Among rich countries, people in the United States work the longest hours. They work much longer than in Europe. This difference is quite surprising because productivity(生产力) per hour worked is the same in the United States as it is in France, Spain and Germany, and it is growing at a similar speed.
In most countries and at most times in history, as people have become richer they have chosen to work less. In other words they have decided to “spend” a part of their extra income on a fuller personal life. Over the last fifty years Europeans have continued this pattern, and hours of work have fallen sharply. But not in the United States. We do not fully know why this is. One reason may be greatly lower taxes in America, which increase the rewards to work. Another may be more satisfying work, or less satisfying personal lives.
Longer hours do of course increase the GDP(国内生产总值). So the United States has produced more per worker than, say, France. The United States also has more of its people at work, while in France many more mothers and older workers have decided to stay at home. The overall result is that American GDP per head is 40% higher than in France, even though productivity per hour worked is the same.
It is not clear which of the two situations is better. As we have seen, work has to be compared with other values like family life, which often get lost in its interest. It is too early to explain the different trends(趋势)in happiness over time in different countries. But it is a disappointing idea that in the United States happiness has made no progress since 1975, while it has risen in Europe. Could this have anything to do with trends in the work-life balance?
1.Which of the following countries has more of its people at work?
A. Spain. B. France. C. Germany. D. America.
2.What message can we get from the text?
A. The GDP of Europe is higher than that of America.
B. Two possible reasons are given for working longer hours in the US.
C. People all over the world choose to work less when they are richer.
D. Americans are happier than Europeans.
3.Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
A. Americans and Europeans
B. Staying at Home
C. Work and Productivity
D. Work and Happiness
高一英语阅读理解中等难度题
Among rich countries, people in the United States work the longest hours. They work much longer than in Europe. This difference is quite surprising because productivity(生产力) per hour worked is the same in the United States as it is in France, Spain and Germany, and it is growing at a similar speed.
In most countries and at most times in history, as people have become richer they have chosen to work less. In other words they have decided to “spend” a part of their extra income on a fuller personal life. Over the last fifty years Europeans have continued this pattern, and hours of work have fallen sharply. But not in the United States. We do not fully know why this is. One reason may be greatly lower taxes in America, which increase the rewards to work. Another may be more satisfying work, or less satisfying personal lives.
Longer hours do of course increase the GDP(国内生产总值). So the United States has produced more per worker than, say, France. The United States also has more of its people at work, while in France many more mothers and older workers have decided to stay at home. The overall result is that American GDP per head is 40% higher than in France, even though productivity per hour worked is the same.
It is not clear which of the two situations is better. As we have seen, work has to be compared with other values like family life, which often get lost in its interest. It is too early to explain the different trends(趋势)in happiness over time in different countries. But it is a disappointing idea that in the United States happiness has made no progress since 1975, while it has risen in Europe. Could this have anything to do with trends in the work-life balance?
1.Which of the following countries has more of its people at work?
A. Spain. B. France. C. Germany. D. America.
2.What message can we get from the text?
A. The GDP of Europe is higher than that of America.
B. Two possible reasons are given for working longer hours in the US.
C. People all over the world choose to work less when they are richer.
D. Americans are happier than Europeans.
3.Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
A. Americans and Europeans
B. Staying at Home
C. Work and Productivity
D. Work and Happiness
高一英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
In the United States, when one becomes rich, he wants people to know it. And even if he does not become very rich, he wants people to think that he is. That is what “keeping up with the Joneses” is about. It is the story of someone who tried to look as rich as his neighbors.
The expression was first used in 1913 by a young American called Arthur Momand. He told this story about himself. He began earning $ 125 a week at the age of 23. That was a lot of money in those days. He got married and moved with his wife to a very wealthy neighborhood. When he saw that rich people rode horses, Momand went horseback riding every day. When he saw that rich people had servants. Momand and his wife also hired a servant and gave big parties for their new neighbors.
It was like a race, but one could never finish this race because one was always trying to keep up. The race ended for Momand and his wife when they could no longer pay for their new way of life. They had to move back to an apartment in New York City.
Momand looked around him and noticed that many people do things just to keep up with rich lifestyle of their neighbors. He saw the funny side of it and started to write a series of short stories. He called it “Keeping up with the Joneses” because “Jones” is a very common name in the United States. “Keeping up with the Joneses” came to mean keeping up with rich lifestyle of the people around you. Momand’s series appeared in different newspapers across the country for over 28 years.
People never seem to get tired of keeping up with the Joneses. And there are “Joneses” in every city of the world. But one must get tired of trying to keep up with the Joneses because no matter what one does, Mr. Jones always seems to be ahead.
1.Some people want to keep up with the Joneses because they ______.
A.want others to know or to think that they are rich
B.want to be as rich as their neighbours
C.don’t want others to know they are rich
D.want to be happy
2.It can be inferred from the story that rich people like to ________.
A.live in New York City B.live outside New York City
C.live in apartments D.live with many neighbours
3.What’s the author’s attitude to keeping up with the Joneses?
A.Supportive. B.Objective. C.Negative. D.Positive.
高一英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
In the United States, when one becomes rich, he wants people to know it. And even if he does not become very rich, he wants people to think that he is. That is what ‘keeping up with the Joneses’ is about, It is the story of someone who tried to look as rich as his neighbours.
The expression was first used in 1913 by a young American called Arthur Momand. He told this story about himself. He began earning $ 125 a week at the age of 23. That was a lot of money in those days. He got married and moved with his wife to a very wealthy neighbourhood outside New York City. When he saw that rich people rode horses, Momand went horseback riding every day. When he saw that rich people had servants. Momand and his wife also hired a servant and gave big parties for their new neighbours.
It was like a race, but one could never finish this race because one was always trying to keep up. The race ended for Momand and his wife when they could no longer pay for their new way of life. They moved back to an apartment in New York City.
Momand looked around him and noticed that many people do things just to keep up with rich life--style of their neighbours. He saw the funny side of it and started to write a series (系列) of short stories, He called it ‘Keeping up with the Joneses’ because ‘Jones’ is a very common name in the United States.’ Keeping up with the Joneses’ came to mean keeping up with rich lifestyle of the people around you. Momand’s series appeared in different newspapers across the country for over 28 years.
People never seem to get tired of keeping up with the Joneses. And there are ‘Jonses’ in every city of the world. But one must get tired of trying to keep up with the Joneses because no matter what one does, Mr. Jones always seems to be ahead.
1. Some people want to keep up with the Joneses because they ______.
A. want to be as rich as their neighbours
B. want others to know or to think that they are rich
C. don’t want others to know they are rich
D. want to be happy
2. It can be inferred from the story that rich people like to ________.
A. live outside New York City B. live in New York City
C. live in apartments D. have many neighbours
3. The underlined word neighbourhood in the second paragraph means ________.
A. a person who lives near another B. people living in an area
C. an area near the place referred to D. an area in another town or city
4. According to the writer, it is _________ to keep up with the Joneses.
A. correct B. interesting C. impossible D. good
高一英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
In the United States, when one becomes rich, he wants people to know it. And even if he does not become very rich, he wants people to think that he is. That is what ‘keeping up with the Joneses’ is about. It is the story of someone who tried to look as rich as his neighbors.
The expression was first used in 1913 by a young American called Arthur Momand. He told this story about himself. He began earning $ 125 a week at the age of 23. That was a lot of money in those days. He got married and moved with his wife to a very wealthy neighbourhood outside New York City. When he saw that rich people rode horses, Momand went horseback riding every day. When he saw that rich people had servants, Momand and his wife also hired a servant and gave big parties for their new neighbours.
It was like a race, but one could never finish this race because one was always trying to keep up. The race ended for Momand and his wife when they could no longer pay for their new way of life. They moved back to an apartment in New York City.
Momand looked around him and noticed that many people do things just to keep up with rich lifestyle of their neighbours. He saw the funny side of it and started to write a series of short stories. He called it ‘Keeping up with the Joneses’ because ‘Jones’ is a very common name in the United States. ‘Keeping up with the Joneses’ came to mean keeping up with rich lifestyle of the people around you. Momand’s series appeared in different newspapers across the country for over 28 years.
People never seem to get tired of keeping up with the Joneses. And there are ‘Jonses’ in every city of the world. But one must get tired of trying to keep up with the Joneses because no matter what one does, Mr. Jones always seems to be ahead.
1.Some people want to keep up with the Joneses because they _____.
A. want to be as rich as their neighbors
B. want others to know or to think that they are rich
C. don’t want others to know they are rich
D. want to be happy
2.It can be inferred (推断) from the story that rich people like to _____.
A. live outside New York City B. live in New York city
C. live in apartments D. have many neighbors
3.Arthur Momand used the name “Jones” in his series of short stories because “Jones” is _____.
A. an important name B. a popular name in the United States
C. his neighbor’s name D. not a good name
4.According to the writer, it is _____ to keep up with the Joneses.
A. correct B. interesting
C. impossible D. good
高一英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
In the United States, when one becomes rich, he wants people to know it. And even if he does not become very rich, he wants people to think that he is. That is what ‘keeping up with the Joneses’ is about, It is the story of someone who tried to look as rich as his neighbours.
The expression was first used in 1913 by a young American called Arthur Momand. He told this story about himself. He began earning $ 125 a week at the age of 23. That was a lot of money in those days. He got married and moved with his wife to a very wealthy neighbourhood outside New York City. When he saw that rich people rode horses, Momand went horseback riding every day. When he saw that rich people had servants. Momand and his wife also hired a servant and gave big parties for their new neighbours.
It was like a race, but one could never finish this race because one was always trying to keep up. The race ended for Momand and his wife when they could no longer pay for their new way of life. They moved back to an apartment(公寓房间) in New York City.
Momand looked around him and noticed that many people do things just to keep up with rich life--style of their neighbours. He saw the funny side of it and started to write a series (系列) of short stories, He called it ‘Keeping up with the Joneses’ because ‘Jones’ is a very common name in the United States.’ Keeping up with the Joneses’ came to mean keeping up with rich lifestyle of the people around you. Momand’s series appeared in different newspapers across the country for over 28 years.
People never seem to get tired of keeping up with the Joneses. And there are ‘Jonses’ in every city of the world. But one must get tired of trying to keep up with the Joneses because no matter what one does, Mr. Jones always seems to be ahead.
1.Some people want to keep up with the Joneses because they ______.
A. want to be as rich as their neighbours
B. want others to know or to think that they are rich
C. don’t want others to know they are rich
D. want to be happy
2.It can be inferred from the story that rich people like to ________. A. live outside New York City B. live in New York City
C. live in apartments D. have many neighbours
3. The underlined word neighbourhood in the second paragraph means ________.
A. a person who lives near another B. people living in an area
C. an area near the place referred to D. an area in another town or city
4.According to the writer, it is ________to keep up with the Joneses.
A. correct B. interesting C. impossible D. good
高一英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
In the United States, when one becomes rich, he wants people to know it. And even if he does not become very rich, he wants people to think that he is. That is what “keeping up with the Joneses” is about. It is the story of someone who tried to look as rich as his neighbors.
The expression was first used in 1913 by a young American called Arthur Momand. He told this story about himself. He began earning $ 125 a week at the age of 23. That was a lot of money in those days. He got married and moved with his wife to a very wealthy neighborhood outside New York City. When he saw that rich people rode horses, Momand went horseback riding every day. When he saw that rich people had servants, Momand and his wife also hired a servant and gave big parties for their new neighbors.
It was like a race, but one could never finish his race because one was always trying to keep up. The race ended for Momand and his wife when they could no longer pay for their new way of life. They moved back to an apartment in New York City.
Momand looked around him and noticed that many people do things just to keep up with rich lifestyle of their neighbors. He saw the funny side of it and started to write a series of short stories. He called it “Keeping up with the Joneses” because “Jones” is a very common name in the United States. “Keeping up with the Joneses” came to mean keeping up with rich lifestyle of the people around you. Momand’s series appeared in different newspapers across the country for over 28 years.
People never seem to get tired of keeping up with the Joneses. And there are “Joneses” in every city of the world. But one must get tired of trying to keep up with the Joneses because no matter what one does, Mr. Jones always seems to be ahead.
1.. Some people want to keep up with the Joneses because they ________.
A. want to be as rich as their neighbors
B. want to be happy
C. don’t want others to know they are rich
D. want others to know or to think that they are rich
2.It can be inferred from the story that rich people like to _________.
A. live in New York City B. live outside New York City
C. live in apartments D. have many neighbors
3.Arthur Momand used the name “Jones” in his series of short stories because “Jones” is _____.
A. an important name
B. a popular name in the United States
C. his neighbor’s name
D. not a good name
4. According to the writer, it is ________ to keep up with the Joneses.
A. impossible B. interesting
C. correct D. good
高一英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
In the United States, when one becomes rich, he wants people to know it. And even if he does not become very rich, he wants people to think that he is. That is what “keeping up with the Joneses” is about. It is the story of someone who tried to look as rich as his neighbors.
The expression was first used in 1913 by a young American called Arthur Momand. He told this story about himself. He began earning $ 125 a week at the age of 23. That was a lot of money in those days. He got married and moved with his wife to a very wealthy neighborhood outside New York City. When he saw that rich people rode horses, Momand went horseback riding every day. When he saw that rich people had servants, Momand and his wife also hired a servant and gave big parties for their new neighbors.
It was like a race, but one could never finish his race because one was always trying to keep up. The race ended for Momand and his wife when they could no longer pay for their new way of life. They moved back to an apartment in New York City.
Momand looked around him and noticed that many people do things just to keep up with rich lifestyle of their neighbors. He saw the funny side of it and started to write a series of short stories. He called it “Keeping up with the Joneses” because “Jones” is a very common name in the United States. “Keeping up with the Joneses” came to mean keeping up with rich lifestyle of the people around you. Momand’s series appeared in different newspapers across the country for over 28 years.
People never seem to get tired of keeping up with the Joneses. And there are “Joneses” in every city of the world. But one must get tired of trying to keep up with the Joneses because no matter what one does, Mr. Jones always seems to be ahead.
1.Some people want to keep up with the Joneses because they ________.
A.want to be as rich as their neighbors
B.want others to know or to think that they are rich
C.don’t want others to know they are rich
D.want to be happy
2.It can be inferred (推断) from the story that rich people like to ________.
A.live outside New York City B.live in New York city
C.live in apartments D.have many neighbors
3.Arthur Momand used the name “Jones” in his series of short stories because “Jones” is _____.
A.an important name B.a popular name in the United States
C.his neighbor’s name D.not a good name
4.According to the writer, it is ________ to keep up with the Joneses.
A.correct B.interesting C.impossible D.good
高一英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
In the United States, when one becomes rich, he wants people to know it.And even if he does not become very rich, he wants people to think that he is.That is what “Keeping up with the Joneses” is about.It is the story of someone who tries to look as rich as his neighbors.
The expression was first used in 1913 by a young American called Arthur Momand.He told this story about himself.He began earning $125 a week at the age of 23.That was a lot of money in those days.He got married and moved with his wife to a very wealthy neighborhood outside New York City.When he saw that rich people rode horses, Momand went horseback riding every day.When he saw that rich people had servants, Momand and his wife also hired a servant and gave big parties for their new neighbors.It was like a race, but one could never finish this race because one was always trying to keep up.The race ended for Momand and his wife when they could no longer pay for their new way of life.They moved back to an apartment (公寓房间) in New York City.
Momand looked around him and noticed that many people do things just to keep up with rich lifestyle of their neighbors.He saw the funny side of it and started to write a series of short stories.He called it ‘‘Keeping up with the Joneses”, because “Jones” is a very common name in the United States. “Keeping up with the Joneses” came to mean keeping up with rich lifestyle of the people around you.Momand’s series appeared in different newspapers across the country for over 28 years.
People never seem to get tired of keeping up with the Joneses.And there are “Joneses” in every city of the world.But one must get tired of trying to keep up with the Joneses because no matter what one does, Mr.Jones always seems to be ahead.
1.Some people want to keep up with the Joneses because they___________.
A.hope to be rich people like their neighbors
B.want others to know or to think that they are rich
C.want to hide their wealth from other people
D.would like to be common people
2.Arthur Momand used the name “Jones” in his series of short stories because “Jones” is____.
A.an important name for important people
B.a popular name in the United States
C.the name of the neighbor he did not like
D.a name which people did not use any longer
3.According to the writer, it is _________ to keep up with the Joneses.
A. correct B.interesting
C. impossible D.Good
高一英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
The United States has more tornadoes (龙卷风) than any other country in the world. In a normal year there are 800 to 1,000 tornadoes. Most happen in the middle part of the country. Tornadoes form when warm and cool air meet. In the Midwest, the warm air from the Gulf of Mexico often meets the cold air from Canada.
The usual tornado season is March through May. Tornadoes form most often in the afternoon and early evening. There is often no warning of a tornado. People who live in the Midwest know the signs (征兆) of tornado activity. The sky becomes dark, often a greenish color. Dark clouds appear in the sky and there is often large hail (冰雹). Suddenly, there is a loud sound, like a train or a jet plane. Sometimes, two, three, five, ten or more tornadoes can form over a large area.
This type of tornado activity hit Oklahoma and Kansas in May 1999. The day was stormy, with heavy thunderstorms in the afternoon. As the storms continued, tornadoes began to form. Dozens of tornadoes hit towns and neighborhoods in Oklahoma, then in Kansas. Some stayed on the ground for several hours, destroying everything they touched. The tornadoes killed 43 people and injured 600 others. They destroyed thousands of homes and businesses. In some areas, not one home stood. In other areas, the tornadoes destroyed every home on the left side of the street, but didn't touch any homes on the right side. The tornadoes lifted people and cars into the air and then threw them back down to earth. So it is important to know where to hide and how to protect yourself in the face of a tornado.
1.What can we learn about tornadoes in America?
A.There are more tornadoes in the Eastern States.
B.They usually happen in the summer.
C.They may appear in groups.
D.There are more than 1,000 tornadoes every year.
2.The tornadoes that hit Oklahoma and Kansas in May 1999 _____.
A.took place at the same time
B.brought death and serious damage
C.came and went quickly
D.were the biggest in history
3.What will the author most probably talk about next?
A.Tornado dangers and warning signs.
B.How a tornado forms.
C.Different kinds of tornadoes.
D.How to stay safe during a tornado.
高一英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
In the United States and several other countries, 2.5 million children play baseball in an organization called Little League. They play on teams in their hometowns. Their parents and other adults in the community coach or instruct them and serve as umpires to make sure that everyone follows the rules. Local businesses give money for the ball fields and the uniforms. Local teams compete against each other and the winners get to play teams that are more distant. Eventually, the top teams go to the Little League World Series.
One hundred years after Abner Doubleday invented baseball in Cooperstown, New York, in 1839, Little League got started in Pennsylvania. Three men started the game for neighborhood boys with a smaller playing field and fewer innings than adult baseball. Little League became popular after World War Ⅱ when the game spread across the United States. By 1955 it was played throughout North America and within five years it had spread to Europe. Children's baseball really caught on in Japan and Taiwan of China and teams from those areas won the World Series seven out of eight years. After this, the organization tried banning foreign teams from the World Series, but the ban came to an end after one year.
At first, Little League was only for boys aged nine to twelve. However, in 1974, the parents of girl baseball players brought a law suit. The courts ruled that Little League had to include both boys and girls. Later Little League added on softball and other games for teenagers up to age eighteen. Occasionally, a Little Leaguer becomes a professional player. For example, Gary Carter went from Little League to play nineteen seasons in the Major Leagues, ten of them as an All-Star player. By and large, youngsters play baseball for fun, but their parents are proud of them.
1.The mothers and fathers of Little League players ________.
A.play in the World Series
B.travel with coaches
C.give the teams money
D.help run the games
2.In what year did baseball come into being?
A.1739. B.1939. C.1955. D.1839.
3.Why do most players take part in Little League?
A.To play in the Major League.
B.To have fun.
C.They expect a profit from All-Star games.
D.They want to learn how to serve as umpires.
4.What is TRUE about players today?
A.Little League is only for neighborhood boys.
B.Girl players have to buy their suits.
C.Girls and boys can participate up to age eighteen.
D.Children can only play until age twelve.
高一英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析