We are not who we think we are.
The American self-image is spread with the golden glow of opportunity. We think of the United States as a land of unlimited possibility, not so much a classless society but as a place where class is mutable—a place where brains, energy and ambition are what counts, not the circumstances of one's birth.
The Economic Mobility Project, an ambitious research led by Pew Charitable Trusts, looked at the economic fortunes of a large group of families over time, comparing the income of parents in the late 1960s with the income of their children in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Here is the finding: "The 'rags to riches' story is much more common in Hollywood than on Main Street. Only 6 percent of children born to parents with family income at the very bottom move to the top.
That is right, just 6 percent of children born to parents who ranked in the bottom of the study sample, in terms of income, were able to bootstrap their way into the top . Meanwhile, an incredible 42 percent of children born into that lowest are still stuck at the bottom, having been unable to climb a single rung of the income ladder.
It is noted that even in Britain---a nation we think of as burdened with a hidebound class system-children who are born poor have a better chance of moving up. When the studies were released, most reporters focused on the finding that African-Americans born to middle-class or upper middle-class families are earning slightly less, in inflation-adjusted dollars, than did their parents.
One of the studies indicates, in fact, that most of the financial gains white families have made in the past three decades can be attributed to the entry of white women into the labor force. This is much less true for African-Americans.
The picture that emerges from all the quintiles, correlations and percentages is of a nation in which, overall, "the current generation of adults is better off than the previous one", as one of the studies notes.
The median income of the families in the sample group was $55,600 in the late 1960s; their children's median family income was measured at $71,900. However, this rising tide has not lifted all boats equally. The rich have seen far greater income gains than have the poor.
Even more troubling is that our nation of America as the land of opportunity gets little support from the data. Americans move fairly easily up and down the middle rungs of the ladder, but there is "stickiness at the ends" —four out of ten children who are born poor will remain poor, and four out often who are born rich will stay rich.
1.What did the Economic Mobility Project find in its research?
A. Children from low-income families are unable to bootstrap their way to the top.
B. Hollywood actors and actresses are upwardly mobile from rags to riches.
C. The rags to riches story is more fiction than reality.
D. The rags to riches story is only true for a small minority of whites.
2.It can be inferred from the undertone of the writer that America, as a classless society, should ________.
A. perfect its self-image as a land of opportunity
B. have a higher level of upward mobility than Britain
C. enable African-Americans to have exclusive access to well-paid employment
D. encourage the current generation to work as hard as the previous generation
3.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The US is a land where brains, energy and ambition are what counts.
B. Inequality persists between whites and blacks in financial gains.
C. Middle-class families earn slightly less with inflation considered.
D. Children in lowest-income families manage to climb a single rung of the ladder.
4.What might be the best title for this passage?
A. Social Upward Mobility.
B. Incredible Income Gains.
C. Inequality in Wealth.
D. America Not Land of Opportunity.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题
We are not who we think we are.
The American self-image is spread with the golden glow of opportunity.We think of the United States as a land of unlimited possibility,not so much a classless society but as a place where class is mutable—a place where brains,energy and ambition are what counts,not the circumstances of one's birth.
The Economic Mobility Project, an ambitious research led by Pew Charitable Trusts, looked at the economic fortunes of a large group of families over time, comparing the income of parents in the late 1960s with the income of their children in the late 1990s and early 2000s.Here is the finding: "The 'rags to riches' story is much more common in Hollywood than on Main Street. Only 6 percent of children born to parents with family income at the very bottom move to the top.
That is right, just 6 percent of children born to parents who ranked in the bottom of the study sample, in terms of income, were able to bootstrap their way into the top. Meanwhile, an incredible 42 percent of children born into that lowest are still stuck at the bottom,having been unable to climb a single rung of the income ladder.
It is noted that even in Britain---a nation we think of as burdened with a hidebound class system-children who are born poor have a better chance of moving up. When the studies were released,most reporters focused on the finding that African-Americans born to middle-class or upper middle-class families are earning slightly less,in inflation-adjusted dollars,than did their parents.
One of the studies indicates,in fact,that most of the financial gains white families have made in the past three decades can be attributed to the entry of white women into the labor force.This is much less true for African-Americans.
The picture that emerges from all the quintiles,correlations and percentages is of a nation in which,overall,"the current generation of adults is better off than the previous one",as one of the studies notes.
The median income of the families in the sample group was $55,600 in the late 1960s; their children's median family income was measured at $71,900.However,this rising tide has not lifted all boats equally.The rich have seen far greater income gains than have the poor.
Even more troubling is that our nation of America as the land of opportunity gets little support from the data.Americans move fairly easily up and down the middle rungs of the ladder,but there is "stickiness at the ends" —four out of ten children who are born poor will remain poor,and four out of ten who are born rich will stay rich.
1.What did the Economic Mobility Project find in its research?
A. Children from low-income families are unable to bootstrap their way to the top.
B. Hollywood actors and actresses are upwardly mobile from rags to riches.
C. The rags to riches story is more fiction than reality.
D. The rags to riches story is only true for a small minority of whites.
2.It can be inferred from the undertone of the writer that America,as a classless society,should ________.
A. perfect its self-image as a land of opportunity
B. have a higher level of upward mobility than Britain
C. enable African-Americans to have exclusive access to well-paid employment
D. encourage the current generation to work as hard as the previous generation
3.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The US is a land where brains,energy and ambition are what counts.
B. Inequality persists between whites and blacks in financial gains.
C. Middle-class families earn slightly less with inflation considered.
D. Children in lowest-income families manage to climb a single rung of the ladder.
4.What might be the best title for this passage?
A. Social Upward Mobility.
B. Incredible Income Gains.
C. Inequality in Wealth.
D. America Not Land of Opportunity.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
We are not who we think we are.
The American self-image is spread with the golden glow of opportunity. We think of the United States as a land of unlimited possibility, not so much a classless society but as a place where class is mutable—a place where brains, energy and ambition are what counts, not the circumstances of one's birth.
The Economic Mobility Project, an ambitious research led by Pew Charitable Trusts, looked at the economic fortunes of a large group of families over time, comparing the income of parents in the late 1960s with the income of their children in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Here is the finding: "The 'rags to riches' story is much more common in Hollywood than on Main Street. Only 6 percent of children born to parents with family income at the very bottom move to the top.
That is right, just 6 percent of children born to parents who ranked in the bottom of the study sample, in terms of income, were able to bootstrap their way into the top . Meanwhile, an incredible 42 percent of children born into that lowest are still stuck at the bottom, having been unable to climb a single rung of the income ladder.
It is noted that even in Britain---a nation we think of as burdened with a hidebound class system-children who are born poor have a better chance of moving up. When the studies were released, most reporters focused on the finding that African-Americans born to middle-class or upper middle-class families are earning slightly less, in inflation-adjusted dollars, than did their parents.
One of the studies indicates, in fact, that most of the financial gains white families have made in the past three decades can be attributed to the entry of white women into the labor force. This is much less true for African-Americans.
The picture that emerges from all the quintiles, correlations and percentages is of a nation in which, overall, "the current generation of adults is better off than the previous one", as one of the studies notes.
The median income of the families in the sample group was $55,600 in the late 1960s; their children's median family income was measured at $71,900. However, this rising tide has not lifted all boats equally. The rich have seen far greater income gains than have the poor.
Even more troubling is that our nation of America as the land of opportunity gets little support from the data. Americans move fairly easily up and down the middle rungs of the ladder, but there is "stickiness at the ends" —four out of ten children who are born poor will remain poor, and four out often who are born rich will stay rich.
1.What did the Economic Mobility Project find in its research?
A. Children from low-income families are unable to bootstrap their way to the top.
B. Hollywood actors and actresses are upwardly mobile from rags to riches.
C. The rags to riches story is more fiction than reality.
D. The rags to riches story is only true for a small minority of whites.
2.It can be inferred from the undertone of the writer that America, as a classless society, should ________.
A. perfect its self-image as a land of opportunity
B. have a higher level of upward mobility than Britain
C. enable African-Americans to have exclusive access to well-paid employment
D. encourage the current generation to work as hard as the previous generation
3.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The US is a land where brains, energy and ambition are what counts.
B. Inequality persists between whites and blacks in financial gains.
C. Middle-class families earn slightly less with inflation considered.
D. Children in lowest-income families manage to climb a single rung of the ladder.
4.What might be the best title for this passage?
A. Social Upward Mobility.
B. Incredible Income Gains.
C. Inequality in Wealth.
D. America Not Land of Opportunity.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
What we should be thinking about now is how to make up for the lost time, not who is _______.
A. blaming B. blamed
C. to be blamed D. to blame
高三英语单项填空困难题查看答案及解析
We are thinking about ________ can be admitted into our club. The number of members is limited.
A.who B.what
C.which D.whether
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
It is not our mistakes that define who we are; it is how we from those mistakes that counts.
A. differ B. suffer C. prevent D. recover
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
It does not matter who wins. We are told that from day one. Usually, that statement is followed by some remark about being a loser. If we do not care who wins, then why do we compete? Fun, experience, the chance to meet new people --- these are the reasons we try to outdo each other.
People will compete over anything. Every Christmas, my neighbors and I have a little Christmas light competition. It is heaven for the electric company, but I think we give Will Rogers Airport a scare. It is bright enough to land a plane in our front yards. I admit that last year my neighbors won, but only because they bought every strand of lights Wal-Mart had before I could get there.
Personal competitions are great, but we get a little carried away. I cannot stand to see coaches shout at kids playing sports. Who cares if someone messes up and the other team advances?
I’m tired of people competing just to win. It happens not only in sports, but in music competitions, too. People auditioning(试音)for chair placement in certain bands can get really unfriendly. This year I did not audition for a certain band, but I went to auditions anyway. This was the first time I actually had the opportunity to comprehend the whole picture.
Other times I’ve been the person who was nervous and anxious. This time, I sat back and observed everyone else. I came to the realization that the people who aren’t so good are terrified of the good people, and the good people are scared stiff that the bad people have taken lessons and can now show them up. Unless a person is on the outside looking in, I don’t think anyone realizes this.
Maybe competing is human nature, but we shouldn’t let it influence our judgment. Being disrespectful to opponents(对手), letting competition become our life, and becoming so involved that we close ourselves off from friends and family is not the meaning of competition.
A little competition is healthy, so it shouldn’t hurt anyone. If it does, someone somewhere needs to back off, find the good thing hidden inside, and try it again. Winning isn’t everything, and losing isn’t the end of the world.
1.The author mentions his competition with his neighbors to __________.
A. make excuses for his failure
B. express his concern about the airport
C. imply his neighbor cheated in the competition
D. show people really care about the result of competition
2.The underlined word “this” in Paragraph 5 refers to ________.
A. the rules of competition
B. competitors’ effort to win
C. the influence of competition on life
D. the negative attitude to competition
3.From the passage, we can learn that _______.
A. the author failed the audition
B. competitors may be unfriendly to each other
C. it is coaches who always mess up the match
D. those who observe opponents calmly always win
4.Which of the following opinions does the author probably accept?
A. Competition for the job is fierce.
B. Winning or losing is none of people’s concern.
C. Competition is healthy, but it can get out of hand.
D. The disadvantages of competition outweigh the benefits.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Shopping is not as simple as you may think! There are all sorts of tricks at play each time we reach out for that particular brand of product on the shelf. Colouring, for example, varies according to what the producers are trying to sell.Health foods are packaged (包装) in greens, yellows or browns because we think of these as healthy colours.Ice cream packets are often blue and expensive goods, like chocolates, are gold or silver.
When some kind of pain killer was brought out recently, researchers found that the colours turned the customers off because they made the product look weak and ineffective.
Eventually, it came on the market in a dark blue and white package—blue because we think of it as safe, and white as calm. The size of a product can attract a shopper.But quite often a bottle doesn’t contain as much as it appears to.
It is believed that the better-known companies spend, on average, 70 per cent of the total cost of the product itself on packaging!
The most successful producers know that it’s not enough to have a good product.The founder of Pears soap, who for 25 years has used pretty little girls to promote (推销) their goods, came to the conclusion: “Any fool can make soap, but it takes a genius to sell it.”
1.Which of the following may trick a shopper into buying a product according to the text?
A.The cost of its package. B.The price of the product.
C.The colour of its package. D.The brand name of the product.
2.The underlined part “the colours turned the customers off”(in Par A.3 ) means that the colours _____.
A.attracted the customers strongly B.had weak effects on the customers
C.tricked the customers into shopping D.caused the customers to lose interest
3.Which of the following is the key to the success in product sales?
A.The way to promote goods. B.The discovery of a genius.
C.The team to produce a good product. D.The brand name used by successful producers.
4.Which of the following would be the best title for this text?
A.Choice of Good Products B.Disadvantages of Products
C.Effect of Packaging on Shopping D.Brand Names and Shopping Tricks
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
More often than not, we think the taste of food is largely to do with the way it's cooked. However, according to a new study published in the Journal of Consumer Research, sitting and standing also affect the taste.
Lead author Dipayan Biswas, a professor from the University of South Florida in the US, looked specifically at how the vestibular(前庭的)sense, which is responsible for balance, posture(姿势)and location awareness, works with our sense of taste.
He found that standing for even a few minutes causes people to feel physical stress. Gravity pushes blood to the lower parts of the body, causing the heart to work harder. This increases the heart rate and leads to increased stress hormones(荷尔蒙).All of these reduce sensory sensitivity, which affects taste. Our mouths fail to taste or feel temperature as well when this happens. When people experience discomfort, foods that normally taste good aren't as pleasing, says Science Daily.
Biswas gave 350 participants each a piece of biscuit and had them rate its tastiness. Those who stood while eating gave it a lower rating than those who sat in comfortable chairs. Next, Biswas and his team gave participants bite-sized cookies from a well-known local restaurant. These cookies are widely considered to be very tasty. Those who sat down to eat rated them highly. However, when the baker added extra salt, the results were opposite. Participants who stood up to eat the cookies didn't notice that the cookies tasted saltier, while those who were seated found the cookies weren't so tasty.
So if you really want to enjoy your meal, try to find yourself a comfortable seat. But if you're trying to lose weight, eating while standing could be helpful because people tend to eat less while standing.
1.What's the common belief about the taste of the food in the text?
A.It seems associated with people's preferences.
B.It is largely to do with how people sit or stand.
C.It has little to do with the way people eat food.
D.It is mainly determined by how food is cooked.
2.Why do people who stand less enjoy food?
A.Their mental health declines. B.Their hearts work more slowly.
C.They are less sensitive to taste. D.They have no sensory sensitivity.
3.How did Dipayan Biswas get his conclusions in paragraph 4?
A.By classifying examples. B.By doing experiments.
C.By studying previous theories. D.By analyzing abundant data.
4.What's the best title for the text?
A.Sitting Has Various Effects on Eating
B.Posture Affects How People Enjoy Food
C.Eating While Standing Helps to Lose Weight
D.Sitting and Standing Are Common Postures
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
We do not think the twelfth fiveyear plan for our city is practical ________ recent developments.
A.in view of B.in favor of
C.in case of D.in memory of
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Do you know a famous Chinese saying, "He who has never been to the Great Wall is not a true man?" We can help you realize your dream now.
◆12-Day Tour in China
Tour Type: Private Tour
Guide: English-speaking guide
Must-see sights in China: the Great Wall, Forbidden City, Terracotta Warriors. Giant pandas
Try biking on the Ming Dynasty City Wall of Xi'an, or tour by electric car. Have a once-in-a-life chance to get close to the incredibly cute treasure---Pandas.
Price: $1,669 per person
◆8-Day Tour in China
Tour Type: Private Tour
Guide: English- speaking guide
Must-see sights in China: the Great Wall, Forbidden City, Terracotta Warriors
Take rickshaw(人力车)through the Hutongs and get close touch with the original Beijing lifestyle. Experience the Bund, classical garden, modern and old in contrast in Shanghai.
Price: $1,159 per person
◆10-Day Tour in China
Tour Type: Private Tour
Guide: English-speaking guide
Must-see sights in China: the Great Wall Forbidden City, Terracotta Warriors
Walk into a local family, learn to cook Chinese food and dine with the hosts in their home.
Price: $1, 629 per person
◆15-Day Tour in China
Tour Type: Private Tour
Guide: English-speaking guide
Must-see sights in China: the Great Wall, Forbidden City. Terracotta Warriors
Enjoy the breathtaking landscape along Li River and escape from the busy and noisy city life. Unwind with a Yangtze River sail tour and see the Three Gorges.
Price: $2.699 per person
1.Which tour provides visitors with a chance to see pandas?
A.8-Day Tour in China. B.10-Day Tour in China.
C.12-Day Tour in China. D.15-Day Tour in China.
2.Who may prefer to take 8-Day Tour in China?
A.Nature lovers. B.Folk custom and culture lovers.
C.Swimming lovers. D.Animal lovers.
3.Why is 15-Day Tour in China unique compared with the other tours?
A.It costs visitors the least to visit. B.It lets visitors communicate with local people.
C.Visitors can visit ancient buildings. D.Visitors can see water scenery.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析