Almost all cultures celebrate the end of one year and the beginning of another in some way. Different cultures celebrate the beginning of a new year in different ways, and at different times on the calendar.
In Western countries, people usually celebrate New Year at midnight on January 1st. People may go to parties, dress in formal clothes -- like tuxedos (小礼服) and evening gowns, and drink champagne at midnight. During the first minutes of the New Year, people cheer and wish each other happiness for the year ahead. But some cultures prefer to celebrate the New Year by waking up early to watch the sun rise. They welcome the New Year with the first light of the sunrise.
It is also a common Western custom to make a New Year’s promise, called a resolution. New Year’s resolutions usually include promises to try something new or change a bad habit in the new year.
Many cultures also do special things to get rid of bad luck at the beginning of a new year. For example, in Ecuador, families make a big doll from old clothes. The doll is filled with old newspapers and firecrackers. At midnight, these dolls are burned to show the bad things from the past year are gone and the new year can start afresh (again). Other common traditions to keep away bad luck in a new year include throwing things into rivers or the ocean, or saying special things on the first day of the new year.
Other New Year traditions are followed to bring good luck is to eat grapes on New Year’s Day. The more grapes a person eats , the more good luck the person will have in the year. In France, people eat pancakes for good luck at New Year. In the United States, some people eat black-eyed peas (豇豆) for good luck -- but to get good luck for a whole year you have to eat 365 of them!
1.Which culture celebrates New Year in the morning?
A.The passage doesn’t say. B.Spain.
C.France. D.The United States.
2.What is a resolution?
A.Something you say. B.Something you eat.
C.Something you burn. D.Something you wear.
3.What is the topic of the fourth paragraph?
A.Bringing good luck.
B.Remembering the past.
C.Planning for the next year.
D.Keeping away from bad luck.
4.Which is probably true about eating black-eyed peas on New Year?
A.Black-eyed peas taste bad.
B.The peas are very difficult to cook.
C.One pea brings one day of luck.
D.It is bad luck to eat a lot of black-eyed peas.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题
Almost all cultures celebrate the end of one year and the beginning of another in some way. Different cultures celebrate the beginning of a new year in different ways, and at different times on the calendar.
In western countries, people usually celebrate New Year at midnight on January 1st. People may go to parties, dress in formal clothes—like tuxedos(小礼服)and evening gowns, and drink champagne at midnight. During the first minutes of the New Year, people cheer and wish each other happiness for the year ahead. But some cultures prefer to celebrate the New Year by waking up early to watch the sun rise. They welcome the New Year with the first light of the sunrise.
It is also a common Western custom to make a New Year’s promise, called a resolution. New Year’s resolutions usually include promises to try something new or change a bad habit in the new year.
Many cultures also do special things to get rid of bad luck at the beginning of a new year. For example, in Ecuador, families make a big doll from old clothes. The doll is filled with old newspapers and firecrackers. At midnight, these dolls are burned to show the bad things from the past year are gone and the new year can start afresh (again). Other common traditions to keep away bad luck in a new year include throwing things into rivers or the ocean, or saying special things on the first day of the new year.
Other New Year traditions are followed to bring good luck is to eat grapes on New Year’s Day. The more grapes a person eats, the more good luck the person will have in the year. In France, people eat pancakes for good luck at New Year. In the United States, some people eat black– eyed peas(豇豆)for good luck——but to get good luck for a whole year you have to eat 365 of them!
1.Which culture celebrates New Year in the morning?
A. The United States. B. Spain.
C. France. D. The passage doesn’t say.
2.According to the third paragraph, what is a resolution?
A. Something you burn. B. Something you eat.
C. Something you say. D. Something you wear.
3.What is the topic of the fourth paragraph?
A. Bringing good luck. B. Keeping away bad luck.
C. Planning for the next year. D. Remembering the past.
4.Which is probably true about eating black – eyed peas on New Year?
A. Black-eyed peas taste bad. B. The peas are very difficult to cook.
C. One pea brings one day of luck. D. It is bad luck to eat a lot of black-eyed peas.
高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
Almost all cultures celebrate the end of one year and the beginning of another in some way. Different cultures celebrate the beginning of a new year in different ways, and at different times on the calendar.
In Western countries, people usually celebrate New Year at midnight on January 1st. People may go to parties, dress in formal clothes -- like tuxedos (小礼服) and evening gowns, and drink champagne at midnight. During the first minutes of the New Year, people cheer and wish each other happiness for the year ahead. But some cultures prefer to celebrate the New Year by waking up early to watch the sun rise. They welcome the New Year with the first light of the sunrise.
It is also a common Western custom to make a New Year’s promise, called a resolution. New Year’s resolutions usually include promises to try something new or change a bad habit in the new year.
Many cultures also do special things to get rid of bad luck at the beginning of a new year. For example, in Ecuador, families make a big doll from old clothes. The doll is filled with old newspapers and firecrackers. At midnight, these dolls are burned to show the bad things from the past year are gone and the new year can start afresh (again). Other common traditions to keep away bad luck in a new year include throwing things into rivers or the ocean, or saying special things on the first day of the new year.
Other New Year traditions are followed to bring good luck is to eat grapes on New Year’s Day. The more grapes a person eats , the more good luck the person will have in the year. In France, people eat pancakes for good luck at New Year. In the United States, some people eat black-eyed peas (豇豆) for good luck -- but to get good luck for a whole year you have to eat 365 of them!
1.Which culture celebrates New Year in the morning?
A.The passage doesn’t say. B.Spain.
C.France. D.The United States.
2.What is a resolution?
A.Something you say. B.Something you eat.
C.Something you burn. D.Something you wear.
3.What is the topic of the fourth paragraph?
A.Bringing good luck.
B.Remembering the past.
C.Planning for the next year.
D.Keeping away from bad luck.
4.Which is probably true about eating black-eyed peas on New Year?
A.Black-eyed peas taste bad.
B.The peas are very difficult to cook.
C.One pea brings one day of luck.
D.It is bad luck to eat a lot of black-eyed peas.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
From the end of next year, all shops, market stalls and takeaways in Wales will be obliged to charge up to 15p each for plastic or paper bags. Wales is to become the first part of Britain to ban free carrier bags after deciding that efforts by supermarkets to cut waste have proved ineffective.
Jane Davidson, the Welsh Environment Minister, said that the revenue(收入) would go to a new independent body, which would spend the money on local environmental projects. She admitted that a small number of people might switch to shops in England, where there are no plans to charge for carrier bags. She said that tough action was necessary. Ms Davidson, a Labor member of the Welsh Assembly’s ruling Labor-Plaid Cymrucoalition, hopes the ban will embarrass her counterparts(对应的人) in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland into similar action.
Wales is planning to use a little-known clause(条款) in last year’s Climate Change Act, which enables the government to outlaw free bags. Ms. Davidson said: “We want to encourage people to think about what they do. All the other ministers are still signed up to the voluntary agenda. You will see a different message from me.”
Last week the media revealed that Tesco had published misleading figures giving the impression that it had met a voluntary target to halve the use of plastic bags in three years. Seven supermarket chains reported last month that the total number of free bags they had issued had fallen by 48 percent to 450 million a month in the three years to last May. The figures masked that Marks & Spencer, the only chain to charge for bags, had made much faster progress than its rivals. It cut bag use by 83 percent after introducing a 5p charge last year. Ms. Davidson said that banning free bags would encourage a wider shift to a less wasteful society. She was considering a charge of between 5p and 15p, but indicated that she favored the upper end of the range.
1.Which city is the first part of Britain to ban free carrier bags? _______
A. Wales B. England
C. Scotland D. Northern Ireland
2.A certain amount of purchase will take place in England because_____________.
A. the carrier bags are cheaper there B. the goods there are free
C. the goods there are cheaper D. the carrier bags are free there
3.The government cited a little-known clause in last year’s Climate Change Act for the purpose of _________.
A. arousing public’s sense of reducing waste B. reducing the customers’ resistance
C. promoting charging bags with legal means D. enabling supermarket to cut waste
4.According to Ms. Davidson, she preferred a free bag’s charge to be ________.
A. 5p B. 15p
C. between 5p and 15p D. above 15p
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Celebrity (名人) has become one of the most important representatives of popular culture. Fans used to be crazy about a specific film, but now the public tends to base its consumption (消费) on the interest of celebrity attached to any given product. Besides, fashion magazines have almost abandoned (given up) the practice of putting models on the cover because they don’t sell nearly as well as famous faces. As a result, celebrities have realized their unbelievably powerful market potential, moving from advertising for others’ products to developing their own.
Celebrity clothing lines aren’t a completely new phenomenon, but in the past they were typically aimed at the ordinary consumers, and limited to a few TV actresses. Today they’re started by first-class stars whose products enjoy equal fame with some world top brands. The most successful start-ups have been those by celebrities with specific personal style. As celebrities become more and more experienced at the market, they expand their production scale rapidly, covering almost all the products of daily life.
However, for every success story, there’s a related warning tale of a celebrity who overvalued his consumer appeal. No matter how famous the product’s origin is, if it fails to impress consumers with its own qualities it begins to resemble an exercise in self-promotional marketing. And once the initial (最初的) attention dies down, consumer interest might fade, loyalty returning to tried-and-true labels.
Today, celebrities face even more severe embarrassment. The pop-cultural circle might be bigger than ever, but its rate of turnover has speeded up as well. Each misstep threatens to reduce a celebrity’s shelf life, and the same newspaper or magazine that once brought him fame has no problem picking him to pieces when the opportunity appears. Still, the ego’s(自我的)potential for expansion is limitless. Having already achieved great wealth and public recognition, many celebrities see fashion as the next frontier to be conquered. As the saying goes, success and failure always go hand in hand. Their success as designers might last only a short time, but fashion—like celebrity—has always been temporary.
1.Fashion magazines today ________.
A. seldom put models on the cover
B. no longer put models on the cover
C. need not worry about celebrities’ market potential
D. judge the market potential of every celebrity correctly
2.A change in the consumer market can be found today that ________.
A. price rather than brand name is more concerned
B. producers prefer models to celebrities for advertisements
C. producers prefer TV actresses to film stars for advertisements
D. quality rather than the outside of products is more concerned
3.The underlined sentence in paragraph 4 indicates that any wrong step will possibly ________.
A. decrease the popularity of a celebrity and the sales of his products
B. damage the image of a celebrity in the eyes of the general public
C. cut short the artistic career of a celebrity in show business
D. influence the price of a celebrity’s products
4.The passage is mainly about ________.
A. celebrity and personal style B. celebrity and markets potential
C. celebrity and fashion design D. celebrity and clothing industry
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
To celebrate the end of our exams, my friends and I went to a fast food restaurant. We ____ hamburgers and Coca Colar at the counter. When our ____ came, I started walking towards an empty table. By bad luck, my purse strap (带子) got ______ on a chair and the tray (托盘) that I was holding slipped ______ my hands and went flying in the air. The tray, and its contents,
_____ on a man who was just about to ______ a bite of his sandwich. I stared, greatly _____, as the drinks soaked (浸湿) his white shirt.
Then I ______ my eyes and prepared myself for his burst of ______. Instead, he said “It’s
OK” to _____ me before he disappeared into washroom. Still shaky and unsure____ to do next,
my friends and I went to a table and sat there, trying our best to look ______. A moment later, the man came out of the washroom and _____ our table. My heart almost stopped _____. I thought he was going to ask for my father’s ______ and call him.
To my surprise, he merely smiled at us, handed us some cash and said, “______ yourself new
hamburgers.” He then walked ______ without even finishing his food.
He could have made what was already an uncomfortable situation worse, ______he chose a different way and gave us a reason to believe that there is still ______ in this world. I’ll never ______ his action.
1.A. ordered B. made C. arranged D. demanded
2.A. food B. turn C. bill D. menu
3.A. fixed B. caught C. cut D. tied
4.A. by B. in C. from D. out
5.A. knocked B. fell C. stood D. hung
6.A. take B. taste C. swallow D. chew
7.A. discouraged B. disappointed C. shocked D. annoyed
8.A. rolled B. rubbed C. narrowed D. closed
9.A. bitterness B. anxiety C. anger D. sorrow
10.A. satisfy B. comfort C. encourage D. praise
11.A. how B. who C. what D.where
12.A. mild B. honest C. calm D. modest
13.A. pushed B. approached C. drew D. laid
14.A. beating B. breaking C. sinking D. trembling
15.A. help B. position C. number D. job
16.A. Prepare B. Buy C. Find D. Cook
17.A. on B. around C. up D. away
18.A. so B. since C. although D. but
19.A. kindness B. happiness C. politeness D. brightness
20.A. forget B. refuse C. oppose D. ignore
高二英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Back on the first day of school, Ms. Ryan told all the children that at the end of the year there would be a class party. Everyone was very excited.
Slowly but _______, fall turned into winter and winter turned into spring. Soon it was time to _______the party. Ms. Ryan posted a list of things for students to bring. All the food would be_________ with everyone. Logan _______ cupcakes.
One night, Mom said to Logan, “I can’t believe tomorrow is the_______day of school. How time _______!” Logan dropped his fork. “Oh no!” he cried. “I _______ to tell you before, but tomorrow is the class party. I’m_______to bring cupcakes for everyone.”
Logan's mom_______. “Logan, I don’t think there’s enough time to__________cupcakes before bed. You’ll have to go to the party __________cupcakes. Next time, please let me know sooner.” “I’m sorry,” Logan sniffed, trying to __________ his tears.
“Well,” Mom__________ him, “I guess we have time to bake the cupcakes, but they will be too__________to put icing on them tonight. The icing will melt. But I have a(n)__________.”
Immediately Logan and Mom set to work. Mom cracked the eggs__________Logan added the oil. Together they mixed the batter (面粉) and __________ it into the cupcake pan.
While the cupcakes were in the oven, Logan asked, “What about the icing?” Mom pulled out brightly colored sprinkles (糖屑). “I know we __________use these for ice cream, but you can pack them with the cupcakes and let your friends __________cupcakes. How does that sound?”
Logan smiled. His classmates would __________to decorate their own cupcakes. “It sounds great!” said Logan. “Thanks, Mom. You’re the best.”
1.A.casually B.surely C.predictably D.unavoidably
2.A.attend B.delay C.plan D.end
3.A.shared B.associated C.cooked D.distributed
4.A.took away B.made up for C.gave away D.signed up for
5.A.new B.last C.middle D.special
6.A.flies B.drags C.changes D.waits
7.A.happened B.managed C.regretted D.forgot
8.A.allowed B.forced C.supposed D.recommended
9.A.frowned B.repeated C.explained D.agreed
10.A.bake B.buy C.order D.design
11.A.instead of B.regardless of C.with D.without
12.A.hide B.wipe away C.hold back D.dry
13.A.reminded B.comforted C.interrupted D.greeted
14.A.fresh B.warm C.sweet D.cold
15.A.idea B.problem C.plan D.agenda
16.A.so B.because C.but D.while
17.A.pushed B.threw C.spooned D.slid
18.A.hardly B.already C.even D.usually
19.A.make B.decorate C.taste D.deliver
20.A.decline B.choose C.love D.hate
高二英语完形填空困难题查看答案及解析
Different countries and cultures celebrate New Year in different ways. Many countries still follow the lunar calendar, meaning that their new year often starts in late January or in February. New Year celebrations for some countries (like China, Vietnam and Korea) last not one day, but up to two weeks!
In the U.S., many people attend New Year parties. They drink champagne, dance, and cheer at the stroke of midnight. Fireworks, which in olden times scared away evil spirits, are very popular throughout the U. S. . U.S. residents often make one or more New Year’s resolutions, such as promising to quit smoking, lose weight, stop drinking. Most of these resolutions last little longer than a month.
In the southern U.S. , many people eat black-eyed peas for good luck in the new year. In Mexico and Venezuela, many people wear red or yellow underwear for good luck. In Brazil, residents wear red white clothes for good luck, and in China, they wear red clothes and give children red envelops with money in them. In Iran, people wear brand new clothes on the first day of the new year.
In Scotland, homeowners open the front door at midnight to let in the new year, and open the back door to let out the old year. In Switzerland, people kiss each other three times at midnight. In Spain, people eat 12 grapes-----one per chime----as the clock chimes midnight. In Japan, they ring a bell 108 times to get rid of the108 bad desires that people have. In Korea, they ring a bell 33 times in honor of 33 ancient soldiers.
1.How do Americans celebrate their New Year?
A. They kiss each three times at the stroke after midnight.
B. They use fireworks to scare away evil spirits.
C. Men and women make New Year’s plants together.
D. Many people attend New Year parties.
2.The underlined word “resolutions” in Paragraph 2 probably means________.
A. beliefs B. solutions
C. principles D. promises
3. In which countries is red regarded as a lucky color?
A. Mexico and Brazil. B. Mexico and China.
C. Venezuela and Brazil. D. China and Iran.
4.The best title for the passage would be “__________”.
A. Different customs around the world
B. New activities in America and Europe
C. New Year celebrations around the world
D. Different countries have different customs
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
The end of the school year is in sight - Christmas cards, candy canes and of course, end of year reports.
While most parents welcome an assessment of their kids' performance, they do not expect their own input to be evaluated. But a school in the UK is changing that. As well as assessing their students, they are dishing out grades to mums and dads. Parents that are really involved in their kids' education are rewarded with an A, and parents that haven't done their bit get a disappointing D.
The school, Greasley Beauvale Primary in Nottinghamshire, uses standard such as whether mums and dads have attended school events such as plays and parent teacher evenings to decide on the grade. The school's principal, Donna Chambers, said that the scheme had been well received.
"There were some critics. In spite of it, between 15 percent and 20 percent of parents started out in the lower categories but now that has been reduced to just two per cent," she explained.
Chambers hopes that the scheme will help motivate parental involvement. "The system is important because you have got to get the parents on board from day one. That one hour initial conversation saying they could improve will make a difference to the rest of that child's academic life", she said.
But while the scheme may be well intentioned, it is likely to be connected with parent shaming. There are lots of reasons why some mums and dads might not be involved in school activities such as work commitments, looking after younger children or caring for elderly relatives.
And of course, being involved in your kid's education doesn't begin and end at school. There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes from helping with homework to keeping uniforms freshly laundered. And what about all the parents who stayed up sewing special costumes at the last minute? Surely that earns a gold star instead of a grade!
1.What do schools usually do at the end of the school year? ______
A.Evaluating kids' performances.
B.Making Christmas cards.
C.Dividing candies.
D.Grading parents.
2.What does the school's principal Chambers say about the scheme? ______
A.It uses a new way to evaluate kids.
B.It has gained much acceptance.
C.It gives parents further education.
D.It improves kids' motivation for learning.
3.What does the author think of parents being involved in kids' education? ______
A.It adds to parents' burden.
B.It brings shame to parents.
C.It means far more than being graded.
D.It increases parents' commitment to education.
4.What is the passage mainly about? ______
A.There is too much stress for parents about their children's academic life.
B.Parents as well as their children are on the list of the year school report.
C.Parents should be involved in children's school life.
D.Whether a parent is excellent depends on the grade he gets.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
The end of the school year is in sight - Christmas cards, candy canes and of course, end of year reports.
While most parents welcome an assessment of their kids' performance, they do not expect their own input to be evaluated. But a school in the UK is changing that. As well as assessing their students, they are dishing out grades to mums and dads. Parents that are really involved in their kids' education are rewarded with an A, and parents that haven't done their bit get a disappointing D.
The school, Greasley Beauvale Primary in Nottinghamshire, uses standard such as whether mums and dads have attended school events such as plays and parent teacher evenings to decide on the grade. The school's principal, Donna Chambers, said that the scheme had been well received.
"There were some critics. In spite of it, between 15 percent and 20 percent of parents started out in the lower categories but now that has been reduced to just two per cent," she explained.
Chambers hopes that the scheme will help motivate parental involvement. "The system is important because you have got to get the parents on board from day one. That one hour initial conversation saying they could improve will make a difference to the rest of that child's academic life", she said.
But while the scheme may be well intentioned, it is likely to be connected with parent shaming. There are lots of reasons why some mums and dads might not be involved in school activities such as work commitments, looking after younger children or caring for elderly relatives.
And of course, being involved in your kid's education doesn't begin and end at school. There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes from helping with homework to keeping uniforms freshly laundered. And what about all the parents who stayed up sewing special costumes at the last minute? Surely that earns a gold star instead of a grade!
1.What do schools usually do at the end of the school year? ______
A. Evaluating kids' performances.
B. Making Christmas cards.
C. Dividing candies.
D. Grading parents.
2.What does the school's principal Chambers say about the scheme? ______
A. It uses a new way to evaluate kids.
B. It has gained much acceptance.
C. It gives parents further education.
D. It improves kids' motivation for learning.
3.What does the author think of parents being involved in kids' education? ______
A. It adds to parents' burden.
B. It brings shame to parents.
C. It means far more than being graded.
D. It increases parents' commitment to education.
4.What is the passage mainly about? ______
A. There is too much stress for parents about their children's academic life.
B. Parents as well as their children are on the list of the year school report.
C. Parents should be involved in children's school life.
D. Whether a parent is excellent depends on the grade he gets.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
MEMORANDUM (备忘录)
To: All members of the sales department
From: Annette Derringer
Re: Year-end party
Date: November 26
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is just a quick note to let you all know the arrangements for next month’s year-end party. As you know, the party will be held at the Green Vale Country Club, which we have reserved between 7:30 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. on the evening of December 21st. I’ve received replies from almost all of you confirming attendance, but if you haven’t let me know yet, please do so in the next day or two. Tickets for all employees have been covered by the company.
The Green Vale manager has asked me to explain one or two things to those of you who have not been there before. Basically, there is sufficient parking space for only 100 vehicles, so they would like to ask those of you planning to drive, try to car-pool as much as possible. Also, the number of lockers available is small, so guests should try to keep belongings to a minimum.
Thanks in advance,
Annette
To: Annette Derringer aderringer@belway.com
From: Kyle Berwick
Date: Nov 28
Subject: Year-end party
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Annette,
This is to let you know that I will be able to attend the year-end party at the Green Vale Country Club on the 21st although I don’t think I will be able to arrive before 8:30. I was wondering if it would also be possible to bring a couple of guests. I know it is a bit of a last minute request, but my brother and his wife are planning to visit us at that time, and I know they’d love to see the Green Vale. If it is not a problem, then can you let me know how much I should pay for their tickets? Also, assuming this is OK, I was planning to drive down in a single car, to reduce the need for parking and also to allow us to keep our belongings in the car.
I have a couple of days off before the party, but I’ll be in my office until the 17th, so could you get back to me before then? Thanks a lot,
Kyle
1.What’s the main purpose of the memorandum?
A.To explain the arrangement for an event.
B.To encourage people to travel by car.
C.To ask for help arranging a party.
D.To thank people for attending the party.
2.Why does Kyle Berwick write to Annette Derringer? Because he wants to _____.
A.ask the price of movie tickets B.explain why he cannot come to the party
C.request directions to a hotel D.ask if he may bring guests to the party
3.Which of Kyle’s points is NOT mentioned in the memo?
A.Payment for extra guests. B.Storage of personal items.
C.Parking restrictions . D.Timing for the evening.
4.What can we infer from the passage?
A.The manager of the Green Vale doesn’t hope they go there by car.
B.Annette takes charge of the arrangement of year-end party.
C.They can take as many belongings as they can with them when going to the Green Vale.
D.Kyle Berwick won’t bring the guests to go to the party if he has to pay the tickets.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析