When I was a child, our dining room had two kinds of chairs — two large ones with arm rests and four small ones without. The larger ones stood at the ends of the table, the smaller ones on the sides. Mom and Dad sat in the big chairs, except when one of us was away; then Mom would sit in one of the smaller chairs. Dad always sat at the end, at the "head" of the table. Sitting where he did, Dad was framed by the window through which the yard could be seen with its trees and grass. His chair was not just a place for him at table; it was a place in which he was situated against the yard and the trees. It was the holy(神圣的）and protected place that was his, and ours through him.
After Dad retired, he and Mom moved out into a small flat. When thy came to visit me at their old house, Dad still sat at the end of the table though the table was no longer his but mine. Only with my marriage to Barbara, did I hear a voice questioning the arrangement. She requested, gently but firmly, that I sit at the head of the table in our home. I realized then that I was head of the family, but I also felt unwilling to introduce such a change. How would I feel sitting in that "head" place in my Dad's presence? And how would he handle it? I was to find out on the occasion of our youngest child's first birthday.
Mom and Dad arrived for lunch, and went into the dining room. Dad moved toward his usual seat in front of the window. Before he could get around the side of the table, I took a deep breath and said, "Dad, this is going to be your place, next to Mom, on the side." He stopped, looked at me and then sat down. I felt sad, and angry at Barbara for pushing me to do this. It would have been easy to say, "My mistake, Dad. Sit where you always sit, ” But I didn't.
When he and Mom were seated, Barbara and I took our places. I don't know how Dad felt. I do know that, though removed from his usual place, he continued to share his best self with us, telling stories of his childhood and youth to the delight of his grandchildren. As I served the food, our lives experienced a change, which we continue to live with.
It wasn't easy, but I sense that there is also something good in the change which has occurred. I am beginning to learn that "honoring one's father” is more than the question of which place to occupy at the dining table. It also means listening, wherever we sit and whatever positions we own, to the stories Dad longs to tell We may then, during these magical moments, even be able to forget about whose chair is whose.
1.Why did Dad always sit in the big chair at the end of the table before he retired?
A.Because the chair was large enough for him.
B.Because sitting there he could see the trees and grass in the yard.
C.Because it was the holy seat for the head of the family.
D.Because the chair was comfortable with arm rests.
2.What do we know from the second paragraph?
A.The writer's parents moved out because the house was too old.
B.The writer didn't want to hurt his father’s feelings.
C.The writer's wife was rude to his parents.
D.The writer didn't dare to refuse his wife's request.
3.Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A.Dad felt upset after being removed from his usual place.
B.The writer was satisfied with the new seating arrangement.
C.Dad continued to tell stories to cover his embarrassment.
D.Dad didn't appear to mind where he sat.
4.What does the writer intend to tell us?
A.Respecting Dad is more than the question of dining seat.
B.It is not easy to go against parents' wishes.
C.Think twice before you act.
D.Every coin has two sides.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题
When I was a child, our dining room had two kinds of chairs — two large ones with arm rests and four small ones without. The larger ones stood at the ends of the table, the smaller ones on the sides. Mom and Dad sat in the big chairs, except when one of us was away; then Mom would sit in one of the smaller chairs. Dad always sat at the end, at the "head" of the table. Sitting where he did, Dad was framed by the window through which the yard could be seen with its trees and grass. His chair was not just a place for him at table; it was a place in which he was situated against the yard and the trees. It was the holy(神圣的）and protected place that was his, and ours through him.
After Dad retired, he and Mom moved out into a small flat. When thy came to visit me at their old house, Dad still sat at the end of the table though the table was no longer his but mine. Only with my marriage to Barbara, did I hear a voice questioning the arrangement. She requested, gently but firmly, that I sit at the head of the table in our home. I realized then that I was head of the family, but I also felt unwilling to introduce such a change. How would I feel sitting in that "head" place in my Dad's presence? And how would he handle it? I was to find out on the occasion of our youngest child's first birthday.
Mom and Dad arrived for lunch, and went into the dining room. Dad moved toward his usual seat in front of the window. Before he could get around the side of the table, I took a deep breath and said, "Dad, this is going to be your place, next to Mom, on the side." He stopped, looked at me and then sat down. I felt sad, and angry at Barbara for pushing me to do this. It would have been easy to say, "My mistake, Dad. Sit where you always sit, ” But I didn't.
When he and Mom were seated, Barbara and I took our places. I don't know how Dad felt. I do know that, though removed from his usual place, he continued to share his best self with us, telling stories of his childhood and youth to the delight of his grandchildren. As I served the food, our lives experienced a change, which we continue to live with.
It wasn't easy, but I sense that there is also something good in the change which has occurred. I am beginning to learn that "honoring one's father” is more than the question of which place to occupy at the dining table. It also means listening, wherever we sit and whatever positions we own, to the stories Dad longs to tell We may then, during these magical moments, even be able to forget about whose chair is whose.
1.Why did Dad always sit in the big chair at the end of the table before he retired?
A.Because the chair was large enough for him.
B.Because sitting there he could see the trees and grass in the yard.
C.Because it was the holy seat for the head of the family.
D.Because the chair was comfortable with arm rests.
2.What do we know from the second paragraph?
A.The writer's parents moved out because the house was too old.
B.The writer didn't want to hurt his father’s feelings.
C.The writer's wife was rude to his parents.
D.The writer didn't dare to refuse his wife's request.
3.Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A.Dad felt upset after being removed from his usual place.
B.The writer was satisfied with the new seating arrangement.
C.Dad continued to tell stories to cover his embarrassment.
D.Dad didn't appear to mind where he sat.
4.What does the writer intend to tell us?
A.Respecting Dad is more than the question of dining seat.
B.It is not easy to go against parents' wishes.
C.Think twice before you act.
D.Every coin has two sides.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Donald Trump was born in Queens, a borough of New York City. He was the fourth child. He had two brothers and two sisters. By his own telling, young Donald often created trouble in school. So when he was 13 years old, his parents sent him to a military-style school.
Trump went on to college first at Fordham University in New York, and then at the University of Pennsylvania. He earned a degree in economics. He was also already investing in real estate. After he graduated, Trump quickly returned to New York City and his career.
In time, he became the head of the family business. He re-named it the Trump Organization. As its president, Trump developed and put his name on luxury buildings, casinos, hotels, and golf courses around the world. Later, he became linked to the entertainment industry, too. He became a part owner of beauty pageants, hosted a television show, and wrote a book about how to succeed in business.
During these years, Trump also married three times and divorced twice. The media wrote especially about his first and second marriages because he openly had a relationship with his second wife while he was married to his first. In 2005, he married Melania Knauss, a former model from Slovenia. She is only the second first lady who was not born in the United States. The first was Louisa Adams, who came from Britain in 1801.
But, until he officially entered the 2016 campaign as a Republican candidate, few linked him to politics.
Trump is unusual among past presidents because he had never worked in the government before. Nor has Trump served in the military. Only Presidents Taylor, Grant, and Eisenhower had no previous government experience; however, they had all been generals.
Trump is the oldest person ever to take office. He was 70 years old when he was sworn in.
He is also one of the richest.
And Trump is unusual in how he communicates with the public. As president, he continues to use Twitter to communicate his thoughts directly to anyone who wants to follow him.
While the long-term effects of Trump's presidency are not yet known, he will likely be remembered in part for his direct and unscripted style of communication.
1.Donald Trump is quite a different American president ever because _______.
A. only he has never entered politics before
B. he is the first to use the modern social media Twitter to speak
C. he is the richest president ever
D. only his wife wasn’t born in the US
2.Trump is a successful businessman and his business involves in the following except________.
A. television B. beauty
C. real estate D. publishing
3.Which of the following can’t suit Donald Trump?
A. He is the oldest president when taking office.
B. He has once served in the army.
C. He wrote a book about how to do business.
D. His father had five children.
4.What does the underlined word unscripted in the last sentences mean?
A. Unfinished. B. Undertaken. C. Unprepared. D. Unspoken.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
One of my first memories as a child in the 1950s was a discussion I had with my brother in our tiny bedroom in the family house in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
We had heard in school about a planet called Pluto. It was the farthest, coldest, and darkest thing a child could imagine. We guessed how long it would take to die if we stood on the surface of such a frozen place wearing only the clothes we had on. We tried to figure out how much colder Pluto was than Antarctica, or than the coldest day we had ever experienced in Pennsylvania.
Pluto, which famously was downgraded from a “major planet” to a “dwarf planet”（矮星） in 2006, captured our imagination because it was a mystery that could complete our picture of what it was like at the most remote corners of our solar system.
Pluto’s underdog discovery story is part of what makes it so attractive. Clyde Tombaugh was a Kansas farm boy who built telescopes out of spare auto parts, old farm equipment and self-ground lenses. As an assistant at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, Tombaugh's task was to search millions of stars for a moving point of light, a planet that the observatory’s founder thought existed beyond the orbit of Neptune. On February 18，1930，Tombaugh found it. Pluto was the first planet discovered by an American, and represented a moment of light in the midst of the Great Depression’s dark encroachment (入侵).
Pluto is much more than something that is not a planet. It’s a reminder that there are many worlds out there beyond our own and that the sky isn’t the limit at all. We don’t know what kinds of fantastic variations on a theme nature is capable of making until we get there to look.
1.Why did Pluto become famous in 2006 according to the passage?
A. Because it lost its major planet status.
B. Because it disappeared in the sky.
C. Because it was discovered by an American.
D. Because it was proved to be the coldest planet in the universe.
2.What can be a suitable title for the text?
A. An American Scientist: Clyde Tombaugh
B. Pluto was First Discovered by a Boy
C. Pluto’s Strange Romance
D. The Days I Spent with My Brother in Pennsylvania
3.What can we learn from the fourth paragraph?
A. Clyde Tombaugh discovered the darkness in the Great Depression.
B. Pluto was the only planet that was discovered by Clyde Tombaugh.
C. Clyde Tombaugh’s job was to build telescopes for Lowell Observatory.
D. Clyde Tombaugh’s telescopes used for searching stars were very simple.
4.What does the underlined sentence in the last paragraph most probably mean?
A. Pluto is no less than a planet in the solar system.
B. Pluto is much more than a planet in the solar system.
C. Pluto is more important than any other planet in the sky.
D. Pluto is not a planet in the solar system, but it is more than a planet.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
It was the men’s figure skating final of the Winter Olympics when I was 16.I lay on our living room floor excitedly watching the battle between the Brains: American Brain Boitano facing Brian Orser in Canada. Both of them had been world champions. Both of them deserved to win. As a Northern Californian, I was for my fellow countryman. He also grew up in Northern California. We'd skated on the same ice. Brain performed successfully. The champion! I jumped in the air when his score went up.
But what happened next is what I'll never forget. Brain sat in front of the camera, surrounded by a group of journalists. Brain was talking about his career and his medal, talking to the whole world. A terrible sinking feeling went through me. I could never be in the Olympics,
I thought, I loved skating because I could express myself with my jumps and dances better than words.
What if journalists asked me questions like they asked Brain? I'd freeze up like the ice beneath my skates! And yet, there was so much I would love to say, about my family and all the support they'd given me and about following my dream of being a skating champion.
I worked very hard the next few years — on the ice and especially off. After journalists talked to me and although my heart pounded every time I spoke to them, I got to know them. And they got to know me. Slowly I learned that the best approach was simply to be myself, to be honest and gracious and do my best, just like on the ice, to answer their questions.
So when my big moment came four years after Brain's, I was ready. Remember: when you do the thing you fear most, you put an end to fear.
1.What information can we get from the first paragraph?
A. The author lives a difficult life. B. The author comes from Canada.
C. The author preferred Boitano to win. D. Orser won the gold medal.
2.What did Brain’s press conference remind the author of ?
A. Her fear of public speaking.
B. Her pride in Brain's victory.
C. Her dream of becoming a world champion.
D. Her hard training as an Olympic competitor.
3.What does the underlined word “off ” possibly refer to?
A. Challenges in school. B. Contact with reporters.
C. Achievements in skating. D. Competitions with others
4.What was the author ready to do according to the last paragraph?
A. Do her best to win. B. Enter the Olympic final.
C. Make friends with reporters. D. Talk to the press afterwards.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
I have had all kinds of interesting neighbors since the early days of my life. When I was a baby I would stand in my wooden crib(婴儿床) and watch the world go by through the window. Some neighbors watched me watching the world go by with by big, wondering eyes and found me very interesting. They used to call me “the beauty at the window”.
The early neighbors I could remember were from the second house I lived in. Peter and Paul were twins. We went to play school together although they were a year older than me. I well remember the Alsatian they had which ran into me when I was invited to their fifth birthday party. Needless to say, I was well-known for my loud screams after the party. But they said the pet was scared of my screams and didn’t appear until the party was over.
Peter and Paul were the first boys who encouraged me to climb the gate. I could never tell the difference between boy and girl behaviors—I just did what I thought was fun. Not only did I have a great time performing that first climb, I also got my skirts dirty, and was criticized by my mother.
The Japanese neighbors I had living in this same house were my favorite, as they introduced me to sea-salt baked shrimps (烤虾) which were so crisp that you could eat the shrimp totally. They gave me some seaweed for my birthday. Thankfully, no other member in my family enjoyed the seaweed as I did. Perhaps what my mother used to joke to me was true, that I was picked up out of the dustbin that belonged to a Japanese home.
Maybe sometimes it is difficult to find good neighbors in this society. But all it takes is a spark(火花) to get a fire going. I have decided to be that spark wherever I live and pass love on to my neighbors.
1.We can guess "the Alsatian" in the twin brothers' home is ________.
A. a small child
B. an interesting toy
C. a dog
D. a bicycle
2.From the passage we can know that the author ________.
A. enjoyed the Japanese neighbors' cooking style most
B. had difficulty getting on with the twin brothers' family
C. was described as interesting when playing with boys
D. had many neighbors that worked in restaurants
3.What can we infer from the passage?
A. The author often moved to other places.
B. Peter and Paul liked to play tricks on others.
C. The neighbors the author had were good at cooking.
D. The author had a good relationship with her neighbors.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Hardly________of the room when it began to rain.
| A．he had gone out | B．was he about to go out |
| C．had he gone out | D．he was about to go out |
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
My wife and I moved into our home two years ago．We had a yard with a lot of ．Very often when we have flowers, Denise or I would plant some between the rocks, just to add some to the area．
Last summer, I found a tiny little in the yard that I could not immediately identify．I knew I didn’t plant it and Denise said she didn’t either．We decided to let it growing until we could find out what it was．
Weeks passed and as I made my way back to the plant, it appeared to be a sunflower．I decided to the weeds around it．As I pulled rocks from the area to get to the weeds, I noticed something ．The sunflower had not where I saw it begin．It actually had begun under a big and grown under and around it to reach the ．
That’s when I that if a tiny little sunflower didn’t let a big rock stand in its of developing, we too have the ability of doing the same thing．If we ourselves like that little sunflower, we can reach where we to go and get what we need for growth．
We need to believe in ourselves knowing we have the to achieve our goals．Like the , it knew it had the ability to get over the rocks because it had in itself that it would succeed．Stand tall like the sunflower and be who and what we are, then the environment will begin to us．We will find a way to go under or any “rocks” in order to reach our goals．
1.A．flowers B．insects C．rocks D．vegetables
2.A．color B．water C．fertilizer D．shape
3.A．weed B．seed C．rock D．plant
4.A．stop B．continue C．improve D．escape
5.A．weak B．lonely C．strange D．pretty
6.A．remove B．tend C．watch D．collect
7.A．wonderful B．terrible C．valuable D．unusual
8.A．passed B．started C．left D．died
9.A．tree B．table C．rock D．wall
10.A．air B．top C．sun D．house
11.A．realized B．doubted C．regretted D．hoped
12.A．place B．way C．course D．process
13.A．fill in B．put in C．worry about D．believe in
14.A．forget B．hate C．aim D．wait
15.A．ability B．wish C．plan D．idea
16.A．yard B．sunflower C．home D．summer
17.A．energy B．virtue C．courage D．faith
18.A．aware of B．afraid of C．proud of D．tired of
19.A．support B．affect C．upset D．forgive
20.A．into B．around C．through D．from
高三英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
My wife and I moved into our home two years ago. We had a yard with a lot of ．Very often when we have flowers, Denise or I would plant some between the rocks, just to add some to the area．
Last summer, I found a tiny little in the yard that I could not immediately identify. I knew I didn’t plant it and Denise said she didn’t either. We decided to let it growing until we could find out what it was.
Weeks passed and as I made my way back to the plant, it appeared to be a sunflower. I decided to the weeds around it. As I pulled rocks from the area to get to the weeds, I noticed something . The sunflower had not where I saw it begin. It actually had begun under a big and grown under and around it to reach the ．
That’s when I that if a tiny little sunflower didn’t let a big rock stand in its of developing, we too have the ability of doing the same thing. If we ourselves like that little sunflower, we can reach where we to go and get what we need for growth．
We need to believe in ourselves knowing we have the to achieve our goals. Like the , it knew it had the ability to get over the rocks because it had in itself that it would succeed. Stand tall like the sunflower and be who and what we are, then the environment will begin to us. We will find a way to go under or any “rocks”in order to reach our goals．
1.A. flowers B. insects C. rocks D. vegetables
2.A. color B. water C. fertilizer D. shape
3.A. weed B. seed C. rock D. plant
4.A. stop B. continue C. improve D. escape
5.A. weak B. lonely C. strange D. pretty
6.A. remove B. tend C. watch D. collect
7.A. wonderful B. terrible C. valuable D. unusual
8.A. passed B. started C. left D. died
9.A. tree B. table C. rock D. wall
10.A. air B. top C. sun D. house
11.A. realized B. doubted C. regretted D. hoped
12.A. place B. way C. course D. process
13.A. fill in B. put in C. worry about D. believe in
14.A. forget B. hate C. aim D. wait
15.A. ability B. wish C. plan D. idea
16.A. yard B. sunflower C. home D. summer
17.A. energy B. virtue C. courage D. faith
18.A. aware of B. afraid of C. proud of D. tired of
19.A. support B. affect C. upset D. forgive
20.A. into B. around C. through D. from
高三英语完型填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
When I was young, my father had one of the first telephones in our neighborhood. I remember the shiny box on the wall. But I was too little to reach it, I could only listen to my mother talk on it.
I discovered that inside the wonderful box lived an amazing person whose name was Information Please. There was nothing she did not know.
One day my mother went out. I accidentally hurt my finger when I was playing with a hammer. I walked around the house sucking my hurting finger, finally seeing the telephone. Quickly I dragged a chair over and climbed up.
“Information Please,” I spoke into the receiver. A click or two and a small clear voice spoke into my ear, “Information.”
“I hurt my finger…” I cried into the phone.
“Isn’t your mother home?” came the question.
“Nobody’s home but me.” I sobbed.
“Are you bleeding?” the voice asked.
“No,” I replied. “I hit my finger with the hammer and it hurts.”
“Can you open your icebox?” she asked. I said I could.
“Then take a little piece of ice and hold it to your finger.” Said the voice.
After that, I called “Information Please” for everything. I asked her for help with my geography and she told me where Philadelphia was. She helped me with my math. She told me her name was Sally.
Then there was the time my pet canary (金丝雀) died. I called “Information Please” and told Sally the sad story. “Why is it that birds sing so beautifully and bring joy to all families, only to end up as a pile of feathers?” She listened, then said quietly, “Paul, always remember that there are other worlds to sing in.” Somehow I felt better.
One day when I called “Information Please” again, a different voice answered “Information.”
I asked for Sally. “Are you a friend?” she said.
“Yes.” I answered
“I’m sorry to have to tell you this,” she said. “She died five days ago.” Before I could hang up she said, “Wait a minute. Did you say your name was Paul?”
“Yes!”
“Well, Sally left a message for you. The note said, “Tell him I still say there are other worlds to sing in. He’ll know what I mean.” I thanked her and hung up. I knew what Sally meant.
1.When the author hurt his finger, he rang because______.
A. he believed that the telephone knew everything.
B. the telephone could tell him a doctor’s number
C. his mother was on the other end of the telephone
D. he was once told to ask for help in this way
2. Through the help from Sally, it can be inferred that______.
A. Sally was a geography teacher
B. Sally was the author’s friend
C. Sally was a considerate person
D. Sally was an imaginary person
3.What did Sally really mean by her message?
A. She was sure that she could sing in other worlds.
B. She didn’t want Paul to be sad about her death.
C. Singing helped Paul to face death more easily.
D. There was no need for Paul to call her anymore.
4.What is the best title for this passage?
A. My Pet’s Death B. An Amazing Woman
C. A Healing Message D. My Magic Box
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
When our second child was born, the doctor pointed out that her feet were turned inward. “Left uncorrected, it would be a ______,” he told us.
We ____ to do anything we could do help our baby.______she was growing I had to take her back to the doctor every two weeks to have each foot recast. _______the casting was finished and it was time for corrective_______.Jim and I watched with hope and concern as she______to walk. Those first, awkward steps made us so_______. By the time she entered preschool, her steps appeared quite_______ . Encouraged by her progress, we looked for something else to help strengthen her______body.
As it turned out, she loved the_____ ! When she tuned six, we helped her join in skating lessons and soon she was skating______a swan. She kept working hard at every new _______, and her efforts_____. At fifteen, she competed in both pairs-skating and the ladies’ singles at the 1988 World Junior Championships in Australia, wining both______!
I thought back to the early years of______for Kristi---the years of fear for us as her parents, and the same years of frustration for her as a child two _____wanted to walk. During those years, we didn’t expect gold medals and a good professional career________her. We admired Kristi herself, ____ her strength and efforts, and how far she had come on two tiny feet that had______been bound in heavy casts. In our eyes, Kristi had always walked with the______of a true champion.
1.A. surprise B. problem C. gift D. success
2.A. forgot B. promised C. stopped D. refused
3.A. So B. If C. Because D. But
4.A. Suddenly B. Immediately C. Especially D. Finally
5.A. shoes B. books C. bags D. hats
6.A. failed B. pretended C. struggled D. disliked
7.A. lucky B. upset C. proud D. helpless
8.A. hard B. special C. interested D. normal
9.A. weak B. strong C. new D. big
10.A. water B. ice C. fire D. air
11.A. for B. with C. on D. like
12.A. project B. side C. text D. movement
13.A. got off B. paid off C. put off D. showed off
14.A. events B. accidents C. debts D. stories
15.A. opinion B. reward C. challenge D. hope
16.A. merely B. almost C. easily D. seldom
17.A. in need of B. in spite of C. ahead of D. instead of
18.A. doubting B. respecting C. limiting D. controlling
19.A. once B. still C. never D. seldom
20.A. interest B. shadow C. task D. beauty
高三英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析