The Barbie doll first appeared at the toy fair in New York in 1959. Its creator was Ruth Handler, an American businesswoman. She and her husband Elliott along with Harold Matt Matson started the toy company Mattel. She based the design of the new doll on a German doll named Bild Lilli and named her after their daughter Barbara.
The first Barbie wore a black and white swimsuit and had her hair in a ponytail(马尾辫). She looked very grown-up. But any concerns that parents would not want to buy it for little girls were soon proved wrong.
Mattel sold 300,000 Barbie dolls in the first year at a price of three dollars. Today, a fifty-year-old Barbie in good condition might cost more than 27,000 dollars.
Barbie dolls have represented 50 different nationalities and are sold in 150 countries. Mattel says 90% of girls in the United States between the ages of three and ten own at least one Barbie doll. It says girls between the ages of three and six own an average of about 12.
Barbie also faced her share of critics. A well-known example was when women’s education groups objected to a talking Barbie doll that declared, among other things, “Math class is tough!” Mattel agreed to change it. Saudi Arabia has banned Barbie dolls. And a lawmaker in the American state of West Virginia would like to do the same. Last month, he proposed banning sales of Barbie and other dolls that influence girls to put too much importance on physical beauty.
Some people say Barbie is an unhealthy role model for young girls. Robin Gerber disagrees. She wrote a book about Barbie. She points out dolls like scientist Barbie and race car driver Barbie. She says people who criticize Barbie should tell girls the story of the businesswoman who created her. She says Ruth Handler wanted the dolls to help girls think about what they wanted to do with their lives.
1.The first Barbie doll might not be popular among little girls because _______.
A.her hairstyle was out of fashion
B.her appearance looked much too mature
C.her way of dressing was against the tradition
D.physical beauty wasn’t thought to be important
2.From the passage we know that Mattel ________.
A. is one of the world’s largest toy companies
B. is the director of an American toy company
C. was the woman who originally created Barbie
D. was a salesman who was good at selling Barbie dolls
3.Barbie dolls are criticized partly because they make girls ________.
A. pay too much attention to their physical beauty
B. neglect their schoolwork and inner beauty
C. prefer physical beauty to inner beauty
D. waste too much time and money on clothes
4.It can be inferred from the last paragraph that in her book Robin Gerber ________.
A. shows Barbie dolls have a negative influence on girls
B. praises a successful person who sells Barbie dolls
C. expresses her own favorable opinion about Barbie
D. argues for banning the sales of Barbie dolls
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题
The Barbie doll first appeared at the toy fair in New York in 1959. Its creator was Ruth Handler, an American businesswoman. She and her husband Elliott along with Harold Matt Matson started the toy company Mattel. She based the design of the new doll on a German doll named Bild Lilli and named her after their daughter Barbara.
The first Barbie wore a black and white swimsuit and had her hair in a ponytail(马尾辫). She looked very grown-up. But any concerns that parents would not want to buy it for little girls were soon proved wrong.
Mattel sold 300,000 Barbie dolls in the first year at a price of three dollars. Today, a fifty-year-old Barbie in good condition might cost more than 27,000 dollars.
Barbie dolls have represented 50 different nationalities and are sold in 150 countries. Mattel says 90% of girls in the United States between the ages of three and ten own at least one Barbie doll. It says girls between the ages of three and six own an average of about 12.
Barbie also faced her share of critics. A well-known example was when women’s education groups objected to a talking Barbie doll that declared, among other things, “Math class is tough!” Mattel agreed to change it. Saudi Arabia has banned Barbie dolls. And a lawmaker in the American state of West Virginia would like to do the same. Last month, he proposed banning sales of Barbie and other dolls that influence girls to put too much importance on physical beauty.
Some people say Barbie is an unhealthy role model for young girls. Robin Gerber disagrees. She wrote a book about Barbie. She points out dolls like scientist Barbie and race car driver Barbie. She says people who criticize Barbie should tell girls the story of the businesswoman who created her. She says Ruth Handler wanted the dolls to help girls think about what they wanted to do with their lives.
1.The first Barbie doll might not be popular among little girls because _______.
A.her hairstyle was out of fashion
B.her appearance looked much too mature
C.her way of dressing was against the tradition
D.physical beauty wasn’t thought to be important
2.From the passage we know that Mattel ________.
A. is one of the world’s largest toy companies
B. is the director of an American toy company
C. was the woman who originally created Barbie
D. was a salesman who was good at selling Barbie dolls
3.Barbie dolls are criticized partly because they make girls ________.
A. pay too much attention to their physical beauty
B. neglect their schoolwork and inner beauty
C. prefer physical beauty to inner beauty
D. waste too much time and money on clothes
4.It can be inferred from the last paragraph that in her book Robin Gerber ________.
A. shows Barbie dolls have a negative influence on girls
B. praises a successful person who sells Barbie dolls
C. expresses her own favorable opinion about Barbie
D. argues for banning the sales of Barbie dolls
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
The first UN Chinese Language Day 1. (observe) on Friday at UN Headquarters in New York in 2010. 2. the world's most widely spoken language, it seems appropriate that Mandarin (普通话) has one day every year dedicated (把…专用于) to it. This 3. (official) marked day of Mandarin language celebration was set by the United Nations as a way of celebrating the language's history and 4. (contribute) to the world. It is hoped that having one day every year 5. (celebrate) Mandarin will encourage more people around the world to take it up. With China likely to become the 6. (large) economy in the world, it is important that the wider world becomes interestingly more perfect in this wonderful language. Every year UN Chinese Language Day 7. ( fall) on April 20. A great way to get 8. (involve) in the celebration is to join a Mandarin class or attend one of the many Confucius Institutes (孔子学院)9. are set up in countries around the world. The number of people learning Chinese is on 10. increase in China's neighboring countries, such as Korea, Japan, and Vietnam.
高二英语语法填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
听下面一段较长对话,回答以下小题。
1.What present does the woman first suggest?
A. A toy car. B. A doll. C. A machine gun.
2.What is the relationship between the speakers?
A. Father and daughter. B. Mother and son. C. Sister and brother.
高二英语长对话简单题查看答案及解析
The first time I went to New York, I was very excited. My friend met me at the airport and took me to a hotel. Since he had to work, he promised to see me 1.next day and left.
After a short rest, I went to a restaurant near the hotel to get something to eat.2. I couldn’t speak English, I couldn’t tell the waiter 3.I wanted. I felt very upset and started to make some gestures, 4.the waiter just couldn’t understand me.
Finally, I ordered the same thing the man5.the next table was eating. After dinner, I started 6. walk along Broadway until I came to Time Square with its movie theatres and huge crowds 7.people. I didn’t feel a bit tired so I continued to walk.
When I returned to the hotel, I couldn’t sleep. I lay awake all the night, thinking about the day’s experience. I decided 8.I had to learn to speak English. (165 words)
高二英语其他题中等难度题查看答案及解析
“Hello” is a relatively new greeting. It first appeared sometime in the mid-1800s, but many people would not have dreamed of using it. “Hello” was considered a very impolite way to greet someone. Instead, people used formal expressions like “How do you do?”
Back then, there were several words that sounded like “hello,” but they were used to get someone’s attention or to express surprise. For example, if you caught your little brother stealing your snack, you might have said, “Halloa there! Stop eating my cheese!” If you found a fly in your soup, you might have shouted, “Hullo! How did that get in there?”
Everything started to change in 1876, when Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone. The first telephones didn’t have numbers you could dial, nor did they have bells or ringers. Instead, your telephone sent signals along telephone lines to a central office where an operator would answer by saying something like “Are you there, sir?” or “What is wanted?” The operator would then connect your phone to the phone of the person you wanted to reach. There was just one small problem: Since telephones didn’t ring, how would the person you were calling know that you were “on the line”? The answer is you would yell (大喊) into your phone and hope someone on the other end heard you. But what would you yell? And what would the person you were calling say when they were going to answer? Bell suggested “Ahoy! Ahoy!” but it didn’t catch on. Then the famous inventor Thomas Edison suggested the word hello. That caught on right away.
“Hello” became so popular that by 1878 telephone operators were required to use it. In fact, operators received the nickname (绰号) “Hello Girls.” Soon, “hello” became not just the standard way to answer the phone, but an accepted way to greet people in person.
1.Why was “hello” seldom used when it first appeared?
A. It was too informal.
B. It was hard to pronounce.
C. It was considered to be rude.
D. There were other words like “hello”.
2.“Hullo” was used to show something _____.
A. interesting B. exciting
C. boring D. unexpected
3.Paragraph 3 is mainly about _____.
A. how “hello” was used to answer the telephone
B. the friendship between Bell and Edison
C. the invention of the telephone
D. how the telephone improved
4.We can infer from the text that _____.
A. “hello” got popular as soon as the telephone was invented
B. the telephone has changed the way people speak
C. people liked simple expressions like “hello”
D. Bell advised girls to use “hello”
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Roger Rolls was the first black governor in the history of New York State, USA. He was born in one of New York’s notorious(臭名昭著) slums. The children born here rarely did decent work after they grew up. However, Roger Rolls was an exception, for he was not only admitted to the university, but also he became a governor. At his inaugural(就职的) press conference, a reporter asked him, “What made you become the governor?” Faced with more than 300 journalists, Rolls did not mention his struggle but only spoke of his primary school schoolmaster---Pierre Paul.
In 1961, Pierre Paul was engaged as the director and principle of Nobita Primary School. When he entered this school, he found the children here didn’t cooperate with the teachers. Pierre thought up many ways to guide them, but none was effective. Later, he found these children were very superstitious(迷信的), so when he gave lectures, he added a program of palm reading as a means of fortune-telling, with which he encouraged the students.
When Rolls Jumped from the hathpace (高台) and walked to the platform with his small hands stretched out, Pierre Paul said, “As soon as I see your slender little fingers, I know you will be the governor of New York State in future.” At that moment, Rolls was shocked because only his grandmother inspired him once, saying that he could become the governor of New York State, so he remembered that remark and believed him.
From that day on, the “New York State Governor” was like a banner that constantly inspired him to study energetically and make progress. Rolls no longer stained his clothes with mud, nor did he speak in foul (污秽的) language. He began to straighten his back when he was walking. In the next more than 40 years, he demanded himself according to the identity of a governor. At the age of 51, he finally became the governor of New York State.
Put up a banner of faith for yourself and you will have the drive to struggle and the vitality of life.
1.In terms of Roger Rolls’ success, what did he mention made him become the governor of New York State?
A. That he was born in a poor family.
B. His strong belief and his hard struggle.
C. His great achievements in his university.
D. Pierre Paul’s and his grandmother’s encouragement.
2.We know from Para. 2 that ___________.
A. Pierre Paul was expert at palm reading
B. Nobita primary School was a key school in 1961
C. Pierre Paul had a unique way of guiding his students
D. at first students in Pierre Paul’s primary school obeyed school rules well
3.What was always in Roger Rolls’ mind then?
A. New York State Governor.
B. His slender little fingers.
C. His birthplace and identity.
D. The captain of a five-ton ship.
4.Which of the following is NOT true of Rolls after he heard Paul’s remark?
A. He didn’t speak in foul language.
B. He kept his back straight while walking.
C. He studied energetically and made progress.
D. He ignored his stained clothes and only worked hard.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
She took up skating at age 85, made her first movie appearance at age 114, and held a concert in the neighborhood on her 121st birthday.
When it comes to long life, Jeanne Calment is the world’s recordholder. She lived to the ripe old age of 122. So is 122 the upper limit to the human life span(寿命)? If scientists come up with some sort of pill or diet that would slow aging, could we possibly make it to 150-or beyond?
Researchers don’t entirely agree on the answers. “Calment lived to 122, so it wouldn’t surprise me if someone alive today reaches 130 or 135, ”says Jerry Shay at the University of Texas.
Steve Austad at the University of Texas agrees. “People can live much longer than we think, ”he says. “Experts used to say that humans couldn’t live past 110. When Calment blew past that age, they raised the number to 120. So why can’t we go higher? ”
The trouble with guessing how old people can live to be is that it’s all just guessing. “Anyone can make up a number, ”says Rich Miller at the University of Michigan. “Usually the scientist who picks the highest number gets his name in Time magazine. ”
Won’t new anti-aging techniques keep us alive for centuries? Any cure, says Miller, for aging would probably keep most of us kicking until about 120. Researchers are working on treatments that lengthen the life span of mice by 50 percent at most. So, if the average human life span is about 80 years, says Miller, “adding another 50 percent would get you to 120. ”
So what can we conclude from this little disagreement among the researchers? That life span is flexible(有弹性的), but there is a limit, says George Martin of the University of Washington. “We can get flies to live 50 percent longer, ”he says. “But a fly’s never going to live 150 years. ”Of course, if you became a new species (物种), one that ages at a slower speed, that would be a different story, he adds.
Does Martin really believe that humans could evolve (进化)their way to longer life? “It’s pretty cool to think about, ”he says with a smile.
1.What does the story of Jeanne Calment prove to us?
A.People can live to 122.
B.Old people are creative.
C.Women are sporty at 85.
D.Women live longer than men.
2.According to Steve Austad at the University of Texas, ______.
A.the average human life span could be 110
B.scientists cannot find ways to slow aging
C.few people can expect to live to over 150
D.researchers are not sure how long people can live
3.Who would agree that a scientist will become famous if he makes the wildest guess at longevity?
A.Jerry Shay. B.Steve Austad
C.Rich Miller D.George Martin
4.What can we infer from the last three paragraphs?
A.Most of us could be good at sports even at 120.
B.The average human life span cannot be doubled
C.Scientists believe mice are aging at a slower speed than before.
D.New techniques could be used to change flies into a new species
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
It was the end of my first day as waitress in a busy New York restaurant. My cap had gone away, and my feet_______. The loaded plates I carried_______to be heavier and heavier. Tired and discouraged, I didn't seem able to do anything_______. As I made out a check for a family with several children who had changed their ice-cream_______a dozen times, I was ready to stop. Then the father_______at me as he handed my tip. "Well done," he said, "you've_______us really well." Suddenly my tiredness_______. I smiled back, and later, when the manager asked me how I'd like my first day, I said, "_______!" Those few words of praise had_______everything. Praise is like________to the human spirit; we cannot flower and grow without it. And________while most of us are only too________to apply to others the cold wind of criticism, we are________to give our fellows the warm sunshine of praise. Why---when one word of praise can bring such________?
It's strange how chary we are about praising. Perhaps it's________few of us know how to accept it. It's ________rewarding to give praise in areas in which________generally goes unnoticed or unmentioned. An artist gets complimented (admired) for a glorious picture, a cook for a________meal. But do you ever tell your laundry manager how pleased you are when the shirts are________just right? In fact, to give praise________the giver nothing but a moment's thought and a moment's effort.
1.A.rested B.hurt C.broke D.slipped
2.A.remained B.looked C.seemed D.appeared
3.A.new B.special C.nervous D.right
4.A.order B.price C.material D.chair
5.A.stared B.smiled C.glanced D.nodded
6.A.called on B.looked after C.passed by D.thought of
7.A.arrived B.continued C.disappeared D.developed
8.A.Oh B.Well C.Fine D.Terrible
9.A.made B.changed C.found D.improved
10.A.heat B.warmth C.snowstorm D.sunlight
11.A.then B.thus C.therefore D.yet
12.A.ready B.doubtful C.satisfied D.disappointed
13.A.unable B.unwilling C.likely D.anxious
14.A.attention B.choice C.pleasure D.difficulty
15.A.because B.when C.what D.where
16.A.finally B.especially C.silly D.fortunately
17.A.effort B.attempt C.deed D.feeling
18.A.daily B.light C.perfect D.poor
19.A.done B.sold C.chosen D.given
20.A.adds B.leaves C.offers D.costs
高二英语完形填空简单题查看答案及解析
It was the end of my first day as waitress in a busy New York restaurant. My cap had gone away, and my feet_______. The loaded plates I carried_______to be heavier and heavier. Tired and discouraged, I didn't seem able to do anything______. As I made out a check for a family with several children who had changed their ice-cream_______a dozen times, I was ready to stop. Then the father_______at me as he handed my tip. "Well done," he said, "you've_______us really well." Suddenly my tiredness______. I smiled back, and later, when the manager asked me how I'd like my first day, I said, "______!" Those few words of praise had_______everything. Praise is like_______to the human spirit; we cannot flower and grow without it. And_______while most of us are only too_______to apply to others the cold wind of criticism, we are_______to give our fellows the warm sunshine of praise. Why---when one word of praise can bring such______?
It's strange how chary we are about praising. Perhaps it's_______few of us know how to accept it. It's _______rewarding to give praise in areas in which_______generally goes unnoticed or unmentioned. An artist gets complimented (admired) for a glorious picture, a cook for a_______meal. But do you ever tell your laundry manager how pleased you are when the shirts are_______just right? In fact, to give praise_______the giver nothing but a moment's thought and a moment's effort.
1.A. rested B. hurt C. broke D. slipped
2.A. remained B. looked C. seemed D. appeared
3.A. new B. special C. nervous D. right
4.A. order B. price C. material D. chair
5.A. stared B. smiled C. glanced D. nodded
6.A. called on B. looked after C. passed by D. thought of
7.A. arrived B. continued C. disappeared D. developed
8.A. Oh B. Well C. Fine D. Terrible
9.A. made B. changed C. found D. improved
10.A. heat B. warmth C. snowstorm D. sunlight
11.A. then B. thus C. therefore D. yet
12.A. ready B. doubtful C. satisfied D. disappointed
13.A. unable B. unwilling C. likely D. anxious
14.A. attention B. choice C. pleasure D. difficulty
15.A. because B. when C. what D. where
16.A. finally B. especially C. silly D. fortunately
17.A. effort B. attempt C. deed D. feeling
18.A. daily B. light C. perfect D. poor
19.A. done B. sold C. chosen D. given
20.A. adds B. leaves C. offers D. costs
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
If you visit the new Mummies(木乃伊) show at the American Museum of Natural History(AMNH), in New York City, don’t miss the Gilded Lady. Scientists say she probably died of lung disease when she was in her 40s---about 2,000 years ago---in Egypt. They even have a model of her skull(头骨). Based on that, an artist was sure how she may have looked when she was alive. And yet, the mummy’s coffin has never been opened. Instead, scientists used a machine called a CT scanner(扫描仪) to look inside.
CT scanners were developed to help doctors examine patients. But the machines turned out to be perfect for studying mummies, too.
“A hundred years ago, scientists would usually open mummies’ coffins. This did a great deal of harm to those mummies,” say AMNH president Ellen V. Futter. “We just don’t do that anymore. We can do so much better. By using CT scanners, scientists can know about an ancient person’s diet from some of a mummy’s hair. Pieces of bone can show who was related to whom.”
Some mummies in Peru were buried with a skull hanging from their neck. Scientists thought these mummies wore the skull of an enemy. But DNA evidence showed that the mummies were buried with the skull of an ancestor(祖先).
The 19 mummies in the show are from Egypt and Peru. They had completely different reasons for mummifying the dead. The ancient Egyptians believed that mummification allowed an ancestor to live on in the next world. The people who prepared the Gilded Lady thought she would continue to see, hear, and smell. In ancient Peru, people practiced mummification to stay connected with their ancestors. Some families kept mummies in their home.
Futter calls the mummies in the show “messengers from another time.” With the help of technology, scientists will continue to uncover mummies’ secrets so we can understand it.
1.What did scientists find about the Gilded Lady?
A. She was a great artist.
B. She died a natural death.
C. She lived in ancient Egypt.
D. She had an amazingly long life.
2.What do Futter’s words suggest?
A. Pieces of bone show a person’s diet.
B. CT scanners do great harm to mummies.
C. Mummies usually wore the skull of an enemy.
D. Technology plays an important role in mummy studies.
3.Why did the ancient Peruvians make mummies?
A. To do traditional medical research.
B. To keep close ties with their relatives.
C. To help their families live a better life.
D. To let their ancestors live in another world.
4.What does the underlined word “it” in the last paragraph refer to?
A. The technology.
B. Their message.
C. Their family.
D. The show.
高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析