Earthquake in Japan. Donald Trump is accused of planting story about actress’s height after she rejected him. Mexico arrests ex-police chief in case of 43 missing students. Do you really need to know all these things?
Three years ago, I began an experiment. I stopped reading all newspapers and magazines. Televisions and radios were rejected. I deleted tile news apps from my iPhone. I didn’t touch a single free newspaper and deliberately looked the other way when someone tried to offer me any such reading material. The first weeks were hard. Very hard! I was constantly afraid of missing something. But after a while, I had a new understanding. The result after three years: clearer thoughts, more valuable ideas, better decisions, and much more time. And the best thing? I haven’t missed anything important.
A dozen reasons exist to give news a wide berth. Here are the top three: First, our brain reacts differently to different types of information. Shocking, people-based, fast-changing details all appeal to us. News producers capitalize on this. The result: Everything complex, abstract, and profound(深刻的) must be systematically singled out, even though such stories are much more relevant to our lives and to our understanding of the world. As a result, we walk around with a misrepresented mental map of the risks and threats we actually face.
Second, news is irrelevant. In the past year, you have probably consumed about ten thousand pieces of news. Be very honest: Name one of them, just one that helped you make a better decision－for your life, your career, or your business-compared with not having this piece of news. No one I have asked has been able to name more than two useful news stories—out of ten thousand. News organizations claim that their information gives you a competitive advantage. Too many fall for this. If news really helped people advance, journalists would be at the top of the income pyramid.
Third, news is a waste of time. An average human being spends half a day each week reading about current affairs. This is a huge loss of productivity. Take the 2008 terror attack in Mumbai. Let’s say a billion people viewed the minute-by-minute updates and listened to the chatter of a few “experts” and “commentators.” Thus our conservative calculation: One billion people multiplied by an hour’s distraction equals one billion hours of work stoppage. News wasted around two thousand lives—ten times more than the attack.
I would predict that turning your back on news will benefit you as much as removing any of the other ninety-eight errors we have covered in the pages of this book. Read long background articles and books. Nothing beats books for understanding the world.
1.What does the underlined phrase in Paragraph 3 probably mean?
A.Refuse to read news. B.Select news carefully.
C.Question news. D.Help spread news.
2.In the author’s opinion, news _________.
A.represents a competitive advantage B.offers a mental map of the world
C.leads to a loss of productivity D.brings journalists’ income up
3.What’s the main purpose of writing the passage?
A.To offer tips on choosing news.
B.To advocate(支持) giving up reading news.
C.To share experiences on avoiding news.
D.To criticize media's misleading choice of news.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题
Earthquake in Japan. Donald Trump is accused of planting story about actress’s height after she rejected him. Mexico arrests ex-police chief in case of 43 missing students. Do you really need to know all these things?
Three years ago, I began an experiment. I stopped reading all newspapers and magazines. Televisions and radios were rejected. I deleted tile news apps from my iPhone. I didn’t touch a single free newspaper and deliberately looked the other way when someone tried to offer me any such reading material. The first weeks were hard. Very hard! I was constantly afraid of missing something. But after a while, I had a new understanding. The result after three years: clearer thoughts, more valuable ideas, better decisions, and much more time. And the best thing? I haven’t missed anything important.
A dozen reasons exist to give news a wide berth. Here are the top three: First, our brain reacts differently to different types of information. Shocking, people-based, fast-changing details all appeal to us. News producers capitalize on this. The result: Everything complex, abstract, and profound(深刻的) must be systematically singled out, even though such stories are much more relevant to our lives and to our understanding of the world. As a result, we walk around with a misrepresented mental map of the risks and threats we actually face.
Second, news is irrelevant. In the past year, you have probably consumed about ten thousand pieces of news. Be very honest: Name one of them, just one that helped you make a better decision－for your life, your career, or your business-compared with not having this piece of news. No one I have asked has been able to name more than two useful news stories—out of ten thousand. News organizations claim that their information gives you a competitive advantage. Too many fall for this. If news really helped people advance, journalists would be at the top of the income pyramid.
Third, news is a waste of time. An average human being spends half a day each week reading about current affairs. This is a huge loss of productivity. Take the 2008 terror attack in Mumbai. Let’s say a billion people viewed the minute-by-minute updates and listened to the chatter of a few “experts” and “commentators.” Thus our conservative calculation: One billion people multiplied by an hour’s distraction equals one billion hours of work stoppage. News wasted around two thousand lives—ten times more than the attack.
I would predict that turning your back on news will benefit you as much as removing any of the other ninety-eight errors we have covered in the pages of this book. Read long background articles and books. Nothing beats books for understanding the world.
1.What does the underlined phrase in Paragraph 3 probably mean?
A.Refuse to read news. B.Select news carefully.
C.Question news. D.Help spread news.
2.In the author’s opinion, news _________.
A.represents a competitive advantage B.offers a mental map of the world
C.leads to a loss of productivity D.brings journalists’ income up
3.What’s the main purpose of writing the passage?
A.To offer tips on choosing news.
B.To advocate(支持) giving up reading news.
C.To share experiences on avoiding news.
D.To criticize media's misleading choice of news.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Donald J. Trump is _____: the very definition of the American success story.
A. a millionaire B. an idol C. a statesman D. a portrait
高二英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
An earthquake is a trembling or shaking of the ground caused by the sudden release(释放) of energy stored in the rocks below the surface. Generally, earthquakes last only seconds. Strong ground shaking during a medium（中等的） to large earthquake generally lasts about 10 to 30 seconds. Aftershocks（余震） can occur once in a while for weeks or even months.
Many people think that there is an “earthquake season” or a kind of “ earthquake weather ”.As a matter of fact, there isn’t. Earthquakes can occur at any time of the year and at time of day or night. Earthquakes occur under all weather conditions-sunny, wet. or cold without any special weather tendency(倾向).
Also, you don’t need to worry that the ground will open up and swallow people when earthquakes occur. Open ground cracks may form during an earthquake, for example, to land sliding or ground falling. However, such cracks tend to be open gaps (they don’t “ swallow”) that a person could stand in afterwards.
The safest place in an earthquake is an open field because buildings and falling objects can injure or kill you. If you are indoors, when you feel the ground start to shake, take cover immediately under a table or strong piece of furniture, placing something between falling objects and yourself. Don’t “ attempt to use the stairs or an elevator to get out of the building..
1.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?.
A. Earthquakes usually last 10 to 30 seconds.
B. After a big earthquake, there are many more quakes.
C. Cracks in an earthquake are very dangerous.
D. What usually injures people during an earthquake are falling buildings.
2.The reason why there isn’t “earthquake weather” is that._________.
A. an earthquake only lasts seconds and doesn’t happen frequently.
B. an earthquake can happen at any time and in any kind of weather.
C. when an earthquake happens is related to the weather
D. earthquakes don’t change with the seasons
3.The underlined word “swallow” in Paragraph3 probably means“________”?
A. Take sb/sth in.
B. make sb frightened.
C. make room for sb to stand in.
D.make the ground slide.
4.During an earthquake, which of the following things should you NOT do?
A. Find an open filed and stay there.
B. Stay away from buildings.
C. Take cover under a table.
D. Take an elevator.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
An earthquake is a trembling or shaking of the ground caused by the sudden release(释放) of energy stored in the rocks below the surface. Generally, earthquakes last only seconds. Strong ground shaking during a medium（中等的） to large earthquake generally lasts about 10 to 30 seconds. Aftershocks（余震）can occur once in a while for weeks or even months.
Many people think that there is an “earthquake season” or a kind of “earthquake weather”. As a matter of fact, there isn’t. Earthquakes can occur at any time of the year and at time of day or night. Earthquakes occur under all weather conditions-sunny, wet. or cold without any special weather tendency(倾向).
Also, you don’t need to worry that the ground will open up and swallow people when earthquakes occur. Open ground cracks may form during an earthquake, for example, to land sliding or ground falling. However, such cracks tend to be open gaps (they don’t “ swallow”) that a person could stand in afterwards.
The safest place in an earthquake is an open field because buildings and falling objects can injure or kill you. If you are indoors, when you feel the ground start to shake, take cover immediately under a table or strong piece of furniture, placing something between falling objects and yourself. Don’t attempt to use the stairs or an elevator to get out of the building.
1.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Earthquakes usually last 10 to 30 seconds.
B. After a big earthquake, there are many more quakes.
C. Cracks in an earthquake are very dangerous.
D. What usually injures people during an earthquake are falling buildings.
2.The reason why there isn’t “earthquake weather” is that ____________.
A. an earthquake only lasts seconds and doesn’t happen frequently.
B. an earthquake can happen at any time and in any kind of weather.
C. when an earthquake happens is related to the weather
D. earthquakes don’t change with the seasons
3.The underlined word “swallow” in Paragraph3 probably means “___________”?
A. take sb. / sth. in B. make sb. frightened
C. make room for sb. to stand in D. make the ground slide
高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
In a shocking upset, 70-year-old Republican candidate Donald Trump rode a wave to victory as voters elected him the 45th President of the United States.
Actually, a lot of experts had predicted that Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton would come out on top. Throughout the campaign, one of Trump's main challenges was to persuade voters that he has the attitude, knowledge and judgment to be president. In the end, he was able to attract more than enough voters to his side.
Hillary Clinton admitted the election to Trump in a phone call at around 2:30 am. "Hillary has worked very long and very hard over a long period of time," Trump told his supporters during his victory speech. "We owe her a major debt of gratitude for her service to our country. "
Hillary Clinton delivered her speech later in the day. "We must accept this result and then look to the future," she told her disappointed supporters. "Donald Trump is going to be our president. We owe him an open mind and the chance to lead. "
Trump's rise to the presidency comes after a long career as a real-estate developer. He built skyscrapers, resorts and golf courses. He also risked other businesses, introducing Trump Steaks, Trump Natural Spring Water, and an airline called Trump Shuttle. In 2004, he became a TV star with the reality show The Apprentice.
Now Trump and his team will have to face many difficult things. They'll have to work to bring the country together after a divisive campaign that upset millions of Americans. Throughout the country, millions of Americans are out of work and struggling to make ends meet. The new president must also address international issues. They include the war on terrorism and the refugee crisis. Still, Trump says he sees a bright future ahead. "Every single American will have the opportunity to realize his or her fullest potential," he told his supporters.
1.What should many experts think of Trump's victory?
A. It is expected. B. It is satisfying.
C. It is annoying. D. It is surprising.
2.How old was Donald Trump when he became a TV star?
A. 50 years old. B. 54 years old.
C. 58 years old. D. 62 years old.
3.What can be learned about Donald Trump from the passage?
A. He is a successful businessman.
B. He has been serving in government.
C. He thought badly of Hillary Clinton.
D. He is worried about America.
4.What is the last paragraph mainly about?
A. The problems with America.
B. The challenges Trump will face.
C. Trump's ideas about his future work.
D. The decisions Trump will have to make.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
In Japan’s capital city of Tokyo, earthquake danger limits（限制）the height of buildings. The city has spread out so far and the traffic has become so heavy that it is very difficult to go from one place to another. The price of the land, too, has skyrocketed. All these explains why a group of Japanese land developers came to the conclusion（结论）that there was nowhere to go but down. So far they have dug out space underground for fifteen shopping centres.
What are some of the advantages（优势）of shopping and eating underground? Clean air is one of them. The city of Tokyo has one of the most serious smog problems in the world. Another advantage is that you escape the ever-present threat（威胁）of traffic accidents on the city’s busy streets. Still another is the convenience（便利）of getting around: you are usually right next to, or even in, a subway station. And you can even spend the night underground if you like. The Kibosh station, for example, in downtown Tokyo, has a hotel with a bar, restaurant, and barbershop.
1.The reason why buildings can not be very high in Tokyo is ____.
A. that the information about high buildings is limited in Tokyo
B. that the workers haven’t mastered enough modern science and technology
C. the earthquake
D. the heavy traffic
2.What’s the meaning of “skyrocket”? It means “____”.
A. go up sharply B. be as high as that of a rocket
C. fall rapidly D. be as low as that of a rocket
3.So far how many shopping centers underground have there been?
A.15 B.50 C. More than 15 D. More than 50
4.What are the advantages of shopping and eating underground
A. Less air pollution, the convenience of shopping.
B. Less air pollution, the convenience of shopping, and less traffic accidents.
C. Clean air and the convenience of getting around.
D. Clean air, less accidents’ threat, and the convenience of getting around.
5.The passage mainly tells us______.
A. the capital of Japan B. the land and its limits
C. the use of space underground in Tokyo D. how to make full use of the land
高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
Villagers ________ of the danger soon after the big earthquake in Japan，or more people would have lost their lives in the tsunami．
A．were warned B．had been warned C．have been warned D．are warned
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
______ the terrible earthquake in Japan not happened, people’s awareness _______drawn to the risk of being exposed to nuclear radiation.
A. If; wouldn’t have been B. If; wouldn’t have
C. Had; wouldn’t have been D. Had; wouldn’t have
高二英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
The Iranian government is accused of ________ some terror organizations in the Middle East by the United States, who can’t not produce firm evidences to prove it．
A．sponsoring B．providing C．offering D．supplying
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Donald Trump made a _____ to the nation that he would struggle for lower taxes and improve health care after taking office.
A. contribution B. commitment
C. devotion D. donation
高二英语单项填空困难题查看答案及解析