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Nineteenth-century writers in the United States, whether they wrote novels, short stories, poems or plays, were powerfully drawn to the railroad in its golden years. In fact, writers responded to the railroads as soon as the first were built in the 1830’s. By the 1850’s, the railroad was a major presence in the life of the nation. Writers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David saw the railroad both as a boon(要求) to democracy(民主国家) and as an object of suspicion. The railroad could be and was a despoiler(掠夺者) of nature, furthermore, in its manifestation of speed and noise. It might be a despoiler of human nature as well. By the 1850’s and 1860’s, there was a great distrust among writer and intellectuals of the rapid industrialization of which the railroad was a leading force. Deeply philosophical historians such as Henry Adams lamented the role that the new frenzy for business was playing in eroding traditional values. A distrust of industry and business continued among writers throughout the rest of the nineteenth century and into the twentieth.
For the most part, the literature in which the railroad plays and important role belong to popular culture rather than to the realm of serious art. One thinks of melodramas, boys’ books, thrillers, romances, and the like rather than novels of the first rank. In the railroads’ prime years, between 1890 and 1920, there were a few individuals in the United States, most of them with solid railroading experience behind them, who made a profession of writing about railroading—works offering the ambience of stations, yards, and locomotive cabs. These writers, who can genuinely be said to have created a genre, the “railroad novel”, are now mostly forgotten, their names having faded from memory. But anyone who takes the time to consult their fertile writings will still find a treasure trove of information about the place of the railroad in the life of the United States.
1.The underlined word “it” in the passage refers to______.
A. railroad B. manifestation C. speed D. nature
2.In the first paragraph, the author implies that writers’ reactions to the development of railroads were______.
A. highly enthusiastic B. both positive and negative C. unchanging D. Disinterested
3. According to the passage, the railroad played a significant role in literature in all of the following kinds of books except_______.
A. thrillers B. boys’ books C. romances D. important novels
4. The phrase “first rank” in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to______.
A. largest category(类别) B. highest quality C. earliest writers D. most difficult language
5. Which of the following topics is the main idea of passage?
A. The role of the railroad in the economy of the USA
B. Major nineteenth century writers
C. The conflict between expanding industry and preserving nature
D. The railroad as a subject for literature
高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
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Anais Nin was a famous writer. Nin was born French-Cuban but lived in the United States in her later years of life till she died. Nin’s works had her relationships with authors，artists，and other figures as the main subject. Some of her writings were made into films. Nin was also a visiting lecturer in several colleges and promoted Women's Movement with her strong writings.
Anais Nin was born in France in 1903. Her father was a Spanish artist and a composer living in Cuba（古巴）where he met her mother, a French singer working in Cuba. As a child Nin was brought up in Spain. When her parents separated, Nin and her two brothers moved to New York with their mother. At the age of 16 Nin decided to give up studying and started to work as a dancer and model to reduce the financial burden on her mother so that her brothers could go on with their studies.
In 1923 Nin got married to her husband，Hugh Parker Guiler in Cuba. In 1924 Nin and Hugh moved to Paris where Hugh continued with his banking career and Nin started writing. Nin wrote her first book in print, D. H. Lawrence：An Unprofessional Study in 16 days. In 1939 Nin left Paris as it was a French government's request to its residents to leave Paris because of the coming war. Nin returned to New York with Hugh and sent her written books to Frances Steloff of the Gotham Book Mart in New York for safekeeping.
In 1931 Nin wrote her book Henry and June from the Unexpurgated Diary of Anais Nin. In 1936 Nin published House of Incest which was a 72-page fiction novel.
Nin also appeared and was a part of various films. In 1973 Anais Nin was awarded an honorary doctorate（荣誉博士学位）by the Philadelphia College of Art. In 1974 Nin was elected to the United States National Institute of Arts and Letters.
In 1977 Nin died in her Los Angeles home after battling with cancer for three years.
1.What information can we get from Paragraph one?
A．Anais Nin was a native American.
B．Anais Nin started Women's Movement.
C．Anais Nin gave lectures in several colleges.
D．Anais Nin wrote mainly about her family life.
2.Why did Nin and her husband move back to New York in 1939?
A．Because they expected to enter the film industry.
B．Because the couple wanted to stay away from the coming war.
C．Because they intended to have her books published.
D．Because they both meant to promote the sales of new books.
3.We can infer from the passage that＿．
A．Nin got married in 1923 and started writing a year later
B．Nin wrote her book Henry and June from the Unexpurgated Diary of Anais Nin after she moved to America
C．Nin directed and played in various films
D．Anais Nin was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Philadelphia College of Science
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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Anais Nin was a famous writer. Nin was born French-Cuban but lived in the United States in her later years of life till she died. Nin’s works had her relationships with authors, artists, and other figures as the main subject. Some of her writings were made into films. Nin was also a visiting lecturer in several colleges and promoted Women's Movement with her strong writings.
Anais Nin was born in France in 1903. Her father was a Spanish artist and a composer living in Cuba (古巴) where he met her mother, a French singer working in Cuba. As a child Nin was brought up in Spain. When her parents separated, Nin and her two brothers moved to New York with their mother. At the age of 16, Nin decided to give up studying and started to work as a dancer and model to reduce the financial burden on her mother so that her brothers could go on with their studies.
In 1923, Nin got married to her husband, Hugh Parker Guiler in Cuba. In 1924, Nin and Hugh moved to Paris where Hugh continued with his banking career and Nin started writing. Nin wrote her first book in print, D. H. Lawrence: An Unprofessional Study in 16 days. In 1939, Nin left Paris as it was a French government’s request to its residents to leave Paris because of the coming war. Nin returned to New York with Hugh and sent her written books to Frances Steioff of the Gotham Book Mart in New York for safekeeping.
In 1931, Nin wrote her book Henry and Jun: From the Unexpurgated Diary of Anais Nin. In 1936, Nin published House of Incest which was a 72-page fiction novel
Nin also appeared and was a part of various films. In 1973, Anais Nin was awarded an honorary doctorate (荣誉博士学位) by the Philadelphia College of Art. In 1974, Nin was elected to the United States National Institute of Arts and Letters.
In 1977, Nin died in her Los Angeles home after battling with cancer for three years.
1.What can we know about Anais Nin from the first paragraph?
A. She was a native American.
B. She started Women’s Movement
C. She gave lectures in several colleges.
D. She wrote mainly about her family life.
2.Why did Anais Nin give up studying at the age of 16?
A. Because she wanted to help support her family.
B. Because her parents divorced.
C. Because she wanted to realize her dream of becoming an artist
D. Because she moved from country to country.
3. In 1939 Nin and her husband moved back to New York to______ .
A. enter the film industry B. stay away from war
C. have her books published D. promote her new books
4.What is the passage mainly about?
A. The awards Anais Nin won.
B. Anais Nin and her incomplete family.
C. The hardship Anais Nin experienced.
D. Anais Nin and her great achievements.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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There are fifty states in the United States. The largest in population is California，the largest in area is Alaska. Alaska is the smallest in population and Rhode Island is the smallest in size. The oldest states are the ones along the Atlantic coast. The newest states are Alaska and Hawaii. Alaska is also the coldest state. California and Florida are the warmer. Henry and his family live in Seattle，a big city，on the Pacific coast. But Los Angeles and San Francisco，also on the Pacific coast，are larger than Seattle. Henry’s cousin，Susan，lives in New York. It is the largest city in the United States. Thousands of people visit New York each year. The most important city in the United States is Washington，D. C. It is the capital，but it is much smaller than New York.
1.How many states are there in the U. S. A. ？
A. Five B. Forty- Five C. Fifty D. Fifteen
2.Which state is the largest in population？
A. California B. Rhode-Island
C. Alaska D. Los Angeles
3.Which state is the coldest，the newest，and the smallest in population？
A. Rhode Island. B. Seattle.
C. San Francisco. D. Alaska.
4.Which of the following is true？
A. The oldest states are the ones along the Pacific coast.
B. Washington is the most important and the largest city.
C. New York is the largest city in the United States.
D. Henry’s cousin lives in the Seattle.
5.Why is Washington, D. C. the most important American city？
Because _________.
A. it is the largest city
B. it is the largest in population
C. it is the most beautiful city
D. it is the capital of the United States
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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The first Starbucks coffee shop opened in 1971 in downtown Seattle, Washington, in the United States. It was a small coffee shop that roasted its own coffee beans. The coffee shop’s business did well, and by 1981 there were three more Starbucks stores in Seattle.
Things really began to change for the company in 1981. That year, Howard Schultz met the three men who ran Starbucks. Schultz worked in New York for a company that made kitchen equipment. He noticed that Starbucks ordered a large number of special coffee makers, and he was curious about the company. Schultz went to Seattle to see what Starbucks did , and he liked what he saw. He wanted to become part of the company. In 1982, the original Starbucks owners hired Schultz as the company’s head of marketing.
In 1983, Schultz traveled to Italy. The unique atmosphere of the espresso(浓咖啡) bars there caught his eye. To Schultz it seemed that Italians spent their daily lives in three places: home, work , and coffee bars . His experience in Italy gave Schultz a new idea for Starbucks back in Seattle.
Schultz created an atmosphere for Starbucks coffee shops that was comfortable and casual, and customers everywhere seemed to like it. Between 1987 and 1992, Starbucks opened 150 new stores---and that was only the beginning. As a matter of fact, by the year 2000, three new Starbucks stores opened somewhere around the world every day!
Today, Starbucks has thousands of stores, including stores in twenty-six countries. One thing that helps make Starbucks succeed in cities outside the United Stateds is the way Starbucks works with local stores and restaurants. By working together with a store already in the city, Starbucks gains an understanding of customers in the city. This understanding helps Starbucks open stores in the right locations for their customers.
1.What is the main topic of the reading?
A. how Starbucks has grown B. Starbucks’ customers
C. what Starbucks makes D. how Starbucks makes its coffee
2.Which is true about Starbucks’ first ten years of business?
A. It grew very quickly B. It was run by Howard Schultz
C. It was a small company D. It made special coffee makers
3.Who is Howard Schultz?
A. a coffee seller from New York B. the man who changed the company
C. an Italian coffee maker D. one of the original owners of the company
4.About how many new Starbucks opened in 1999?
A. 3 B. 150 C. 300 D. more than 1000
5.What helps Starbucks succeed in places outside the United States?
A. opening restaurants in just a few locations each year.
B. only selling locally produced coffee beans
C. working with other major coffee-making companies
D. learning about local customers.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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Football--called soccer in the United States--is probably the most popular sport in the world today, It has been popular for a long time. But many years ago each country had different rules for its own football game.
In 1863 a group of people met in England to change this. They wrote a set of rules for all countries to follow. They also planned for soccer teams from different countries to play against each other. The idea worked. These rules are the same today, more than 100 years later. Now teams from all the world compete in the famous World Cup. The cup is a series of games which is held every four years. Team from many countries plays to see which is the best. Soccer is so popular today that it is not unusual for 600 million people to watch a World Cup match on television.
How did the World Cup start? The soccer team from Uruguay won the Olympic championship in soccer in 1924 and 1928. That country decided to have the first World Cup games in Montevideo in 1930, These first games were not very successful. Only thirteen teams arrived to play and eight of them were from South America.
It didn't seem like a world championship. The team from Uruguay won the Cup that first year.
1.In 1863 a group of people met in England______.
A. to play for football teams from different countries
B. to learn the rules for football
C. to write a set of rules for football
D. to have matches between teams from different countries
2.The rules written in 1863 are _____.
A. the same as today's B. different from today's
C. changed a lot D. changed a little
3.When did the first World Cup take place?
A. In 1930. B. In 1924. C. in 1928 D. In 1934
4.The first World Cup was not successful because
A. the Olympic champion didn't take place
B. some of the teams arrived too late
C. all teams were from South America
D. it did not seem like a world championship
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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The home computer industry has been growing rapidly in the United States in the last ten years. Computers used to be large, expensive machines that were very difficult to use. But scientists and technicians have been making them smaller and cheaper while at the same time they have been made easier to use. As a result, their popularity has been increasing as more people have been buying computers for their homes and businesses.
Computers have been designed to store information and compute problems that are difficult for human beings to work out. Some have voices that speak to their operators. Stores use computers to keep records of their inventories and to send bills to their customers. Offices use computers to copy letters, record business and keep in touch with other offices. People also use computers in their homes to keep track of the money they spend.
One important new use of computers is for entertainment. Many new games have been designed to be played on computers. People of all ages play these games. People also buy home computers to watch movies and listen to concerts at home. They have become very popular indeed.
1.Compared with those of today, computers used to ______.
A. work rapidly B. be used for fun
C. be large and expensive D. be easy to use
2.In recent years, computers have become ______.
A. more and more difficult to use B. slower and slower
C. more and more expensive D. smaller and smaller
3.Home computers can be used for ______.
A. doing business B. writing letters
C. playing games D. all of the above
4.Salesmen use computers mainly to ______.
A. talk with their friends
B. write letters
C. check the list of goods and send bills
D. play games for pleasure
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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May the first is an important date in the college admission process in the United States．This is the last day for high school seniors to accept or reject offers of admission in the fall．But according to a recent report, there is a great change. Acceptance rates at the top colleges this year were lower than ever.1.
These days, college applicants are applying to more colleges because online and common applications make the process easier.2.On the other hand, deciding students for top colleges to accept can be difficult because it takes much time. Students may not like being put on waiting lists. Also, common colleges work more to get the students they accept to accept them. Some colleges hold visiting days that offer a chance to attend classes and stay overnight. Some universities send gifts.3.
For many families, the most important thing colleges can do is show them the money, especially this year; the weak economy makes parents nervous.4.The recent problems that spread from the housing market to credit markets have even affected student’s loans. So lately, top schools have to spare lots of money to increase their financial aid for students.
5.The Education Department expects the number of high school graduates to start to go down. This will happen as the last of the children of the baby boom generation finishes high school. The number is not expected to start rising again until 2015.
A．Besides, top colleges are facing changes in the population.
B．What contributes to it?
C．But a mistake can be costly if it happens.
D．But top colleges ignore them.
E. They have international students who know English.
F. It can mean several acceptances to choose from.
G. They cannot afford college as planned.
高二英语七选五困难题查看答案及解析
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Popular breakfast foods in the United States, as in many other countries around the world, include coffee, milk , juice, eggs, and bread. Some other breakfast items served in the United States are thought by many to be traditionally American. However, they actually come from other cultures.
A very popular breakfast food in America is the pancake--- a thin , flat cake made out of flour and often served with maple syrup. The idea of the pancake is very old. In fact, pancakes were made long ago in ancient China.
Bagels, a round thick bread with a hole in the middle , are also popular for breakfast in America. Polish people in the late 1600s came up with the idea for the first bagels and this new kind of bread soon took off across Eastern Europe.
In the late 1800s, thousands of Jews from Eastern Europe travelled to the United States and brought the recipe for bagels with them. Today, New York bagels are said to be the best in the world. Many people have them with cream for breakfast on the go.
Doughnuts (usually spelled “donut” in the United States) came from France. They were served to American soldiers in France in the World War Ⅰ. After the war, American soldiers asked cooks in the United States to make doughnuts for them. Now , served with coffee, they are a very popular breakfast food across the United States.
1.This reading is mainly about ________
A. famous places to eat breakfast.
B. why people in the United States eat breakfast
C. the most popular types of pancakes in the United States
D. the history of popular breakfast foods in the United States.
2.The oldest breakfast food in the passage is ______
A. the pancake B. the bagel C. the doughnut D. The passage doesn’t say.
3.Which sentence is true for both bagels and donuts?
A. They both came from Europe B. They are both easy to make
C. They are both sweet D. people in New York make them best
4.Who brought bagels to America?
A. Polish people B. Jewish People C. Chinese People D. American soldiers
5.Who served donuts to American soldiers during World War Ⅰ?
A. French people B. Jewish people
C. other American soldiers D. cooks from the United States.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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Are you interested in higher education in the United States？The following advice might help you．
●College，University or Institute
College and universities offer undergraduate degrees in arts and sciences．And both can help prepare young people to earn a living．But many colleges don’t offer graduate studies．Universities are generally bigger,offer more programs and do more research．An institute of technology can offer a wide choice of programs and activities．Seventyfive percent of freshmen go there with a strong interest and involvement in the arts．
●The Application Process
International admissions officers advise students to apply to at least three schools．You may be able to apply online and pay the application charge with a credit card,or by mail．You should study the websites of schools to find information about how and when to apply,how much it will cost and whether any financial aid is available．
●Get a Student Card
If you requesting a visa for the first time，you will have to go to an American embassy or consulate（领馆）．You will need to bring a government form sent to you by your American school that shows you have been accepted．A consular official will also take your picture and your fingerprints．You will also need banking and tax records that show you have enough money to pay for your education．
●Financial Aid
American schools provide aid，like scholarships，fellowships,to almost half of foreign graduate students，but only ten percent of undergraduates．But grants，which，unlike a loan，does not have to be paid．
1.It can be inferred from the passage that American colleges and universities________．
A. have their own origins in institutes of technology
B. have both similarities and differences
C. can offer a wide choice of programs and activities
D. provide about seventy-five percent students with art courses
2.In what order should the steps for applying to an American school be completed by a foreign student？________
a．Apply online
b．Find out how much it will cost and whether any financial aid is available online
c．Pay the application charge with a credit card，or by mail
d．Choose at least three schools
e．Find information about how and when to apply online
A. a-c-e-d-b B. e-d-c-a-b
C. d-a-c-e-b D. b-c-e-d-a
3.To apply for a vise for the first time，you’ll have to do the following things EXCEPT________．
A. paying an American embassy or consulate some money
B. taking your picture and your fingerprints
C. showing a government form given by the American school admitting you
D. providing evidence that you have enough money to pay for your education
4.The purpose of the passage is________．
A. to make some money
B. to provide foreign students with a guide
C. to improve education quality
D. to attract foreign visitors to America．
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析