Josh Morrison，17，dreamed of raising $ 100,000...

Josh Morrison，17，dreamed of raising $ 100,000 to build a home for a low-income family. After years of hard work，his dream has come true. The house is now in the early stages of building.

Six years ago. Josh and his dad went into a Habitat for Humanity Restore，a home improvement store and donation center run by the nonprofit organization. They were there to buy a sink. Josh.then 11.also noticed a collection of pennies. “I instantly felt the urge to help out with that.” he said. Josh set a fundraising deadline of four years. Many people doubted whether he could reach his goal of S 100,000.but it didn’t shake his faith. He raised money at his school and other nearby schools. He collected money from neighbours，got publicity from local newspapers，and placed cans in stores so that people could donate extra change.

Josh’s fundraising efforts began to produce results. Still，there were challenges. Four months before his deadline，he was $30,000 short. He decided to hold Family Fun Fair and Spaghetti Dinner in Uxbridge，which is in the province of Ontario. The event raised $19,000.

“I didn’t care how long it took me.”Josh said.“I would raise $100,000.” With three weeks left，a company called Josh’s house，offering to donate $18,000. Eventually. Josh reached a total of $134,000 before the deadline.“The momentum just kept going，and we decided to do more.”he said.“Josh’s Penny House”is being built by Hahitat for Humanity in the city of Oshawa，along with 24 new townhouses. Josh has helped with some of the construction，as have other volunteers. He will choose the family that moves into the unit.

Next year，the 17-year-old will head to college in British Columbia. Canada’s westernmost province. As a 11-year-old kid when starting fundraising .Josh was able to send a powerful message across the world. No matter how old you are，if you have a dream and are willing to do anything to achieve it，it can come true.

1.Which word can best describe Josh Morrison in Paragraph 2?

A.Cautious. B.Straightforward.

C.Open-minded. D.Determined.

2.Why was the Family Fun Fair and Spaghetti Dinner event held in Uxbridge?

A.To attain his goal. B.To call for more attention.

C.To win approval from the locals. D.To find sponsors for a family.

3.What does the underlined sentence in Para. 4 mean?

A.He received continuous donations. B.His project became more popular.

C.He got more support from his family. D.The result was beyond expectations.

4.What can be the best title for the text?

A.Kindness from a Company B.The Penny House Dream

C.An Astonishing Fundraiser D.A Boy with a Warm Heart

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

I grew up in Jamaica Plain. My best friend Rose and I used to dream about raising a family of our own someday and living next door to one another.

Our dream remained alive through school and beyond. Rose was my maid of honor when I married Dick. Later, Dick was stationed in Alaska and we moved. Rose was sad to see me leave, but wished me the best of luck. We remained in touch for a few years before we lost track.

I thought of her several times over the years. All of my children now have families of their own, and Dick passed away a few years ago. Basically, a lifetime has passed. Then one day, near my 80th birthday, I received a phone call “Hi Natalie, it’s Rose,” the voice on the other end said, “ I don’t know if you remember me, but we used to be best friends in Jamaica Plain when we were kids.”

We have spent hours on the phone catching up. Even after 52 years of separation our personalities and interests are still extremely similar. We both share a passion for several hobbies that we each picked up independently several years after we lost touch with one another. It almost feels like we are picking up right where we left off.

Her husband died a few years ago as well, but she mailed me several photographs of her family that were taken over the years. It’s so crazy, just looking at the photos and listening to her description of her family reminds me of my own: a reasonably large, healthy family. Part of me feels like we led fairly similar lives.

I don’t think the similarities between our two lives are a coincidence either. I think it shows that we didn’t just call each other best friend; we truly were best friends and even now we can be best friends again. Real friends have two things in common: a compatible(相容的)personality and a strong-willed character. The compatible personality is what starts the connection between two people.

A strong-willed character at both ends is what maintains the connection. If those two ingredients are present in a friendship, the friendship is for real, It can pass the tests of time and long distance between one another and will never disappear.

1.From the passage we may know that the author　　　　　 .

A. lived next door to Rose in her childhood

B.was Rose’s maid of honor when she was married

C.lost touch of Rose since she moved to Alaska

D. missed her friend although they lost contact

2.After 52 years of separation, they　　　　　 .

A.had a lot to talk on the phone

B. sent each other photographs of their family

C.they lived the same life

D. developed different personalities and hobbies

3. The underlined word “it” in Paragraph 6 refers to　　　　　 .

A. Rose’s description

B. coincidence

C. best friend

D. the similarities between our two lives

4.The author thinks that　　　　　 .

A. the similarities between their lives are coincident

B. although they’re not best friends, they have much in commom.

C. they both have a compatible personality and a strong-willed character

D. only those who have similar characters can be real friends

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

I grew up in Jamaica Plain. My best friend Rose and I used to dream about raising a family of our own someday and living next door to one another.

Our dream remained alive through school and beyond. Rose was my maid of honor when I married Dick. Later, Dick was stationed in Alaska and we moved. Rose was sad to see me leave, but wished me the best of luck. We remained in touch for a few years before we lost track.　

I thought of her several times over the years. All of my children now have families of their own, and Dick passed away a few years ago. Basically, a lifetime has passed. Then one day, near my 80th birthday, I received a phone call “Hi Natalie, it’s Rose,” the voice on the other end said, “ I don’t know if you remember me, but we used to be best friends in Jamaica Plain when we were kids.”　

　We have spent hours on the phone catching up. Even after 52 years of separation our personalities and interests are still extremely similar. We both share a passion for several hobbies that we each picked up independently several years after we lost touch with one another. It almost feels like we are picking up right where we left off.

Her husband died a few years ago as well, but she mailed me several photographs of her family that were taken over the years. It’s so crazy, just looking at the photos and listening to her description of her family reminds me of my own: a reasonably large, healthy family. Part of me feels like we led fairly similar lives.

I don’t think the similarities between our two lives are a coincidence either. I think it shows that we didn’t just call each other best friend; we truly were best friends and even now we can be best friends again. Real friends have two things in common: a compatible(相容的)personality and a strong-willed character. The compatible personality is what starts the connection between two people. A strong-willed character at both ends is what maintains the connection. If those two ingredients are present in a friendship, the friendship is for real, It can pass the tests of time and long distance between one another and will never disappear

1.From the passage we may know that the author　　　　　 .

A. lived next door to Rose in her childhood　

B.was Rose’s maid of honor when she was married

C.lost touch of Rose since she moved to Alaska　

D. missed her friend although they lost contact

2.After 52 years of separation, they　　　　　 .

A.had a lot to talk on the phone

B. sent each other photographs of their family

C.they lived the same life

D. developed different personalities and hobbies

3.The underlined word “it” in Paragraph 6 refers to　　　　　 .

A. Rose’s description　

B. coincidence　

C. best friend

D. the similarities between our two lives

4.The author thinks that　　　　　 .

A. the similarities between their lives are coincident

B. although they’re not best friends, they have much in commom.

C. they both have a compatible personality and a strong-willed character

D. only those who have similar characters can be real friends

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

The government has raised the tax on urban building (房产税) with the ______ of controlling the price of buildings.

A. intention      B. introduction         C. purpose                 D. development

高二英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析

The fire which happened in the CCTV’s new building has raised _______about the safety of using fireworks in cities.

A  attention     B expectation       C concern            D standard

高二英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析

A British businessman with the lifelong dream of building a yacht (游艇) has almost achieved his goal. Mike Ludgrove is putting the finishing touches on the 60ft boat that he has spent the past 12 years crafting by hand. He has spent several thousands of hours on the classic sailing yacht that he has named “Helena”.

Ludgrove originally thought that he could complete his dream yacht in just three years. He soon realized, however, that both the timeline and budget were overly ambitious. To raise more funds, Ludgrove and his kind wife Elaine sold their London flat, their primary home in Exeter, Devon, and now live in a rented house. Five years ago, the couple sold their food business to raise additional money for the boat. Ludgrove also asked his son and some friends to work alongside him to make his dream a reality.

“Helena has been my dream for almost 40 years,” Ludgrove, who started working on the project in 2006, told the Daily Mail. “It has taken 12 years, and I have enjoyed most of it, although there have been some low points when I’ve wondered whether we were going to make it.

The boat is coated with fiberglass to protect the wood and has a captain’s room and two large cabins which can accommodate up to six people.

Ludgrove claims that his dream was inspired by a childhood experience when he participated in the London Sailing Project, a charitable foundation that gives young people the opportunity to experience a sailing adventure. “Helena” is due to launch, and Ludgrove hopes it will benefit young people who usually don’t have a chance to sail.

1.What does the underlined sentence in Para. 2 mean?

A. Building a yacht was impossible for Ludgrove.

B. It was wrong of Ludgrove to build a yacht by hand.

C. Ludgrove was trapped in a lack of time and money.

D. The problems of timeline and budget were easy to solve.

2.What are the attitudes of Ludgrove’s family and friends to his yacht-building plan?

A. Indifferent.　　 B. Doubtful.

C. Objective.　　 D. Supportive.

3.Why was Ludgrove determined to build a yacht?

A. It was his childhood dream.

B. It was part of his worldwide sailing plan.

C. He never sailed in the sea.

D. He wanted to memorize “Helena”.

4.What will Ludgrove do with “Helena” most probably?

A. Give it to the London Sailing Project for renting.

B. Inspire young people to have a chance to sail.

C. Set up a charitable foundation for “Helena”.

D. Sail around the world with his family and friends.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Have you dreamed of building your own machine? Do you wish you could invent something new? Here we look at a few British inventions of recent times.

Adaptable Glasses

Do you wear glasses? If so, can you imagine life without them? In 1985, Joshua Silver, a professor at Oxford University, asked himself, “Can I invent a pair of glasses that could be changed by the wearer?” He designed two plastic lenses(透镜) that are filled with a special liquid. The liquid can be changed between the lenses until you can see clearly. The glasses are not beautiful but they are easy to use and cheap to make.

The Wind-up Radio

When you switch your TV on tonight, think about all those people without electricity. Thinking about this, Trevor Baylis came up with the idea of designing a radio that could be powered by hand. In common with Joshua Silver he wanted his invention to be cheap and easy to use. The radio has a generator (发电机) which is powered by turning a handle. In 1996 it won a BBC Design Award for Best Protect and Best Design.

The Dyson Cleaner

In many homes around the world you can see a cleaner that looks like a spaceship. This is the Dyson vacuum (真空) cleaner which uses something called “cyclonic separation” to separate the dirt. You do not need a bag for your cleaner and it does not get blocked so it is very practical. The idea came to Sir James Dyson after he kept having problems with his vacuum cleaner. He decided he could design a better one and in 1993 he opened his own factory. The Dyson is now one of the best-selling cleaners in the UK and Dyson is believed to have earned over a billion pounds.

The Zapata Fly-board

Ever dreamed of rising through the water and jumping high in the air like a dolphin? Now you can try a fly-board, built by water sports fan Frank Zapata. With it you can dive back in the water and out again. It’s possible to jump to unbelievable heights out of the water—over 30 feet. The basic fly-board model comes in at ￡4,200.

So keep dreaming and inventing. One day you might get it right.

1.Who invented Adaptable Glasses?

A. Joshua Silver.　　　　 B. Trevor Baylis.

C. James Dyson.　　　 　 D. Frank Zapata.

2.Which invention won an award?

A. Adaptable Glasses.　　　　　 B. The Wind-up Radio.

C. The Dyson Cleaner.　　　　　 D. The Zapata Fly-board.

3.Who might be interested in the invention of the Dyson cleaner?

A. Those who need radios.

B. Those who have eye problems.

C. Those who are fond of diving.

D. Those who want to use cleaners more easily.

4.What might be the best title for the passage?

A. Kind Inventors.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. Cheap Inventions.

C. Creative Minds.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. Future Dreams.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Most young architects—particularly those in big cities—can only dream about working in a building of their own. And making that dream come true often means finding a building no one else seems to want, which is exactly what happened to David Yocum and his partner, Brain Bell. Their building is a former automobile electrical—parts firm in Atlanta. From the outside, it looks too old, even something horrible, but open the door and you are in a wide, open courtyard, lined on three sides with rusting (生锈的) walls.

In 2000, Yocum and Bell found this building in the city’s West End. Built in 1947, the structure had been abandoned (放弃) years earlier and the roof of the main building had fallen down. But the price was right, so Yocum bought it. He spent eight months of his off-hours on demolition (拆除), pulling rubbish out through the roof, because it was too dangerous to go inside the building, The demolition was hard work, but it gave him time to think about what he wanted to do, and “to treasure what was there—the walls, the rust, the light,” Yocum said. “Every season, more paint falls off the walls and more rust develops. It’s like an art installation (装置) in there—a slow-motion show.”

Since the back building had been constructed without windows, an all-glass front was added to the building to give it a view of the courtyard, and skylights were installed in the roof. The back of the building is a working area and a living room for Yocum and his wife. A sort of buffer (缓冲) zone between the front and the back contains a bathroom, a kitchen and a mechanical (机械的) room, and the walls that separate these zones have openings that allow views through to the front of the studio and the courtyard beyond.

Yocum and Bell, who have just completed an art gallery for the city, feel that the experience from the decoration of their building, focusing on the inside rather than the outside, has influenced their work. It has also given these architects a chance to show how they can make more out of less.

1.According to the passage, it is 　　　　 for most young architects in big cities to work in a building of their own.

A. easy　 　　　　 B. unnecessary

C. unrealistic　 D. common

2.Working on the old building, Yocum and Bell　　　　 .

A. pulled rubbish out through the roof

B. removed the skylights from the bathroom

C. presented a slow–motion show in an art gallery

D. built a kitchen at the back part of the old building

3.It can be inferred from the passage that Yocum and Bell 　　　　 .

A. benefited a lot from pulling down the roof

B. turned more old buildings into art galleries

C. got inspiration from decorating their old building

D. paid more attention to the outside of the gallery

4.The main idea of the passage is that 　　　　 .

A. people can learn a lot from their failures

B. it is worthwhile to spend money on an old building

C. people should not judge things by their appearance

D. creative people can make the best of what they have

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Most young architects—particularly those in big cities—can only dream about working in a building of their own. And making that dream come true often means finding a building no one else seems to want, which is exactly what happened to David Yocum and his partner, Brian Bell. Their building is a former automobile electrical-parts firm in Atlanta. From the outside, it looks too old, even something horrible, but open the door and you are in a wide, open courtyard, lined on three sides with rusting walls.

In 2000,Yocum and Bell found this building in the city’s West End. Built in 1947, the structure had been abandoned years earlier and the roof of the main building had fallen down. But the price was right, so Yocum bought it. He spent eight months of his off-hours on demolition, pulling rubbish out through the roof, because it was too dangerous to go inside the building. The demolition was hard work, but it gave him time to think about what he wanted to do, and “to treasure what was there—the walls, the rust, the light,” Yocum said. “Every season, more paint falls off the walls and more rust develops. It’s like an art installation(装置) in there—a slow-motion show.”

Since the back building had been constructed without windows, an all-glass front was added to the building to give it a view of the courtyard, and skylights were installed in the roof. The back of the building is a working area and a living room for Yocum and his wife. A sort of buffer(缓冲) zone between the front and the back contains a bathroom, a kitchen and a mechanical room, and the walls that separate these zones have openings that allow views through to the front of the studio and the courtyard beyond.

Yocum and Bell, who have just completed an art gallery for the city, feel that the experience from the decoration of their building, focusing on the inside rather than the outside, has influenced their work. It has also given these architects a chance to show how they can make more out of less.

1.According to the passage, it is_________ for most young architects in big cities to work in a building of their own.

A. unrealistic　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. easy

C. unnecessary　　　　　　 　　　　 　　 D. common

2.Working on the old building, Yocum and Bell_______.

A. removed the skylights from the bathroom

B. presented a slow-motion show in an art gallery　　

C. pulled rubbish out through the roof

D. built a kitchen at the back part of the old building

3.It can be inferred from the passage that Yocum and Bell ________.

A. benefited a lot from pulling down the roof　　

B. turned more old buildings into art galleries

C. paid more attention to the outside of the art gallery

D. got inspiration from decorating their old building

4.The main idea of the passage is that_________.

A. creative people can make the best of what they have

B. people can learn a lot from their failures　　

C. it is worthwhile to spend money on an old building

D. people should not judge things by their appearance

高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

Until now, we have raised 100,000 pounds for the poor children, ___________ is quite unexpected.

A.that B.which C.who D.it

高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析