Who is the most powerful woman in the world? According to the US media, it's Janet Yellen, or at least she's about to be.
On Oct 9, 2013，US President Barack Obama nominated （提名）Yellen to serve as the next US Federal Reserve (the Fed, 美联储）chair. If confirmed by the Senate, Yellen will become the first woman to serve in the top spot.
Aged 67, silver-haired and tiny, Yellen is said to be the most qualified nominee ever. She chaired President Bill
Clinton's Council of Economic Advisers, taught at Harvard and Berkeley, and was president of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. She is currently the Fed's vice chair.
Many think Yellen is the right choice to deal with the challenges the Fed now faces：First, to bring interest rates back to more normal levels without triggering a new recession（衰退）．Second, to reduce the US unemployment rate, which remains at historically high levels.
A CNN opinion piece says Yellen is unusual for an economist of her caliber（才干）．"She has kept her eyes on what's critical-the people. Her research has centered on unemployment, on the best way to modulate（调整）government policies to benefit the people."
Past records also show that Yellen is exceptionally good at predicting where the economy is headed. An article in The Washington Post points out that she was one of the few voices at the Fed inDecember 2009 warning about the subprime crisis（次贷危机）and the following recession.
The reason why Yellen will be the most powerful woman in the world has to do with the unique position of the Federal Reserve, explains an article on Quartz, a US news outlet for business people in the new global economy,
First of all, the Fed is independent. Unlike US Secretaries of State Madeleine Albright and Hilary Clinton, the decisions made by the organization Yellen will lead next year are not subject to approval by anyone in the government.
Within the Fed, the chair alone sets the agenda. The Fed chairperson has huge influence on monetary policy（货币政策）and financial regulation. And don't forget how powerful the Fed itself is. It controls the money supply in the world's largest economy. The Fed's interest rate decisions don't just set the course for the US economy, its decisions set the course for the world economy, too.
Because of globalization, Yellen's decisions will affect everyone around the world, says an article in The Atlantic, making her even more powerful than some great women rulers in history, including Elizabeth I of England and China's Wu Zetian. For example, the article continues: "If Yellen even just talks about slowing down the Fed's bond-buying, Europe's troubled economies are likely to see their interest rates rise, and emerging markets, some of which, like India and Indonesia, used foreign capital to fund their current account deficits（赤字），are likely to see their currencies collapse."
1.According to the passage, which of the following is NOT the reason for Yellen's nomination?
A.Yellen's professional experiences．
B．Yellen's ability to deal with the challenges the Fed faces.
C.Yellen's educational background.
D．Yellen's remarkable competence as an economist.
2.Janet Yelien will be the most powerful woman in the world because＿·
A．the Fed is the most powerful organization in the US
B．Yellen gets full support from Obama
C. Yellen holds a unique position in the government
D. the Fed possesses great power and influence
3.What is the author's attitude towards Yellen's being nominated?
A. Optimistic. B. Negative.
C. Understanding. D. Doubtful.
4.What is the author's purpose of writing this passage?
A．To introduce the US Federal Reserve.
B．To report on the next Fed chair.
C. To introduce the current world economy.
D. To report on a few powerful women.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题
Who is the most powerful woman in the world? According to the US media, it's Janet Yellen, or at least she's about to be.
On Oct 9, 2013，US President Barack Obama nominated （提名）Yellen to serve as the next US Federal Reserve (the Fed, 美联储）chair. If confirmed by the Senate, Yellen will become the first woman to serve in the top spot.
Aged 67, silver-haired and tiny, Yellen is said to be the most qualified nominee ever. She chaired President Bill
Clinton's Council of Economic Advisers, taught at Harvard and Berkeley, and was president of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. She is currently the Fed's vice chair.
Many think Yellen is the right choice to deal with the challenges the Fed now faces：First, to bring interest rates back to more normal levels without triggering a new recession（衰退）．Second, to reduce the US unemployment rate, which remains at historically high levels.
A CNN opinion piece says Yellen is unusual for an economist of her caliber（才干）．"She has kept her eyes on what's critical-the people. Her research has centered on unemployment, on the best way to modulate（调整）government policies to benefit the people."
Past records also show that Yellen is exceptionally good at predicting where the economy is headed. An article in The Washington Post points out that she was one of the few voices at the Fed inDecember 2009 warning about the subprime crisis（次贷危机）and the following recession.
The reason why Yellen will be the most powerful woman in the world has to do with the unique position of the Federal Reserve, explains an article on Quartz, a US news outlet for business people in the new global economy,
First of all, the Fed is independent. Unlike US Secretaries of State Madeleine Albright and Hilary Clinton, the decisions made by the organization Yellen will lead next year are not subject to approval by anyone in the government.
Within the Fed, the chair alone sets the agenda. The Fed chairperson has huge influence on monetary policy（货币政策）and financial regulation. And don't forget how powerful the Fed itself is. It controls the money supply in the world's largest economy. The Fed's interest rate decisions don't just set the course for the US economy, its decisions set the course for the world economy, too.
Because of globalization, Yellen's decisions will affect everyone around the world, says an article in The Atlantic, making her even more powerful than some great women rulers in history, including Elizabeth I of England and China's Wu Zetian. For example, the article continues: "If Yellen even just talks about slowing down the Fed's bond-buying, Europe's troubled economies are likely to see their interest rates rise, and emerging markets, some of which, like India and Indonesia, used foreign capital to fund their current account deficits（赤字），are likely to see their currencies collapse."
1.According to the passage, which of the following is NOT the reason for Yellen's nomination?
A.Yellen's professional experiences．
B．Yellen's ability to deal with the challenges the Fed faces.
C.Yellen's educational background.
D．Yellen's remarkable competence as an economist.
2.Janet Yelien will be the most powerful woman in the world because＿·
A．the Fed is the most powerful organization in the US
B．Yellen gets full support from Obama
C. Yellen holds a unique position in the government
D. the Fed possesses great power and influence
3.What is the author's attitude towards Yellen's being nominated?
A. Optimistic. B. Negative.
C. Understanding. D. Doubtful.
4.What is the author's purpose of writing this passage?
A．To introduce the US Federal Reserve.
B．To report on the next Fed chair.
C. To introduce the current world economy.
D. To report on a few powerful women.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
US first lady Michelle Obama ranked the world’s most powerful woman in Forbes magazine’s 2010 listing published on October 6.
Kraft Foods CEO Irene Rosenfeld1..second . American talk show host Oprah Winfrey was third. German Prime Minister Angela Merkel was the fourth most powerful woman，2.US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton rounded out (使圆满) the top five.
This year Forbes3.the way it ranked women. It is now supposedly4.less on wealth and power but more on influence.
“5.They influenced ， sometimes billions of people，” said Moira Forbes， vice president and publisher of Forbes Woman.
Forbes said Obama topped the list this year6. “she has made the office of first lady her own” while remaining popular.
“She’s also effective： In response to her Let’s Move！ campaign7.childhood obesity(肥胖)， companies 8. Coca-Cola， Kellogg and General Mills have agreed to cut the calorie content of their foods by 2015，” Forbes said.
高三英语完型填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Coffee is one of the most popular drinks throughout the world today. In fact, according to some estimates, over 30% of all adults in the world drink coffee at least once a day on the average. Coffee contains a kind of drug called caffeine. Caffeine is a chemical that stimulates (刺激) the nerves of the body. Drinking coffee tends to make people a little bit more awake―at least for a short time―because of this stimulating effect on the nervous system. A cup of coffee has, on the average, about 3% caffeine in it.
One story of the discovery of the coffee plant relates to this effect of caffeine. According to the story, coffee was discovered in East Africa. The story says that coffee was first found by a goat farmer named Kaldi. This was about the year 850. Kaldi was leading his animals through the mountains and the goats were stopping repeatedly to eat the plants near the path. Suddenly, some of the goats started jumping up and down in a very strange way. Kaldi figured out that the goats were acting this way because of the plants they were eating. Kaldi himself tried eating some of the green beans (豆荚) that the goats had been eating. He, too, felt the stimulating effect of the beans. Kaldi wanted to prove what had happened, so he picked some of the beans and took them back to the village, where he told his story.
The green bean got the name "Kaffa" and later "coffee" because the beans were discovered in a place called Kaffa in Africa. Then for years, people used to eat a few of the green Kaffa beans when they were in the mountains and needed extra energy to do their work. It was later found that the coffee beans could be picked and then dried until they turned brown, and then they could be stored. If the beans were dried and stored, they could be used at any time.
1.What is the purpose of drinking coffee?
A. To become more awake. B. To become more healthy.
C. To become more happy. D. To become more clever.
2.How did the goats react after eating the plants?
A. They fell asleep.
B. They could not find their way home.
C. They started jumping up and down.
D. They wanted to eat more.
3.Why did the green bean get the name "Kaffa"?
A. Because Kaldi loved his home village very much.
B. Because Kaldi's goats loved the green bean very much.
C. Because the beans were discovered in a place by this name.
D. Because the beans could be picked and dried.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Cambridge graduates are the most employable in the world，according to a global league table．The ancient university is the best at producing graduates who are‘ready to work’，a poll of major employers found．
Oxford slipped to fourth place in the rankings having taken top spot last year．Harvard and Yale—part of the US‘Ivy League’of universities—were second and third respectively．
Five British universities were ranked in the top 20—one more than last year—and 12 were in the full list of 150．
But the UK as a country came third—behind the US and Germany—when companies were asked to name the best nation for producing work—ready graduates．
The table—the Global Employability(就业能力)University Ranking published by the International New York Times—also showed that universities in Asian countries were rapidly gaining ground on their western counterparts (对手)．
Asian universities claimed 20 percent of the top 150 places in 2014 compared with only 10 percent when the tables were first published in 2010．
The other British universities in the top 20 were University College London，in 14th place，Imperial College London，in 15th，and Edinburgh，18th．
The table showed the gap between a small number of top UK universities and less famous institutions．
Laurent Dupasquier，managing partner at Emerging，a French human resources consultancy，said：“The top tier players．global brands (which tend to be all American and British)．continue to lead，while other Anglo—Saxon universities，those that are mainly regional players，tend to develop less well，with an average of five places lost in comparison with last year．”
“Like the Premier League(英超联赛)，the champions have an international community of students and think internationally，unlike their more locally oriented counterparts．”
The table was made following a survey of 2,500 major companies in 20 countries．Employers were asked to rank universities against a range of criteria including their production of graduates who are ready to work and their links with business．
The study claimed that‘the days of ivory towers are over’．
1.Which university had the best work-ready graduates last year?
A．Cambridge． B．Oxford．
C．Harvard． D．Yale．
2.The underlined phrase“gaining ground”in Paragraph 5 probably refers to ____________．
A．falling behind
B．coming into conflict
C．making room
D．becoming more successful
3.What can we learn about the UK universities from the text?
A．There are many quality gaps between UK universities．
B．The UK produced the most work-ready graduates this year．
C．Universities in the UK make up most of the top 20．
D．Almost all UK university graduates are employable．
4.Why do regional UK universities tend to develop less well this year?
A．They couldn’t raise enough education fund．
B．They have students from all over the world．
C．They lack international students and think locally．
D．The UK government didn’t support them at a11．
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
Cambridge graduates are the most employable in the world，according to a global league table．The ancient university is the best at producing graduates who are‘ready to work’，a poll of major employers found．
Oxford slipped to fourth place in the rankings having taken top spot last year．Harvard and Yale—part of the US‘Ivy League’of universities—were second and third respectively．
Five British universities were ranked in the top 20—one more than last year—and 12 were in the full list of 150．
But the UK as a country came third—behind the US and Germany—when companies were asked to name the best nation for producing work—ready graduates．
The table—the Global Employability(就业能力)University Ranking published by the International New York Times—also showed that universities in Asian countries were rapidly gaining ground on their western counterparts (对手)．
Asian universities claimed 20 percent of the top 150 places in 2014 compared with only 10 percent when the tables were first published in 2010．
The other British universities in the top 20 were University College London，in 14th place，Imperial College London，in 15th，and Edinburgh，18th．
The table showed the gap between a small number of top UK universities and less famous institutions．
Laurent Dupasquier，managing partner at Emerging，a French human resources consultancy，said：“The top tier players．global brands (which tend to be all American and British)．continue to lead，while other Anglo—Saxon universities，those that are mainly regional players，tend to develop less well，with an average of five places lost in comparison with last year．”
“Like the Premier League(英超联赛)，the champions have an international community of students and think internationally，unlike their more locally oriented counterparts．”
The table was made following a survey of 2,500 major companies in 20 countries．Employers were asked to rank universities against a range of criteria including their production of graduates who are ready to work and their links with business．
The study claimed that‘the days of ivory towers are over’．
1.Which university had the best work-ready graduates last year?
A．Cambridge． B．Oxford． C．Harvard． D．Yale．
2.The underlined phrase“gaining ground”in Paragraph 5 probably refers to ____________．
A．falling behind
B．coming into conflict
C．making room
D．becoming more successful
3.What can we learn about the UK universities from the text?
A．There are many quality gaps between UK universities．
B．The UK produced the most work-ready graduates this year．
C．Universities in the UK make up most of the top 20．
D．Almost all UK university graduates are employable．
4.Why do regional UK universities tend to develop less well this year?
A．They couldn’t raise enough education fund．
B．They have students from all over the world．
C．They lack international students and think locally．
D．The UK government didn’t support them at a11．
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
The world's largest solar thermal plant(太阳热能发电站)is set to begin producing power in the United States by the end of the year. Wind and energy from the sun are generally considered clean, unlike energy from coal-burning power stations. However, environmentalists now worry that too much solar power development could harm the local environment.
A California company — BrightSource Energy is building a huge solar power plant in the Mojave desert, about 60 kilometers southwest of Las Vegas, Nevada. The plant is known as the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System. Joe Desmond works for the company. "This is actually one of the highest concentrations of sunlight in the world, out here in Ivanpah." explained Desmond. BrightSource Energy will deploy 170,000 specially designed mirrors to direct solar energy towards boilers on top of three power towers. The steam produced in the boilers will drive turbine (涡轮) to make electricity. Joe Desmond says the steam can reach temperatures of more than 260 degrees Celsius. "We can store the sun's thermal energy in the form of molten salt, so we can produce electricity even when the sun goes down. There is a lot of interest in concentrating solar power around the globe in environmnents where you have lots of sun, such as China, South Africa, the Middle East, North Africa, explained Desmond.
Environmentalists generally support the idea of solar power, however, many are concerned about the effect of power plants on sensitive environment. Lisa Belenky is a lawyer with the Center for Biological Diversity, a private group. She says environmentalists are specifically worried about the effect of the Ivanpah Solar Project on the sensitive plant and animal life in that part of Mojave desert. "Even though the desert seems big, when you start cutting it up, it can really affect how the species and the animals and the plants are able to survive in the long run,"said Lisa Belenky. BrightSource Energy has already spent more than $ 50 million to move endangered desert tortoises away from the power plant. but Lisa Belenky says this is not the answer. "We should be reusing areas that have a1ready been disturbed, like old mining sites, for example...either on homes, on businesses, parking lots." said Belenky.
There have also been reports of birds dying at the Ivanpah Plant and others like it.
Some birds die after colliding with solar equipment which the animals mistake for water. Other birds were killed or suffered burns after flying through the intense heat at the solar thermal plant. As solar projects increase, environmentalists and developers are considering what to do to reduce bird death.
1.Why is the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System being built in the desert?
A. Because the temperature is extremely high in the desert.
B. Because there is no life in the desert.
C. Because there is much salt in the desert.
D. Because sunlight is highly focused in the desert.
2.Why can the plant make electricity at night?
A. Because the sun's thermal energy can be stored in the form of steam.
B. Because the sun's thermal energy can be stored in the form of molten salt.
C. Because the sun'ss thermal energy can be stored through mirrors
D. Because the sun's thermal energy can be stored in the boilers.
3.According to Lisa Belenky, in order to reduce the effect,_____.
A. we should move all the plants and animals away from the solar plant
B. we should guide the bird not to hit the solar plant
C we should build the solar plant in disturbed areas
D. we should build the solar plant in the desert
4.The author’s attitude towards the solar projects is _____.
A. supportive B. critical C. indifferent D. cautious
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Music is one of the most 1. (power) things in my life. Listening to music can help to motivate me in trying time. When younger, I 2. (have) no great love for music as I do now. I mainly listened to 3. my parents were listening to. Whether I was in the car, the house, 4. anywhere else there was sure to be some Beatles, or Buddy Holly constantly playing in the background. Now as I’m older, I enjoy it for the reason that it allows me to remember my childhood.
I believe music has the power 5. (convey) all sorts of emotion. The song “A little bit longer” by Nick Jonas is 6. an emotional and inspiring song that when I hear it, I always come close to 7. (drop) down tears, especially when I watch it being played live. The effect that music can have 8. our emotions is tremendous, as it can bring people to floods of tears or bursts of 9. (laugh).
I believe music affects people in many ways. To me, music is 10. (extreme) important in my life. I think it brings me closer to my friends and family.
高三英语短文填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
In my eyes, the most basic and powerful way to communicate with another person is to listen. Just listen. Perhaps the most important thing we ever give each other is our attention. And especially if it’s given from the heart. When people are talking，there’s no need to do anything but receive them. Listen to what they’re saying. Care about it. Most times caring about it is even more important than understanding it. Most of us don’t value ourselves or our love enough to know this. It has taken me a long time to believe in the power of simple saying “I’m so sorry，” when someone is in pain.
One of my patients told me that when she tried to tell her story people often interrupted to tell her that they once had something just like that happening to them. Her pain became a story about themselves. Eventually she stopped talking to most people. We connect through listening. When we interrupt what someone is saying to let them know that we understand，we move the focus of attention to ourselves. When we listen，they know we care.
I have even learned to respond to someone crying by just listening. In the old days I used to reach for the handkerchiefs，until I realized that passing a person a handkerchief may be just another way to shut him down，to take them out of their experience of sadness. Now I just listen. When they have cried all they need to cry，they find me there with them.
This simple thing has not been that easy to learn. It certainly went against everything I had been taught since I was very young. I thought people listened only because they were too shy to speak or did not know the answer. But now I know that a loving silence often has far more power to heal than the kindest words.
1.What does the author value most in the communication with each other?
A．Deep understanding.
B．Attention from heart.
C．Saying “I’m sorry”
D．Doing nothing.
2.The woman patient stopped telling her story to most people because________.
A．she didn’t get enough respect from others
B．people often told her their own opinions
C．people couldn’t understand her sad situation
D．she was discouraged by being often interrupted
3.If you hand a handkerchief to someone crying，you may________.
A．stop him from letting out his sorrow
B．make him embarrassed
C．encourage him to continue to cry
D．hurt his feelings
4.Which of the following might be the author’s opinion about communication?
A． Just listen. B．Keep silent.
C．Be careful. D．Tell your own story.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
According to some talk, the younger generation in Smithville is the most antisocial in history．This seems far from the truth．Young people today as a whole are better, more informed, more ambitious, healthier, and more smart than ever before．Why then, it may be asked, do we see such restlessness and such antisocial behavior among our young people?
For the answer the citizens of this community must look at themselves．What have they done to the grounds that have been built in the last fifteen years? How many swimming pools are there? How many vocational training projects have been started? How many community – organized youth parties and picnics have been held?
The average citizen will answer that the responsibility for these activities belongs to the schools．But the schools cannot be held responsible for all the free – time activities of all the young people of this community．The job of the schools is formal education, not free – time recreation（娱乐）．
This community needs a youth center suitable for such activities as picnics, camping, sports, music, art and so on．There should be social and recreational activities to meet the needs and interests of every member of our school age youth．
Mayor ElmoD．Greely has proposed the formation of a Youth Club as the first step in the direction of a Youth Center．Mayor Greely has called a meeting at the City Hall on Friday, August 15, at noon．
Giving up a lunch hour is a very little sacrifice for a project that can be of great importance to this community．
This newspaper urges every adult and young person of Smithville to attend this important meeting．We believe our industrial, business, and professional leaders have an especially strong duty to be present．
This newspaper will be present and intends to support this project with vigor．
1.The underlined word “antisocial” probably means “ ”．
A．opposed to an orderly society or way of life
B．promising
C．suitable to present society
D．having a lot of social experience
2.What does the writer think of the sentence “The younger generation in Smithville is the most antisocial in history．”?
A．He thinks it is true． B．He thinks it is not true．
C．He thinks it is partially true． D．He thinks it is nonsense．
3.The main idea of Paragraphs 2 and 3 is ________．
A．to give us lots of questions to show that problem is serious．
B．that school should hold the responsibility for education rather than free – time recreation．
C．to analyze the reasons why the youth are antisocial．
D．that we should take more activities or start many vocational projects．
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.Why are many animals in danger according to the woman?
A. The environment is seriously polluted.
B. Many animals are suffering from diseases.
C. There is not enough food for animals.
2.What is advised not to do when traveling abroad?
A. Introduce new species. B. Buy pets. C. Buy skin coats.
3.What can people do in their neighborhoods?
A. Call for new laws.
B. Look after homeless animals.
C. Make the environment cleaner.
4.How can people improve animals’ living conditions in the zoos?
A. By hiring more staff to look after them. B. By building natural conditions.
C. By offering them more food.
高三英语长对话中等难度题查看答案及解析