If you see a group of people dancing and sing...

If you see a group of people dancing and singing on the street or in the railway station, you don’t need to feel surprised. They are a flash mob. Don’t be confused by their name. Actually, a flash mob, organized with the help of the Internet or other digital communications networks, is a group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, do something unusual for a period of time, such as exchanging books, coming together to look at the sky, waving their hands and shouting something at the top of their lungs for 30 seconds, and then quickly disappear before the police can arrive.

Bill Wasik, senior editor of Harper’s Magazine, organized the first flash mob in Manhattan in May 2003 and the first successful flash mob assembled on June 3, 2003 at Macy’s department store involving 100 people gathering on Macy’s Department Store. Following this, about 200 people flooded the lobby of the Hyatt hotel, applauding in one voice for fifteen seconds, and next participants pretending to be tourists on a bus trip invaded a shoe boutique in Soho. A later mob saw hundreds of people in Central Park making bird noises.

Wasik claimed that he created flash mobs as a social experiment designed to tease hipsters（追逐时尚的人）, and highlight the cultural atmosphere of agreement and of being part of “the next big thing”.

Many Web logs, chat rooms and Web groups are devoted to the craze. Though flash mobs were originally regarded as pointless, the concept has already developed for the benefit of political and social events. Flash mobbing takes advantage of the efficiency of communicating information on Websites and by email, and protesters can similarly use the “on and off” concept to be involved in political events. Such flash mob gatherings can sometimes shock or frighten people who are not aware of what is taking place. They also have enormous economic potential, such as using flash mobs to advertise a product.

The flash mob is now becoming more and more popular. People use it to do many things. For example, in 2009, hundreds of Michael Jackson’s fans took part in a flash mob to remember him, gathering outside the railway station in Liverpool, singing and dancing Michael’s famous song Beat It together. In another example, some people took part in a flash mob to warn people against negative words. Flash mobs give people from all walks of life an opportunity to come together to create a memory.

1.The purpose of flash mobs created by Wasik is to __________.

A. make flash mobs a social experiment with political, social and economic potential

B. give people an opportunity to assemble and perform some distraction

C. make fun of hipsters and emphasize the cultural atmosphere of agreement and participation

D. make communicating information efficient and help people create a memory

2.People took part in the following activities of flash mobs except that __________.

A. they pretended to take a bus trip and invaded a shoe shop in Soho

B. they got together in central Park and played birdsong

C. they gathered upon the railway station in Liverpool, singing Beat It and dancing

D. they assembled in the department store and applauded together for 15 seconds

3.Which of the following could most possibly be a flash mob according to the passage?

A. Sixteen people get together quickly on the square and do jumping and singing and leave there suddenly.

B. A group of people are busy giving out leaflets of a limousine of a brand to those walking in front of them.

C. Some tourists plan for months and go mountaineering on the first day of Horse Year.

D. Protesters from different factories sit for days in front of the city hall for low wage.

4.Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?

A. Flash mob: the political potential

B. Flash mob: the pop culture

C. Flash mob: the source of information

D. Flash mob: the short-term memory

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Would you gather enough courage and energy to ______ the leadership of the dance group?

A．take in            B．take up           C．take off           D．take down

高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

________ the tower building，where you can see the whole city

A．Standing on the top of                    B．If you climb to

C．When you reach the top of                D．Get to the top of

高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

________ the high mountain, where you see the whole city.

A. Standing on the top of　　　　　 B. If you climb to

C. When you reach the top of　　　　 D. Get to the top of

高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

If you can find a tree which has been cut down，you will see many rings，or circles，on the base of the trunk.By learning to read these rings，you can find out about the tree's life.

The number of rings tells you how old the tree is.Each year，new wood is formed on the outside of the tree.This new wood is light in color when the tree is growing in spring and summer，and dark in winter when the tree is not growing much.So，if you count the rings of dark­or­light colored wood，you can often find out how old the tree is.

You can also tell which years have been good years and which years have been bad years.When the light­colored rings are very wide，it means that the tree has been growing quickly that year.If the rings are narrow，it has been growing slowly.If the rings on a tree trunk were greatly magnified，you would be able to see why the rings are light­colored when the tree is growing quickly and dark­colored when the tree is growing slowly.The tree trunk is made up of microscopic tubes，like some pipes，carrying water from the soil，through the trunk，and up to the leaves.They are wide and thin­walled when the tree is growing quickly and they are carrying a lot of water.They are narrow and stuck together when the tree is not growing so quickly.

When a tree is old，the tubes in the centre of the tree don't carry water.The walls of the tubes have become thick with materials which have stuck along them over the years，forming a kind of wood called“heartwood”．This kind of wood is darker in color than the young，growing wood on the outside of the tree.

You don't very often see whole tree trunks which have been cut across.But once you learn to read a cross section of the wood，you can see much more in wood which has been used to make boxes，houses and other things.

In most wood，instead of seeing the trunk cut across，you are seeing it cut along its length.Because you don't see the whole tree，you can't tell how old it is.

Title：1.of a Tree

高二英语任务型阅读困难题查看答案及解析

On Christmas Day, children had _____ singing, dancing and playing games.

A. funs        B. a fun     C. the fun    D. fun

高二英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析

Many people like the feeling of the gentle wind in spring . Many like to see the falling leaves dancing in the wind in autumn. But sometimes, when the wind becomes a storm, it can be very destructive.

A series of such storms struck the US last month and caused very serious damage and human pain.

Every year, major storms cause many problems around the world. There is nothing people can do to stop these powerful forces of nature. But new techniques are helping scientists to predict how, when, and where big storms will happen. The more exact scientists’ warnings are, the better people can prepare for the storms.

Predictions are improving. “We’ve gotten better over the years, especially the last few years,” says Phil Klotzback, a scientist at an American university. How is a storm formed? Even if scientists know where a storm will happen, winds can suddenly change, carrying the storm to a new direction. “For a hurricane to happen, conditions have to be just right,” Klotzback says.

First, the ocean water needs to be warm enough so that it evaporates and rises into the air. As it rises, the vapor（水蒸气）cools and turns back into liquid. This process gives off heat. This produces energy like an engine that causes winds to increase. It drives the formation（形成）of a hurricane.

If wind speeds reach 40 miles per hour, the system is called a “tropical storm”, and it gets a name. At 75 miles per hour, it becomes a hurricane.

Hurricanes that hit the US start when a thunderstorm forms off the coast of Africa. Storms also develop over tropical waters in other parts of the world.

On average, 60 or 70 storms form off Africa every year. About 10 of them get names. There are usually about six hurricanes. Two tend to be very big, with winds of 115 miles per hour or higher.

The hurricane season lasts from June to November. Ninety percent of all hurricanes hit in August, September, and October.

1.vAccording to the passage, hurricanes usually ___________.

A. form off the coast of Africa and America

C. hit parts of the world in summer and autumn

B. travel at 40 miles per hour and get its name

D. cause sea winds to rise and blow over the sea

2.The underlined word “evaporates” (in Paragraph 5) probably means “___________”.

A. begins to move B. changes into a gas

C. becomes hot 　　 D. gets lost

3.Which of the following about the information of a hurricane is in the correct order?

a. The ocean water evaporates and goes into the air.

b. Heat creates energy and causes winds to increase.

c. The vapor cools.

d. The ocean water is warm enough.

e. The vapor changes back into liquid.

f. This course gives out heat.

A. a, d, e, b, c, f B. a, b, c, f, d, e

C. d, a, b, c, e, f D. d, a, c, e, f, b

4.Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A. One out of six or seven storms get names.

B. Every year at least 60 storms form off Africa.

C. The speed of the biggest two hurricanes reaches 115miles per hour.

D. About one third of the hurricanes tend to be very big.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

If you ______ Mary, ask her to come and see me.

A. lose sight of　　　　　　 B. catch sight of

C. are in the sight of　 D. are at the sight of

高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Our room was on the second floor but you could still hear the roar of the ocean and see the stars at night. I used to take long walks along the water. The food in town was wonderful and the people were very friendly. The area was very quiet and peaceful, and fairly deserted.

The last evening of our vacation, however, we all heard strange footsteps following closely behind us as we were walking up to our room in the holiday centre. We turned around and noticed a fairly young man moving very rapidly across the beach and getting closer to us. He was tall and wore a baseball cap. We couldn’t see his face and he was approaching us very rapidly. The man’s actions made my dad very nervous. Dad warned us that we’d better try to make it to our hotel room as quickly as possible. I didn’t like my dad’s voice; I could hear fear in it. It was late and we were all alone. We didn’t have any cell phones on us. I never saw Dad as worried as he was then and I knew that something was terribly wrong. The sense of fear started to overwhelm Mom and me. We had had such a good time in town. Now, the night was rapidly turning into a dangerous situation.

We could hear the man’s footsteps getting closer. Dad’s face was almost pale. The so-called intruder (侵入者) had moved nearer and nearer when all of a sudden, the nearby vending (自动贩卖) machine started going crazy and spitting out cans of soda! The noise actually scared the intruder and he ran out of sight. My parents were shaking, but we all turned around to see who had put money into the vending machine downstairs, and actually saved us, but no one was around at all. Not a soul.

It’s one vacation I will never forget.

1.Where did the author spend her vacation?

A. Near a lake.                            B. At the seaside.

C. In a village.                        D. In a mountain.

2.What does the underlined word “overwhelm” in Paragraph 2 mean?

A. move.            B. impress.            C. control.            D. excite.

3.What helped them get out of the trouble?

A. Their quick action.

B. Other people’s kind help.

C. The young man’s warning.

D. The noise from the vending machine.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Everyone has good days and bad days.

Sometimes, you feel as if you’re on top of the world and all the questions on your maths test might seem easy. But occasionally you feel horrible, and you lose things and cannot focus on our schoolwork.

For more than 20 years, scientists have suggested that high self-esteem(自尊) is the key to success.Now, new research shows that focusing just on building self-esteem may not be helpful. In some cases, having high self-esteem can make people less likeable or more upset when they fail in something.

“Forget about self-esteem,” says Jennifer Crocker, a psychologist at the University of Michigan, US. “It’s not the important thing.”

Feeling good

Crocker’s advice may sound a bit strange. After all, feeling good can be good for you.Studies show that people with high self-esteem are less likely to be depressed, anxious, shy, or lonely than those with low self-esteem.

However, after reviewing about 18,000 studies on self-esteem, Roy Baumeister, a psychologist at Florida State University, has found that building up your self-esteem will not necessarily make you a better person.

He believes that violent people often have the highest self-esteem of all. He also said:“ There’s no evidence that kids with high self-esteem do better in school.”

Problems

All types of people have problems. People with high self-esteem can have big egos(自我) that can make them less likeable, said Kathleen Vohs, a psychology professor at Columbia University.People with high self-esteem tend to think more of themselves, VOhs says. People with low self-esteem are more likely to rely on their friends when they need help.

What to do

Researchers say it is best to listen to and support other people. Find positive ways to contribute to society. If you fail in something, try to learn from the experience. “The best therapy(药方) is to recognize your faults,” Vohs says. “It’s OK to say, ‘I’ m not so good at that,’ and then move on.”

1.What does the underlined part “on top of the world” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Quite helpful.      B．Extremely happy.    C．Very unlucky.       D．Rather upset.

2.The conclusion drawn from the new research shows that high self-esteem_____.

A．is not important at all                    B．makes people more likeable

C．may not be the key to success              D．helps you do better at school

3.Which of the following is TRUE according to Vohs?

A．Feeling good doesn’t mean you lead a happy life.

B．People with high self-esteem always seek others’ help.

C．People with high self-esteem tend to be selfish.

D．People with low self-esteem are often more popular.

4.We can infer from the text that the best therapy mentioned in the last paragraph is mainly for people_____.

A．with high self-esteem                    B．with low self-esteem

C．who contribute significantly to society        D．who are in need of support

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析