Vanessa Brown, a senior lecturer of art at No...

Vanessa Brown, a senior lecturer of art at Nottingham University, explores the cultural and psychological relation between sunglasses and our modern idea of “cool.” Her research has uncovered about why most of us look better in shades.

Because they really make your misshapen face look better. Put on a pair of sunglasses, and an instant beauty as a result of balance! The dark lenses cover up any unbalanced oddities(奇异) around your eyes, and research on facial attractiveness shows a clear link between balance and our sense of beauty.

Because of mystery. Many of the quick judgments we form about people come from looking in the eyes; shade yours, and you’re instantly a more attractive presence. Eye contact helps us form judgments about someone’s intelligence, confidence, and sincerity and sunglasses keep us literally in the dark about forming those perceptions. And it works both ways, because the wearer of the sunglasses feels more mysterious, too.

Because of their historical link with sharpness and attraction. We take their existence for granted today, but sunglasses are relatively modern, Brown said. Sales started to pick up in the 1920s, but they didn’t become commonplace until about two decades after that. The way sunglasses were most used prior to their commercialization helps explain their inside coolness, Brown said, because in their early days sunglasses were primarily used during risky water and snow sports, which made them seem “daring and totally modern.”

Soon after that, Hollywood stars of the 1950s and 1960s started wearing sunglasses to defend themselves from being recognized by the public or bothered by paparazzi(狗仔队), whose flashbulbs would often explode violently, Brown said. Anyhow, movie stars’ adoption of them strengthened a sense of romance. Also—and this is more from my own personal research than Brown’s—hang-overs. They’re really great for hiding hang-overs.

1. Which of the following would Vanessa Brown agree with?

A. Sunglasses deliver mystery to the observers as well as the wearers.

B. Sunglasses were mainly used in risky sports after their commercialization.

C. Sunglasses are relatively modern and they became commonplace in the 1920s.

D. Sunglasses cover up unbalanced oddities on the face to give people a sense of mystery.

2. The writer believes that Hollywood stars prefer to wear sunglasses ________.

A. to hide their hang-overs

B. not to be recognized in the public

C. to be more attractive and romantic

D. to escape the flashbulbs of paparazzi

3. Which of the following best shows the structure of this passage?

(①=Paragraph 1 ②=Paragraph 2 ③=Paragraph 3 ④=Paragraph 4 ⑤=Paragraph 5)

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

This app could checkmate dating game

George Church, a leading professor of genetics at Harvard University, is planning to create a dating app that can match users based on their genetic agreement.

1.Two people considering going on a date take out their smartphones first and check each other's genetic table to see whether there are any undesirable genes that cannot be determined from outward appearance. Genetic deficiencies that might lead to diseases in offspring will be screened out first. Heart disease? No. Immune deficiency? No.Hemophilia? No.

2.Eye color, height preference, curly or straight hair. In the end, only those with the genes that promise the users a perfect child will date.

It sounds terrible. If the app becomes a reality, it could split people into different camps based on the genes they carry.

Some might argue that even now people are not wholly equal to each other-there are the rich and the poor to begin with. 3.Genes, on the other hand, are fixed, with no hope of changing at least in the near future.

Church didn’t have this divisive goal in mind. In an interview, he said he hopes to let people know the genetic deficiencies(基因缺陷) in their mating partners so as to minimize the chances of giving birth to children with diseases.4.

The problem is not so much with genetic technology, which can help people find possible diseases before birth, and possibly even cure them through gene editing. But it would be a mistake to let everybody know of each other s genetic information and make choices on that basis.

5.Gene sequencing(基因排序)is becoming increasingly popular with many people choosing to know their genes better. It is reaching a stage when it becomes urgent for the law to protect such information and avoid possible leaks.

A. He will make it.

B. This is how it works.

C. That in turn calls for legislation(法律;法规).

D. The app will be popular with different people.

E. Then comes the turn of harmless appearance characteristics.

F. But he will not be able to stop the above- mentioned possibility.

G. However, one can always struggle to improve one's quality of life.

高二英语七选五困难题查看答案及解析

Stephen Hawking was born in Oxford, England, on January 8, 1942. At the age of 17, he entered University College, Oxford. He wanted to study mathematics, but took up the study of physics when math was unavailable. He received a Ph.D. in physics despite being diagnosed (诊断) with Ameliotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (肌萎缩性脊髓侧索硬化症) while at Oxford in 1963. In 1985 he became ill with pneumonia (肺炎), and since then has required 24-hour nursing. Dr. Hawking’s determination, along with the help of his family and associates, has allowed him to continue to work. In 1970 he began studying black holes. His research led him to predict that black holes send out radiation in the X-ray to gamma-ray(伽马射线) range of the spectrum (光谱). In the 1980s he returned to an earlier interest, the origins of the universe. He has co-authored many publications, such as 300 Years of Gravity and The Large Scale Structure of Space time. Dr. Hawking has also written books such as A Brief History of Time, Black Holes and Baby Universes and other Essays, The Universe in a Nutshell and others. He continues to give lectures, despite having been unable to speak since 1985, with the aid of a speech synthesizer (合成器) and a portable computer. He currently holds Isaac Newton’s chair as the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University in England.

1.Hawking went to University College, Oxford, in order to _____.

A. get a Ph.D. in physics

B. study mathematics

C. study the universe and black holes

D. seek help from the Lucasian Professor

2.Before Hawking started researching black holes, _____.

3.Which of the following books was NOT written by Dr. Hawking alone?

4.When did Hawking enter University College, Oxford?

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

--- How I wish I had studied harder when I was in senior school!

--- If you had, you ________a university student now．

A．are                      B．were                   C．should                 D．would be

高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

--- How I wish I had studied harder when I was in senior school!

--- If you had, you ________a university student now．

A．are    B．were  C．should      D．would be

高二英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析

--- How I wish I had studied harder when I was in senior school!

--- If you had, you ________a university student now.

A．are                      B．were                   C．should                 D．would be

高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

He’s saving for college 25 cents at a time.

For senior David Krichbaum of Firestone High School in Ohio, US, that means handfuls of peanut M&Ms, lots of sales pitches (推销辞令) and plenty of rejections.

This 17-year-old student bought his first gumball machine (口香糖贩卖机) about 18 months ago “just for something to do”.

He cleaned up the machine with fresh paint and placed it inside a popular Chinese restaurant in Ohio.

Since then, David has set up six more vending machines (自动售货机) in spots around Ohio.

But it wasn’t until he added a full-color “My College Fund” sign above the candy-filled globe late last year that his business skyrocketed.

“My sales doubled when I added that sign,” he said.

His goal is to expand his market to 30 gumball machine locations and generate $800 a month in profits.

He has already been accepted into the University of Akron’s business college, where the cost of tuition and books will be about $10,500 (69,000 yuan) per year.

The budding (崭露头角的) businessman doesn’t want to take out a student loan. “I just want to have some responsibility and at the same time get some experience in sales and business,” he said.

Theresa Krichbaum said her son has always had a creative mind. Aside from the vending business, he also runs his own hot dog stand at special events.

When he was recently denied a chance to sell his hot dogs at a local wrestling meet, he bought and opened his own candy stand. David hopes it will carry him through college and eventually to his own restaurant or other small business.

As with any business model, things in the candy market are not always sweet. David estimates that prospective business clients have rejected him and his vending machines about 200 times.

“It’s no big deal; it’s just part of the game,” he said.

1.What inspired David to begin his business? (no more than twelves words)

_______________________________________________________________

2.What made his candy business greatly take off? (no more than ten words)

_______________________________________________________________

3.Ideally, how long does David have to run his business to cover the cost of one year in the University of Akron’s business college? (no more than 5 words)

_______________________________________________________________

4.What is David’s long-term goal in business?　 (no more than 15 words)

_______________________________________________________________

5.What two words can best describe David? Please give your reasons? (no more than 30 words)

_______________________________________________________________

高二英语阅读表达中等难度题查看答案及解析

Art theft is an ancient and complicated crime. When you look at some of the most famous cases of art thefts in history, you see thoroughly planned operations that involve art dealers, art fakers, mobsters, ransoms, and millions of dollars. Here you can read about some of the most famous cases of art theft in the history.

The First Theft:

The first documented case of art theft was in 1473, when two panels of altarpiece of the Last Judgment by the Dutch painter Hans Memling were stolen. While the triptych was being transported by ship from the Netherlands to Florence, the ship was attacked by pirates who took it to the Gdansk cathedral in Poland. Nowadays, the piece is shown at the National Museum in Gdansk where it was recently moved from the Basilica of the Assumption.

The Most Famous Theft:

The most famous story of art theft involves one of the most famous paintings in the world and one of the most famous artists in history as a suspect. In the night of August 21, 1911, the Mona Lisa was stolen out of the Louver. Soon after, Pablo Picasso was arrested and questioned by the police, but was released quickly.

It took about two years until the mystery was solved by the Parisian police. It turned out that the 30×21 inch painting was taken by one of the museum employees by the name of Vincenzo Peruggia, who simply carried it hidden under his coat. Nevertheless, Peruggia did not work alone. The crime was carefully conducted by a notorious con man, Eduardo de Valfierno, who was sent by an art faker who intended to make copies and sell them as if they were the original painting.

While Yves Chaudron, the art faker, was busy creating copies for the famous masterpiece, Mona Lisa was still hidden at Peruggias’ apartment. After two years in which Peruggia did not hear from Chaudron, he tried to make the best out of his stolen good. Eventually, Peruggia was caught by the police while trying to sell the painting to an art dealer from Florence, Italy. The Mona Lisa was returned to the Louver in 1913.

The Biggest Theft in the USA:

The biggest art theft in United States took place at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. On the night of March 18, 1990, a group of thieves wearing police uniforms broke into the museum and took thirteen paintings whose collective value was estimated at around 300 million dollars. The thieves took two paintings and one print by Rembrandt, and works of Vermeer, Manet, Degas, Govaert Flinck, as well as a French and a Chinese artifact.

As of yet, none of the paintings have been found and the case is still unsolved. According to recent rumors, the FBI are investigating the possibility that the Boston Mob along with French art dealers are connected to the crime.

1. How long did it take to put back the stolen Mona Lisa in Louver ?___

A．Thirty six months                        B．Thirty months

C．Half a year                             D．Around two years

2.What does the underlined sentence, “he tried to make the best out of his stolen good” mean?

A．Chaudron wanted to sell the stolen painting.

B．Peruggia thought he didn’t need to work for Chaudon any more and wanted to market the painting.

C．Valfierno was tired of waiting.

D．Peruggia wanted to study the painting carefully.

3. Which case among those mentioned in the passage is still a mystery?

A．Mona Lisa case

B．Last Judgment case

C．Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum thirteen paintings case

D．none

4.People from the country of _____ is not involved in the passage.

A．China            B．France            C．Dutch            D．Vantican

5. Which statement is WRONG according to this article?

A．Picasso was ever considered a art theft suspect.

B．Art thieves normally not work alone.

C．The first documented case of art theft was conducted by pirates.

D．The mastermind of Mona Lisa was an art faker who wanted to sell copies.

6. The passage is not finished, which subtitle could be the next?

A．The Economic Value of Art Theft            B．The Loss to Art Lovers

C．The Most Sought After Painting             D．Boston Mob and French Art Dealers

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

The lecture, _______at 7:00 pm last night, was followed by an observation of the moon with telescopes.

A. staring　　 B. being started

C. to start　　 D. to be started

高二英语单项填空困难题查看答案及解析

Deborah Cohen is a senior natural scientist at the Rand Corp and the author of the book A Big Fat Crisis: The Hidden Forces Behind the Obesity Epidemic and How We Can End It. According to the book, there are lots of misunderstandings of obesity.

1. If you’re obese, blame your genes.

Obesity rates have increased. Yet, between 1980 and 2000, the number of Americans who are obese has doubled—too quickly for genetic factors to be responsible.

At restaurants, a dollar puts more calories on our plates than ever before, because restaurant meals usually have more calories than what we prepare at home, so people who eat out more frequently have higher rates of obesity than those who eat out less.

2. If you’re obese, you lack self-control.

Research shows that if we are faced with too much information, we have a tendency to make poor dietary choices. Our world has become so rich in temptation that we can be led to consume too much in ways we can’t understand. Even the most vigilant(警觉的) people may not be up to the task of controlling themselves.

3. Lack of access to fresh fruits and vegetables is responsible for obesity.

Although the US Department of Agriculture estimates that fewer than 5 percent of Americans live in the “food deserts”, about 65 percent of the nation’s population is overweight or obese. For most of us, obesity is not related to access to more fresh fruits and vegetables, but to the choices we make in supermarkets.

4. The problem is not that we eat too much, but that we don’t exercise.

Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign is based on the idea that if kids exercise more, childhood obesity rates will decrease. But there was no significant decrease in physical activity levels as obesity rates climbed in the 1980s and 1990s. In fact, although a drop in work-related physical activity may account for up to 100 fewer calories burned, leisure physical activity appears to have increased. The problem is that we eat too much.

1.The author mentioned Deborah Cohen’s book in Paragraph 1 to _______.

A. introduce the topic

B. draw readers’ attention

C. introduce the author of the book

D. advertise the book

2.What is the relationship between obesity and the place where you eat?

A. The less you eat out, the higher rates of obesity you have.

B. The less you eat at home, the lower rates of obesity you have.

C. The more you eat out, the higher rates of obesity you have.

D. The more you eat at home, the higher rates of obesity you have.

3.What’s the best title of this passage?

A. Four misunderstandings of obesity.

B. Four rules to help you avoid obesity.

C. Obesity leads to a big fat crisis.

D. Lacking self-control leads to obesity.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析