For years, I have advocated the importance of hard work, determination, persistence, and practice as key ingredients of success. Malcolm Gladwell, who has written The Story of Success, seems to support my theory. He says it takes about 10,000 hours of practice to attain true expertise.
“The people at the very top don’t just work harder than everyone else,” Gladwell writes. “They work much, much harder.” Achievement, he says, is talent plus preparation. Preparation seems to play a bigger role.
For example, he describes the Beatles: They had been together seven years before their famous arrival in America. They spent a lot of time playing in clubs, sometimes for as long as eight hours a night. Overnight success? Not exactly. Estimates are that the band performed 1,200 times before their big success in 1964. By comparison, most bands don’t perform 1,200 times in their careers.
Neurologist Daniel Levitin has studied the formula for success extensively and shares this finding: “The emerging picture from such studies is that 10,000 hours of practice is required to achieve the level of mastery associated with being a world-class expert in anything. In study after study of composers, basketball players, fiction writers, ice skaters, concert pianists, chess players, the number comes up again and again. Of course, this doesn’t address why some people get more out of their practice sessions than others do. But no one has yet found a case in which true world-class expertise was accomplished in less time. It seems it takes the brain a long time to digest all that it needs to know to achieve true mastery.”
Two computer giants, Bill Joy, who co-founded Sun Microsystems, and Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, also were proof of the 10,000-hour theory.
The abilities these people possessed were far-ranging, yet the formula for success was the same: hard work and lots of it. Some people just make it look easy. Of course, you probably didn’t see the first 9,999 hours of hard work.
1.According to the passage, what made Beatles different from most other bands?
A.Their great talent. B.Their persistent effort.
C.Their charming looks. D.Their outstanding achievements.
2.How does the author support the theme of the text?
A.By stating arguments. B.By giving examples.
C.By providing statistical data. D.By making comparisons.
3.According to the passage, the opinions that Malcolm Gladwell may agree with include the following EXCEPT that____ .
A.life is full of ups and downs
B.work transforms talent into genius
C.success takes hard work and devotion
D.the way to learn to do things is to do things
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题
For years, I have advocated the importance of hard work, determination, persistence, and practice as key ingredients of success. Malcolm Gladwell, who has written The Story of Success, seems to support my theory. He says it takes about 10,000 hours of practice to attain true expertise.
“The people at the very top don’t just work harder than everyone else,” Gladwell writes. “They work much, much harder.” Achievement, he says, is talent plus preparation. Preparation seems to play a bigger role.
For example, he describes the Beatles: They had been together seven years before their famous arrival in America. They spent a lot of time playing in clubs, sometimes for as long as eight hours a night. Overnight success? Not exactly. Estimates are that the band performed 1,200 times before their big success in 1964. By comparison, most bands don’t perform 1,200 times in their careers.
Neurologist Daniel Levitin has studied the formula for success extensively and shares this finding: “The emerging picture from such studies is that 10,000 hours of practice is required to achieve the level of mastery associated with being a world-class expert in anything. In study after study of composers, basketball players, fiction writers, ice skaters, concert pianists, chess players, the number comes up again and again. Of course, this doesn’t address why some people get more out of their practice sessions than others do. But no one has yet found a case in which true world-class expertise was accomplished in less time. It seems it takes the brain a long time to digest all that it needs to know to achieve true mastery.”
Two computer giants, Bill Joy, who co-founded Sun Microsystems, and Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, also were proof of the 10,000-hour theory.
The abilities these people possessed were far-ranging, yet the formula for success was the same: hard work and lots of it. Some people just make it look easy. Of course, you probably didn’t see the first 9,999 hours of hard work.
1.According to the passage, what made Beatles different from most other bands?
A.Their great talent. B.Their persistent effort.
C.Their charming looks. D.Their outstanding achievements.
2.How does the author support the theme of the text?
A.By stating arguments. B.By giving examples.
C.By providing statistical data. D.By making comparisons.
3.According to the passage, the opinions that Malcolm Gladwell may agree with include the following EXCEPT that____ .
A.life is full of ups and downs
B.work transforms talent into genius
C.success takes hard work and devotion
D.the way to learn to do things is to do things
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
For most people, graduation is an exciting day – the culmination (顶点) of years of hard work. My graduation day... was not.
I remember that weekend two years ago, Family and friends had traveled far to watch our class walk across the stage. But like everyone else in my graduating class, I had watched the economy go from bad to worse during my senior year. We graduates had degrees, but very limited prospects (前景). I hadn’t secured a job, and I knew that the next day, when my lease (租约) ended, I would no longer have a place to call home.
The weeks ahead weren’t easy. I gathered up everything I couldn’t carry and put it into storage. Then, because I had no opportunities in my small university town, I packed up my car and drove to California to find work. But what I thought would take a week dragged into two, then four, and 100 job applications later, I found myself still jobless. The due date to begin paying back my student loans was creeping even closer.
Have you ever felt utter dread? That feeling became a constant in my life. The most frustrating part was no matter how much I tried, I just couldn’t seem to make any progress.
So what did I do to maintain my sanity? I wrote. Something about putting my words on a page made everything clearer. Something about writing gave me hope.
I channeled my frustration into a children’s book. Beyond the river was the story of an unlikely hero, a little fish who refused to give up.
And then one day, with no writing degree or contacts in the writing world – just hard work and perseverance – I was offered a publishing contract for my first book. After that, things were in place, I was offered a second book deal. Then, a few months later, I got an interview with the Walt Disney Company and was hired shortly after.
The moral of this story is… don’t give up, even if things look bleak now. Two years ago I was drinking cold soup right out the can. Things change. All we need is the courage to push beyond the river.
1.When it was time to graduate, the author felt _____.
A．Bored B．Relieved C．depressed D．hopeful
2.After the author’s graduation, _____.
A．he went on a short trip with his family to California
B．things turned even worse than he had expected
C．he focused on writing instead of applying for jobs
D．he found his salary was hardly enough to pay back his student loans
3.When did the author’s career life begin to run smoothly according to the article?
A．After he got his first publishing contract.
B．After he began to write his book Beyond the river.
C．After he finished his book Beyond the river.
D．After he got hired by the Walt Disney Company.
4.What is the main message the story intends to convey?
A．Opportunity lies everywhere.
B．Perseverance is essential to success.
C．It’s important to adapt yourself to society.
D．We should devote ourselves to whatever we do.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
For thousands of years, the most important two buildings in any British village have been the church and the pub. Traditionally, the church and the pub are at the heart of any village or town, where the people gather together to socialize and exchange news.
As a result, British pubs are often old and well preserved. Many of them have become historic sites. The most famous example is the pub in the city of Nottingham called “Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem”, which dates back to the year 1189 AD and is probably the oldest pub in England.
However, British pubs are not just for kings and queens; they welcome people from all classes and parts of society. On a cold night, the pub’s landlord or landlady can always find a warm place for you by the fire. There is always honest and hearty food and plenty of drink available at an affordable price.
That’s how things used to be. Things are beginning to change. It is said that the credit crunch(信贷紧缩) is causing 39 British pubs a week to go out of business. People do not have enough spare money to spend on beer. Recently, the UK government banned smoking in all pubs, and that may also have affected the number of customers going to pubs.
This decline is happening despite the fact that in 2005 the UK government started to allow pubs to stay open after 1l pm. Previously, with 1l pm as closing time, customers would have to drink quite quickly, meaning they sometimes got more drunk than they would if allowed to drink slowly. The British habit of drinking a lot very quickly is known as “binge drinking”, and it causes long-term health problems for people and problems with violent crime for communities.
In order to save their businesses, pubs are trying to change with the market. British pubs now offer something for everyone. A lot of pubs used to be “Working Men's Clubs”, meaning that women could not usually enter. Today, however, women can freely enter 99% of pubs without experiencing any problems. Perhaps things are changing for the better after all.
1.The passage mainly tells us something about
A. the past and present of British pubs
B. the decline of British pubs
C. the long history of British pubs
D. the importance of British pubs
2.Which may not be the cause of the decline of British pubs?
A. The credit crunch.
B. The ban of smoking.
C. The present closing time
D. Having no spare money.
3.We can infer from the passage that
A. British people used to like drinking slowly
B. closing the pubs early will reduce social problems
C. binge drinking means drinking less beer
D. British government aims to discourage people from binge drinking
4.We can see from the last paragraph that the author ________
A. is against the admission of too many women to the pubs
B. holds an optimistic attitude towards the British pubs
C. thinks that women in the pubs will cause less social problems
D. thinks that British pubs should offer everything you need
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
For thousands of years, the most important two buildings in any British village have been the church and the pub. Traditionally, the church and the pub are at the heart of any village or town, where the people gather together to socialize and exchange news.
As a result, British pubs are often old and well preserved. Many of them have become historic sites. The most famous example is the pub in the city of Nottingham called “The Old Trip to Jerusalem”, which dates back to the year 1189 AD and is probably the oldest pub in England.
However, British pubs are not just for kings and queens; they welcome people from all classes and parts of society. On a cold night, the pub’s landlord or landlady can always find a warm place for you by the fire. There is always honest and hearty food and plenty of drink available at an affordable price.
That’s how things used to be. Things are beginning to change. It is said that the credit crunch(信贷紧缩) is causing 39 British pubs a week to go out of business. People do not have enough spare money to spend on beer. Recently, the UK government banned smoking in all pubs, and that may also have affected the number of customers going to pubs.
This decline is happening despite the fact that in 2005 the UK government started to allow pubs to stay open after 1l pm. Previously, with 1l pm as closing time, customers would have to drink quite quickly, meaning they sometimes got more drunk than they would if allowed to drink slowly. The British habit of drinking a lot very quickly is known as “binge drinking”, and it causes long-term health problems for people and problems with violent crime for communities.
In order to save their businesses, pubs are trying to change with the market. British pubs now offer something for everyone. A lot of pubs used to be “Working Men's Clubs”, meaning that women could not usually enter. Today, however, women can freely enter 99% of pubs without experiencing any problems. Perhaps things are changing for the better after all.
1.The passage mainly tells us something about ______.
A．the past and present of British pubs
B．the decline of British pubs
C．the long history of British pubs
D．the importance of British pubs
2.Which may not be the cause of the decline of British pubs?
A．The credit crunch.
B．The present closing time.
C．The ban of smoking.
D．Having no spare money.
3.We can infer from the passage that ______.
A．British people used to like drinking slowly
B．closing the pubs early will reduce social problems
C．binge drinking means drinking less beer
D．British government aims to discourage people from binge drinking
4.We can see from the last paragraph that the author _______.
A．is against the admission of too many women to the pubs
B．holds an optimistic attitude towards the British pubs
C．thinks that women in the pubs will cause less social problems
D．thinks that British pubs should offer everything you need
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
For thousands of years, the most important two buildings in any British village have been the church and the pub. Traditionally, the church and the pub are at the heart of any village or town, where the people gather together to socialize and exchange news.
As a result, British pubs are often old and well preserved. Many of them have become historic sites. The most famous example is the pub in the city of Nottingham called “Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem”, which dates back to the year 1189 AD and is probably the oldest pub in England.
However, British pubs are not just for kings and queens; they welcome people from all classes and parts of society. On a cold night, the pub’s landlord or landlady can always find a warm place for you by the fire. There is always honest and hearty food and plenty of drink available at an affordable price.
That’s how things used to be. Things are beginning to change. It is said that the credit crunch(信贷紧缩) is causing 39 British pubs a week to go out of business. People do not have enough spare money to spend on beer. Recently, the UK government banned smoking in all pubs, and that may also have affected the number of customers going to pubs.
This decline is happening despite the fact that in 2005 the UK government started to allow pubs to stay open after 1l pm. Previously, with 1l pm as closing time, customers would have to drink quite quickly, meaning they sometimes got more drunk than they would if allowed to drink slowly. The British habit of drinking a lot very quickly is known as “binge drinking”, and it causes long-term health problems for people and problems with violent crime for communities.
In order to save their businesses, pubs are trying to change with the market. British pubs now offer something for everyone. A lot of pubs used to be “Working Men's Clubs”, meaning that women could not usually enter. Today, however, women can freely enter 99% of pubs without experiencing any problems. Perhaps things are changing for the better after all.
1.. The passage mainly tells us something about________
A. the past and present of British pubs B. the decline of British pubs
C. the long history of British pubs D. the importance of British pubs
2.. Which may not be the cause of the decline of British pubs?
A. The credit crunch. B. The present closing time.
C. The ban of smoking. D. Having no spare money.
3... We can infer from the passage that________
A. British people used to like drinking slowly
B. closing the pubs early will reduce social problems
C. binge drinking means drinking less beer
D. British government aims to discourage people from binge drinking
4.. We can see from the last paragraph that the author ________
A. is against the admission of too many women to the pubs
B. holds an optimistic attitude towards the British pubs
C. thinks that women in the pubs will cause less social problems
D. thinks that British pubs should offer everything you need
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
For thousands of years, the most important two buildings in any British village have been the church and the pub. Traditionally, the church and the pub are at the heart of any village or town, where the people gather together to socialize and exchange news.
As a result, British pubs are often old and well preserved. Many of them have become historic sites. The most famous example is the pub in the city of Nottingham called “The Old Trip to Jerusalem”, which dates back to the year 1189 AD and is probably the oldest pub in England.
However, British pubs are not just for kings and queens; they welcome people from all classes and parts of society. On a cold night, the pub’s landlord or landlady can always find a warm place for you by the fire. There is always honest and hearty food and plenty of drink available at an affordable price.
That’s how things used to be. Things are beginning to change. It is said that the credit crunch(信贷紧缩) is causing 39 British pubs a week to go out of business. People do not have enough spare money to spend on beer. Recently, the UK government banned smoking in all pubs, and that may also have affected the number of customers going to pubs.
This decline is happening despite the fact that in 2005 the UK government started to allow pubs to stay open after 1l pm. Previously, with 1l pm as closing time, customers would have to drink quite quickly, meaning they sometimes got more drunk than they would if allowed to drink slowly. The British habit of drinking a lot very quickly is known as “binge drinking”, and it causes long-term health problems for people and problems with violent crime for communities.
In order to save their businesses, pubs are trying to change with the market. British pubs now offer something for everyone. A lot of pubs used to be “Working Men’s Clubs”, meaning that women could not usually enter. Today, however, women can freely enter 99% of pubs without experiencing any problems. Perhaps things are changing for the better after all.
1.The passage mainly tells us something about ______.
A. the importance of British pubs B. the decline of British pubs
C. the long history of British pubs D. the past and present of British pubs
2.We can infer from the passage that ______.
A. binge drinking means drinking less beer
B. closing the pubs early will reduce social problems
C. British people used to like drinking slowly
D. British government aims to discourage people from binge drinking
3.We can see from the last paragraph that the author _______.
A. holds an optimistic attitude towards the British pubs
B. thinks that British pubs should offer everything you need
C. thinks that women in the pubs will cause less social problems
D. is against the admission of too many women to the pubs
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
For thousands of years, the most important two buildings in any British village have been the church and the pub. Traditionally, the church and the pub are at the heart of any village or town, where the people gather together to socialize and exchange news.
As a result, British pubs are often old and well preserved. Many of them have become historic sites. The most famous example is the pub in the city of Nottingham called “The Old Trip to Jerusalem”, which dates back to the year 1189 AD and is probably the oldest pub in England.
However, British pubs are not just for kings and queens; they welcome people from all classes and parts of society. On a cold night, the pub’s landlord or landlady can always find a warm place for you by the fire. There is always honest and hearty food and plenty of drink available at an affordable price.
That’s how things used to be. Things are beginning to change. It is said that the credit crunch(信贷紧缩) is causing 39 British pubs a week to go out of business. People do not have enough spare money to spend on beer. Recently, the UK government banned smoking in all pubs, and that may also have affected the number of customers going to pubs.
This decline is happening despite the fact that in 2005 the UK government started to allow pubs to stay open after 1l pm. Previously, with 1l pm as closing time, customers would have to drink quite quickly, meaning they sometimes got more drunk than they would if allowed to drink slowly. The British habit of drinking a lot very quickly is known as “binge drinking”, and it causes long-term health problems for people and problems with violent crime for communities.
In order to save their businesses, pubs are trying to change with the market. British pubs now offer something for everyone. A lot of pubs used to be “Working Men's Clubs”, meaning that women could not usually enter. Today, however, women can freely enter 99% of pubs without experiencing any problems. Perhaps things are changing for the better after all.
1.The passage mainly tells us something about ______.
| A．the past and present of British pubs |
| B．the decline of British pubs |
| C．the long history of British pubs |
| D．the importance of British pubs |
2.Which may not be the cause of the decline of British pubs?
| A．The credit crunch. |
| B．The present closing time. |
| C．The ban of smoking. |
| D．Having no spare money. |
3.We can infer from the passage that ______.
| A．British people used to like drinking slowly |
| B．closing the pubs early will reduce social problems |
| C．binge drinking means drinking less beer |
| D．British government aims to discourage people from binge drinking |
4.We can see from the last paragraph that the author _______.
| A．is against the admission of too many women to the pubs |
| B．holds an optimistic attitude towards the British pubs |
| C．thinks that women in the pubs will cause less social problems |
| D．thinks that British pubs should offer everything you need |
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
For thousands of years, the most important two buildings in any British village have been the church and the pub. Traditionally, the church and the pub are at the heart of any village or town, where the people gather together to socialize and exchange news.
As a result, British pubs are often old and well preserved. Many of them have become historic sites. The most famous example is the pub in the city of Nottingham called “The Old Trip to Jerusalem”, which dates back to the year 1189 AD and is probably the oldest pub in England.
However, British pubs are not just for kings and queens; they welcome people from all classes and parts of society. On a cold night, the pub’s landlord or landlady can always find a warm place for you by the fire. There is always honest and hearty food and plenty of drink available at an affordable price.
That’s how things used to be. Things are beginning to change. It is said that the credit crunch(信贷紧缩) is causing 39 British pubs a week to go out of business. People do not have enough spare money to spend on beer. Recently, the UK government banned smoking in all pubs, and that may also have affected the number of customers going to pubs.
This decline is happening despite the fact that in 2005 the UK government started to allow pubs to stay open after 1l pm. Previously, with 1l pm as closing time, customers would have to drink quite quickly, meaning they sometimes got more drunk than they would if allowed to drink slowly. The British habit of drinking a lot very quickly is known as “binge drinking”, and it causes long-term health problems for people and problems with violent crime for communities.
In order to save their businesses, pubs are trying to change with the market. British pubs now offer something for everyone. A lot of pubs used to be “Working Men's Clubs”, meaning that women could not usually enter. Today, however, women can freely enter 99% of pubs without experiencing any problems. Perhaps things are changing for the better after all.
1.The passage mainly tells us something about ______.
A. the past and present of British pubs B. the decline of British pubs
C. the long history of British pubs D. the importance of British pubs
2.Which may not be the cause of the decline of British pubs?
A. The credit crunch. B. The present closing time.
C. The ban of smoking. D. Having no spare money.
3. We can infer from the passage that ______.
A. British people used to like drinking slowly
B. closing the pubs early will reduce social problems
C. binge drinking means drinking less beer
D. British government aims to discourage people from binge drinking
4.We can see from the last paragraph that the author _______.
A. is against the admission of too many women to the pubs
B. holds an optimistic attitude towards the British pubs
C. thinks that women in the pubs will cause less social problems
D. thinks that British pubs should offer everything you need
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
— Have you heard that Susan has been elected mayor of the city?
— After working so hard for so many years, ____.
| A．she surely welcomes it | B．she has certainly earned it |
| C．she is welcome to it | D．it’s good news |
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
You have signed on for months of hard work．You're far from home．The pay is bad．The food is worse．You find rare comfort in the simple songs that you and your work mates sing．
This is what a sailor's life was like in the 1800s．The songs sung aboard ships were called sea shanties．You have probably heard a shanty or two yourself．Many of these songs have lasted through the years．They can often be found in surprising places today．
Sea Shanties Then ．．．
Sea shanties were valuable friends to sailors．Some shanties, such as "Blow the Man Down," had lively words and melodies．They broke up the boredom of long trips．Other shanties, including one called "Oh, Shenandoah," had a sadder tone．They helped seafarers express longing and loneliness．Still other shanties, such as "Leave Her, Johnny," let sailors complain about their hard lives．
But the first job of the sea shanty was to help the men work as a team．Ships had sails that were controlled by a system of moving ropes．For many jobs, all of the sailors had to pull on the ropes at once．
When faced with such a job, the shantyman, or song leader, began a tune．The crew joined in on the chorus, and it might have sounded like a playful sing-along．But when the sailors came to a certain beat, they knew it was the signal to pull together with all their might．
Raising or lowering the anchor called for a rhythm with a slow, steady motion．Then, the shantyman would choose a shanty with a slow, steady beat to match the job．Each duty on the sailing ship had its own rhythm and its own kind of song．
．．．and Sea Shanties Now
Sea shanties have been passed down to us in much the same way as folk stories．Long ago, someone came up with a memorable idea and melody．Others repeated the shanty, often adding changes along the way．
Over time, people saw the sea shanty for the treasure it was．Like any treasure, shanties were collected．Many were written down in books．
Where do the old shanties appear now? Today's musical artists love the fun, beauty, and history of these songs．Many musicians, including Bob Dylan and Harry Belafonte, have their own versions of "Oh, Shenandoah．" One group, the Robert Shaw Chorale, recorded a collection of shanties．
In Hollywood, shanties serve as a symbol of the sea．A fisherman sings the shanty "Spanish Ladies" in the film Jaws．The cartoon character Woody Woodpecker whistles "Blow the Man Down" when he finds himself aboard a pirate's ship．
Today, shanties tell us about shipboard life more than one hundred years ago．They help us understand what the working sailor sang and perhaps thought about．
So the next time you're doing a boring task, try making up a tune to go along with it．Time may pass more quickly, and your job may seem easier．Also, you may understand why sailors loved those old songs of the sea．
1.The main purpose of the sea shanty in the 1800s was________．
A．to communicate with passing ships
B．to help sailors work together as a team
C．to allow sailors to complain about the food
D．to give sailors an opportunity to record their music
2.Today, sea shanties are mainly used________．
A．to provide material for musical artists to record
B．to provide a source of music for Hollywood films
C．to help sailors work together aboard modem ships
D．to help people understand the lives of sailors of the past
3.The author uses two subheadings(小标题) within the article in order to_______．
A．compare sea shanties to modem sailing songs
B．describe how popular sea shanties are with musicians
C．compare how sea shanties have been used over the years
D．describe how sea shanties have influenced Hollywood films
4.Which of these topics would most probably be included in this article?
A．The work of sailors today．
B．The cost of sailing ships in the 1800s．
C．Other sailing duties that were made easier by sea shanties．
D．Some music studios where sea shanties are recorded today．
45．5.According to information in the article, a movie director today would most likely use a shanty________．
A．to make a scene about sailors more realistic
B．to give a musician a chance to record the song
C．to make the crew's daily chores pass more quickly
D．to express the loneliness of making a film away from home
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析