I Am A PencilChildren’s book author Sam Swope...

I Am A Pencil

Children’s book author Sam Swope took a job teaching writing to third-graders in the New York City. His students were immigrants (移民) or the children of immigrants from 21 countries, speaking 11 languages and having many different beliefs. But there were a few things they had in common: family troubles, money struggles and poetry.

Cover Price: $59.88

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What It Takes To Help Me Out

An editor for US News & World Report, David L. Marcus takes us inside a boarding (寄宿) school for troubled teens. He shows the great stresses that are put on these teens and make them lose their confidence. This should cause us to think hard about troubled teens.

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The Most Scenic Drives in America

Published again and again and translated into several languages beginning in 1997, this travel book includes over 200 brand-new photographs of the wonderful places along 120 selected routes.

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Our Brother’s Keeper

Author Jedwin Smith tells what happened when he met several of his brother’s old friends. They make a journey to Vietnam, to visit the place where Jeff, his brother, died. Surprisingly, their Vietnamese guide was the former commander (海军中校) carrying out the attack that killed Jeff. A powerful story of brotherhood, bravery and understanding carried out.

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1.Which of the following books offers the biggest price cut?

A. I Am A Pencil

B. What It Takes To Help Me Out

C. The Most Scenic Drives in America

D. Our Brother’s Keeper

2.If you are interested in pictures, you would probably choose ________.

A. Our Brother’s Keeper

B. What It Takes To Help Me Out

C. The Most Scenic Drives in America

D. I Am A Pencil

3.From the book I Am A Pencil, we can learn that Sam Swope’s students _______.

A. are homeless children

B. have the same beliefs

C. like writing poetry

D. are in different grades

4.What can we learn from the passage?

A. I Am A Pencil is written by Jedwin Smith.

B. What It Takes To Help Me Out is about troubled teens.

C. You have to pay $47.88 for The Most Scenic Drives in America.

D. Jedwin Smith was killed in Vietnam.

5.What type of writing is this passage?

A. An advertisement.　　 B. A news report.　　 C. An announcement.　　 D. A tour guide.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

I Am A Pencil

Children’s book author Sam Swope took a job teaching writing to third-graders in the New York City. His students were immigrants or the children of immigrants from 21 countries, speaking 11 languages and having many different beliefs. But there were a few things they had in common: family troubles, money struggles and poetry.

Cover Price: $59.88

Price: $19.95

You Save: $39.93 (About 67%)

What It Takes To Help Me Out

An editor for US News & World Report, David L. Marcus takes us inside a boarding (寄宿) school for troubled teens. He shows the great stresses that are put on these teens and make them lose their confidence. This should cause us to think hard about troubled teens.

Cover Price: $35.86

Price: $15.00

You Save: $20.86 (About 58%)

The Most Scenic Drives in America

Published again and again and translated into several languages beginning in 1997, this travel book includes over 200 brand-new photographs of the wonderful places along 120 selected routes.

Cover Price: $47.88

Price: $23.88

You Save: $24 (About 50%)

Our Brother’s Keeper

Author Jedwin Smith tells what happened when he met several of his brother’s old friends. They make a journey to Vietnam, to visit the place where Jeff, his brother, died. Surprisingly, their Vietnamese guide was the former commander (海军中校) carrying out the attack that killed Jeff. A powerful story of brotherhood, bravery and understanding carried out.

Cover Price: $59.40

Price: $10.00

You Save: $49.40 (About 83%)

1.Which of the following books offers the biggest price cut?

A. I Am A Pencil　　 B. What It Takes To Help Me Out

C. The Most Scenic Drives in America　　 D. Our Brother’s Keeper

2.If you are interested in pictures, you would probably choose ________.

A. Our Brother’s Keeper　　 B. What It Takes To Help Me Out

C. The Most Scenic Drives in America　　 D. I Am A Pencil

3.From the book I Am A Pencil, we can learn that Sam Swope’s students _______.

A. are homeless children　　 B. have the same beliefs

C. like writing poetry　　 D. are in different grades

4.What can we learn from the passage?

A. I Am A Pencil is written by Jedwin Smith.

B. What It Takes To Help Me Out is about troubled teens.

C. You have to pay $47.88 for The Most Scenic Drives in America.

D. Jedwin Smith was killed in Vietnam.

5.What type of writing is this passage?

A. An advertisement.　　 B. A news report.

C. An announcement.　　 D. A tour guide.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Former National Football League player and children’s author Tim Green has added another book to his list of accomplishments: Unstoppable. The book tells the story of a 12 year-old boy named Harrison, who survives life in a cruel lobster-home（寄养家庭）before he finally finds a loving family. Then he settles in and realizes his natural football ability but he loses his leg due to a deadly bone cancer. Unstoppable follows Harrison’s difficult life journey.

Tim Green said he decided to write a novel about a kid facing cancer after watching how his wife fought to survive her own illness. “Her mental and physical toughness were more heroic to me than anything I’d ever seen in the national sports leagues,” Green told TFK.

Green said, he knew he needed to write about a person who struggled through a serious illness. But because the target age for his books is the teen, he needed to tell the story through the eyes of someone of that age. He needed a perfect real story on which to base his book.

When friends introduced Green to Jeffrey Keith, Green knew he had found the right person to help him “capture（捕捉）the heroism that it takes to fight cancer”, Cancer- survivor Jeffrey Keith lost his leg at the age of twelve, but went on to be the goalkeeper and was also the first amputee（被截肢者）to run 3,300 miles across the country.

TFK asked Keith what it felt like to read Unstoppable for the first time. “Tim captured what it felt like for me to go through this experience and battle back, “Keith said.” Tim’s look sends a message to all the kids across the country that are facing challenges and that have nothing to do with cancer; you are all unstoppable, as long as you believe it.”

1.What does paragraph I mainly intend to say about Harrisons life？

A.It is poor but colorful. B.It is full of challenges.

C.It is filled with chances. D.It is peaceful but boring.

2.Why did Tim Green want to write Unstoppable？

A.He was impressed by Harrison’s encouraging life.

B.He intended to make Jeffrey Keith’s story well known.

C.He was inspired by his wife’s struggle with her illness.

D.He wished to encourage adults to light against illness bravely.

3.In what way did Jeffrey Keith play a role in Unstoppable?

A.It is based on his life experiences.

B.It is written by him and Tim Green.

C.He offered great advice to its author.

D.He has introduced it to many people.

4.What’s Jeffrey Keith’s attitude to Unstoppable？

A.Worried. B.Cautious.

C.Uncertain. D.Favorable.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Why are we addicted to upgrades? According to Donald Norman, American author of the book The Design of Everyday Things, “planned obsolescence”（计划性报废） is the trick behind the upgrading culture of today’s consumer electronics industry.

The New York Times cited Norman last month, saying that electronics manufactures strategically release new upgrades periodically, both for hardware and software, so that customers on every level feel the need to buy the newest version.

“This is an old-time trick– they’re not inventing anything new,” he said.

Thomas Wensma, a Dutch designer, despises the “planned obsolescence” of companies, as recently reported by UK-based The Guardian.

Wensma said this is a wasteful system through which companies – many of them producing personal electronics – release shoddy products simply because “they know that, in six months or a year, they’ll put out a new one”.

But the new psychology of consumers is part of this system, as Wensma said to the newspaper: “We now want something new, something pretty, the next shiny thing.”

____________________

“It’s to the damage of the consumer and the environment,” as the New York Times quoted Norman. “But perhaps to the betterment of the stockholder.”

In its most recent fiscal(财务的) year, Apple’s profit margin was more than 21 percent, reported the Los Angeles Times. At Hewlett-Packard, the world’s biggest PC manufacturer, it was only 7 percent.

“Steven Jobs pushed the principle of ‘planned obsolescence’ to new heights,” the newspaper commented on the company’s profits and marketing strategy. “Apple’s annual upgrades of its products generate sales of millions of units as owners of one year’s MacBook or iPhone line up to buy the newest version, even when the changes are incremental.”

Peer pressure

As to Li Jijia, the need for upgrading his smart phone comes mainly from friends and classmates. When the majority of friends are switching to the latest devices, he worries about feeling left out.

“Some apps and games require better hardware to run,” said Li. “If you don’t join in, you lose part of the connection to your friends.”

1.Donald Norman believes that electronics makers strategically release new upgrades periodically because __________.

A．customers need the latest version          B．technology is developing so fast

C．they want to invent something new          D．they can make a lot of money

2.Thomas Wensma’s attitude to the “planned obsolescence” is __________.

A．positive           B．negative          C．indifferent         D．neutral

3.What subtitle can best fit into the blank in the text?

A．Huge profits                           B．Apple’s principle

C．Environmental damage                   D．Marketing strategy

4.The writer takes the example of Li Jijia to show that __________.

A．the new psychology of consumers is also to blame for the wasteful system

B．young people are always fond of something new, pretty and shiny

C．if you don’t upgrade your smart phone, you will lose contact with your friends

D．needs of consumers help to promote the development of electronics industry

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

J. K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter book series, began writing at age 6. In her biography（传记）, she well remembers her good friend, Sean, whom she met in secondary school, helped build her confidence in becoming a very good writer. “He was the first person to know my serious dream to be a writer. He was also the only person who thought I was certain to be a success at it, which meant much more to me.”

Rowling met many difficulties in her writing, especially fantasy(幻想） stories. It wasn't until l990 that she first got the idea about Harry Potter. As she recalls, it was on a long train journey from London to Manchester that “the idea of Harry Potter simply fell into my head. I didn't have a pen with me, and I was too shy to ask anybody if I could borrow one. I think, now, that this was probably a good thing, because I simply sat and thought, for four(delayed train) hours, and all the details appear in my brain, and this thin, black-haired, glasses-wearing boy who didn't know he was a wizard （男巫）became more and more real to me.”

That same year, her mother passed away after a ten-year illness, which deeply affected her writing. She went on to marry and had a daughter, but separated from her husband shortly afterwards.

During this time, Rowling suffered from depression（抑郁症）. She ,out of work,completed her first novel in the cafes, where she could get her daughter to fall asleep. After being refused by l2 publishing houses, the first Harry Potter novel was sold to a small British publishing house.

Now with seven books sold nearly 400 million copies in 64 languages, J. K. Rowling is the highest earning novelist in history. And it all began with the confidence of a friend !

1.Which of the following could be the best title of the passage?

A. Confidence of a Friend Helped the Success of Harry Potter

B. J.K.Rowing’s Hard Life and the Success of Harry Potter

C. J.K.Rowing---author of the Harry Potter book series

D. How J.K.Rowing Firstly Got the Idea of Harry Potter

2. According to the passage, we know J.K.Rowing_______.

A. had a happy family

B. had a ten-year illness

C. earned a lot from her novels

D. published 12 books in 64 languages

3.Where did J.K.Rowing first have the shape of Harry Potter?

A. in the cafes　　　　　　　 B. on a train

C. in a secondary school　 D. in a publishing house

4.What can we learn from the passage?

A. Harry Potter’s friends didn’t know he was a wizard until he graduated.

B. J.K.Rowing wrote down her idea while she was on the train by borrowing a pen.

C. It’s lucky that J.K.Rowing didn’t have a pen while she got the idea of Harry Potter.

D. Harry Potter was a thin,yellow-haired handsome boy with a pair of glasses on his nose.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Michael Herr, who has died aged 76, was the author of Dispatches (1977), the best book about the Vietnam War. It took Herr eight years to write Dispatches, in part because he went home from Saigon with a bad case of stress disorder. He had gone to Vietnam as a journalist for Esquire magazine. An American general asked him whether he was there to write about military fashion and humor. No. He wrote little for Esquire, but took advantage of the US government’s decision to allow journalists extraordinary access to go to war with the soldiers. He shared their discomforts and their fears, witnessed their death and recorded their language.

His own language, a stream of consciousness pulsing with energy, but masterfully controlled, captured the fear and the horror, but also the excitement, of the war in the jungle and paddy fields. He recorded with a connoisseur’s expertise (行家专长) such details as the many ways in which soldiers would wish each other good luck, and the degrees of madness that were considered acceptable.

The power of the book, perhaps, comes from Herr’s insistence on describing the war, or more precisely his own responses to it, rather than protesting against it. It also comes from the ceaseless accompaniment of two elements, drugs and music — more particularly rock music, and especially the music of Jimi Hendrix. Herr himself spent drug-fuelled weekends in a flat in Saigon, staring at an ancient French map of Indochina. He met soldiers with a left pocket full of Dexedrine, the “upper” (兴奋剂) officially administered by the army to get them into battle, and a right pocket full of “downers” (镇定剂) to get them through it.

Dispatches did not come out until 1977, when the country was beginning to have its mind on other problems, but it did more, perhaps, than any other book to freeze an image of despair and a sense of waste about the war, rather as the trench poets of 1914 —1918 did in Britain.

Herr also made vital contributions to two of the most influential Vietnam films Apocalypse Now and Full Metal Jacket. His work, in the book and the two films, has been seen as part of the process whereby the US came to see itself and its history no longer merely through traditional literature, but in sounds and images.

1.Why did Michael Herr go to Vietnam during the war years?

A. To join the soldiers in military actions.

B. To report military actions and advances.

C. To give an authentic account of the war.

D. To write about military fashion and humor.

2.Which of the following about Dispatches is true?

A. It truly reflects Herr’s responses to the war.

B. Music and drugs give the author inspiration.

C. Its language is casually selected and organized.

D. It fully describes Herr’s protest against the war.

3.US soldiers brought drugs with them during the war most probably because 　　　　　　　 .

A. they suffered stress disorder

B. they were addicted to drugs

C. they used them to cure the wounds

D. they exchanged them for music records

4.What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A. Herr directed two influential Vietnam films.

B. Herr’s work played a positive role in traditional literature.

C. Herr stopped writing after the book Dispatches was published.

D. Herr’s work offered Americans more ways to know themselves.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

(B)

British author JK Rowling was at the release of her latest Harry Potter book called “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” at the Natural History Museum in London, Friday July 20, 2007.

J.K. Rowling has been spotted at cafes in Scotland working on a detective novel, a British newspaper reported Saturday.

The Sunday Times newspaper quoted Ian Rankin, a fellow author and neighbor of Rowling's, as saying the creator of the "Harry Potter" books is turning to crime fiction.

"My wife spotted her writing her Edinburgh criminal detective novel," the newspaper quoted Rankin as telling a reporter at an Edinburgh literary festival.

"It is great that she has not abandoned writing or Edinburgh cafes," said Rankin, who is known for his own police novels set in the historic Scottish city.

Rowling famously wrote initial drafts of the Potter story in the Scottish city's cafes. Back then, she was a struggling single mother who wrote in cafes to save on the heating bill at home.

Now she's Britain's richest woman - worth $1 billion, according to Forbes magazine - and her seven Potter books have sold more than 335 million copies worldwide.

In an interview with The Associated Press last month, Rowling said she believed she was unlikely to repeat the success of the Potter series, but confirmed she had plans to work on new books.

"I'll do exactly what I did with Harry - I'll write what I really want to write," Rowling said.

46 What is JK Rowling famous for?

47 Which of the following is Not rue about Ian Rankin?

48 Why did Rowling like to write the “Harry Potter stories” in the cafes?

49 What can we learn from the passage?

50 What is the best title for the passage?

高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

My son, Sam, struggled through elementary school. But his sixth grade teacher took the time to ____ Sam’s strengths and inspired him to be a better student.

On Valentine’s Day, my eleven-year-old son Sam ____ me to allow him to buy his teacher an enormous red heart-shaped box filled with chocolates. We compromised，and he ____ her a smaller but respectably sized heart. On his small ____ , $4.99 was a huge investment, and I was touched by his ____ .

Sam has not always loved teachers. He doesn’t yet admit that he ____ school, but he does like to hang out in his classroom after three o’ clock, and he is ____ about some class projects.

Last year, Sam’s most memorable achievement was having the longest “missing assignment” list in the __　　 fifth grade. He ____ all year to keep his head above the academic sea. Many nights Sam sank into tears of ____ while working his way through another pile of homework.

I must admit I was ____ when I first met Mrs. Hogan. She was a ____ teacher. She seemed so young and sweet and inexperienced. How was this new teacher going to ____ a boy who had feared school?

As I observed this teacher’s ____ with my son at the end of each day, I realized that Sam’s inattentiveness and disorganization were not the ___ things that Mrs. Hogan noticed. She recognized Sam as a knowledgeable, capable student who loved to read. He managed to meet her ____.

Sam began to do his homework without numerous reminders ____ a major search through his crowded backpack. He brought home less and less class work. He ____ six A’s on his second-quarter report card.

I ____ don’t know how much of this miracle is due to the magic of Mrs. Hogan.　 I do know that my son loves his sixth grade teacher, and I think there is a ____ in relationships that can inspire children when nothing else can.

1.A. improve    B.    encourage    C.    push    D.    drive

2.A. advised    B.    promised    C.    allowed    D.    begged

3.A. bought    B.    agreed    C.    rejected    D.    met

4.A. standard    B.    age    C.    budget    D.    basis

5.A. will    B.    cleverness    C.    generosity    D.    bravery

6.A. likes    B.    hates    C.    attends    D.    misses

7.A. annoyed    B.    excited    C.    surprised    D.    worried

8.A. remarkable    B.    favorable    C.    honorable    D.    entire

9.A. struggled    B.    intended    C.    failed    D.    continued

10.A. regret    B.    surprise    C.    frustration    D.    pleasure

11.A. interested    B.    concerned    C.    moved    D.    wrong

12.A. working    B.    caring    C.    rising    D.    beginning

13.A. lift up    B.    stay up    C.    sit up    D.    get up

14.A. cooperation    B.    relationship    C.    interaction    D.    discussion

15.A. precious    B.    interesting    C.    obvious    D.    primary

16.A questions    B.    requests    C.    demands    D.    expectations

17.A. although    B.    or    C.    if    D.    so

18.A. marked    B.    accepted    C.    earned    D.    left

19.A. clearly    B.    strongly    C.    yet    D.    still

20.A. mass    B.    magic    C.    handwriting    D.    plan

高二英语信息匹配中等难度题查看答案及解析

You may have heard of the book Moby Dick(《白鲸记》),written by the American author Herman Melville.You may also know that Moby Dick is considered one of the greatest novels ever written.However,it might surprise you to find out Herman Melville was not always a highly regarded author.

Melville’s first two novels,Typee and Omoo,were widely read and financially successfully.They were both exciting tales of adventures at sea and experiences with people in foreign lands.Melville became quite famous.However,upon the publication of his third book,Mardi,Melville’s popularity began to weaken.He was no longer interested in telling tales of pure adventure,and his writing took on a style that alienated（使疏远）the general reading public of his time.

Melville published Moby Dick in October of 1851 it was an original novel,combining aspects of sociology and philosophy,which confused readers by its complex symbolism.The book sold poorly.

Melville’s next book,Pierre,was almost completely disregarded by the public.Debt frustration and ill health finally forced Melville to take a low-paying job as a customs inspector.Eventually,Melville abandoned prose（散文）and began to write poetry.

The Civil War is the main subject of Melville’s poetry.He and his brother made a trip to the front line,and he published a book of poems,Battle-Pieces and Aspects of War,based on this experience.

Melville died in 1891 at the age of 72 at this point,his work had been completely forgotten by the public.His talent was to go unrecognized for the next thirty years.Then,in 1920s, his reputation began to improve as critics and readers rediscovered his work.Today Moby Dick is one of the best-known novels ever penned by an American author.

1.What were Melville’s first two novels mainly about?

A. His travel experience.

B. His successful communication skills.

C. Adventurous experiences in the front line.

D. Adventurous voyages and foreign experiences.

2.We can learn from the text that Moby Dick　　　　 .

A. sold a little better than Pierre.　　 B. was Melville’s favorite novel.

C. was copied from other books.　　 D. made Melville popular again.

3.The text may be taken from　　　　　 .

A. a writing guide　　 B. a literary（文学的）journal.

C. a science magazine.　　 D. a critical book on literature.

4.What is the text mainly about?

A. The main works of Melville.　　 B. The skills in Melville’s writing.

C. The ups and downs of Melville.　　 D. The reason for Melville’s failure.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Kwame Alexander is a best-selling author of 24 books. His novel in verse (诗体) The Crossover won the Newbery Medal in 2015, and was followed by another verse novel in 2016, Booked. In the just-released The Playbook: 52 Rules to Aim, Shoot, and Score in This Game Called Life, Alexander aims to inspire readers to dream big and reach for their goals.

Time For Kids:

What can you tell us about The Playbook?

Kwame Alexander:

I wanted to write a book about how important it is to persevere (坚持) and accept the challenges that come, because they only make you stronger. And I wanted to do it in a really cool and fun way, using sports as a metaphor (隐喻), so students would be interested in reading a book that is telling them how to make their lives better.

TFK:

Where did you get the idea for the book?

Alexander:

In The Crossover, the father of the main characters, Josh and Jordan, gives them these rules for life, called Basketball Rules. Well, I was having breakfast with a friend of mine in New York City. He said, “Kwame, I love those Basketball Rules you have in The Crossover. You should think about writing a whole book on those.” That’s where it all began.

TFK:

Is it hard to mix sports and poetry (诗歌)?

Alexander:

I love sports, and I’ve been writing poetry since I was a kid. So those two things are as natural to me as breathing, laughing and walking.

TFK:

You’ve said teachers need to make learning poetry fun. Did you have a teacher like this as a kid?

Alexander:

My mom. She read poetry to my sisters and me when I was a kid, and she would make the words jump off the page!

TFK:

What advice would you give to young writers?

Alexander:

Read everything you can get your hands on. The best way to become a good writer is to read what other people have written.

1.What can we learn about The Playbook?

A.It is a historical novel.

B.It won the Newbery Medal.

C.It is actually about rules for life.

D.It is based on Alexander’s true life.

2.Who inspired Alexander to write The Playbook?

A.His mom who read poetry to him.

B.The teacher who taught him poetry.

C.His friend who read The Crossover.

D.The two characters in The Crossover.

3.When Alexander was a kid, how did he feel about poetry?

A.It was rather boring. B.It was quite difficult.

C.It was pretty mysterious. D.It was very interesting.

4.In Alexander’s mind, what’s important to become a good writer?

A.Always dream big.

B.Gladly accept challenges.

C.Read as much as possible.

D.Have a wide knowledge of poetry.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析