When a big exam is coming up, you probably fe...

When a big exam is coming up, you probably feel anxious about any wasted time and want to begin school as soon as you probably can.

But tens of thousands of British high school students will soon be getting up later. They’re taking part in a new experiment by Oxford University to see if later classes can improve their exam results.

Grades 10 students in the UK have to take the nationwide General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) exams. They have to pass these exams in order to study more advanced courses, and later apply for universities.

The Oxford University project means that GCSE students from more than 100 schools across England will start school at 10 am, more than one hour later than the current start time (8:50 am).

The project is based on scientific evidence that teenagers are “out of sync(同步)” with traditional school hours, the Telegraph reported. And what they need is more sleep in the morning.

“We know that something funny happens when you’re a teenager, in that you seem to be out of sync with the world,” said professor Colin Epsie, who is leading the study. “Your parents think it’s because you are lazy and opinionated（固执己见的）and everything will be OK if you could get to sleep earlier. But science is telling us that teenagers need to sleep more in the mornings.”

Everyone follows a natural cycle of sleep and wakefulne ss. Biology has decided that teenagers go to sleep around midnight and don’t feel fully awake until 9-10 am, according to scientists. That’s two hours later than adults. And their body clocks stay like this until the age of around 21 for males, and 19 for females.

“Society provides school for learning, but the brain provides sleep. So we are exploring the possibility that if you delay the schools start time until 10 am, that will improve learning performance,” said Epsie.

The results could be positive, based on previous studies.

An early study at the UK’s Monkseaton High School in 2009 found that starting an hour later improved grades in core subjects by 19 percent.

The Oxford project is expecting to publish the results in 2018. It’s time to wait and see whether scientists will give us an excuse to get up late.

1.According to the article, students who take part in the Oxford University project 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 _________.

A. will start school one hour earlier

B. will no longer have to take GCSE exams

C. will perform better academically than those who don’t participate

D. will be guaranteed more sleeping time in the morning

2. The underlined phrase “out of sync”in Paragraph 5 probably means _____________ .

A. breaking the habit of doing something

B. getting used to doing something

C. having no idea of something

D. having trouble keeping up with something

3.We can infer from the article that _______________ .

A. the Oxford University project is targeted at all British high schools

B. getting up late is a sign of laziness in the eyes of most British parents

C. children and adults have different natural cycles of sleep and wakefulness

D. there is still no scientific evidence that supports a late school start time

4. What is the author’s attitude toward the Oxford University project ?

A. Critical　　　　 B. Optimistic

C. Doubtful　　　　 D. Uninterested

5. What’s the best title of the article ?

A. Wake up late to excel

B. It’s never too late to learn

C. The later you get up, the better you’ll learn

D. An excuse to get up late

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

When a big exam is coming up, you probably feel anxious about any wasted time and want to begin school as soon as you probably can.

But tens of thousands of British high school students will soon be getting up later. They’re taking part in a new experiment by Oxford University to see if later classes can improve their exam results.

Grades 10 students in the UK have to take the nationwide General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) exams. They have to pass these exams in order to study more advanced courses, and later apply for universities.

The Oxford University project means that GCSE students from more than 100 schools across England will start school at 10 am, more than one hour later than the current start time (8:50 am).

The project is based on scientific evidence that teenagers are “out of sync(同步)” with traditional school hours, the Telegraph reported. And what they need is more sleep in the morning.

“We know that something funny happens when you’re a teenager, in that you seem to be out of sync with the world,” said professor Colin Epsie, who is leading the study. “Your parents think it’s because you are lazy and opinionated（固执己见的）and everything will be OK if you could get to sleep earlier. But science is telling us that teenagers need to sleep more in the mornings.”

Everyone follows a natural cycle of sleep and wakefulne ss. Biology has decided that teenagers go to sleep around midnight and don’t feel fully awake until 9-10 am, according to scientists. That’s two hours later than adults. And their body clocks stay like this until the age of around 21 for males, and 19 for females.

“Society provides school for learning, but the brain provides sleep. So we are exploring the possibility that if you delay the schools start time until 10 am, that will improve learning performance,” said Epsie.

The results could be positive, based on previous studies.

An early study at the UK’s Monkseaton High School in 2009 found that starting an hour later improved grades in core subjects by 19 percent.

The Oxford project is expecting to publish the results in 2018. It’s time to wait and see whether scientists will give us an excuse to get up late.

1.According to the article, students who take part in the Oxford University project 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 _________.

A. will start school one hour earlier

B. will no longer have to take GCSE exams

C. will perform better academically than those who don’t participate

D. will be guaranteed more sleeping time in the morning

2. The underlined phrase “out of sync”in Paragraph 5 probably means _____________ .

A. breaking the habit of doing something

B. getting used to doing something

C. having no idea of something

D. having trouble keeping up with something

3.We can infer from the article that _______________ .

A. the Oxford University project is targeted at all British high schools

B. getting up late is a sign of laziness in the eyes of most British parents

C. children and adults have different natural cycles of sleep and wakefulness

D. there is still no scientific evidence that supports a late school start time

4. What is the author’s attitude toward the Oxford University project ?

A. Critical　　　　 B. Optimistic

C. Doubtful　　　　 D. Uninterested

5. What’s the best title of the article ?

A. Wake up late to excel

B. It’s never too late to learn

C. The later you get up, the better you’ll learn

D. An excuse to get up late

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

You get anxious if there’s no wi-fi in the hotel or mobile phone signal up the mountain. You feel upset if your phone is getting low on power and you secretly worry things will go wrong at work if you’re not there. All these can be called “always on” stress caused by smart phone addiction(上瘾).

For some people, smart phones have freed them from the nine-to-five work. Flexible working has given them more autonomy (自主权) in their working lives and enabled them to spend more time with their friends and families. For many others, though, smart phones have become cruel masters in their pockets, never allowing them to turn them off and relax.

Pittsburgh-based developer Kevin Holesh was worried about how much he was ignoring his family and friends in favor of his iPhone. So he developed an app — Moment — to monitor his usage. The app enables users to see how much time they’re spending on the device(设备) and set up warnings if the usage limits are broken. “Moment’s goal is to promote balance in your life,” his website explains. “Some time on your phone, some time off it enjoying your loving family and friends around you.”

Dr. Christine Grant, an occupational psychologist at Coventry University, said, “The effects of this ‘always on’ culture are that your mind is never resting, and you’re not giving your body time to recover, so you’re always stressed. And the more tired and stressed we get, the more mistakes we make. Physical and mental health can suffer.”

And as the number of connected smart phones is increasing, so is the amount of data. This is leading to a sort of decision paralysis (瘫痪) and is creating more stress in the workplace because people have to receive a broader range of data and communications which are often difficult to manage. “It actually makes it more difficult to make decisions and many do less because they’re controlled by it all and feel they can never escape the office,” said Dr. Christine Grant.

1.What’s the first paragraph mainly about?

A. The popularity of smart phones.

B. The progress of modern technology.

C. The signs of “always on” stress.

D. The cause of smart phone addiction.

2.Kevin Holesh developed Moment to_______.

A. research how people use their mobile phones

B. help people control their use of mobile phones

C. make people better use mobile phones

D. increase the fun of using mobile phones

3.What’s Dr. Christine Grant’s attitude towards “always on” culture?

A. Confused.　　　　　 B. Positive.

C. Doubtful.　　　　 D. Critical.

4.According to the last paragraph, a greater amount of data means_______.

A. we will become less productive

B. we can make a decision more quickly　

C. we will be equipped with more knowledge

D. we can work more effectively

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

You get anxious if there’s no wi-fi in the hotel or mobile phone signal up the mountain. You feel upset if your phone is getting low on power and you secretly worry things will go wrong at work if you’re not there. All these can be called “always on” stress caused by smart phone addiction.

For some people, smart phones have set them free from the nine-to-five work. Flexible working has given them more control over their working lives and enabled them to spend more time with their friends and families. For many others though, smart phones have become cruel masters in their pockets, never allowing them to turn them off and relax.

Pittsburgh-based developer Kevin Holesh was worried about how much he was ignoring his family and friends in favor of his iPhone. So he developed an app — Moment — to monitor his usage. The app enables users to see how much time they’re spending on the device and set up warnings if the usage limits are broken. “Moment’s goal is to promote balance in your life,” his website explains. “Some time on your phone, some time off it enjoying your loving family and friends around you.”

Dr. Christine Grant, an occupational psychologist at Coventry University, said, “The effects of this ‘always on’ culture are that your mind is never resting, and you’re not giving your body time to recover, so you’re always stressed. And the more tired and stressed we get, the more mistakes we make. Physical and mental health can suffer.”

And as the number of connected smart phones is increasing, so is the amount of data. This is leading to a sort of decision paralysis (瘫痪) and is creating more stress in the workplace because people have to receive a broader range of data and communications which are often difficult to manage. “It actually makes it more difficult to make decisions and many do less because they’re controlled by it all and feel they can never escape the office,” said Dr. Christine Grant.

1.What’s the first paragraph mainly about?

A. The popularity of smart phones.

B. The progress of modern technology.

C. The signs of “always on” stress.

D. The solutions of smart phone addiction.

2. Kevin Holesh developed Moment to __________.

A. research how people use their mobile phones

B. help people control their use of mobile phones

C. make people better use mobile phones

D. increase the fun of using mobile phones

3.What’s Dr. Christine Grant’s attitude towards “always on” culture?

A. Confused.　　　　　　 B. Positive.

C. Doubtful.　　　　 　 D. Critical.

4. According to the last paragraph, a greater amount of data means __________.

A. we will become less productive　

B. we can make a decision more quickly　

C. we will be equipped with more knowledge　

D. we can work more effectively

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

I feel happy when I come home at the end of the day and see those big, graphic prints on　 my wall. They make my tiny New York apartment feel more home and more purposeful; more　 like me. Why? 1.

You’re probably not trying to spend crazy dollars on art for your home—who is? Maybe　 you just graduated and know you need to upgrade from that poster of Einstein with his tongue out taped to your dorm wall that was supposed to make you look“smart yet playful”Perhaps you just bought a home! That’s expensive !　 2. Pieces that attract your personality, express your taste, or just make you laugh aren’t restricted to gallery purchases.

Don’t panic if you don’t know where to start

Art. com

When you want affordable but classy art prints, go to Art. com website. 3. Cast a glance their website and you’ll be greeted with a window offering 50％off your first order if you fork over your email address. Do it. You could create art entire gallery wall of Chagall, Monet, Adams and Kahlo for under $30.

Society6

4.It features art that touches all types. It sells prints in a variety of sizes so you can customize a whole gallery wall with picks from their artists. Currently, I become interested in Beth Hoeckel’s collage art and the vintage-looking prints from aapshop.

eBay

Nothing angers me more than“stealing”a piece from one of my favorite shops, only to have it sell out before I can get my hands on it. eBay is my go-to next step. 5. From wall hangings to tabletop sculptures eBay is a treasure of art finds.

A.It is all inexpensive source for prints.

B.You can search by size, color and style.

C.I've obtained quite a few pieces that originally got away.

D.Coming home to beautiful art improves my quality of life.

E.It is another site if you’re unsure what you’re looking for.

F.A can’t-miss home decoration tip is to put“cheap”art in a nice frame.

G.Being on a tight budget does not stop you from surrounding yourself with great art.

高二英语七选五中等难度题查看答案及解析

When you see homework covering the kitchen table and toys are piling up around the sofa, you probably wish there was a bit more space. You are not alone. Nearly a third of parents say they feel squeezed into their homes but cannot afford to move to a bigger property, a report reveals today.

Twenty-nine perc

ent say “their property is too small to fit the size of their family—rising to 40 percent for those 34 and under”. One in four children is ‘forced to share’ a bedroom, according to the Finda-Property. Com website. Property analyst Samantha Baden said: “Afford-ability remains a key issue for families, with the average cost of a three-bedroom home around ￡193,000.”Very few can afford to buy or to rent a property of the size they want and in the area they desire to live in, according to Miss Baden.

A recent report, from investment firm LV, also found that many ‘space-starved parents’are pushed into a two-bedroom home which was perfect when they were a young couple, but has no space for three or so children. Grown-up children who cannot afford to leave homo are also adding to the problem facing families in Britain’s ‘big squeeze’.

For a home to be the correct size, which means it is not overcrowded, parents must have their own bedroom. Children under ten can share, as well as same-sex children between ten and 20.Anyone over 21 also needs their own room.

The report comes as official figures, published yesterday by the Land Registry, revealing house prices are falling sharply in every region except London. The worst – hit area is the North East where average house prices have fallen to below ￡100, 000 for the first time in seven years. However, they remain unaffordable for millions. 1.According to Paragraph 1, the report reveals         .

A. children like to do homework in the kitchen

B. some families can’t afford a bigger property

C. only a few families have housing problem

D. people are satisfied with their living condition

2.What Miss Baden said in Paragraph 2 means         .

A. most families don’t have enough money yet

B. no family could afford a three - bedroom home

C. it is common to live in a three - bedroom home

D. the price of a bigger property is still acceptable

3.The report from the investment firm LV shows         .

A. young couples should live in a two - bedroom home

B. families with three or so children couldn’t afford a home

C. parents should buy houses for their grown - up children

D. some grown - up children couldn’t afford a separate home

4.What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A. House prices are falling down everywhere.

B. People are able to buy a home of correct size.

C. The house prices in London has not fallen down.

D. The North East is now an area suitable to live in.

高二英语简单题查看答案及解析

When you see homework covering the kitchen table and toys are piling up around the sofa，you probably wish there was a bit more space．You are not alone．Nearly a third of parents say they feel squeezed into their homes but cannot afford to move to a bigger property，a report reveals today．

Twenty—nine percent say ‘their property is too small to fit the size of their family’—rising to 40 percent for those 34 and under．One in four children is ‘forced to share’ a bedroom，according to the Finda Property，com website．Property analyst Samantha Baden said：“Afford ability remains a key issue for families，with the average cost of a three-bedroom home around ￡193,000．”Very few can afford to buy—or to rent—a property of the size they want and in the area they desire to live in，according to Miss Baden．

A recent report，from investment firm LV，also found that many‘ space—starved parents’ are pushed into a two—bedroom home which was perfect when they were a young couple，but has no space for three or so children．Grown—up children who cannot afford to leave home are also adding to the problem facing families in Britain's ‘big squeeze’．

For a home to be the correct size, which means it is not overcrowded，parents must have their own bedroom．Children under ten can share, as well as same—sex children between ten and 20．Anyone over 21 also needs their own room．

The report comes as official figures，published yesterday by the Land Registry，revealing house prices are falling sharply in every region except London．The worst—hit area is the North East，where, average house prices have fallen to below￡100,000 for the first time in seven years. However，they remain unaffordable for millions．

1.According to Paragraph 1，the report reveals          .

2.What Miss Baden said in Paragraph 2 means            .

3.The report from the investment firm LV shows            .

4.According to the passage，the right size for a home means           .

5.What can we learn from the last paragraph?

高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

When you see homework covering the kitchen table and toys are piling up around the sofa, you probably wish there was a bit more space. You are not alone. Nearly a third of parents say they feel squeezed into their homes but cannot afford to move to a bigger property, a report reveals today.

Twenty-nine percent say "their property is too small to fit the size of their family—rising to 40 percent for those 34 and under". One in four children is 'forced to share' a bedroom, according to the Finda-Property. Com website. Property analyst Samantha Baden said: "Afford-ability remains a key issue for families, with the average cost of a three-bedroom home around ￡193,000."Very few can afford to buy or to rent a property of the size they want and in the area they desire to live in, according to Miss Baden.

A recent report, from investment firm LV, also found that many 'space-starved parents’are pushed into a two-bedroom home which was perfect when they were a young couple, but has no space for three or so children. Grown-up children who cannot afford to leave homo are also adding to the problem facing families in Britain's 'big squeeze'.

For a home to be the correct size, which means it is not overcrowded, parents must have their own bedroom. Children under ten can share, as well as same-sex children between ten and 20.Anyone over 21 also needs their own room.

The report comes as official figures, published yesterday by the Land Registry, revealing house prices are falling sharply in every region except London. The worst – hit area is the North East where average house prices have fallen to below ￡100, 000 for the first time in seven years. However, they remain unaffordable for millions.

1.According to Paragraph 1, the report reveals________.

A. children like to do homework in the kitchen

B. some families can't afford a bigger property

C. only a few families have housing problem

D. people are satisfied with their living condition

2.What Miss Baden said in Paragraph 2 means________.

A. most families don't have enough money yet

B. no family could afford a three - bedroom home

C. it is common to live in a three - bedroom home

D. the price of a bigger property is still acceptable

3.The report from the investment firm LV shows________.

A. young couples should live in a two - bedroom home

B. families with three or so children couldn't afford a home

C. parents should buy houses for their grown - up children

D. some grown - up children couldn't afford a separate home

4.What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A. House prices are falling down everywhere.

B. People are able to buy a home of correct size.

C. The house prices in London has not fallen down.

D. The North East is now an area suitable to live in.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

When you are little, the whole world feels like a big playground. I was living in Conyers, Georgia the summer it all happened. I was a second grader, but my best friend Stephanie was only in the first grade. Both of our parents were at work and most of the time they let us go our own way.

It was a hot afternoon and we decided to have an adventure in Stephanie’s basement. As I opened the basement door, before us lay the biggest room, full of amazing things like guns, dolls, and old clothes. I ran downstairs, and spotted red steel can. It was paint. I looked beyond it and there lay even more paint in bright colors like purple, orange, blue and green.

“Stephanie, I just found us a project for the day. Get some paintbrushes. We are fixing to paint.” She screamed with excitement as I told her of my secret plans and immediately we got to work. We gathered all the brushes we could find and moved all of our materials to my yard. There on the road in front of my house, we painted bit stripes (条纹) of colors across the pavement (人行道). Stripe by stripe, our colors turned into a beautiful rainbow. It was fantastic!

The sun was starting to sink. I saw a car in the distance and jumped up as I recognized the car. It was my mother. I couldn’t wait to show her my masterpiece. The car pulled slowly into the driveway and from the look on my mother’s face, I could tell that I was in deep trouble.

My mother shut the car door and walked towards me. Her eyes glaring, she shouted, “What in the world were you thinking? I understood when you made castles out of leaves, and climbed the neighbors’ trees, but this! Come inside right now!” I stood there glaring hack at her for a minute, angry because she had insulted (侮辱) my art.

“Now go clean it up!” Mother and I began cleaning the road. Tears ran down my cheeks as I saw my beautiful rainbow turn into black cement.

Though years have now passed, I still wonder where my rainbow has gone. I wonder if, maybe when I get older, I can find my rainbow and never have to brush it away. I guess we all need sort of rainbow to brighten our lives from time to time and to keep our hopes and dreams colorful.

1. What did the writer want to do when his mother came home?

A. To introduce Stephanie to her.

B. To prevent her from seeing his painting.

C. To put the materials back in the yard.

D. To show his artwork to her.

2.In his mother’s eyes, the writer_______.

A. was a born artist                     B. always caused trouble

C. was a problem solver                  D. worked very hard

3. The underlined word “rainbow” in the last paragraph refers to ______.

A. the rainbow in the sky

B. the stripes on the pavement

C. something imaginative and fun

D. important lessons learned in childhood

4. It can be learned from the passage that parents should ________.

A. encourage children to paint

B. value friendship among children

C. discover the hidden talent in children

D. protect rather than destroy children’s dreams

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

When you are little, the whole world feels like a big playground. I was living in Conyers, Georgia the summer it all happened. I was a second grader, but my best friend Stephanie was only in the first grade. Both of our parents were at work and most of the time they let us go our own way.

It was a hot afternoon and we decided to have an adventure in Stephanie’s basement. As I opened the basement door, before us lay the biggest room, full of amazing things like guns, dolls, and old clothes. I ran downstairs, and spotted red steel can. It was paint. I looked beyond it and there lay even more paint in bright colors like purple, orange, blue and green.

“Stephanie, I just found us a project for the day. Get some paintbrushes. We are fixing to paint.” She screamed with excitement as I told her of my secret plans and immediately we got to work. We gathered all the brushes we could find and moved all of our materials to my yard. There on the road in front of my house, we painted bit stripes (条纹) of colors across the pavement (人行道). Stripe by stripe, our colors turned into a beautiful rainbow. It was fantastic!

The sun was starting to sink. I saw a car in the distance and jumped up as I recognized the car. It was my mother. I couldn’t wait to show her my masterpiece. The car pulled slowly into the driveway and from the look on my mother’s face, I could tell that I was in deep trouble.

My mother shut the car door and walked towards me. Her eyes glaring, she shouted, “What in the world were you thinking? I understood when you made castles out of leaves, and climbed the neighbors’ trees, but this! Come inside right now!” I stood there glaring hack at her for a minute, angry because she had insulted (侮辱) my art.

“Now go clean it up!” Mother and I began cleaning the road. Tears ran down my cheeks as I saw my beautiful rainbow turn into black cement.

Though years have now passed, I still wonder where my rainbow has gone. I wonder if, maybe when I get older, I can find my rainbow and never have to brush it away. I guess we all need sort of rainbow to brighten our lives from time to time and to keep our hopes and dreams colorful.

1.What did the writer want to do when his mother came home?

A. To introduce Stephanie to her.             B. To prevent her from seeing his painting.

C. To put the materials back in the yard.       D. To show his artwork to her.

2. In his mother’s eyes, the writer_______.

A. was a born artist                        B. always caused trouble

C. was a problem solver                    D. worked very hard

3.The underlined word “rainbow” in the last paragraph refers to ______.

A. the rainbow in the sky                   B. the stripes on the pavement

C. something imaginative and fun            D. important lessons learned in childhood

4.It can be learned from the passage that parents should ________.

A. encourage children to paint               B. value friendship among children

C. discover the hidden talent in children       D. protect rather than destroy children’s dreams

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析