Kay and Charles Giddens sold their home to st...

Kay and Charles Giddens sold their home to start a bed and breakfast. Four years later, the couple now dishes out banana pancake breakfasts, cleans toilets, serves homemade cookies to guests in a bed and breakfast surrounded by trees on a mountain known for colorful sunsets.

“Do I miss the freeways? Do I miss the traffic? Do I miss the stress? No,” says Ms. Giddens. “This is a phenomenon (现象) that’s fairly widespread. A lot of people are rethinking their lives and figuring out what they want to do.” Simple living ranges from cutting down on weeknight activities to sharing housing, living closer to work and commuting (通勤) less, avoiding shopping malls, borrowing books from the library instead of buying them, and taking a cut in pay to work at a more pleasurable job.

Vicki Robin, a writer, tells us how she deals with the changes in her budget (预算), now far less than what she used to make.

“You become conscious of where your money is going and how valuable it is,” Ms. Robin says. “You tend not to use things up. You cook at home rather than eat out. You find your life is not a mess anymore, and you discover your living costs have gone way down.”

Janet Luhrs, a lawyer, quit her job after giving birth and leaving her daughter with a babysitter for two weeks. “It was not the way I wanted to raise my kids,” she says. “Simplicity is not just about saving money; it’s about me sitting down every night with my kids to a candlelit dinner with classical music.”

Ms. Luhrsnow edits a magazine called Simple Living, which publishes tips on how to buy recycled furniture and shoes, and organize potluck (家常便饭) dinners instead of fancy receptions.

“Simplicity is about conscious living and creating the life you want. The less stuff you buy, the less money goes out the door, and the less money you have to earn,” Ms. Luhrs explains.

1.How does Ms. Giddens feel about the life she is living now?

A. Bored.　　 B. Worried.　　 C. Satisfied.　　 D. Surprised.

2.What does the phenomenon Ms. Giddens mentioned refer to?

A. Serving others.　 　　　 B. Finding a new job.

C. Living a simple life.　 D. Opening a restaurant.

3.Janet Luhrs gave up her job as a lawyer in order to .

A. have one more baby girl

B. create her own magazine

C. make her career in music

D. spend more time with her kids

4.In which part of a newspaper will the text most probably appear?

A. Business. 　 B. Lifestyle.

C. Education.　　 D. Entertainment.

高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

Kay and Charles Giddens sold their home to start a bed and breakfast. Four years later, the couple now dishes out banana pancake breakfasts, cleans toilets, serves homemade cookies to guests in a bed and breakfast surrounded by trees on a mountain known for colorful sunsets.

“Do I miss the freeways? Do I miss the traffic? Do I miss the trees? No,” says Ms. Giddens. “This is a phenomenon that’s fairly widespread. A lot of people are rethinking their lives and

figuring out what they want to do.”

Simple living ranges from cutting down on weeknight activities to sharing housing, living closer to work and commuting(通勤) less, avoiding shopping malls, borrowing books from the library instead of buying them, and taking a cut in pay to work at a more pleasurable job.

Vicki Robin, a writer, tells us how she deals with the changes in her budget, now far less than what she used to make.

“You become conscious of where your money is going and how valuable it is,”Ms. Robin says. “You tend not to use thing up. You cook at home rather than eat out. You find your life is not

a mess anymore, and you discover your living costs have gone way down.”

Janet Luhrs, a lawyer, quit her job after giving birth and leaving her daughter with a babysitter for two weeks.“It was not the way I wanted to raise my kids,”she says.“Simplicity is not just about saving money ; it’s about me sitting down every night with my kids to a candlelit dinner with classical music.”

Ms. Luhrs now edits a magazines called Simple Living, which publishes tips on how to buy recycled furniture　 and　 shoes, and organize potluck（家常便饭）dinners instead of fancy receptions.

“Simplicity is about conscious living and creating the life you want. The less stuff you buy, the less money goes out the door, and the less money you have to earn,” Ms. Luhrs explains.

1.How does Ms. Giddens feel about the life she is living now?

A. Bored　　 B. Worried

C. Satisfied　　 D. Surprised

2.What does the phenomenon Ms.Giddens mentioned refer to?

A. Serving others　　 B. Finding a new job

C. Living a simple life.　　 D. Opening a restaurant

3.Janet Luhrs gave up her job as a lawywer in order to _________.

A. have one more baby girl　　 B. create her own magazine

C. make her career in music　　 D. spend more time with her kids

4.In which part of a newspaper will the text most probably appear?

A. Business　　 B. Lifestyle

C. Education　　 D. Entertainment

高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

Almost two-thirds of children want their parents to spend more time reading to them before bed, and most prefer Mum’s storytelling to Dad’s, researchers said.

They carried out a study that showed younger children aged 3-4 were most hungry for more stories, with over three-quarters saying they wished their parents read to them more often.

More than half of all children aged 3-8 said story time was their favourite pastime with their parents.

"The results of our research confirm the traditional activity of storytelling continues to be a powerful learning and emotional resource in children's lives," said child psychologist Richard Woolfson.

Storytelling ranked higher than television or video games among pastimes for kids, and 82 percent said reading a story with their parents helped them sleep better, according the survey of 500 children aged 3-8 in Britain.

The best storytellers were mothers who used funny voices to illustrate different characters or made their own special sound effects to keep the story moving, researchers said.

When mum and dad are not at hand, celebrities(名人) will do: over 30 percent of children said they would like to hear a bedtime story from Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe, with teen idols(偶像) Zac Efron, Miley Cyrus and Emma Watson.

"It can be very difficult for parents to find the time to read with their children, but these moments can help build strong relations and play a vital part in their child's development," said Woolfson.

1.The underlined word “pastime” in the passage most probably means ________.

A．old time          B．entertainment      C．emotion           D．character

2.The author develops the passage mainly by ________.

A．pointing out similarities and differences      B．following the natural time order

C．comparing opinions from different fields      D．providing examples and statistics

3.Reading a story with their parents helped most kids aged 3-8 ________.

A．grow stronger      B．become more emotional                  C．sleep better D．become more powerful

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Almost two-thirds of children want their parents to spend more time reading to them before bed, and most prefer Mum’s storytelling to Dad’s, researchers said.

They conducted a study that showed younger children aged 3-4 were most hungry for more stories, with over three-quarters saying they wished their parents read to them more often.

More than half of all children aged 3-8 said story time was their favourite pastime with their parents.

"The results of our research confirm the traditional activity of storytelling continues to be a powerful learning and emotional resource in children's lives," said child psychologist Richard Woolfson.

Storytelling ranked higher than television or video games among pastimes for kids, and 82 percent said reading a story with their parents helped them sleep better, according the survey of 500 children aged 3-8 in Britain.

The best storytellers were mothers who used funny voices to illustrate different characters or made their own special sound effects to keep the story moving, researchers said.

When mum and dad are not at hand, celebrities will do: over 30 percent of children said they would like to hear a bedtime story from Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe, with teen idols Zac Efron, Miley Cyrus and Emma Watson.

"It can be very difficult for parents to find the time to read with their children, but these moments can help build strong bonds and play a vital part in their child's development," said Woolfson.

1.The underlined word “pastime” in the passage mot probably means________.

2.The author develops the passage mainly by________.

3.Reading a story with their parents helped most kids aged 3-8________.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

More and more people are taking their iPads to bed with them to surf the web, check facebook or send e-mails before switching off the light. But researchers are warning that the blue light their screens give off can stop users getting a good night’s sleep. That is because this type of light is similar to daylight, convincing the brain that it is still daytime. Blue light prevents the production of a brain chemical called melatonin, which helps us fall asleep. By contrast, light which is more orange or red does not prevent melatonin production, perhaps because our brains recognize it as a cue that the day ends.

Scientists have known for years that staring at screens late in the evening can affect sleep ---- they are television screens, computer screens or mobile phone screens. However, because mobiles and iPads are by nature portable ---- not to say addictive ---- more people are taking them into the bedroom. Users also tend to hold them much closer to their eyes than a computer or television screen.

Researchers are warning that looking at iPad displays for more than two hours leads to lower natural melatonin levels as the devices give off blue light. They say, “Turning off the devices at night is the final solution. But if you have to use these devices at night, dim the display to cut down irritation of the eyes and limit the time you spend on them before bed.”

They wrote in the journal Applied Ergonomics(应用人类工程学) that iPad makers should adjust the spectral power distribution(光谱功率分布) of the devices so that they affect the sleep patterns of users less.

It is not just a good night’s sleep that could be harmed by too much late night screen time. Researchers know that long-term harm to sleep patterns can lead to an increased risk of obesity and even cancers.

1.Blue light prevents iPad users from sleeping well because ____.

A. it is the same as daylight which keeps people awake

B. it makes the brain more active

C. it is brighter than light that is more orange or red

D. it can help decrease the production of melatonin

2.The underlined phrase “dim the display” means ____.

A. keep away from the display　　

B. make the display less bright

C. clean the display carefully　　

D. turn off the display

3. In the last paragraph, the author intends to ____.

A. warn of the seriousness of long-term poor sleep

B. call on researchers to study sleep patterns

C. show the danger of obesity and cancers

D. show how sleep is harmed by using iPads too much

4.What’s the main idea of the passage?

A. Scientists are warning that blue light is bad for our health.

B. People should limit the use of electronic devices

C. Using iPads before bed can cause a poor night’s sleep.

D. Looking at screens of iPads increase chances of sleeplessness.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Teachers should allow their students to study ________ from the start, and it is bound to result in their ability to deal with problems on their own.

A. theoretically　 B. socially　　　　　 C. optionally　　　　 D. autonomously

高二英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析

The audience starts to scream and young people all over Britain

turn on their TVs．Yes，it’s Top of the pops!

Top of the pops is an amazing 45-year-old programme．Pop stars from all over the world appear on this successful TV prograrnme．After about 2340 shows，it’s still the most popular pop

music show in Britsin．So what’s the secret?

“We get lots of babds to perform live in the studio，”says producer Chris Cowey“That just doesn’t happen on other shows”

Chris starts the preparations for the programme over a week before it goes out．His first job is to decide which bands to have on the show．When the chart of the top twenty songs is produced on Sunday，Chris can start to book the bands

Monday starts with Chris meeting his sound，lighting and camera workers．They listen to each song and plan the show．

Tuesday is paperwork day．There are bookings to make sure of，letters to answer and lots of phone calls to make．The show is on Thursday．Bands arrive at the studio from 10 o’clock in the morning and start practising．Tonight’s presenter，Jo Whiley，practises too

First the bands go to make up．Judy and Issy are the make-up artists．“We see the stars with no make-up on，looking terrible，”says Issy．Then the bands go to the costume department where Marianne dresses the stars

Back in the studio things are happening．The audience is practising their dance moves! It takes over two hours to record the whole programme，then Chris edits it all night long．The final version is exactly 29 minutes long

1.What make (s) Top of the Pops the most popular in Britain?

A．The famous singers of the bands

B．The live performances in the studio

C．The large nurnbers of pop fans in Britain

D．The jobs carefully done by the workers of the TV station

2.When the bands receive the invitations to the perfomlance，________

A．they mast decide what songs they will perform

B．they have no idea what songs they will perform

C．they don’t have to decide what songs they will perform

D．the songs that will be performed haven’t been decided on

3.Which of the following statements is not true according to the passage?

A．The programme time on TV is exactly controlled

B．All the stars must make up before their performance

C．The producer plays the main role in planning the programme

D．There are no audience to join in the performance at the TV station

4.How is the music programme made at the TV station?

5.Which is the proper title for the passage?

A．A Stage for Pop Stars

B．Go Backstage of Top of the Pops

C．Great Success Comes from Hard Work

D．The Most Popular Is the Most Successful

高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

Let’s say a person gets up at 7:00 in the morning and goes to bed at 11:00 at night. He comes home from work about 6:30, and by the time he has finished with dinner it is after 8:00. He steps outside in the summer to relax — but it’s already getting dark! Not much time to enjoy the summer day.

Now suppose you set the clock ahead one hour. This person still does everything at the same time — but this time, when he steps out at 8:00 there’s still plenty of light to enjoy. An hour of daylight has been “saved” for him!

Daylight saving time doesn’t, of course, add any hours to a day. This is impossible. All it does is to increase the number of useful hours of daylight during the seasons when the sun rises early.

Daylight saving is most popular in cities. It allows the closing of offices, shops, and factories at the end of the working day while the sun is still high. Farmers, who do their work by sun time, usually do not observe daylight saving time. They cannot work in the field before the morning dew(露水) has dried or after it appears in the evening.

Did you know who first thought of daylight saving time? It was Benjamin Franklin! When he was living in France in the 18th century, he suggested the idea to the people in Paris. But it was not adopted then.

Daylight saving laws were first passed during World WarⅠ, when materials for making electricity was hard to find, and when it was necessary to save on artificial light. With daylight saving, the bedtime of many people comes soon after it gets dark, while without it, if people stay up until the same hour they may have to use artificial light.

Germany was the first country to adopt daylight saving time in 1915. Then England used it in 1916, and the United States adopted it in 1918.

1.What does the underlined word “artificial” mean?

A. natural B. man-made

C. bright　 D. sun

2.What’s the purpose of adopting daylight saving time?

A. To have more artificial light.

B. To have one more hour to work.

C. To make better use of daylight in certain seasons.

D. To have one more hour to rest.

3.Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A. Once the idea of daylight saving time is proposed, it was adopted.

B. The idea of daylight saving time went through a long process of being adopted.

C. It was a French scientist that put forward the idea of daylight saving time.

D. The idea of daylight saving time didn’t make any difference at all.

4.What can be inferred from the passage?

A. Winter is a good season for daylight saving time.

B. Daylight saving time is especially good for wars.

C. Daylight saving time is good for anyone in any places.

D. Not all seasons are good for daylight saving time.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

I felt very tired when I got home. and I _______ straight to bed.

A. go　　　　　　　　　 B. went

C. had gone　　　　　　 D. have gone

高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Most kids go to school during the day and come home to their families or caregivers at night．Sometimes kids can't go home every night so they board or live at school during term-time．

Whatever the reason for going to boarding school, living with a group of people is very different from living with your family．You have to learn to get on with others, be responsible for looking after your own stuff and follow the rules that are there to make everyone's life pleasant and safe.

The following are some tips from boarders.

“Remember that the other new students are probably as shy as you are．If you don't talk first and try to make friends, it may not happen．”

“Don't hold things back inside you．The more you talk, the easier it gets．You can talk to older boarders as well as adults．They understand what you are feeling—they’ve been through it too．”

“Be respectful of others’ space and give them privacy．Having people around all the time means you don't get much time to yourself.”

“Join in sports and other afterschool activities．You’ll meet lots of new people who are interested in the same things as you．And keeping busy will help you get over feeling homesick．”

“If you are a weekly boarder or go home most weekends it can be harder to make friends, so see if you can organize to stay in for a weekend.”

“Make friends with non-boarders too．It's good to visit someone's home sometimes.”

“Boarding has its ups and downs, you get homesick and sometimes the food is not that great but most of the time it is like being in one big family．You make friends that you know you’11 keep for the rest of your life．”

1.Boarding at school is different from living at home because kids have to ________.

A. 1earn to stay with their hosts

B. entertain and protect others

C. obey the rules of the school

D. take trips to and from school

2.Which of the following tips is included in the text?

A. You should complain about the school food.

B. You should be active in building new friendships.

C. You can keep your own space and privacy.

D. You must do sports on a daily basis.

3.Which of the following might be the best title for the text?

A. Going to Boarding School

B. Kids’ School Life

C. Reasons for Boarding at School

D. Tips for School Students

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析