Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908-2004) is one of the most original and influential figures in the history of photography. His photographs helped establish photojournalism as an art form.
Henri's family was wealthy—his father made a fortune as a textile manufacturer—but Henri later joked that due to his parents' economical ways, it often seemed as though his family was poor.
Educated in Paris, Henri developed an early love for literature and arts. As a teenager, Henri was against his parents' formal ways of education. In his early adulthood, he fell in love with several appetites, but it was art that remained at the center of his life.
Henri traveled to Africa in 1931 to hunt antelope and boar. And Africa fueled another interest in him: photography. He then wandered around the world with his camera, using a handheld camera to catch images from fleeting moments of everyday life.
Not long after World War Ⅱ, Henri traveled east, spending considerable time in India, where he met and photographed Gandhi shortly before he was killed in 1948. Henri's work to document Gandhi's death and its immediate effect on the country became one of Life Magazine's most prized photo essays.
Henri's approach to photography remained much the same throughout his life. He made clear his dislike of images that had been improved by artificial light, darkroom effects, and even cutting. The naturalist in Henri believed that all editing should be done when the photo is taken. In 1952, his first book, The Decisive Moment, a rich collection of his work spanning two decades, was published. "There is nothing in this world that does not have a decisive moment," he said.
In 1968, he began to turn away from photography and returned to his passion for drawing and painting.
1.Which of the following is true about Henri's photography career?
A. He developed a passion for photography when traveling to Africa.
B. He quit photography on publishing The Decisive Moment.
C. He documented Gandhi's everyday life.
D. He devoted all his life to photography.
2.Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined word in paragraph 2?
A. Costly. B. Generous.
C. Financial. D. Saving.
3.What is special about Henri's approach to photography?
A. He only shot photos at decisive moments.
B. He preferred to edit his images in his darkroom.
C. His most photos described things in their natural ways.
D. He tried different ways and settled on being a naturalist.
高二英语阅读理解困难题
Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908-2004) is one of the most original and influential figures in the history of photography. His photographs helped establish photojournalism as an art form.
Henri's family was wealthy—his father made a fortune as a textile manufacturer—but Henri later joked that due to his parents' economical ways, it often seemed as though his family was poor.
Educated in Paris, Henri developed an early love for literature and arts. As a teenager, Henri was against his parents' formal ways of education. In his early adulthood, he fell in love with several appetites, but it was art that remained at the center of his life.
Henri traveled to Africa in 1931 to hunt antelope and boar. And Africa fueled another interest in him: photography. He then wandered around the world with his camera, using a handheld camera to catch images from fleeting moments of everyday life.
Not long after World War Ⅱ, Henri traveled east, spending considerable time in India, where he met and photographed Gandhi shortly before he was killed in 1948. Henri's work to document Gandhi's death and its immediate effect on the country became one of Life Magazine's most prized photo essays.
Henri's approach to photography remained much the same throughout his life. He made clear his dislike of images that had been improved by artificial light, darkroom effects, and even cutting. The naturalist in Henri believed that all editing should be done when the photo is taken. In 1952, his first book, The Decisive Moment, a rich collection of his work spanning two decades, was published. "There is nothing in this world that does not have a decisive moment," he said.
In 1968, he began to turn away from photography and returned to his passion for drawing and painting.
1.Which of the following is true about Henri's photography career?
A. He developed a passion for photography when traveling to Africa.
B. He quit photography on publishing The Decisive Moment.
C. He documented Gandhi's everyday life.
D. He devoted all his life to photography.
2.Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined word in paragraph 2?
A. Costly. B. Generous.
C. Financial. D. Saving.
3.What is special about Henri's approach to photography?
A. He only shot photos at decisive moments.
B. He preferred to edit his images in his darkroom.
C. His most photos described things in their natural ways.
D. He tried different ways and settled on being a naturalist.
高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
Susan Sontag (1933 — 2004) was one of the most noticeable figures in the world of literature. For more than 40 years she made it morally necessary to know everything — to read every book worth reading, to see every movie worth seeing. When she was still in her early 30s, publishing essays in such important magazines as Partisan Review, she appeared as the symbol of American cultural life, trying hard to follow every new development in literature, film and art. With great effort and serious judgment, Sontag walked at the latest edges of world culture.
Seriousness was one of Sontag’s lifelong watchwords（格言）, but at a time when the barriers between the well-educated and the poor-educated were obvious, she argued for a true openness to the pleasures of pop culture. In ‘‘Notes on Camp”, the 1964 essay that first made her name, she explained what was then a little-known set of difficult understandings, through which she could not have been more famous. ‘“Notes on Camp”, she wrote, represents “a victory of ‘form’ over ‘content’ ,‘beauty’ over ‘morals’”.
By conviction（信念）she was a sensualist（感觉论者）, but by nature she was a moralist（伦理论者）, and in the works she published in the 1970s and 1980s, it was the latter side of her that came forward. In Illness as Metaphor — published in 1978, after she suffered cancer — she argued against the idea that cancer was somehow a special problem of repressed personalities （被压抑的个性）, a concept that effectively blamed the victim for the disease. In fact, re-examining old positions was her lifelong habit.
In America, her story of a 19th century Polish actress who set up a perfect society in California, won the National Book Award in 2000. But it was as a tireless, all-purpose cultural view that she made her lasting fame. “Sometimes,” she once said, “I feel that, in the end, all I am really defending ... is the idea of seriousness, of true seriousness.” And in the end, she made us take it seriously too.
1.The underlined sentence in Paragraph 1 means Sontag _____ .
A. was a symbol of American cultural life B. developed world literature, film and art
C. published many essays about world culture
D. kept pace with the newest development of world culture
2.She first won her name through _____ .
A. her story of a Polish actress B. her book Illness as Metaphor
C. publishing essays in magazines like Partisan Review
D. her explanation of a set of difficult understandings
3.According to the passage, Susan Sontag ______.
A. was a sensualist as well as a moralist B. looked down, upon the pop culture
C. thought content was more important than form
D. blamed the victim of cancer for being repressed
4.As for Susan Sontag’s lifelong habit, she ______.
A. misunderstood the idea of seriousness B. re-examined old positions
C. argued for an openness to pop culture D. preferred morals to beauty
5.Susan Sontag’s lasting fame was made upon _____ .
A. a tireless, all-purpose cultural view B. her lifelong watchword: seriousness
C. publishing books on morals D. enjoying books worth reading and movies worth seeing
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Susan Sontag (1933—2004) was one of the most noticeable figures in the world of literature. For more than 40 years she made it morally necessary to know everything — to read every book worth reading, to see every movie worth seeing. When she was still in her early 30s, publishing essays in such important magazines as Partisan Review, she appeared as the symbol of American culture life, trying hard to follow every new development in literature, film and art. With great effort and serious judgment, Sontag walked at the latest edges of world culture.
Seriousness was one of Sontag’s lifelong watchwords (格言), but at a time when the barriers (障碍)between the well-educated and the poor-educated were obvious, she argued for a true openness to the pleasure of pop culture. In “Notes Camp”, the 1964 essay that first made her name, she explained what was then a little-known set of difficult understandings, through which she could not have been more famous. “Notes on Camp”, she wrote, represents “a victory of ‘form’ over ‘content’, ‘beauty’ over ‘morals’ ”.
By conviction (信念) she was a sensualist(感觉论者), but by nature she was a moralist(伦理学者), and in the works she published in the 1970s and 1980s , it was the latter side of her that came forward. In illness as Metaphor —published in 1978, after she suffered cancer—she argued against the idea that cancer was somehow a special problem of repressed personalities (被压抑的性格), a concept that effectively blamed the victim for the disease. In fact, re-examining old positions was her lifelong habit.
In America, her story of a 19th century Polish actress who set up a perfect society in California, won the National Book Award in 2000. But it was as a tireless all-purpose cultural view that she made her lasting fame. “Sometimes,” she once said,“I feel that, in the end, all I am really defending …is the idea of seriousness, of true seriousness.” And in the end, she made us take it seriously too.
1.The underlined sentence in paragraph 1 means Sontag ______.
A. was a symbol of American cultural life
B. developed world literature, film and art
C. published many essays about world culture
D. kept pace with the newest development of world culture
2.She first won her name through ___________.
A. her story of a Polish actress
B. her book illness as Metaphor
C. publishing essays in magazines like partisan Review
D. her explanation of a set of difficult understandings
3.According to the passage, Susan Sontag ________.
A. was a sensualist as well as a moralist
B. looked down upon the pop culture
C. thought content was more important than form
D. blamed the victim of cancer for being repressed
4.As for Susan Sontag’s lifelong habit, she __________.
A. misunderstood the idea of seriousness
B. re-examined old positions
C. argued for an openness to pop culture
D. preferred morals to beauty
5.Susan Sontag’s lasting fame was made upon___________.
A. a tireless, all-purpose cultural view
B. her lifelong watchword：seriousness
C. publishing books on morals
D. enjoying books worth reading and movies worth seeing
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Theater is one of the oldest and most important art forms in world culture, it is also one of the richest art forms. Many people work together to bring a play to life. There are playwrights, directors, set designers, costumers, lighting technicians, and, of course, actors. If the performance is a musical, the skills of a songwriter, a choreographer, and musicians are also required. The excitement of opening night can be felt by the people waiting to watch a performance and by the performers and workers backstage waiting for the curtain to go up. Live theater is thrilling because no one really knows how well the play will go until it is performed.
The word theater comes from the Greek theatron, which means “a place for seeing.” One concept from Greek theater that is still seen in some plays today is the “Greek Chorus”. This consists of several actors or characters watching the action of the play(almost like the audience) and then commenting on what whey just saw with either reactions or dialogue.
Although most people think of the theater in terms of a play performed on the stage, theater has taken on a much broader meaning in the modern world. You may find yourself walking into a theater with no seats in the rows. Instead, you are seated among the set pieces, which makes you part of the setting. Sometimes theater may come to life on a street corner, or in a classroom. The excitement of theater is in its very nature----it is an art form that changes as it is interpreted(诠释) in different ways by different people. That is probably why the works of the greatest playwright of all time, William Shakespeare, are still performed and enjoyed today, both in classic and new interpretations.
1.What does the word “richest” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?
A. diverse. B. wealthy. C. terrifying. D. entertaining.
2.Why is live theater so exciting according to the text?
A. Plays are usually well written. B. It is often interpreted by skilled actors.
C. No one can predict its success or failure. D. There are so many people working on it.
3.What is suggested about the plays of Shakespeare in the text?
A. They are more often given new interpretations today than in the past.
B. They are more popular today than during Shakespeare’ s time.
C. They will always be considered the world’s greatest.
D. They have been performed in a variety of ways.
4.What is the best title for the text?
A. A vital part of theater: Greek Chorus B. Modern theater: adventures in acting
C. Shakespeare: our greatest playwright D. Theater: an exciting art form
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Venice is one of the most beautiful cities of the world. Venice is a cultural and tourist center and is famous for its museums, architecture, cityscape and world of art.
Only about 25 % of Venice’s 280, 000 people live in the historical center of the city. 1. The main method of transportation between the islands is by taking boats that travel up and down the city’s many canals. The main waterway is the Grand Canal, which winds through the heart of Venice. Hundreds of bridges connect the island.
2. The city’s most famous church, Saint Mark’s Basilica, and the Doge’s Palace which was the home of Venice’s rulers for hundreds of years, are the main attractions of the piazza. The square is a famous tourist attraction surrounded by cafes and vendor(大排档，小贩).
East of the historical center on the outer part of the lagoon (环礁湖) is Lido, a 10km long sandy island. 3. The Venice Film Festival is one of the major annual film events that take place there.
The location of the city at sea level and global warming have caused many problems for Venice. 4. From November to February they cause a situation in which sea level rises up to one and a half meters and cover many of Venice’s famous areas.
Salt water from the sea has damaged the foundations of many buildings and constant repairs are necessary. 5. Industries and tourism have steadily reduced the level of ground water in Venice, making foundations of building unstable.
A. Over the centuries the Mediterranean town has been regularly flooded by tides.
B. The central location of Venice is the Piazza San Marco or Saint Mark’s Square.
C. It attracts thousands of beach--goers throughout the summer holidays.
D. Water gets into the buildings, and destroys the walls.
E. The cost of living is also lower, in Venice.
F. The rest live on the mainland.
G. The city is full of tourists.
高二英语七选五中等难度题查看答案及解析
Explore the State of California
California is one of the most interesting states of America that offers a lot of wonderful sceneries and fun attractions. It is also the most populated state and the third largest in land area. Anyone who has been to California would agree that it is indeed a place that offers a lot to tourists of all ages. Here are some top picks of the best places to visit in California State.
San Francisco Bay Area - Witness the famous San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge which is one of the city's landmarks; and enjoy the beauty of Fisherman's Wharf that offers a lot of seafood restaurants. You should not miss the city's world-famous Cable Car System which is by far the only manually operated cable car system in the whole world.
Yosemite National Park - This is one of the very first wilderness parks in the whole of America. It is known for its natural beauty and breathtaking sceneries. It offers a breath of fresh air away from the city life. Major places to visit include the Yosemite Falls, Sentinel Dome, El Capitan, Mariposa Grove and Glacier Point among many others.
Los Angeles - Explore the home of the L.A. Lakers and do not fail to visit the Disneyland which is one of the major attractions of the city. The warm weather in Los Angeles makes it possible to do a lot of outdoor activities especially during the summer months. It is a family-friendly place that offers a wonderful shopping and dining experience. For those who particularly love the city and night life, L.A. can offer the best of almost everything.
Napa Valley - With over a million visitors every year, Napa Valley is indeed a place you should not miss if you are in California. It is California's most popular wine growing region. You can also experience the Wine Train and hot air balloon ride over the valley.
1. From the first paragraph, we know that_____.
A. the State of California has the largest population in the US
B. California offers a lot to tourists of young people
C. California is also the largest in land area
D. California is the most interesting state of America
2.. According to the passage, if you want to breathe the fresh air, you’ll go to _____.
A. San Francisco Bay Area
B. Yosemite National Park
C. Los Angeles
D. Napa Valley
3.. The underlined word “region” in the last paragraph may probably mean _____.
A. company B. valley C.factory D. area
4.. Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A. Napa Valley will bring us a wonderful shopping and dining experience.
B. San Francisco Bay Area is California's most popular wine growing region.
C. Los Angeles allows us to visit the Disneyland and enjoy almost everything.
D. In Yosemite National Park, we can see the Yosemite Falls, Golden Gate Bridge.
高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
Culture is one of the most challenging elements of the international marketplace. This system of learned behavior patterns characteristic of the members of a given society is constantly shaped by a set of dynamic variables(变量): language, religion, values and attitudes, manners and customs, aesthetics, technology, education, and social institutions. To deal with this system, an international manager needs both factual and interpretive knowledge of culture. To some extent, the factual knowledge can be learned; its interpretation comes only through experience.
The most complicated problems in dealing with the cultural environment lie in the fact that one cannot learn culture—one has to live it. Two schools of thought exist in the business world on how to deal with cultural differences. One is that business is business the world around, following the model of Pepsi and McDonald’s. In some cases, globalization is a fact of life; however, cultural differences are still far from disappearing.
The other school suggests that companies must adjust business approaches to individual cultures. Setting up policies and procedures in each country has been compared to an organ transplant; the critical question centers around acceptance or rejection. The major challenge to the international manager is to make sure that rejection is not a result of cultural myopia(近视) or even blindness.
Fortune examined the international performance of a dozen large companies that earn 20 percent or more of their revenue overseas. The internationally successful companies all share an important quality: patience. They have not rushed into situations but rather built their operations carefully by following the most basic business principles. These principles are to know your rivals, know your audience, and know your customer.
1.According to the passage, which of the following is true?
A. Business diversity is not necessary.
B. All international managers can learn culture.
C. Most people do not know foreign culture well.
D. Views differ on how to treat culture in business world.
2.According to the author, the model of Pepsi ________ .
A. is different from the model of McDonald’s .
B. reflect the idea that business is business.
C. has converged cultural differences .
D. shows the reverse of globalization .
3.The two schools of thought________.
A. both think dealing with cultural environment is the most complicated problem in business
B. both admit the existence of cultural diversity in business world.
C. both advocate that different policies be set up in different countries.
D.both propose that companies should tailor business approaches to individual cultures.
4.This article is supposed to be most useful for those________ .
A. who have connections to more than one type of culture
B. who are interested in researching the topic of cultural diversity
C. who want to run business in other countries
D. who want to travel abroad
高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
One of the qualities that most people admire in others is the willingness to admit one's mistakes. It is extremely hard sometimes to say a simple thing like“I was wrong about that,” and it is even harder to say,“I was wrong, and you were right about that.”
I had an experience recently with someone admitting to me that he had made a mistake fifteen years ago. He told me he had been the manager of a certain store in the neighborhood where I grew up, and he asked me if I remembered the egg cartons (in many countries, eggs are sold by the dozen and are put in cartons.) Then he related an incident (event, matter) and I began to remember unclearly the incident he was describing.
I was about eight years old at the time. I went into the store with my mother to do some shopping. On that particular day, I must have found my way to the food department where the incident took place.
There must have been a special sale on eggs that day because there were lots of eggs in dozen and half-dozen cartons. The cartons were put three or four feet high. I must have stopped in front of the piles of egg cartons. Just then a woman came by pushing her shopping cart and knocked off the cartons. For some reason, I decided it was up to me to put the eggs back together, so I went to work.
The manager heard the noise and came rushing over to see what had happened. When he appeared, I was on my knees looking at some of the cartons to see if any of the eggs were broken, but to him it looked as though I was the one who just did it. He severely reprimanded me and wanted me to pay for any broken eggs. I tried to explain, but it did no good. Even though I quickly forgot all about the incident, it is plain that the manager did not.
1.Which is the correct order of the following?
a. I forgot all about the incident.
b. I went into the store.
c. A woman knocked off the egg cartons.
d. I stood in front of the egg cartons.
e. The manager reminded me of the incident.
f. The manager didn't believe my explanation.
g. I picked up the unbroken eggs.
A. b; d; g; c; a; f; e B. b; d; c; g; f; e; a
C. b; c; d ;g; e; f; a D. b; d; c; g; f; a; e
2.The word “reprimanded” in the last paragraph most exactly means “_________ ”.
A. frightened B. scolded
C. warned D. comforted
3.The best title for this passage should be________ .
A. A Case of Mistake B. The Manager I Never Forget
C. The Manager and I D. An Incident 15 Years Ago
高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
Overview of the recommended travel guides
◆Amsterdam Destination Guide
Amsterdam is one of the most popular travel destinations in the world, famous for its beautiful canals, top art museum, cycling culture. Most visitors begin their Amsterdam adventure in the Old Centre，which is full of traditional architecture, shopping centers ，and coffee shops. The top museums to visit are the Rijksmusuem, the Ann Frank House, and the Van Gogh Museum.
◆Copenhagen Destination Guide
Like Amsterdam, Copenhagen is one of the world’s best cycling cities. To see the city with ease, rent a bike or take a small group tour to see the sights, including the Little Mermaid, the island Amager, and the community of Christiania. You can also take a canal boat tour to see the city from a unique perspective. There are some excellent museums to explore.
◆Bangkok Destination Guide
Travel in Bangkok is often described as a whirlwind(旋风)—It’s hot, crowded and full of unusual and exciting energy. This popular tourism destination is a city of extremes with grand temples, floating markets, romantic rooftop restaurants, and a wide range of accommodations to suit every budget.
Bangkok is sometimes referred to as the “Venice of the East” because of is network of canals, so take a boat tour to scee sights like the Khmer wats and the riverside dwellings.
◆Azores Destination Guide
The Azores is a charming region of Portugal that’s made up of nine volcanic islands in the North Atlantic Ocean. Compared to many island destinations, the Azores aren’t touristy, noisy, or polluted. Instead, travelers can expect to discover untouched nature, and charming villages with rich cultural traditions. Nature lovers will be thrilled to discover all of the outdoor shot trips available to them in the Azores.
1.Which of the following can visitors enjoy more natural beauty?
A. Amsterdam.
B. Azores.
C. Bangkok.
D. Copenhagen.
2.What do you know about Bangkok?
A. It has pleasant weather.
B. Its buildings are similar to Venice.
C. Every visitor can find proper hotels.
D. Visitors can see sights only by boat.
3.What do the four destinations have in common?
A. They have cycling culture.
B. They are very noisy places.
C. They have many famous museums.
D. They have convenient water transport.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
One of the most striking findings of a recent questionnaire in the UK is that of the people interviewed, one in two believes that it is becoming more difficult to meet someone to start a family with.
Why are many people finding it increasingly difficult to start and keep close relationships? Does modern life really make it harder to fall in love? Or are we making it harder for ourselves?
It is certainly the case today that nowadays couples benefit in different ways from relationships. Women no longer rely upon partners for economic security or status. A man doesn’t expect his wife to be in sole (唯一的) charge of running his household and raising his children.
But perhaps the knowledge that we can live perfectly well without a partnership means that it takes much more to persuade people to abandon their independence.
In theory, finding a partner should be much simpler these days. Only a few generations ago，your choice of soul mate was limited by geography, social convention and family tradition. Although it was never clear, many marriages were essentially arranged. Now those barriers have been broken down. You can approach a builder or a brain surgeon in any bar in any city on any given evening. When the world is your oyster（牡蛎）, you surely have a better chance of finding a pearl.
But it seems that the traditions have been replaced by an even tighter restriction：the limitation of choice. The expectations of partners are made greater to an unmanageable degree：good looks, impressive salary, kind to grandmother, and so on. There is no room for error in the first impression.
We think that a relationship can be perfect. If it isn’t，it is intended to be thrown away. We work to protect ourselves against future heartache and don’t put in the hard emotional labor needed to build a strong relationship. Twelve-hour work at the office makes relaxed after-hours dating(约会) difficult. The cost of housing and child-raising creates pressure to have a stable(稳定的) income and career before a life partnership.
1. Nowadays, in a family, _________.
A. men begin to depend on women
B. couples share the burdens
C. men are responsible for housework
D. couples can’t get along together
2. People don’t want to give up their independence because______.
A. they can’t bear arranged marriages
B. they want to have more choices
C. they don’t want to follow traditions
D. they think they can live happily alone
3. People don’t bother to date because_______.
A. it requires luck to build a strong relationship
B. it takes them too much energy to work
C. it needs faith to have a life partnership
D. it causes mental problems to find a life partner
4. Which of the following can best describe the main idea of the passage?
A. The expectations of partners and financial pressure may prevent a relationship.
B. People should spend more money on marriage today.
C. Independence is much more important than love.
D. Even a perfect marriage can be given up for the sake of independence.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析