We humans are superstitious, believing that F...

We humans are superstitious, believing that Friday the 13th is bad luck and finding a penny is good luck. Here, then, are three of the most common superstitions.

Careful with that mirror

According to folktales, breaking a mirror is sure to bring yourself seven years of bad luck. The superstition seems to arise from the belief that mirrors don’t just reflect your image; they hold bits of your soul. That belief led old American Southerners to cover mirrors in a house when someone died, for fear that their soul might be trapped inside.

Like the number three, the number seven is often associated with luck. Seven years is a long time to be unlucky, so people have come up with solutions after breaking a mirror. These include touching a piece of the broken mirror to a tombstone or powdering the broken mirror.

Knock on wood

This phrase is designed to break away from bad luck: “Breaking that mirror didn’t bring me any trouble. Knock on wood.” The phrase may come from old tales about good spirits in trees or from an association with the Christian cross.

No umbrellas inside

…And not just because you’ll hurt someone’s eyes. Opening an umbrella indoors is supposed to bring bad luck. The origins of this belief vary from a story of an ancient woman who happened to have opened her umbrella moments before her house fell to the tale of a British prince who accepted two umbrellas from a visiting king and died within months.

1.What may bring good luck?

A. Dating on Friday the 13th.　　 B. Knocking on wood.

C. Opening an umbrella inside.　　 D. Breaking a mirror.

2.What should you do to drive bad luck away after breaking a mirror?

A. Hide the pieces for seven years.　　 B. Put the pieces in a tombstone.

C. Cover the other mirrors in a house.　　 D. Make the pieces into powder.

3.Which phrase may originate(起源) from religion?

A. Careful with that mirror.　　 B. Knock on wood.

C. No umbrellas inside.　　 D. Lucky number seven.

高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

When we talk about superstitious（迷信的）beliefs , the beliefs associated with Friday the 13th , no doubt , deserve a special mention . In fact , such is the fear associated with this date that people just can’t seem to stick to their daily routine on this day . The data from Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute suggests that somewhere around 17 to 21 million Americans are affected by the fear associated with this day , i.e. the combination of Friday and 13 . Even worse , the financial losses caused on this day amounts to as much as US$800 million every year .

As we flipped through the pages of history , we realized that Friday the 13th bears the brunt of bad luck associated with number 13 , the unluckiest number , and Friday , the unluckiest day of the week . Number 13 has always been considered unlucky , mainly as a result of it being associated with various occurrences in mythology . While some associate it with the instance of Norse mythology , in which the god of joy and gladness – Balter , was killed in a dishonest manner by Loki – the god of discord and mischief , who was the 13th guest , others associate it with the Last Supper , in which the 13th guest was Judas , who betrayed Jesus to his enemies for 30 pieces of silver .

Similarly , Friday has also been a sign of bad luck to many people , with incidents like Jesus being crucified（在十字架上钉死）on this unfaithful day , contributing to this belief . It is also widely believed that Cain killed Able on this very day of the week . The fear of Friday the 13th is known as friggatriskaidekaphobia and paraskevidekatriaphobia , the former combining the words frigga , meaning Friday , and triskaidekaphobia , meaning the phobia of number 13 . Over the period , the belief that Friday the 13th is an unlucky day has just become one of the most widely accepted superstitions , which consequently causes much blind panic and unreasonable fear in the world .

1.What does Friday the 13th refer to according to passage ?

A. The 13th Friday of a year .

B. The fear of the number 13 on Fridays .

C. A fixed date of a year that can bring bad luck .

D. The 13th day of a month falling on a Friday .

2.We can learn from the passage that __________ .

A. superstition is more popular among the uneducated

B. religion is an important contributing factor to superstition

C. Numbers are believed to bring people bad luck in history

D. The belief of Friday the 13th is based on folk stories

3.What will the author most probably talk about next ?

A.Arguments for and against the belief of Friday the 13th

B.Reasons why Friday the 13th is widely accepted

C.Stories about the bad luck brought by Friday the 13th

D.Appropriate attitude towards Friday the 13th

4.What is the passage mainly about?

A.The psychology of superstition

B.The history of a common superstition

C.The origins of Friday the 13th

D.Influences of Friday the 13th

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

We let ourselves believe that life will be better once we are married, have a baby, then another. Then we get frustrated because our children are not old enough and that all will be well when they are older. Then we are frustrated because they reach teenage years and we must deal with them. Surely we'll be happier when they grow out of the teen years.

We tell ourselves our life will be better when our spouse (配偶) gets his/her act together, when we have a nicer car, when we can take a vacation, when we finally retire. The truth is that there is no better time to be happy than right now. If not, then when? Your life will always be full of challenges. It is better to admit as much and to decide to be happy in spite of it all.

For the longest time, it seemed that life was about to start—real life.

But there were always some obstacles along the way, an ordeal (苦难) to get through, some work to be finished, some time to be given, a bill to be paid. Then life would start. I finally realized that those obstacles were part of life. Little by little, that point of view also helped me see that there isn't any road to happiness.

Happiness is the road. So, enjoy every moment. And keep in mind that __________. So stop waiting for school to end, for a return to school, to lose ten pounds, to gain ten pounds, for work to begin, to get married, for Friday evening, for Sunday morning, waiting for a new car, for your mortgage(借款) to be paid off, for spring, for summer, for fall, for winter, for the first or the fifteenth of the month, for your song to be played on the radio, to die, to be reborn… before deciding to be happy.

Happiness is a voyage, not a destination. There is no better time to be happy than… NOW! Live and enjoy the moment.

1.The most proper title for the passage should be______.

A. Happiness Is a Frustration       B. Happiness Is a Destination

C. Happiness Is a Dream          D. Happiness is a Process

2.The first two paragraphs mainly tell us_______.

A. life is a worthwhile but challenging voyage

B. so long as you believe you can, you can

C. people tend to think the future will be brighter than now

D. people feel confused about their life

3.The writer thinks _______is a real happiness

A. setting our imagination free        B. enjoying our present life

C. finding our own shortcut to success   D. facing obstacles and challenges bravely

4.Which of the sayings can fill in the blank in the fourth paragraph?

A. time waits for no one

B. time is money

C. tomorrow is another day

D. time can work wonders

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Many teenagers feel that the most important people in their lives are their friends. They believe that their family members, especially their parents, don’t know them as well as their friends do. In large families, it is often for brothers and sisters to fight with each other and then they can only go to their friends for advice. It is very important for teenagers to have one good friend or many friends. Even when they are not with their friends, they usually spend a lot of time talking among themselves on the phone. This communication is very important in children’s growing up, because friends can discuss something difficult to say to their family members.

However, parents often try to choose their children’s friends for them. Some parents may even stop their children from meeting their good friends. The question of “choice” is an interesting one. Have you ever thought of the following questions?

Who choose your friends?

Do you choose your friends or your friends choose you?

Have you got a good friend your parents don’t like?

1. Many teenagers think their _______ know them better than their parents do.

2.When teenagers stay alone, the usual way of communication is to _________.

3. Which of the following sentences is TRUE?

4. The main idea of this passage is that ___________.

高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

We are humans，and we all make mistakes. The mistakes that we make are not usually on purpose，whether it is breaking a vase，or not completing a task.　 1.This article will provide you with ideas as to what to do once a mistake has been made.

Admit that you make a mistake as soon as you discover it. Delaying it longer will only make you feel worse，or may drive you toward making the wrong decision to try and cover it up.

2. Do not play the“blame game"．Most people are smart enough to realize that this is just a poor attempt to protect yourself. Perhaps you gave a task to another person and it was never completed. But is it really the entire fault of the person you gave the task to or is it partially your fault for not following up? Keep this in mind before placing the blame on someone else.

3. Maybe you broke your mother's favorite vase，or even forgot a friend's birthday. Just an apology can sometimes be viewed as a“quick fix"，and apologizing and asking to be forgiven gives the person opportunity to forgive you.

Offer some compensation（补偿）for loss，damage，or injury caused. 4. By doing this，it may soften the blow to the person we've disappointed.

Learn from your mistakes. In the case of a job or a task，write a“to-do" list with the deadline before leaving the meeting. As for forgetting a birthday，put the birthday on an electronic calendar for next year.

Do better next time. 5.We should try to understand what happened and try to make sure that it won't happen again.

A. Take responsibility.

B. Never repeat your mistakes.

C. Apologize and ask for forgiveness.

D. People’s faith in us can reduce quickly.

E. So sometimes it is necessary to write a letter to say sorry.

F. But not everyone knows how to admit making a mistake.

G. Offer to immediately complete the late task or pay for the vase.

高三英语其他题中等难度题查看答案及解析

Thinking

1.Which part of your cerebrum is most active when you are making a telephone call?

A.The frontal lobe.                         B.The temporal lobe.

C.The occipital lobe.                       D.The parietal lobe.

2.Which of the following statements is true?

A.One’s personality has something to do with the frontal lobe.

B.Bright ideas come from the parietal lobe.

C.The occipital and temperal lobes are at the back of the cerebrum.

D.The occipital lobe is in charge of sound.

3.From the passage,we know the reason why around 10% of people are left-handed is that_______.

A.their frontal lobe is usually dominant

B.their temporal lobe is usually dominant

C.their right brain is usually dominant

D.their left brain is usually dominant

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Thinking

1.Which part of your cerebrum is most active when you are making a telephone call?

2.Which of the following statements is true?

3.From the passage,we know the reason why around 10% of people are left-handed is that_______.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

We use human translators rather than machines as we believe human persons are more　　　　 .

A． beneficial　　　　 　　　　　　　　　 B． sensitive　　　　　　　　　 C． reliable　　　　　　 D． valuable

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

We humans are sweet on sugar. That makes sense. All animals need sugar to live. It ' s the fuel that powers our cells. So it' s not surprising that we ' re born to want the sweet stuff.

Sugar stores the sun' s energy like a battery. After a meal,your body breaks down foods into their building blocks. It uses some sugars for energy right away. The rest get stored for the body to break down later. It ' s a myth that sugar makes you extremely excited, but having a sugary snack can give you a quick burst of energy. That ' s because the sugars in sweet foods are easy for your body to turn into fuel. When you eat other kinds of foods,like vegetables, it takes longer for your body to break the sugars down.

These days it' s easy to find sweet snacks. Sodas, candy, cakes and even foods that seem healthy , such as yogurt,can be packed with sugar. Food makers add sugar,because they know that to humans, sweet makes everything taste better. Americans eat about 20 teaspoons of extra sugar everyday. That' s way more than what is good for us.

Eating too much sugar can cause more than a stomach-ache. It can make people overweight, decay the teeth and even cause diabetes. However, experts aren ' t worried about naturally sweet foods- the problem is added sugar. So go ahead and enjoy a sweet apple or even a sugar-rich carrot that are also full of vitamins and other good stuff.

Even cake　 is great once in a while , as long as you don ' t overdo it. After all, no one wants life to be dull. And your body needs its fuel!

1.The first two paragraphs are mainly developed by _'

A. cause and effect.　　 B. problem and solution.

C. giving examples .　　 D. making comparisons.

2.People may be tncked into eating too much sugar because　 　　　　　　 .

A. no one wants life to be boring.

B. we ' re born to want the sweet stuff.

C. so-called healthy food can be packed with sugar.

D. sugar is the fuel for the plants and animals on the Earth.

3.What does the author want to stress in Para. 4?

A. We' d better say no to sweet foods.

B. Experts are worried about added sugar.

C. Eating too much sugar is bad for our health.

D. We ' d better consume sugar from natural sources.

4.What can be a suitable title for the text?

A. Sugar Is Everywhere.　　 B. Sugar Brings Happiness.

C. Why Does Sugar Taste So good?　　 D. Why Does Sugar Make Us Fat?

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Humans are responsible for causing changes in the environment that hurt animals and species(物种). We take up more space on Earth for our homes and cities. We pollute habitats(栖息地). ________1.  illegally hunt and kill animals. All of these activities take resources and habitats away ________2.________ plants and animals.

Human activity often changes or destroys the habitats that plants and animals need to survive.  3.________ human populations are growing so fast, animals and plants are disappearing many times faster 4.________ they have in the past 65 million years.

Animals and plants have always had a ________5.________ time surviving. Animals became extinct (灭绝的) in the past for a wide variety of reasons. In some cases, competition for resources among animals led to extinction and in ________6.________ cases, environmental changes caused extinction.

Fortunately, we humans are beginning to realize our mistakes, ________7.________ we could destroy everything on Earth. We must not only use our knowledge and abilities to manage the Earth, but to make the Earth ________8.________ safe and healthy place where all animals and plants——including humans ourselves——can live.

高三英语其他题中等难度题查看答案及解析