberated,” modem females who nonetheless find some kind of deep satisfaction and thrill from those hyper-romantic, artificial and extremely unrealistic tales of handsome, manly heroes falling in love with virginal women, enduring a series of adventures, then no doubt having a happy ending.
These romance stories are to literature what hot dogs are to fine food. Yet, the genre(体裁) remains enormously popular. Consider some of these surprising statistics from the good folks at the Romance Writers of America (RWA):
*More than 9,000 romance titles were released last year, with sales of about $1.44 billion (more than triple the revenues generated by classic literary fiction).
*More than 90 percent of the market are women (okay, that’s not at all surprising).
* Readers are typically women between the ages 30 and 54 who are themselves involved in a romantic relationship (betraying the stereotype that only lonely women long for these tales of love and adventure).
*Almost 40 percent of romance book consumers have an annual income of between $50,000 and $99,900 (placing them firmly in the middle class).
I had thought that romance novels accounted for a very small share of the literary market, so I was quite surprised that this part has such enormous popularity. But I must wonder why so many women—forty years after the women’s liberation movement continue to indulge in the fanciful tales?
I’m not sure if it represents a kind of “rejection” of the women’s liberation movement, but clearly something is missing in the lives of contemporary ladies. A romance author named Donna Hatch who focuses on the Regency period (early 19th century Britain) explained the appeal of such books this way: “Regency men were civilized and treated women with courtesy. When a lady entered the room, gentlemen stood, doffed their hats, offered an arm, bowed, and a hundred other little things I wish men still did today. But they were also very athletic; they hunted, raced, boxed, rode horses. They were manly. Strong. Noble. Honorable. And that is why I love them!”
Mrs. Hatch may have expressed the secret desires and attitudes of untold millions of her peers---that is, in the early 21st century, have women grown tired of the burdens and expectations that the “freedoms” they have gained give them? Is this a rejection of modem feminism? Do women long for days of old when men were masculine gentlemen and women were feminine and protected as precious treasures and regarded as possessions?
Perhaps most women (even the ones who get lost in romance novels) do not want to go all the way back but it is obvious, .
1.What is the function of the opening paragraph?
A. To summarize the whole passage.
B. To prove the author’s argument.
C. To lead in the main topic of the passage.
D. To raise problems that will be solved later.
2.What does the underlined sentence in the third paragraph imply?
A. Romance novels are satisfying and thrilling.
B. Romance novels are not of much “nutrition”.
C. Romance novels are as popular as hot dogs.
D. Romance novels are an essential part of contemporary life.
3.In the author’s opinion, what is missing in the lives of contemporary women?
A. Authority. B. Dignity.
C. Liberty. D. Care.
4.Which sentence can be put in the blank in the last paragraph?
A. they prefer tales of innocent romance to classics
B. they are unhappy with how the world has turned out
C. true love described in romance novels does exist in reality
D. romance novels provide them with an access to society
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
The other morning on the subway I sat next to an attractive young blonde woman who was reading something on her iPad. She was very well-dressed, carrying a Prada bag with tastefully applied make-up indeed, she had an unmistakable air of wealth, material success and even authority. I suspected she worked as a highly-paid Wall Street lawyer or stockbroker or something of that sort. So, I was curious to see what she was so focused on. The Wall Street Journal perhaps? The Economist?
Quite the contrary; rather, she was concentrating on a romance novel. Then I realized that I have known many women who love romance novels—smart, attractive, successful, “liberated,” modern females who nonetheless find some kind of deep satisfaction and thrill from those hyper-romantic, artificial and extremely unrealistic tales of handsome, manly heroes falling in love with virginal women, enduring a series of adventures, then no doubt having a happy ending.
These romance stories are to literature what hot dogs are to fine food. Yet, the genre(体裁) remains enormously popular. Consider some of these surprising statistics from the good folks at the Romance Writers of America (RWA):
*More than 9,000 romance titles were released last year, with sales of about $1.44 billion (more than triple the taxes produced by classic literary fiction).
*More than 90 percent of the market are women (okay, that’s not at all surprising).
* Readers are typically women between the ages 30 and 54 who are themselves involved in a romantic relationship (betraying the stereotype that only lonely women long for these tales of love and adventure).
*Almost 40 percent of romance book consumers have an annual income of between $50,000 and $99,900 (placing them firmly in the middle class).
I had thought that romance novels accounted for a very small share of the literary market, so I was quite surprised that this part has such enormous popularity. But I must wonder why so many women—forty years after the women’s liberation movement—continue to enjoy themselves in the fanciful tales?
I’m not sure if it represents a kind of “rejection” of the women’s liberation movement, but clearly something is missing in the lives of contemporary ladies. A romance author named Donna Hatch who focuses on the Regency period (early 19th century Britain) explained the appeal of such books this way: “Regency men were civilized and treated women with courtesy. When a lady entered the room, gentlemen stood, doffed their hats, offered an arm, bowed, and a hundred other little things I wish men still did today. But they were also very athletic; they hunted, raced, boxed, rode horses. They were manly. Strong. Noble. Honorable. And that is why I love them!”
Mrs. Hatch may have expressed the secret desires and attitudes of untold millions of her peers—that is, in the early 21st century, have women grown tired of the burdens and expectations that the “freedoms” they have gained give them? Is this a rejection of modern feminism? Do women long for days of old when men were masculine gentlemen and women were feminine and protected as precious treasures and regarded as possessions?
Perhaps most women (even the ones who get lost in romance novels) do not want to go all the way back but it is obvious,______.
1.What is the function of the opening paragraph?
A. To summarize the whole passage. B. To prove the author’s argument.
C. To lead in the main topic of the passage. D. To raise problems that will be solved later.
2.What does the underlined sentence in the third paragraph imply?
A. Romance novels are satisfying and thrilling.
B. Romance novels are not of much “nutrition”.
C. Romance novels are as popular as hot dogs.
D. Romance novels are an essential part of contemporary life.
3.In the author’s opinion, what is missing in the lives of contemporary women?
A. Authority. B. Dignity. C. Liberty. D. Care.
4.Which sentence can be put in the blank in the last paragraph?
A. they prefer tales of innocent romance to classics
B. they are unhappy with how the world has turned out
C. true love described in romance novels does exist in reality
D. romance novels provide them with an access to society
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
The other morning on the subway I sat next to an attractive young blonde woman who was reading something on her iPad. She was very well-dressed, carrying a Prada bag with tastefully applied make-up indeed, she had an unmistakable air of wealth, material success and even authority. I suspected she worked as a highly-paid Wall Street lawyer or stockbroker or something of that sort. So, I was curious to see what she was so focused on. The Wall Street Journal perhaps? The Economist?
Quite the contrary; rather, she was concentrating on a romance novel. Then I realized that I have known many women who love romance novels—smart, attractive, successful, “liberated,” modem females who nonetheless find some kind of deep satisfaction and thrill from those hyper-romantic, artificial and extremely unrealistic tales of handsome, manly heroes falling in love with virginal women, enduring a series of adventures, then no doubt having a happy ending.
These romance stories are to literature what hot dogs are to fine food. Yet, the genre(体裁) remains enormously popular. Consider some of these surprising statistics from the good folks at the Romance Writers of America (RWA):
*More than 9,000 romance titles were released last year, with sales of about $1.44 billion (more than triple the revenues generated by classic literary fiction).
*More than 90 percent of the market are women (okay, that’s not at all surprising).
* Readers are typically women between the ages 30 and 54 who are themselves involved in a romantic relationship (betraying the stereotype that only lonely women long for these tales of love and adventure).
*Almost 40 percent of romance book consumers have an annual income of between $50,000 and $99,900 (placing them firmly in the middle class).
I had thought that romance novels accounted for a very small share of the literary market, so I was quite surprised that this part has such enormous popularity. But I must wonder why so many women—forty years after the women’s liberation movement continue to indulge in the fanciful tales?
I’m not sure if it represents a kind of “rejection” of the women’s liberation movement, but clearly something is missing in the lives of contemporary ladies. A romance author named Donna Hatch who focuses on the Regency period (early 19th century Britain) explained the appeal of such books this way: “Regency men were civilized and treated women with courtesy. When a lady entered the room, gentlemen stood, doffed their hats, offered an arm, bowed, and a hundred other little things I wish men still did today. But they were also very athletic; they hunted, raced, boxed, rode horses. They were manly. Strong. Noble. Honorable. And that is why I love them!”
Mrs. Hatch may have expressed the secret desires and attitudes of untold millions of her peers---that is, in the early 21st century, have women grown tired of the burdens and expectations that the “freedoms” they have gained give them? Is this a rejection of modem feminism? Do women long for days of old when men were masculine gentlemen and women were feminine and protected as precious treasures and regarded as possessions?
Perhaps most women (even the ones who get lost in romance novels) do not want to go all the way back but it is obvious, .
1.What is the function of the opening paragraph?
A. To summarize the whole passage.
B. To prove the author’s argument.
C. To lead in the main topic of the passage.
D. To raise problems that will be solved later.
2.What does the underlined sentence in the third paragraph imply?
A. Romance novels are satisfying and thrilling.
B. Romance novels are not of much “nutrition”.
C. Romance novels are as popular as hot dogs.
D. Romance novels are an essential part of contemporary life.
3.In the author’s opinion, what is missing in the lives of contemporary women?
A. Authority. B. Dignity. C. Liberty. D. Care.
4.Which sentence can be put in the blank in the last paragraph?
A. they prefer tales of innocent romance to classics
B. they are unhappy with how the world has turned out
C. true love described in romance novels does exist in reality
D. romance novels provide them with an access to society
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析