Market analysts in the United States have rec...

Market analysts in the United States have recently been quoted as saying that the biggest threat to the luxury (奢侈品) industry in the US is the tech industry. This is according to an article by fellow journalist Ashley Lutz. Her suggestion is sound. The main idea of her article is that products from Tiffany & Co. find their biggest competition not from other luxury brands but from companies like Apple. Lutz points out that luxury products are often only for “show,” while the attraction behind tech products is functionality.

You find few people in the United States today willing to purchase luxury goods at full price. It didn’t use to be that way. Luxury goods used to be actually exclusive. That meant you needed to travel to the right store to purchase them, and you didn’t even have the option of getting a deal.

Today, no one wants to pay full price for luxury goods. People have the unfortunate belief that fakes (赝品) somehow are equal to originals, and if you can’t get a deal on eBay, Amazon, or in an outlet store, purchasing a luxury product probably isn’t worth it. Luxury brands struggle to remain high-end (高档的) images despite the reality that the American consumer is motivated much more by discounts than they are by brand names or image.

Yet people stand in line to pay full price for a new product from Apple and crowds gather to hear about a new smart phone. While electronics are updating every day, people are purchasing technology at full prices much more than they are purchasing luxury goods. What are high-tech makers doing right that luxury makers are pitifully failing at?

Carefully looking at the situation, it would appear as if the Internet didn’t hurt the luxury industry, expectation from the consumers did. What people want these days more than anything is stuff that does something. They want cars that drive, shoes that are comfortable, games that are fun to play, screens that are beautiful to look at, tools that are useful, and entertainment that is entertaining. Little of that fits into what the luxury industry has typically offered with its status, image, and fine materials. The sad reality is that luxury products aren’t that luxury any more.

1.What does this passage mainly talk about?

A. Nobody likes luxury goods any more.

B. Tech products become the new “luxury goods”.

C. Luxury goods are of poor quality nowadays.

D. Iphones have taken the place of luxury products.

2. The underlined word “exclusive” in paragraph 2 means _______.

A. easy to sell

B. low in price

C. hard to find

D. unique and with no bargain

3.What do people pay most attention to nowadays?

A. The function of products.

B. The images of luxuries.

C. The Internet service.

D. The expectation from the consumers.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

I have been teaching in the United States for three semesters. During this time, I have been very impressed with the hardworking American students. Tuition fee (学费) in American universities are pretty expensive. Most American students receive little, if any, financial support. As a result, they have to work hard to pay for their tuition and other basic expenses. Tertiary (高等) education is a necessity in today’s workforce. Young people with higher education are rewarded with a good career and better salary. So how do American students support themselves?

All my American students have to work to pay for their tuition. For this reason, most universities provide limited jobs for students who need economic help. They also help students search for jobs in the community. I have been touched to see some students are so worn out from their jobs that they doze in my classroom. In addition to taking part-time jobs, students are also expected to take part in various social and sporting activities and, in fact, those who do not take part in are often looked down upon by their peers.

A number of American university students are married with families, or are single parents. These students are faced with the additional burden of raising a family. They have to spend much time, money and energy caring for their children and family. Most American university professors are strict. They test students on every unit in their course, in addition to mid-term and final exams in each semester. A lack of preparation by students may result in their failure. This means the loss of a lot of money and possibly future employment opportunities for these students. For this reason, many American students will study or stay up all night before an exam, in an effort to pass.

In contrast, Chinese students have a much easier time, because most Chinese parents pay for their kids’ tertiary education. Moreover, Chinese students do not need to worry about raising children or maintaining a family. So, Chinese students have no reason for not studying hard and achieving good marks.

1.Which of the following is not the difficulty American students have to face?

2. Which of the following statement is NOT TRUE according to the passage?

3.Compared with American students, Chinese university students __________.

4.This passage mainly deals with __________.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

AThe three main types of secondary education in the United States have been provided by the Latin grammar school, the academy, and the public high school. The first of these was a colonial institution. It began in New England with the establishment in 1635 of the Boston Free Latin School. The curriculum(课程) consisted mainly of the classical languages, and the purpose of this kind of school was the preparation of boys for college, where most of them would be fitted for the ministry.

The academy began in the early 1750’s with Benjamin Franklin’s school in Philadelphia, which later became the University of Pennsylvania. It extended generally to about the middle nineteenth century, except in the southern states where the public high school was late in developing and where the academy continued to be a principal means of secondary education even after 1900.The academy was open to girls as well as to boys, and it provided a wider curriculum than what the Latin grammar school had furnished. It was designed not only as a preparation for college but also for practical life in commercial and business activities. Although its wide educational values are evident and are recognized as important contributions to secondary education in this country, the academy has never been considered a public institution as the public high school has come to be.

The public high school had its origin in Massachusetts in 1821 when the English Classical School was established in Boston. In 1827,the state enacted(制定)the first state wide public high　school law in the United States. By 1840,there were perhaps a dozen public high schools in Massachusetts and many in other eastern states by 1850,they could also be found in many other states. Just as the curriculum of the academy grew out of that of the Latin grammar school, the curriculum of the public high school developed out of that of the academy. The public high school in the United States is a repudiation(推翻) of the aristocratic(贵族的)and selective principle of the European educational tradition. Since 1890,enrollments( 入学)in secondary schools, mainly public high schools, have practically doubled in this country every ten years.

1.According to the passage, which of the following sequences indicates the order in which the schools developed?

A．Latin grammar school, public high school, academy.

B．Latin grammar school, academy, public high school.

C．Public high school, Latin grammar school, academy.

D．Public high school, academy, Latin grammar school.

2.It is the opinion of the author that the academy, compared with the public high school, was ____.

A．obviously academically better

B．more discriminatory in student selection

C．coeducational

D．not generally considered as a public institution

3.One can probably infer from his article that “Latin grammar school” refers to ____.

A．the Boston Free Latin School

B．all the elementary schools in the United States

C．schools which taught Latin, exclusive of all other subjects

D．a number of schools which developed in New England

4.It is implied but not stated in the passage that ____.

A．European educational systems are not good

B．As high schools developed in the united states, the decision was made to make them responsible to people from all classes of society.

C．There was an aristocratic and selective principle in the European educational tradition

D．public high schools in the United States embraced the European educational tradition

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

AThe three main types of secondary education in the United States have been provided by the Latin grammar school, the academy, and the public high school. The first of these was a colonial institution. It began in New England with the establishment in 1635 of the Boston Free Latin School. The curriculum(课程) consisted mainly of the classical languages, and the purpose of this kind of school was the preparation of boys for college, where most of them would be fitted for the ministry.

The academy began in the early 1750’s with Benjamin Franklin’s school in Philadelphia, which later became the University of Pennsylvania. It extended generally to about the middle nineteenth century, except in the southern states where the public high school was late in developing and where the academy continued to be a principal means of secondary education even after 1900.The academy was open to girls as well as to boys, and it provided a wider curriculum than what the Latin grammar school had furnished. It was designed not only as a preparation for college but also for practical life in commercial and business activities. Although its wide educational values are evident and are recognized as important contributions to secondary education in this country, the academy has never been considered a public institution as the public high school has come to be.

The public high school had its origin in Massachusetts in 1821 when the English Classical School was established in Boston. In 1827,the state enacted(制定)the first state wide public high　school law in the United States. By 1840,there were perhaps a dozen public high schools in Massachusetts and many in other eastern states by 1850,they could also be found in many other states. Just as the curriculum of the academy grew out of that of the Latin grammar school, the curriculum of the public high school developed out of that of the academy. The public high school in the United States is a repudiation(推翻) of the aristocratic(贵族的)and selective principle of the European educational tradition. Since 1890,enrollments( 入学)in secondary schools, mainly public high schools, have practically doubled in this country every ten years.

56．According to the passage, which of the following sequences indicates the order in which the schools developed?

A．Latin grammar school, public high school, academy.

B．Latin grammar school, academy, public high school.

C．Public high school, Latin grammar school, academy.

D．Public high school, academy, Latin grammar school.

57．It is the opinion of the author that the academy, compared with the public high school, was ____.

A．obviously academically better

B．more discriminatory in student selection

C．coeducational

D．not generally considered as a public institution

58．One can probably infer from his article that “Latin grammar school” refers to ____.

A．the Boston Free Latin School

B．all the elementary schools in the United States

C．schools which taught Latin, exclusive of all other subjects

D．a number of schools which developed in New England

59．It is implied but not stated in the passage that ____.

A．European educational systems are not good

B．As high schools developed in the united states, the decision was made to make them responsible to people from all classes of society.

C．There was an aristocratic and selective principle in the European educational tradition

D．public high schools in the United States embraced the European educational tradition

高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

The Americans believe that anybody can become President of the United States. In a recent Hollywood comedy(喜剧), that is exactly what happens.

Dave Kovic, played by Kevin Kline, is a kind-hearted man who runs a business that finds people jobs. He leads a typical(典型的) American way of life, except for one thing－he looks exactly like the President, Bill Mitchell. In fact, the only thing that makes him different from the nation’s leader is that he is very nice!

The president has started using look-alikes during some public appearances. Dave is offered a chance to “serve his country” by becoming one. However, things go wrong. The President becomes very ill and Dave ends up acting as the President forever.

Director Ivan Reitman, who made the popular and successful comedies like Twins, Ghostbusters and Legal Eagles, could have gone for easy laughs by making fun of the American government. Instead, Dave is an attractive comedy about an ordinary man in extraordinary situations. Kevin Kline gives a double performance as Dave and the President, and Sigourney Weaver is at her best as his First Lady. The love story that develops between her role and Dave is a real classic(经典).

The film is 100% American. However, if you’ve ever felt that anybody could do a better job running the country than the people in power, then you’ll enjoy Dave!

1.What is the purpose of the text?

A. To tell the reader about the American government.

B. To discus the Americans’ ideas about the President.

C. To make a comparison between Dave and other films.

D. To introduce a new film to the reader.

2.Who plays the role of the President in the film?

A. Sigourney Weaver.                B. Kevin Kline.

C. Bill Mitchell.                   D. Ivan Reitman.

3.The underlined word “one” in the 3rd paragraph refers to _____.

A. the President   B. the director   C. an actor       D. a look-alike

4.Which of the following is best supported by the text?

A. The author makes fun of the President.

B. The author thinks highly of the film.

C. The author is a fan of Hollywood comedies.

D. The author wishes to become the American President.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

The Americans believe that anybody can become president of the United States. In a recent Hollywood comedy, that is exactly what happens.

Dave Kovic, played by Kevin Kline, is a kind-hearted man who runs a business that finds people jobs. He leads a typical American way of life, except for one thing－he looks exactly like the president, Bill Mitchell. In fact, the only thing that makes him different from the nation’s leader is that he is very nice!

The president has started using look-alikes during some public appearances. Dave is offered a chance to “serve his country” by becoming one. However, things go wrong. The president becomes very ill and Dave ends up acting as the president forever.

Director Ivan Reitman, who made the popular and successful comedies like Twins, Ghostbusters and Legal Eagles, could have gone for easy laughs by making fun of the American government. Instead, Dave is an attractive comedy about an ordinary man in extraordinary situations. Kevin Kline gives a double performance as Dave and the president, and Sigourney Weaver is at her best as his First Lady. The love story that develops between her role and Dave is a real classic.

The film is 100% American. However, if you’ve ever felt that anybody could do a better job running the country than the people in power, then you’ll enjoy Dave!

1.What is the purpose of the text?

A. To introduce a new film to the reader.

B. To discus the Americans’ ideas about the President.

C. To make a comparison between Dave and other films.

D. To tell the reader about the American government.

2.Who plays the role of the President in the film?

A. Sigourney Weaver.                B. Kevin Kline.

C. Bill Mitchell.                    D. Ivan Reitman.

3.The underlined word “one” in the 3rd paragraph refers to ________.

A. the President                    B. the director

C. an actor                            D. a look-alike

4.Which of the following is best supported by the text?

A. The author makes fun of the President.

B. The author is a fan of Hollywood comedies.

C. The author thinks highly of the film.

D. The author wishes to become the American President.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Recently, professor of philosophy (哲学)in the United States has written a book called Money and the Meaning of Life. He has discovered that how we deal with money in our daily life has more meaning than we usually think. One of the exercises he asked his students to do is to keep a record of every penny they spend for a week. From the way they spend their money, they can see what they really value in life.

He says our relations with others often become dearly defined (清晰的）when money enters the picture. You might have wonderful relationship with somebody and you think that you are very good friends. But you will know him only when you ask him to lend some money. If he does, it brings something to the relationship that seems stronger than ever before or it can suddenly weaken the relationship if he doesn’t. This person may say that he has a certain feeling, but if it is not carried out in the money world, there is something less real about it.

Since money is so important to us, we consider those who possess a lot of it to be very important. The author interviewed some millionaires in researching his book.

Question: What is the most surprising thing you have discovered about being rich, because you are a self-made man?

Answer: The most surprising thing is how people give me so much respect. I am nothing. I don’t know much. All I am is rich.

People just have an idea of making more and more money, but what is it for? How much do I need for any given purposes in my life? In his book, the professor uncovered an important need in modem society: to bring back the idea that money is an instrument rather than the end. Money plays an important role in the material world, but expecting money to give happiness may be missing the meaning of life.

1.According to the first paragraph, people have not realized　　　 .

A. how important money is in their daily life

B. how one spends money shows what is important to him

C. that money is more important than their philosophy of life

D. that their understanding of life is more important than money

2.The author seems to believe that asking your friend to lend you some money　　　　　 .

A. is a good way to test your friendship　　 B. will do harm to your friendship

C. will strengthen your friendship　　 D. is a good way to break off your friendship

3.The underlined phrase “enter the picture” in the second paragraph can be replaced by “　　　　　　 ”.

A. is used up　　 B. is spent on pictures

C. is paid in the right way　　 D. is paid attention to

4.What can we learn about the millionaire from his answer in the interview?

A. He doesn’t feel that he is well educated.

B. He doesn’t think he is a very important person.

C. He doesn’t consider himself to be very successful.

D. He doesn’t think that being rich deserves so much attention.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Recently a professor of philosophy(哲学)in the United States has written a book called Money and the Meaning of Life. He has discovered that how we deal with money in our day to day life has more meaning than we usually think. One of the exercises he has asked his students to do is to keep a record of every penny they spend for a week. From the way they spend their money, they can see what they really value(重视)in life．

The professor says our relation with others often becomes clearly defined(明确)when money enters the picture. You might have wonderful friendship with somebody and you think that you are very good friends. But you will know him only when you ask him to lend you some money．If he does，it brings something to the relationship that seems stronger than ever before. Otherwise it can suddenly weaken the relationship if he doesn’t． Since money is so important to us, we consider those who are rich to be very important. The professor interviews some rich people in his research for his book．

Question:　 What is the most surprising thing you have discovered about being rich?

Answer :　 The most surprising thing is why people give me so much respect(尊重). I am nothing．I don’t know much．All I am is rich．

People just have an idea of making more and more money, but what is it for? How much money do I need for any given purpose in my life? In his book，the professor uncovered an important need in modern society：to bring back the idea that money is a tool rather than the end．Money plays an important role in the material world，but expecting money to give happiness may be missing the meaning of life.

1.The students are asked to keep a record of every penny they spend to______.

A. learn how to spend money

B. learn how to make more money

C. know what to write in a record

D. know what is important in life

2.In the second paragraph, the professor mainly tells us ________.

A. never to borrow money from a friend

B. friendship disappears when it comes to money

C. money can influence friendship

D. money can weaken friendship

3.Through his book，the professor seems to tell us　　　　　 ．

A. money is very important in the material world

B. the purpose of our life is to make money

C. money does not surely mean happiness

D. we should value money in our life

4.Which of the following might the author disagree?

A. Money is important in modern society.

B. The meaning of life does not completely lie in money.

C. Wealth will surely bring the owner happiness.

D. Happiness is not necessarily the result of wealth.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Recent studies show that many young people in the United States never finish high school．Some researchers say about fifteen to twenty percent of public school students do not complete their education．But many other experts and policymakers believe that for the past twenty years，the dropout rate has been around thirty percent．For Latino and black students，the numbers are even higher．Researchers say almost half of them leave schoo1．At the same time，almost half the states let students leave school before the age of eighteen without letting their parents know．

Finding a good job without a high school education is _________．A recent study found that almost half of all dropouts aged sixteen to twenty—four did not have a job．The lack of high school education can also lead to other problems．An estimated two—thirds of prisoners in the United States dropped out of high schoo1．

The main reason why many students drop out of school is that they are failing．Many are bored with their classes or feel disconnected from their school and teachers．Some students feel that educators place low expectations on them．

There have been efforts to increase graduation rates through education reforms during the past twenty years．Some communities are working on dropout prevention programs．These include alternative (其他的) high schools to meet special needs．In addition，experts suggest “early warning systems’’ to help identify young school children at the risk of dropping out of high schoo1．They say schools should also keep regular contact with parents，especially if their children are missing school often．

1.What is the best title of the passage? (Please answer within 10 words．)

________

2.Which sentence in the passage can be replaced by the following one?

Many students feel tired of their classes or don’t feel connected with their school and teachers．

3.Please fill in the blank in Paragraph 2 with proper words or phrases to complete the sentence．(Please answer within 10 words．)

4.What do you think is the most important reason for the high dropout rate in the high school?(Please answer within 30 words．)

5.Translate the underlined sentence in the last paragraph into Chinese．

________

高二英语其他题中等难度题查看答案及解析

Will it matter if you don't take your breakfast? Recently a test was given in the United States. Those tested included people of different ages, from 12 to 83. During the experi­ment, these people were given all kinds of breakfasts, and sometimes they got no breakfast at all. Special tests were set up to see how well their bodies worked when they had eaten a certain kind of breakfast. The results show that if a person eats a proper breakfast, he or she will work with better effect than if he or she has no breakfast. This fact appears to be especially true if a person works with his brains. If a student eats fruit, eggs, bread and milk before going to school, he will learn more quickly and listen with more attention to class.

Opposite to what many people believe, if you don't eat breakfast, you will not lose weight. This is because people become so hungry at noon that they eat too much for lunch, and end up gaining weight instead of losing. You will probably lose more weight if you reduce your other meals.

60. During the test, those who were tested were given ________.

A. no breakfast at all            B. very rich breakfast

C. little food for breakfast        D. different breakfast or none

61. The results of the test show that ________.

A. breakfast has great effect on work and studies

B. breakfast has little to do with a person s work

C. a person will work better if he has a simple breakfast

D. those working with brains should have much for breakfast

62. The passage mentions that many people believe that if you don't eat breakfast, you will _________.

A. lose weight     B. not lose weight

C. be healthier            D. gain a lot of weight

63. According to the passage, if a student does not eat breakfast, ___________.

A. he will fall ill                       B. he will fail to listen to his teacher

C. he will not make progress in his study   D. his mind will work more slowly

高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析