BAD weather, bad food and grumpy people – that’s what some people think of first when they think about Britain. Many online commentators even joke that Britons are so grumpy precisely because it constantly rains and they are always hungry.
In fact, many believe that Britons are inherently negative, in contrast to their neighbors across the Atlantic Ocean.
“Americans are more optimistic, due to the fact that they are told they can become the next president of the United States,” Ricky Gervais, a British comedian, told online forum Big Think. “British people are told, it won’t happen to you. And they carry that. They carry that with them. We champion the underdog .”
It’s no wonder that Britons hold the reputation of having a “stiff upper lip” – being cold and not showing any emotion.
Britain’s reputation as a grumpy country may, however, simply be the result of a cultural misunderstanding. According to the BBC, British actor Michael Caine once said: “I think what is British about me is my feelings and awareness of others and their situations. English people are always known to be well-mannered and cold, but we are not cold – we don’t interfere in your situation. If we are heartbroken, we don’t scream in your face with tears – we go home and cry on our own. It’s completely to do with your comfort – we don’t intrude on your space. That’s very English.”
A BBC reader noted that the perceived coldness of British people is actually their way of dealing with hardship. Remembering the terrorist attacks in London on July 7, 2005, Stuart Colley, who lived in the capital at the time, said: “It seemed to me that most people’s response was a ‘cruel’ determination to carry on and not to ‘fall’ into an over-emotional outpouring of grief or anger – despite what many of us felt inside. Our stiff upper lip seems to be something that gives us strength as a society when we most need it.”
1.What is the author’s main purpose in writing the article?
A. To list common stereotypes about the UK.
B. To fight common misunderstandings about the UK.
C. To analyze what makes British people grumpy and negative.
D. To list some differences between Americans and British people.
2.Which of the following statements might Ricky Gervais agree with?
A. Britons like challenging the underdog more than Americans do.
B. Americans are more optimistic and realistic than British people.
C. Britons are more comfortable with life’s losers than Americans.
D. Bad weather in the UK is the main thing that makes Britons grumpy.
3.The underlined phrase “interfere in” in the second-to-last paragraph is closest in meaning to ______.
A. think about B. benefit from
C. get in the way of D. have a positive effect on
4. Why does Michael Caine think British people are not cold?
A. They can be heartbroken, and they cry too.
B. They are well-mannered and unwilling to disturb others.
C. They care a lot about what other people think of them.
D. They are taught to face hardships by themselves.
5.With the example of the terrorist attacks in London on July 7, 2005, the author intends to ____.
A. explain why British people tend to be cold
B. reveal that Britons don’t intrude on others’ space
C. present an example in which British people hide their emotions and feelings
D. show how not giving in to emotions can help one to get through a tough time
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题
BAD weather, bad food and grumpy people – that’s what some people think of first when they think about Britain. Many online commentators even joke that Britons are so grumpy precisely because it constantly rains and they are always hungry.
In fact, many believe that Britons are inherently negative, in contrast to their neighbors across the Atlantic Ocean.
“Americans are more optimistic, due to the fact that they are told they can become the next president of the United States,” Ricky Gervais, a British comedian, told online forum Big Think. “British people are told, it won’t happen to you. And they carry that. They carry that with them. We champion the underdog .”
It’s no wonder that Britons hold the reputation of having a “stiff upper lip” – being cold and not showing any emotion.
Britain’s reputation as a grumpy country may, however, simply be the result of a cultural misunderstanding. According to the BBC, British actor Michael Caine once said: “I think what is British about me is my feelings and awareness of others and their situations. English people are always known to be well-mannered and cold, but we are not cold – we don’t interfere in your situation. If we are heartbroken, we don’t scream in your face with tears – we go home and cry on our own. It’s completely to do with your comfort – we don’t intrude on your space. That’s very English.”
A BBC reader noted that the perceived coldness of British people is actually their way of dealing with hardship. Remembering the terrorist attacks in London on July 7, 2005, Stuart Colley, who lived in the capital at the time, said: “It seemed to me that most people’s response was a ‘cruel’ determination to carry on and not to ‘fall’ into an over-emotional outpouring of grief or anger – despite what many of us felt inside. Our stiff upper lip seems to be something that gives us strength as a society when we most need it.”
1.What is the author’s main purpose in writing the article?
A. To list common stereotypes about the UK.
B. To fight common misunderstandings about the UK.
C. To analyze what makes British people grumpy and negative.
D. To list some differences between Americans and British people.
2.Which of the following statements might Ricky Gervais agree with?
A. Britons like challenging the underdog more than Americans do.
B. Americans are more optimistic and realistic than British people.
C. Britons are more comfortable with life’s losers than Americans.
D. Bad weather in the UK is the main thing that makes Britons grumpy.
3.The underlined phrase “interfere in” in the second-to-last paragraph is closest in meaning to ______.
A. think about B. benefit from
C. get in the way of D. have a positive effect on
4. Why does Michael Caine think British people are not cold?
A. They can be heartbroken, and they cry too.
B. They are well-mannered and unwilling to disturb others.
C. They care a lot about what other people think of them.
D. They are taught to face hardships by themselves.
5.With the example of the terrorist attacks in London on July 7, 2005, the author intends to ____.
A. explain why British people tend to be cold
B. reveal that Britons don’t intrude on others’ space
C. present an example in which British people hide their emotions and feelings
D. show how not giving in to emotions can help one to get through a tough time
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
The weather was bad and the food was terrible , ___the holiday was very disappointing .
A. Altogether B. Though C. Otherwise D. Since
高二英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
People all have good days and bad days. And some of the bad days happen due to events beyond your control. 1.One way to increase the possibility that you have a good day is to join in “gratification(喜悦)” activities , which you enjoy and you’re good at. 2.However, if you don’t have the type of job, you can take part in other activities and find the same result.
3.There are many little pleasures you can add to your life, such as tea, a warm bath, a walk in the park and so on. As long as you enjoy them, they can really brighten your every day. Laughter is also part of having a good day. That’s why it’s important to do what you can to create joy for you.4.After all, if you are humorous, you can more easily center on fun things.
If you don’t have much time, one way can be used during a stressful day. 5.You should achieve this by making your plan flexible and checking that everything in your plan is necessary. Being busy is okay, but wasting time and energy on too many unnecessary things can just lead to stress.
A. Often, bad days come from overweight stress.
B. Some people experience joy and happiness at work.
C. Good moods enable us to notice more chances.
D. Life’s pleasures are also able to add a quick lift to your mood.
E. However, people do have power in creating better days.
F. So it’s important ---especially if you’re a busy person---to stay balanced.
G. Besides, developing a sense of humor also helps you have a good day.
高二英语七选五中等难度题查看答案及解析
It seems some people have something bad to say about Facebook, the social media website that now has attracted more than 300 million members. To them I have only this to say: Stop please!
A recent article in the Wall Street Journal blamed Facebook’s ability to ruin friendships, saying that it limits communication to typing and encourages people to spend far too much time with friends they have never met.
Having used Facebook since its first year, I find these arguments false. The simple truth is that the problems are only a symptom of Facebook abuse. Like many things, it is only as harmful to your life and relationships as you allow it to be. Consider arguments against watching too much TV and overeating.
Try using Facebook to find friends who may have long ago changed their e-mail addresses and phone numbers, to find out what your old college friends are up to, to congratulate your friends on their latest birthdays, to share pictures and articles you find interesting, and to join in the discussion about them with your friends.
Sure, I had days when I wasted a little more time on Facebook than I should, but I’m not going to blame Facebook for my own laziness. If Facebook wasn’t there, I would have found something else to waste time on. To my “friends”: if you don’t feel like broadcasting your life stories on your Facebook, don’t. If you tire of my personal updates, ignore them. If you don’t want to join in the popular online games, don’t. It is a fun tool at your fingers that can be used for both good and bad. If you don’t like using Facebook, don’t.
I am now a consultant at the Department of State. I use Facebook to keep in touch with friends, family, and colleagues who live and work all over the world.
1.Why did the article in the Wall Street Journal blame Facebook?
A.Because it makes people spend too much time online.
B.Because it can make people lose their real-life friends.
C.Because it is as harmful to people’s lives as watching TV.
D.Because it encourages people to make friends with strangers.
2.What does the author suggest using Facebook to do?
A.To find out lost e-mail addresses and phone numbers.
B.To arrange appointments with our old college friends.
C.To collect interesting pictures and articles from our friends.
D.To keep in touch with friends who we haven’t called for long.
3.We can imply from the passage that by using Facebook we can ____.
A.read other’s personal updates
B.write our life stories online secretly
C.decide who can read our life stories
D.refuse to join in popular online games
4.The author writes the last paragraph to ____.
A.prove that Facebook can be well used
B.gain support from the Department of State
C.show that Facebook is used all around the world
D.introduce how she uses Facebook in her work as a consultant
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
In the hot weather, the food______.
A. easy went bad B. goes bad easily C. goes badly easy D. easily goes badly
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Society _______ a variety of people; some are good, others bad, and still others in between.
A.is consisted of B.is made up of C.consisted of D.make up of
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Chocolate is good for your heart, skin and brain. Usually, people think that chocolate is bad for their health. They describe chocolate as “something to die for” or say “death by chocolate”. Now they should bite their tongues! Evidence is showing that some kinds of chocolate are actually good for you in the following ways:
A happier heart
Scientists at Harvard University recently examined 136 studies on cocoa— the main ingredient in chocolate— and found that it does seem to strengthen the heart. Studies have shown heart benefits from increased blood flow. These benefits are the result of cocoa’s chemicals, which seem to prevent both cell damage and inflammation(炎症)。
Better blood pressure
If yours is high, chocolate may help. Jeffrey Blumberg from Tufts University recently found that people with high blood pressure who ate 3.5 ounces of dark chocolate per day for two weeks saw their blood pressure drop quickly.
Muscle magic
Chocolate milk may help you recover after a hard workout(锻炼). In a small study at Indiana University, people who drank chocolate milk between workouts did better on a tiredness test than those who had some sports drinks.
Better for your skin
German researchers gave 24 women a half-cup of special cocoa every day. After three months, the women’s skin was moister and smoother. The research shows that chocolate helps protect and increase blood flow to the skin, improving its appearance.
Brain gains.
It sounds almost too good to be true, but research suggests that chocolate may improve your memory, attention span, reaction time, and problem-solving skills by increasing blood flow to the brain.
1.What’s the meaning of “bite their tongues” in the first paragraph?
A. Stop talking. B. Speak up.
C. Think of it. D. Listen to it.
2.What’s the meaning of the underlined sentence in the fourth paragraph?
A. Sports drinks are better than chocolate milk.
B. sports drinks can make people easy to be tired.
C. Drinking milk can keep you energetic at work.
D. we should drink chocolate milk between times when we work hard.
3.What’s the best title for this passage?
A. Chocolate, a Healthy Food
B. More Chocolate, Less Health
C. Chocolate and Blood Pressure
D. Advice on Eating Chocolate
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Chocolate is good for your heart, skin and brain.Usually, people think that chocolate is bad for their health.They describe chocolate as“something to die for”or say“death by chocolate”.Now they should bite their tongues! Evidence is showing that some kinds of chocolate are actually good for you in the following ways:
A happier heart
Scientists at Harvard University recently examined 136 studies on cocoa—the main ingredient in chocolate and found that it does seem to strengthen the heart.Studies have shown heart benefits from increased blood flow.These benefits are the result of coca’s chemicals, which seem to prevent both cell damage and inflammation(炎症).
Better blood pressure
If yours is high, chocolate may help.Jeffrey Blumberg from Tufts University recently found that people with high blood pressure who ate 3.5 ounces of dark chocolate per day for two weeks saw their blood pressure drop quickly.
Muscle magic
Chocolate milk may help you recover after a hard workout(锻炼).In a small study at Indiana University, people who drank chocolate milk between workouts did better on a tiredness test than those who had some sports drinks.
Better for your skin.German researchers gave 24 women a half-cup of special cocoa every day.After three months, the women’s skin was moister(滑润的)and smoother.The research shows that chocolate helps protect and increase blood flow to the skin, improving its appearance.
Brain gains
It sounds almost too good to be true, but research suggests that chocolate may improve your memory, attention span, reaction time, and problem-solving by increasing blood flow to the brain.
52. What’s the meaning of “bite their tongues”in the first paragraph?
A. Stop talking. B. Speak up. C. Think of it. DvListen to it
53. What’s the meaning of the underlined sentence in the fourth paragraph?
A. Sports drinks are better than chocolate milk.
B. Sports drinks can make people easy to be tired.
C. Drinking milk can keep you energetic at work.
D. We should drink chocolate milk between times when we work hard.
54. The conclusion that chocolate may help lower blood pressure was made by_________.
A. scientists at Harvard University
B. Jeffrey Blumberg from Tufts University
C. scientists at Indiana University
D. German researchers
55. What’s the best title for this passage?
A. Chocolate, a Healthy Food B. More Chocolate, Less Health
C. Chocolate and Blood Pressure D. Advice on Eating Chocolate
高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
Experts and teachers all think that failure is not __________ a bad thing to some extent.
A. greatly B. necessarily
C. definitely D. fully
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Some children are too ________ about their food, which is bad for their growth.
A. cautious B. curious
C. special D. particular
高二英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析