Rachel Carson was an American author and envi...

Rachel Carson was an American author and environmental protection scientist. “Silent Spring” was her most famous book. The idea for the book developed from a suggestion from a friend. Rachel’s friend owned a protected area for birds. An airplane had flown over the area where the birds were kept and spread a powerful chemical called DDT. Many songbirds and harmless insects were killed by the DDT.

Miss Carson and other scientists were very concerned about the harmful effects of DDT and other insect-killing chemicals called pesticides. Rachel Carson tried to get many magazines interested in publishing a report about the subject. However, none would agree to publish anything about such a debate subject. They said no one wanted to hear that industrial companies could cause great ecological damage.

Miss Carson believed the public needed to know about this important issue. She decided to write a book about it. In her book “Silent Spring”, Miss Carson questioned the right of industrial companies to pollute without considering the effects on the environment. Miss Carson argued that this kind of pollution would result in ever-decreasing populations of birds and other wildlife. She said this would lead to the loss of the wonderful sounds of nature. The chemical poisoning of the environment, she said, would cause a silent spring.

The chemical industry felt threatened. Industry spokesmen and other critics said the book was non-scientific and emotional. They misunderstood the message of the book. Miss Carson did not suggest that all pesticides be banned. She urged that control of these substances be given to biologists who could make informed decisions about the risks involved.

Support for the book increased. By the end of 1962, there were more than forty bills in state laws proposing to control pesticides. Finally, in November, 1969, the United States government ruled that the use of DDT must stop in two years.

Rachel Carson did not live to see how her book influenced the government’s decision to ban DDT. She died of breast cancer in 1964.

1.What gets Rachel Carson to write the book?

A.The area of protection.

B.A powerful chemical called DDT.

C.Killed songbirds and insects.

D.The advice given by Rachel’s friend.

2.No magazines agreed to publish the harmful effect of DDT because ______.

A.it was an unimportant subject for them

B.they were afraid of being involved in the quarrel

C.they had no environmental consciousness at all

D.DDT was necessary for industry development

3.Industry spokesman’s attitude towards the book is that of ______.

A.tolerance B.criticism

C.unconcern D.praise

4.What does the passage mainly tell about?

A.The influence of the book “Silent Spring”.

B.Rachel Carson’s book“Silent Spring”.

C.Environmental protection.

D.Why DDT is forbidden.

5.What does the topic of the book “Silent Spring” imply?

A.DDT was forbidden to be used in spring.

B.Wildlife would disappear by and by.

C.Miss Carson enjoyed silence in spring.

D.If only it could be silent in spring.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

You probably know who Marie Curie was,but you may not have Heard of Rachel Carson.Of the outstanding ladies listed below,who do you think was the most important woman of the past 100 years?

Jane Addams(1860 -1935)

Anyone who has ever been helped by a social worker has Jane Addams to thank.Addams helped the poor and worked for peace.She encouraged a sense of community(社区)by creating shelters and promoting education and services for people in need.In 1931,Addams became the first American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

Rachel Carson (1907 -1964)

If it weren't for Rachel Carson,the environmental movement might not exist today.Her popular 1962 book Silent Spring raised awareness of the dangers of pollution and the harmful effects of chemicals on humans and on the world’s lakes and oceans.

Sandra Day O’Connor(1930 - present)

When Sandra Day O’Connor finished third in her class at Stanford Law School,in 1952,she could not find work at a law firm because she was a woman.She became an Arizona state senator (参议员)and,in 1981,the first woman to join the U.S.Supreme Court.O’Connor gave the deciding vote in many important cases during her 24 years on the top court. Rosa Parks (1913 -2005)

On December 1,1955,in Montgomery,Alabama,Rosa Parks would not give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger.Her simple act landed Parks in prison.But it also set off the Montgomery bus boycott.It lasted for more than a year,and kicked off the civil- rights movement." The only tired I was,was tired of giving in," said Parks.

1.What is Jane Addams noted for in history?

A. Her social work.

B. Her teaching skills.

C. Her efforts to win a prize.

D. Her community background.

2.What was the reason for O’Connor’s being rejected by the law firm?

A. Her lack of proper training in law.

B. Her little work experience in court.

C. The discrimination against women.

D. The poor financial conditions.

3.Who made a great contribution to the civil-rights movement in the U.S.?

A. Jane Addams.

B. Rachel Carson.

C. Sandra Day O’Connor.

D. Rosa Parks.

4.What can we infer about the women mentioned in the text?

A. They are highly educated.

B. They are truly creative.

C. They are pioneers.

D. They are peace-lovers.

高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

You probably know who Marie Curie was, but you may not have heard of Rachel Carson. Of the outstanding ladies listed below, who do you think was the most important woman of the past 100 years?

Jane Addams (l 860-1935)

Anyone who has ever been helped by a social worker has Jane Addams to thank. Addams helped the poor and worked for peace. She encouraged a sense of community by creating shelters and promoting education and services for people in need. In 1931, Addams became the first American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

Rachel Carson (l 907-1964)

If it weren’t for Rachel Carson, the environmental movement might not exist today. Her popular 1962 book Silent Spring raised awareness of the dangers of pollution and the harmful effects of chemicals on humans and on the world’s lakes and oceans.

Sandra Day O’Connor (1930-present)

When Sandra Day O’Connor finished third in her class at Stanford Law School, in 1952, she could not find work at a law firm because she was a woman. She became an Arizona state senator (参议员) and, in 1981, the first woman to join the U.S. Supreme Court. O’Connor gave the deciding vote in many important cases during her 24 years on the top court.

Rosa Parks (1913-2005)

On December 1,1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, Rosa Parks would not give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger. Her simple act landed Parks in prison. But it also set off the Montgomery bus boycott. It lasted for more than a year, and kicked off the civil-rights movement. “The only tired I was, was tired of giving in,” said Parks.

1.What is Jane Addams noted for in history?

A. Her social work.

B. Her teaching skills.

C. Her efforts to win a prize.

D. Her community background.

2.What was the reason for O’Connor’s being rejected by the law firm?

A. Her lack of proper training in law.

B. Her little work experience in court.

C. The discrimination against women.

D. The poor financial conditions.

3.Who made a great contribution to the civil-rights movement in the U.S.?

A. Jane Addams.　　 B. Rachel Carson.

C. Sandra Day O’Connor.　　 D. Rosa Park.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Steve and Yaser first met in their chemistry class at an American university. Yaser was an international student from Jordan. He wanted to learn more about American culture and hoped that he and Steve would become good friends. At first, Steve seemed very friendly. He always greeted Yaser warmly before class. Sometimes he offered to study with Yaser. He even invited Yaser to have lunch with him. But after the term was over, Steve seemed distant. The two former classmates didn’t see each other very often at school. One day Yaser decided to call Steve. Steve didn’t seem very interested in talking to him. Yaser was hurt by Steve’s change of attitude. “Steve said we were friends,” Yaser complained, “and I thought friends were friends forever.” Yaser was a little confused.

As a foreigner, he doesn’t understand the way Americans view friendship. Americans use the word “friend” in a very general way. They may call both casual acquaintances(相识的人；熟人) and close companions(伙伴) “friends”. These friendships are based on common interests. When the shared activity ends, the friendship may fade(逐渐消失). Now as Steve and Yaser are no longer classmates, their “friendship” has changed. In some cultures friendship means a strong lifelong bond between two people. In these cultures friendships develop slowly, since they are built to last. American society is one of rapid change. Studies show that one out five American families moves every year. American friendships develop quickly, and they may change just quickly as well. People from the United States may at first seem friendly. Americans often chat easily with strangers. But American friendliness is not always an offer of true friendship. After an experience like Yaser’s , people who’ve been in this country for only a few months may consider Americans to be fickle(易变的). Learning how Americans view friendship can help non-Americans avoid misunderstandings. It can also help them make friends in the American way.

1.According to the passage, ________made Yaser a little confused.

A. Steve’s inviting him to dinner

B. Steve’s cold attitude

C. Steve’s studying with him

D. Steve’s misunderstanding him

2.We can learn from the passage that_____.

A. Americans use the word “friend” in a very special way and like to develop a close friendship

B. American friendliness is always an offer of true friendship and is of great value

C. Americans think the friendship will last for ever, even though the shared activity ends

D. Americans always base their friendships with others on common interests

3.In Paragraph 2, the underlined word “they” refers to “_______”.

A. American friendships

B. American families

C. People from the United States

D. misunderstandings

4.This passage mainly tells us_____.

A. that people should not make friends with Americans.

B. that everyone needs friends.

C. the importance of keeping friendships

D. how Americans view friendship

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Steve and Yaser first met in their chemistry class at an American university. Yaser was an international student from Jordan. He was excited to get to know an American. 1. Yaser hoped that he and Steve would become good friends.

At first, Steve seemed very friendly. He always greeted Yaser warmly before class. Sometimes he offered to study with Yase. He even invited Yaser to eat lunch with him. But after the semester was over, Steve seemed more distant The two former classmates didn’t see each other very much at school. One day Yaser decided to call Steve. Steve didn’t seem very interested in talking to him. 2. “Steve said we were friends,” Yaser complained. “And I thought friends were friends forever.”

Yaser is a little confused. He is an outsider to American culture. He doesn’t understand the way Americans view friendship. Americans use the word friend in a very general way. They may call both casual acquaintances and close companions “friends”. Americans have school friends, work friends, sports friends and neighborhood friends. 3. When the shared activity ends, the friendship may fade. Now Steve and Yaser are no longer classmates. Their friendship has changed.

4. In these cultures friendships develop slowly, since they are built to last American society is one of rapid change. Studies show that one out of five American families moves every year. American friendships develop quickly, and they may change just as quickly.

People from the United States may at first seem friendly. Americans often chat easily with strangers. They exchange information about their families, hobbies and work. They may smile warmly and say, “Have a nice day” or “See you later.” Schoolmates may say, “Let’s get together sometime.” 5.

A. Maybe they’re just being friendly.

B. Yaser was hurt by Steve’s change of attitude.

C. He wanted to learn more about American culture.

D. These friendships are based on common interests.

E. But American friendliness is not always an offer of true friendship.

F. Americans do value strong, life-long friendships, even with non-Americans.

G. In some countries friendship means a strong life-long bond between two people.

高二英语七选五中等难度题查看答案及解析

Officials say an elephant has killed an American woman and her baby while the family was on a tour in Kenya．Kenya Wildlife Service official Michel Kipkeu said Sharon Brown，39, was holding her one-year-old daughter when they were trampled (踩踏) by the elephant Monday．Melia van Laar, owner of the castle Forest Hotel，where the family was walking with a guide about 2 kilometers from the hotel when an elephant came out from the bush at full speed．The father of the family is a teacher in Naiobi．Friends and colleagues held funeral services Wednesday．

From world leaders on the White House lawn to people at the bus stop，the common handshake is the universal greeting of peace and kindness．But young people are kissing goodbye to traditional social etiquette (礼节)，killing off the handshake, researchers say．The custom is seen as too formal by many, who prefer to touch fists or blow an air kiss instead．Nearly 74 percent of adults shake hands less than they used to — and only 45 percent of under-25s use the greeting．But many prefer no physical contact at all, a side effect of the growing fear of diseases，according to the survey of 1,000 people．

The growing mountain of e-waste will cause great environmental damage if no new strategies are produced to deal with the discarded televisions, mobile phones and computers，the UN Environment Program (UNEP) study said．Electronic waste is piling up around the world at a rate estimated at 40 million tons a year．China produces 2.6 million tons of electronic waste a year,  second only to the United States with 3.3 million tons, it said．LNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said the globe was ill-prepared to deal with the explosion of electronic products over the past decade．

1.What’s the main idea of the 1paragraph?

A．Tour in Kenya

B．Kenya wildlife Service

C．A one-year-old girl trampled by an elephant

D．American mother, baby killed by elephant in Kenya

2.Yong people wave goodbye to handshakes because________

A．they prefer physical contact

B．many young people think handshaking is too formal

C．they prefer to touch fists or blow an air kiss

D．they are not accustomed to handshaking

3.What ean be inferred from passage three?

A．America ranks first in producing e-waste a year

B．China produces 2.6 million tons of electronic waste a year

C．the globe was ill prepared to deal with the explosion of electronic products

D．The growlng mountain of e-wasted won’t cause great environmental damage．

4.The underlined word“discarded”means________

A．disliked                    B．deserted                 C．scarred                        D．scared

5.The passages are most likely to appear in a/an________

A．brochure                 B．science book          C．newspaper                      D．magazine

高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

Thomas Alva Edison was an American inventor, scientist and businessman who invented many things that greatly influenced life around the world, such as the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb. Edison has been recognized as the creator of the first industrial research laboratory. It is he who came up with the concept of providing electricity for home. His first power station was on Manhattan Island, New York.

Edison was born in Milan, Ohio, and grew up in Port Huron, Michigan. He was the seventh and last child of his family. When he was young, Edison stayed at home and was taught by his mother. Edison recalled later, “My mother was the making of me. She was so true, so sure of me; and I felt I had someone to live for, someone I must not disappoint.” During his childhood, he suffered from scarlet fever which affected his hearing.

Young Edison sold candy and newspapers on trains running from Port Huron to Detroit, and he sold vegetables to supplement his income. These jobs, though insignificant, inspired him greatly. He realized that he had a talent for business. These talents eventually made him founder of 14 companies, including General Electric, which is still in existence and is the largest publicly traded company in the world.

Edison started as a telegraph operator and this was the field in which he came up with the first invention. The invention which first gained him fame was the phonograph in 1877. The invention seemed magical, as nothing similar had ever been thought of before. Funded by the successful sale of the telegraph at a price of $10,000, Edison built his own research laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey.

The laboratory expanded rapidly over the decade. In 1892, it was confirmed that Edison was the official inventor of the carbon microphones, which was used in all telephones. Although he attempted to make use of X-rays to take radiographs, he quit the project and admitted his fear of X-rays in public.

Thomas Edison died of diabetes at his home in New Jersey, on October 18, 1931 and in honor of his contributions, Life magazine (USA), in a special double issue in 1997, placed Edison first in the list of the “100 Most Important People in the Last 1000 Years”, noting that the light bulb he promoted “lit up the world”.

Title: Thomas Edison—an influential person in the American history

高二英语其他题中等难度题查看答案及解析

Parents' Day Origin

Parents’ day is an American event to honor the parents and families.1.It was only in the year 1994 that this event got officially accepted in the USA.

2.But it can be certainly said that this event is born from the eternal（永恒的）desire of mankind to honor and appreciate parents—who are responsible for the upbringing（养育）of the new generation.

Their huge efforts and patience have opened up a new view for the humankind.As said earlier,Parents’ Day got its acceptance in the year 1994.President Mr.Bill Clinton signed a Congressional Resolution into law.It was decided that the fourth Sunday of every July would be celebrated as Parents’ Day.3.It is similar to the Mother's Day and Father's Day.

4.But within few years after its acceptance,the event has spread its wings to the whole world.The event is now widely accepted and the joy of celebration is even more compared to a decade ago.Some of us may say that,it is a duty for the parents to bring up their children in the best possible way.5.They do it all because of the bondage（捆绑）of love and affection by which they are bonded to their children.

A.Of course it is,but not for a duty.

B.Parents should bring their children up.

C.The tradition of celebrating Parents’ Day is relatively new.

D.Surprisingly this event was not even there over two decades ago.

E.The Mother’s Day and Father's Day are similar to Parents’ Day in the USA.

F.It is very hard to say when the idea of Parents’ Day actually came into picture.

G.Parents’ Day is celebrated throughout the USA.

高二英语七选五中等难度题查看答案及解析

Grandfather was an elder Cherokee Native American who had a wrinkled, nut brown face and kind dark eyes．His grandson often came in the evening to sit on his knee and asked the many questions that children asked．

One day the grandson came to his grandfather with a look of anger on his face and the following story．"Father and I went to the store today and because I helped him, he bought me a present, a jack-knife．I went outside to wait for father and to admire my new knife in the sunlight．Some town boys came by and saw me．They surrounded me and started saying bad things．They called me dirty and stupid and said that I should not have such a fine knife．The largest of these boys pushed me back and I fell over one of the other boys．I dropped my knife and one of them picked it up and they all ran away laughing．I hate them．I hate them all．”

The elder Cherokee, with eyes that had seen too much, lifted his grandson's face so his eyes looked into the boy's face．Grandfather said, " Let me tell you a story．I, too, at times, have felt a great hate for those who have taken so much with no sorrow for what they do．But hate wears you down and does not hurt your enemy．It is like drinking poison and wishing your enemy would die．I have struggled with these feelings many times．It is as if two wolves are inside me．．．It is a terrible fight．

One wolf is good and does no harm．He lives in harmony with all around him and does not take offense (冒犯) when no offense is intended．It will only fight when it is right to do so and in the right way．This wolf stands for joy, peace, love, hope, sharing, modesty, kindness, friendship, sympathy, generosity, truth and faith．

The other wolf is full of anger．The smallest thing will set off his fiercest temper．He fights everyone, all the time, for no reason．He cannot think because his anger and hate are so much．

It is helpless anger, for his anger will change nothing．This wolf represents fear, envy, greed, self-pity, guilt, lies, false pride and superiority．

Sometimes, it is hard to live with these two wolves inside me for both of them try to control my mind．This same fight is going on inside you and inside every other person too．"

The boy looked into his grandfather's eyes and asked, "Which wolf will win?" The old Cherokee simply replied ．．．

"The one you feed．"

1.The boy was angry because ______.

A．he was not satisfied with his present

B．his back was badly injured in a fight

C．he had waited for his father for too long

D．his jack-knife had been taken away by some boys

2.The angry wolf would probably be described as ______.

A．aggressive(好斗)      B．sympathetic     C．modest      D．unsuccessful

3.We can learn from the third paragraph that ______.

A．"hate" is healthy                   B．"hate" hurts oneself

C．"hate" is complicated            D．"hate" harms one's enemies

4.What did Grandfather mean by saying "The one you feed" in the last paragraph?

A．We should feed the two wolves equally．

B．Living in harmony with others is important．

C．Our feelings should be expressed at the right time．

D．The choices we make determine who we will become．

高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

Edgar Alan Poe was and is an abnormal figure among the major American writers of his period. It seems to have been true of Poe that no one could look at him without seeing more than they would wish.

Poe published The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket in 1838,his only novel. Its importance is suggested by the fact that his major work comes after it. The Narrative’s shortcomings are sometimes considered to be the fact that it was written for money, as it surely was, and as almost everything else Poe wrote was also. This is not exceptional among writers anywhere, though in the case of Poe it is often treated as if his having done so were disgraceful. Be that as it may, the Narrative makes its way to a peak as strange and powerful as anything to be found in his greatest tales.

The word that reoccurs most importantly in Poe's fictions is horror. His stories are often shaped to bring the narrator and the reader to a place where the use of the word is reasonable, where the word and the experience it arouses are explored or by implication defined. Perhaps it is because Poe's tales test the limits of mental health and good manners that he is both popular and criticized.

The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym has the grand scale of the nineteenth-century voyage of discovery, and a different and larger scale in the suggestions that appear as the voyage goes on. The Narrative is frequently compared with Moby-Dick, published thirteen years later, after Poe’s death. Poe uses whiteness as a highly ambiguous symbol, by no means to be interpreted as purity or holiness or by association with any other positive value. There is blackness, too, in The Narrative, specifically associated with the populations that live in the regions nearest the South Pole. The native people in Tasmania, the island south of Australia, were said by explorers and settlers to be black, and were in any case, with the word “black,” swept into the large category of those related to displacement, exploitation, and worse.

Something very like the occupation of Kentucky by white settlers lies behind the events that bring Pym to the far-sighted conclusion of his narrative. In the early years of the nineteenth century the British began what made the native people of Tasmania die out, who had tried to resist white invasion of their island. Such occupations were, of course, a major business of Europeans, or whites, almost everywhere in the world at the time Poe wrote. They, were boasted of as progress. It would have required unusual sensibility in Poe to have taken a different, very dark view of the phenomenon. But he was an unusual man. And the horror that fascinated him and gave such dreadful unity to his tales is often the unavoidable, conflict of the self by a perfect justice, the exposure of a guilty act in a form that makes its reveal a falling back of the mind against itself.

Young Pym is simply telling a story of a kind popular at the time, a voyage adventure lived out beyond the farthest reaches of exploration. The story is disturbed by its own deeper tendencies, the rising through this surface of the kind of recognition that must find expression in another form of literature. As his ship approaches the region of the South Pole, Pym notes the mildness of the climate, coolly listing the resources of the islands, which were assumed by such voyagers to be there for the taking.

If The Narrative were a conventional story, the immense roar and the towering flames might attract the notice of a passing sail—and there would be no need for a note explaining its lacking an ending. But the force of the narrative carries it beyond the fate of individuals, toward an engagement with a reality beyond any temporary human drama.

1.What does the underlined part in Paragraph 1 mean?

A. Allan Poe was a famous America writer of his period.

B. People expect too much of the American writer—Alan Poe.

C. Unlike other writers, Allan Poe is a unique and unusual writer.

D. People think Poe is a popular novelist like other famous writers.

2.Where is the novel The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym probably set?

A. In the South Pacific.　　 B. In Australia.

C. At the South Pole.　　 D. In Kentucky.

3.Which of the following can describe the characteristic of The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym?

A. Poverty is the main theme of the novel.

B. The novel is full of justice elements.

C. Blackness can possibly be felt in the novel.

D. Whiteness is the obvious symbol of the novel.

4.Which of the following might be taken from the novel The Narrative?

A. “One of these adventures was related by way of introduction to a longer narrative.”

B. “Gordon Pym’s father was a respectable trader at Nantucket, where Pym was born.”

C. “The wind, as I before said, blew freshly from the southwest. The night was very cold.”

D. “Pym at length hit upon the idea of working on the terrors and guilty conscience of the mate.”

5.Which of the following statements is True according to the passage?

A. The Narrative is an adventurous story written in a conventional way.

B. The Narrative is considered one of Alan Poe's famous novels.

C. Allan Poe was misunderstood to write The Narrative for money.

D. Readers might not understand why The Narrative ended so abruptly.

高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析