It seems like people today are more easily offended than ever before.
If smoking in an elevator or talking in a movie theater were normal in the past, they are considered to be rude today. We used to be obliged to answer whatever questions a family elder directed our way, but now when a prying (爱打听的) relative asks about our test grades or dream university --- information that we’d rather keep to ourselves --- we feel offended, even if they mean well.
The boundary between “politeness” and “rudeness” has changed over the years, especially among young people.
But this change doesn’t just go one way --- things that used to be considered rude may also go across to the other side of the boundary. For example, to stand up for themselves, some youths may try to make statements by using phone cases printed with phrases like “Leave me alone” or “None of your business”. In their eyes, this is more like being independent than being rude.
“These phenomena involve rejecting previously moral order to ignore insults, recognize the good intentions of those who accidentally give offense, and be charitable (体谅的) toward those with whom we disagree,” wrote Time. “They suggest a new morality.”
And this fresh morality is introduced by a new group of people. According to The Economist, young people, or millennials (千禧一代), are “the best-educated generation ever”, which is why they tend to be more conscious about their privacy and personal space. They are also freer than previous generations, more eager to explore the world and refuse to be tied down by elders’ rules.
But there are, of course, people who think that millennials have gone too far to defend their own needs. An earlier Time article called millennials the “Me Me Me Generation”, saying that they are self-involved, less grateful and less tolerant of people.
But Lauren Martin, a lifestyle writer in the US, and a millennial herself, has a theory.
“Our generation is an anomaly (与众不同的事物),” she wrote on Elite Daily. “We refuse to do things their way, so they call us entitled. We refuse to sit in cubicles (办公室隔间), so they call us spoiled. We refuse to follow their plans, so they call us stubborn. What they are slowly realizing, however, is we’re not lazy, stubborn or entitled. We just refuse to accept things as they’re given to us.”
1.What is the article mainly about?
A. Why people today are more easily offended.
B. The definition of “politeness” and “rudeness”.
C. The morality of millennials and some views on it.
D. Key characteristics of the millennial generation.
2.What can we conclude from the first four paragraphs?
A. A prying relative always makes people feel offended.
B. Many young people can’t tell politeness from rudeness.
C. Young people today are more independent than ever.
D. Traditional morality has been rejected by some.
3.According to The Economist, millennials ______.
a. are more curious about the outside world.
b. are less thankful and understanding.
c. are more concerned about their privacy.
d. are more likely to challenge elders’ rules.
e. enjoy more freedom and are self-involved
A. a, b, c B. a, c, d C. b, d, e D. c, d, e
4.What does Lauren Martin think of millennials?
A. They are too stubborn to listen to others.
B. They cannot get along well with others.
C. They have their own ways of viewing things.
D. They should adjust their way to defend their own needs.
5.What does the underlined word “entitled” mean?
A. Arrogant. B. Lazy. C. Conscious. D. Independent.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题
It seems like people today are more easily offended than ever before.
If smoking in an elevator or talking in a movie theater were normal in the past, they are considered to be rude today. We used to be obliged to answer whatever questions a family elder directed our way, but now when a prying (爱打听的) relative asks about our test grades or dream university --- information that we’d rather keep to ourselves --- we feel offended, even if they mean well.
The boundary between “politeness” and “rudeness” has changed over the years, especially among young people.
But this change doesn’t just go one way --- things that used to be considered rude may also go across to the other side of the boundary. For example, to stand up for themselves, some youths may try to make statements by using phone cases printed with phrases like “Leave me alone” or “None of your business”. In their eyes, this is more like being independent than being rude.
“These phenomena involve rejecting previously moral order to ignore insults, recognize the good intentions of those who accidentally give offense, and be charitable (体谅的) toward those with whom we disagree,” wrote Time. “They suggest a new morality.”
And this fresh morality is introduced by a new group of people. According to The Economist, young people, or millennials (千禧一代), are “the best-educated generation ever”, which is why they tend to be more conscious about their privacy and personal space. They are also freer than previous generations, more eager to explore the world and refuse to be tied down by elders’ rules.
But there are, of course, people who think that millennials have gone too far to defend their own needs. An earlier Time article called millennials the “Me Me Me Generation”, saying that they are self-involved, less grateful and less tolerant of people.
But Lauren Martin, a lifestyle writer in the US, and a millennial herself, has a theory.
“Our generation is an anomaly (与众不同的事物),” she wrote on Elite Daily. “We refuse to do things their way, so they call us entitled. We refuse to sit in cubicles (办公室隔间), so they call us spoiled. We refuse to follow their plans, so they call us stubborn. What they are slowly realizing, however, is we’re not lazy, stubborn or entitled. We just refuse to accept things as they’re given to us.”
1.What is the article mainly about?
A. Why people today are more easily offended.
B. The definition of “politeness” and “rudeness”.
C. The morality of millennials and some views on it.
D. Key characteristics of the millennial generation.
2.What can we conclude from the first four paragraphs?
A. A prying relative always makes people feel offended.
B. Many young people can’t tell politeness from rudeness.
C. Young people today are more independent than ever.
D. Traditional morality has been rejected by some.
3.According to The Economist, millennials ______.
a. are more curious about the outside world.
b. are less thankful and understanding.
c. are more concerned about their privacy.
d. are more likely to challenge elders’ rules.
e. enjoy more freedom and are self-involved
A. a, b, c B. a, c, d C. b, d, e D. c, d, e
4.What does Lauren Martin think of millennials?
A. They are too stubborn to listen to others.
B. They cannot get along well with others.
C. They have their own ways of viewing things.
D. They should adjust their way to defend their own needs.
5.What does the underlined word “entitled” mean?
A. Arrogant. B. Lazy. C. Conscious. D. Independent.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Today there are more airplanes____ more people than ever before in the skies.
A. carry B. carrying
C. carried D. to be carrying
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
“People are ruder today because they are rushed and more ‘time poor’ than ever before,” says Patsy Rowe, “ Manners have fallen off the radar (雷达).” Due to our strong attachment to electronic equipment it is a wonder that more people don’t wake up each morning and greet the singing birds with a complaint about the noise. Here are some examples of rudeness.
Some people prefer to do almost everything over the Internet. To them, dealing with an actual human is like an evolutionary (进化的) step backward. It feels very slow because humans don’t work at 4G speeds. When you have dinner with friends, you will often notice someone paying more attention to his mobile phone. We have programmed ourselves to think that every new message brings life-changing news, so making calls and checking our texts are more important than talking to the people we are with. What is worse, some people even tend to send anonymous (匿名的) rude messages by email.
However, rudeness is never acceptable. Don’t assume it is OK to be rude if the person you’re in touch with won’t recognize you. If you have something awful to say, have the courage to face the person and say it, write a letter or email and sign it, or forget it. Upsetting people with unsigned messages is cruel and disgusting.
We shouldn’t blame technology for our shortcomings. Technology is here to help us, but we should not allow it to take over our lives. An important step is acknowledging our shortcomings. People spend a lot of time pointing out bad manners but it would be better if we’d publicly acknowledge good manners when we see them.
1.What can be inferred from the underlined sentence in Paragraph 1?
A. People can tell good behavior from bad behavior.
B. Radar is able to observe human behavior.
C. People care little about their behavior.
D. Radar can be used to predict human behavior.
2. Some people are less willing to deal with humans because _________.
A. they are becoming less patient
B. they are growing too independent
C. they have to handle many important messages
D. they have to follow an evolutionary step backward
3. The author thinks sending unsigned awful messages is _________.
A. ridiculous B. disgusting
C. acceptable D. reasonable
4.What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A. We should applaud good behavior.
B. Technology can never be blamed.
C. We should keep pointing out mistakes.
D .Technology will take over our lives one day.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
“People are ruder today because they are rushed and more ‘time poor’ than ever before,” says Patsy Rowe, “ Manners have fallen off the radar(雷达).” Due to our strong attraction to electronic equipment it is a wonder more people don’t wake up each morning and greet the singing birds with a complaint（抱怨）about the noise. Here are some examples of rudeness.
Some people prefer to do almost everything over the internet. To them, dealing with an actual human is like an evolutionary step backward. It feels very slow because humans don’t work at 4G speeds. When you have dinner with friends, you will often notice someone paying more attention to his mobile phone. We have programmed ourselves to think that every new message brings life-changing news, so taking calls and checking our texts are more important than talking to the people we are with. What is worse, some people even tend to send anonymous（匿名的）rude messages by email.
However, rudeness is never acceptable. Don’t assume it is OK to be rude if the person you’re in touch with won’t recognize you. If you have something awful to say, have the courage to face the person and say it, write a letter or email and sign it, or forget it. Upsetting people with unsigned messages is cruel and disgusting.
We shouldn’t blame technology for our shortcomings. Technology is here to help us, but we should not allow it to take over our lives. An important step is acknowledging our shortcomings. People spend a lot of time pointing out bad manners but it would be even more helpful if we’d publicly acknowledge good manners when we see them.
1.What can be inferred from the underlined sentence in Paragraph 1?
A. People can tell good from bad behavior.
B. Radar is able to observe human behavior.
C. People care little about their behavior.
D. Radar can be used to predict human behavior.
2.Some people are less willing to deal with humans because________.
A. they are becoming less patient
B. they are growing too independent
C. they have to handle many important messages
D. they have to follow an evolutionary step backward.
3.The author thinks sending unsigned awful messages is ________.
A. ridiculous B. disgusting C. acceptable D. reasonable
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
“People are ruder today because they are rushed and more ‘time poor’ than ever before，” says Patsy Rowe, “Manners_have_fallen_off_the_radar(雷达)．” Due to our strong attraction to electronic equipment it is a wonder more people don't wake up each morning and greet the singing birds with a complaint(抱怨)about the noise. Here are some examples of rudeness.
Some people prefer to do almost everything over the Internet. To them, dealing with an actual human needs more patience. It feels very slow because humans don't work at 4G speeds. When you have dinner with friends, you will often notice someone paying more attention to his mobile phone. We have programmed ourselves to think that every new message brings life－changing news, so taking calls and checking our texts are more important than talking to the people we are with. What is worse, some people even tend to send anonymous(匿名的) rude messages by email.
However, rudeness is never acceptable. Don't assume it is OK to be rude if the person you're in touch with won't recognize you. If you have something awful to say, have the courage to face the person and say it, write a letter or email and sign it, or forget it. Upsetting people with unsigned messages is cruel and disgusting.（令人厌恶的）
We shouldn't blame technology for our shortcomings. Technology is here to help us，but we should not allow it to take over our lives. An important step is acknowledging our shortcomings. People spend a lot of time pointing out bad manners but it would be even more helpful if we'd publicly acknowledge good manners when we see them.
1.What can be inferred from the underlined sentence in Paragraph 1?
A．People can tell good from bad behavior.
B．Radar is able to observe human behavior.
C．People care little about their behavior.
D．Radar can be used to predict human behavior.
2.Some people are less willing to deal with humans because ________．
A．they are becoming less patient
B．they are growing too independent
C．they have to handle many important messages
D．they have to follow an evolutionary step backward
3.The author thinks sending unsigned awful messages is ________．
A．ridiculous
B．disgusting
C．acceptable
D．reasonable
4.What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A．We should applaud （为喝彩） good behavior.
B．Technology can never be blamed.
C．We should keep pointing out mistakes.
D．Technology will take over our lives one day.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Every day it seems that people are coming up with new and innovative ways to use mobile devices like cellphones and smart phones. Researchers at Princeton University are looking for new ways to measure a person’s sense of wellbeing with mobile devices.
To gain a better understanding of how cellphones and other mobile devices can measure our sense of happiness, the research team conducted a study that was published recently in the journal Demography. To gather data for their study, the team created an application for mobile devices using the Android operating system.
Once the app was developed, the researchers invited people to download it and take part in their study. Over a three-week period, the research team was able to collect data from some 270 participants living in 13 countries.
Participants came not only from the United States, but also from other nations like Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Israel, Japan, Norway, South Korea, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
Over the course of the study, participants received occasional text questions from the researchers that asked “How happy are you?”. Along with recording their response, the app used the mobile device’s built-in GPS to keep track of the participant’s location.
The study participants were asked to rate their current state of happiness on a scale of zero to five. As they gathered data from the information collected through the application, the researchers then were able to create new methods that could help provide a better understanding of how our surroundings can influence our emotional well-being.
The researchers learned that mobile devices can provide an effective way to quickly grab information that, because of today’s active lifestyle, can be difficult to record. Being able to quickly grab this information was something the researchers felt was important. They said feelings and emotions that were recorded as they were happening were most likely to be more honest and precise than using other methods like writing down how they felt on a piece of paper after the fact.
1.Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A. The study the team conducted has not been published yet.
B. About 270 people from 13 countries participated in the study.
C. The participants didn’t need to download the app to participate.
D. None of the participants came from the United Kingdom.
2.What did the researchers find vital as to rate people’s sense of happiness from the passage?
A. Recording people’s feelings and emotions quickly.
B. Writing down how they felt on a piece of paper.
C. Answering the text question “How happy are you?”
D. Knowing how the surroundings affect people’s happiness.
3.The underlined word in the first paragraph probably refers to ______.
A. emotion B. wealth
C. happiness D. technology
4.The best title of the passage is most likely to be “_______”.
A. People’s Sense of Happiness Related to Mobile Phones
B. Scientists Track Happiness with Cellphones
C. Methods to Rate People’s Happiness
D. A Better Understanding of People’s Sense of Happiness
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Nowadays it is common that people are buying more products and services than ever before through the Internet, so do Americans. And experts say the popularity of online sales is likely to spread to other countries. Online sales now represent as much as 10% of all retail sales in the United States. This has led traditional stores to seek new ways to keep their customers loyal.
Taking Lynne for example, she made good use of the Internet. She used the Internet to buy everything she needed for her Wedding and holiday gifts for her husband and daughter. Other than food, 90% of her purchases were made on her home computer. “I find that, by being able to go online, choose the things that I need, and have them delivered to me right at my doorstep, I eliminate all the driving, all the crowds, all the noise of that, and I usually get a better selection.”
There are a lot of people like her. Experts say American online shopping hit records in both November and December.57% of Americans have bought something electronically. Store owners worry that this growing amount of online sales will hurt their business. Cornell University marketing professor Ed Melaughlin says they can keep their customers by selling goods like clothing, which buyers may want to see and try on before purchasing. The stores could also offer things that are difficult to ship. Besides, some stores can please customers by offering to repair electronic products.
Bill Martin is the founder of Shopper Trak. His business helps stores learn about their customers. He said, “There is still a lot of emotion in the buying decision, you know, that takes place. Often you need that last sense of “Boy, this is exactly what I want before you are ready to part with money, and you can't always get that online. It's a rather cold process.”
While e-commerce worries some business owners, the only worry for delivery services is keeping up with the number of packages. UPS manager Dana Kline says her company is very busy at this time of the year.
UPS is so busy that it has filled 55,000 temporary work positions during the holiday season.
1.The purpose of this passage is to tell us ________.
A. the challenge online owners are faced with
B. the challenge e－commerce causes to traditional sales
C. the difference between online sales and traditional sales
D. the trouble that customers often meet when purchasing online
2.The example of Lynne is mentioned in the passage to show________.
A. online sales will replace traditional sales sooner or later
B. traditional stores find new ways to keep their customers loyal
C. traditional stores can't offer enough food to their customers
D. online business has changed many Americans' life
3.The underlined word “eliminate” in Paragraph 2 can be replaced by “________”.
A. include B. avoid
C. increase D. discourage
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
More than 2.25 billion cups of coffee are drunk throughout the world each day, and it's likely that many taste bitter. Now, a new study suggests that coffee fans can make their drink sweeter by changing the color of their cups.
Researchers from Oxford set out to prove whether the claim that coffee drunk from a white cup tastes biter was true. They used 36 volunteers and three different colored cups---blue, white and transparent glass--- to examine the claim.
In one experiment, the white cup increased the intensity (浓度) of the coffee taste relative to the transparent cup. Then, in a second experiment, coffee drunk from the white cup was found to taste less sweet when compared to the other colored cups, while the blue cup made the coffee taste the sweetest.
The scientists believe that the color brown may be associated with bitterness, and coffee in a white cup appears the brownest. “Our study clearly shows that the color of a cup does influence our sense of the coffee taste,” leading author Dr George Doorn, wrote in an article for The Conversation. “The effect of the color of the cup on the taste of the coffee reported here suggests that cafe owners should carefully consider the color of their cups,” he said. “The potential effects may spell the difference between a one-time purchase and a return customer.” Actually, the idea that color can change the food and drink taste came out many years ago. A study published last year reported that red, strawberry-flavored cake served on a white plate was rated as 10 percent sweeter than the same food presented on a black plate.
1.The passage is mainly about _____.
A. the popularity of sweet coffee.
B. an experiment made in Oxford.
C. the effect of cup color on coffee's taste
D. useful tips on how to make coffee.
2. In which cup will coffee taste the sweetest?
A. A white cup. B. A blue cup.
C. A transparent cup D. A brown cup
3. Café owners should consider their cups' color in order to ______.
A. reduce the daily expenses
B. show their taste in coffee
C. appeal to more customers
D. make their café different.
4.We learn from the passage that_____.
A. coffee in a white cup tastes sweeter than that in a transparent glass
B. over 2 billion cups of sweet coffee are drunk worldwide each year.
C. Dr. George Doorn wrote an article about making conversations.
D. the idea that color could affect the taste of drink is not new.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
More than 2.25 billion cups of coffee are drunk throughout the world each day, and it’s likely that many taste bitter. Now, a new study suggests that coffee fans can make their drink sweeter by changing the color of their cups.
Researchers from Oxford set out to prove whether the claim that coffee drunk from a white cup tastes bitter was true. They used 36 volunteers and three different colored cups---blue, white and transparent(透明的) glass--- to examine the claim.
In one experiment, the white cup increased the intensity (浓度) of the coffee taste relative to the transparent cup. Then, in a second experiment, coffee drunk from the white cup was found to taste less sweet when compared to the other colored cups, while the blue cup made the coffee taste the sweetest.
The scientists believe that the color brown may be associated with bitterness, and coffee in a white cup appears the brownest. “Our study clearly shows that the color of a cup does influence our sense of the coffee taste,” leading author Dr George Doorn, wrote in an article for The Conversation. “The effect of the color of the cup on the taste of the coffee reported here suggests that cafe owners should carefully consider the color of their cups,”he said,“The potential effects may spell the difference between a one-time purchase and a return customer.” Actually, the idea that color can change the food and drink taste came out many years ago. A study published last year reported that red, strawberry-flavored cake served on a white plate was rated as 10 percent sweeter than the same food presented on a black plate.
1.The passage is mainly about _____.
A. the popularity of sweet coffee.
B. an experiment made in Oxford.
C. the effect of cup color on coffee’s taste
D. useful tips on how to make coffee.
2.In which cup will coffee taste the sweetest
A. A white cup B. A blue cup
C. A transparent cup D. A brown cup
3.Café owners should consider their cups’ color in order to ______.
A. reduce the daily expenses
B. show their taste in coffee
C. appeal to more customers
D. make their café different.
4.We learn from the passage that_____.
A. coffee in a white cup tastes sweeter than that in a transparent glass
B. over 2 billion cups of sweet coffee are drunk worldwide each year.
C. Dr. George Doorn wrote an article about making conversations.
D. the idea that color could affect the taste of drink is not new.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Perhaps you think you could easily add to your happiness with more money. Strange as it may seem, if you’re unsatisfied, the issue is not a lack of means(方式) to meet your desires but a lack of desires — not that you cannot satisfy your tastes but that you don’t have enough tastes.
Real riches consist of well-developed and hearty capacities(能力) to enjoy life. Most people are already swamped(淹没) with things. They eat, wear, go and talk too much. They live in too big a house with too many rooms, yet their house of life is a hut.
Your house of life ought to be a mansion(豪宅) , a royal palace. Every new taste, every additional interest, every fresh enthusiasm(热心,热情) adds a room. Here are several rooms your house of life should have.
Art should be a desire for you to develop simply because the world is full of beautiful things. If you only understood how to enjoy them and feed your spirit on them, they would make you as happy as to find plenty of hamburgers and eggs when you’re hungry.
Literature, classic literature, is a beautiful, richly furnished room where you might find many an hour of rest and refreshment. To gain that love would go toward making you a rich person, for a rich person is not someone who has a library but someone who likes a library.
Music like Mozart’s and Bach’s shouldn’t be absent. Real riches are of the spirit. And when you’ve brought that spirit up to where classical music feeds it and makes you a little drunk, you have increased your thrills and bettered them. And life is a matter of thrills.
Sports, without which you remain poor, mean a lot in life. No matter who you are, you would be more human, and your house of life would be better supported against the bad days, if you could, and did, played a bit.
Whatever rooms you might add to your house of life, the secret of enjoying life is to keep adding.
1.The underlined sentence in the second paragraph probably implies that ________.
A. though materially rich, they never seem to be satisfied
B. though materially rich, they remain spiritually poor
C. though their house is big, they prefer a simple life
D. though their house is big, it seems to be a cage
2.It can be learned from the passage that ________.
A. more money brings more happiness
B. art is needed to make your house beautiful
C. literature can enrich your spiritual life
D. sports contribute mainly to your physical fitness
3.What would be the best title for the passage?
A. Interest and Enthusiasm
B. Secret of Wealth
C. Rest and Refreshment
D. House of Life
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析