More People Are Leaving the Rat Race for the Simple Life
Time is more precious than money for an increasing number of people who are choosing to live more with less—and liking it.
Kay and Charles Giddens, two lawyers, sold their home to start a B&B hotel. Four years later, the couple dishes out banana pancake breakfast, cleans toilets and serves homemade chocolate chip cookies to guests in a B&B hotel surrounded by trees on a hill known for colorful sunsets.
“Do I miss the freeways? Do I miss the traffic? Do I miss the stress? No,” says Ms. Giddens, “This is a phenomenon that’s fairly widespread. A lot of people are reevaluating their lives and figuring out what they want to do. If their base is being damaged, what’s the payoff?”
Simple living ranges from cutting down on weeknight activities to sharing housing, living closer to work, avoiding shopping malls, borrowing books from the library instead of buying them, and taking a cut in pay to work at a more pleasurable job.
Vicki Robin, a writer, lives on a budget equal to a fifth of what she used to make. “You become conscious about where your money is going and how valuable it is,” Ms. Robin says, “You tend not to use things up. You cook at home rather than eat out…”
Janet Luhrs, a lawyer, quit her job after giving birth and leaving her daughter with a nanny for two weeks. “It was not the way I wanted to raise my kids,” she says, “Simplicity is not just about saving money; it’s about me sitting down every night with my kids to a candlelit dinner with classical music.”
Mrs. Luhrs now edits a magazine, Simple Living, which publishes tips on how to buy recycled furniture and shoes, organize potluck dinners instead of expensive receptions, and generally how to consume less.
“It’s not about poverty,” Mrs. Luhrs explains, “It’s about conscious living and creating the life you want. The less stuff you buy, the less money goes out of the door, and the less money you have to earn.”
1.Kay and Charles Giddens sold their home to ______.
A.pay off the debt
B.start a private hotel
C.cut down expenses
D.buy living necessities
2.Simple living includes ______.
A.building a home library
B.living in the countryside
C.enjoying a colorful night life
D.sharing housing with others
3.It can be learned from the passage that now Janet Luhrs ______.
A.spends more time with her kids
B.has an interest in classical music
C.works as a reporter of a magazine
D.helps people buy recycled clothes
4.How does the author develop the passage?
A.By using figures.
B.By asking questions.
C.By giving examples.
D.By making comparisons.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题
More People Are Leaving the Rat Race for the Simple Life
Time is more precious than money for an increasing number of people who are choosing to live more with less—and liking it.
Kay and Charles Giddens, two lawyers, sold their home to start a B&B hotel. Four years later, the couple dishes out banana pancake breakfast, cleans toilets and serves homemade chocolate chip cookies to guests in a B&B hotel surrounded by trees on a hill known for colorful sunsets.
“Do I miss the freeways? Do I miss the traffic? Do I miss the stress? No,” says Ms. Giddens, “This is a phenomenon that’s fairly widespread. A lot of people are reevaluating their lives and figuring out what they want to do. If their base is being damaged, what’s the payoff?”
Simple living ranges from cutting down on weeknight activities to sharing housing, living closer to work, avoiding shopping malls, borrowing books from the library instead of buying them, and taking a cut in pay to work at a more pleasurable job.
Vicki Robin, a writer, lives on a budget equal to a fifth of what she used to make. “You become conscious about where your money is going and how valuable it is,” Ms. Robin says, “You tend not to use things up. You cook at home rather than eat out…”
Janet Luhrs, a lawyer, quit her job after giving birth and leaving her daughter with a nanny for two weeks. “It was not the way I wanted to raise my kids,” she says, “Simplicity is not just about saving money; it’s about me sitting down every night with my kids to a candlelit dinner with classical music.”
Mrs. Luhrs now edits a magazine, Simple Living, which publishes tips on how to buy recycled furniture and shoes, organize potluck dinners instead of expensive receptions, and generally how to consume less.
“It’s not about poverty,” Mrs. Luhrs explains, “It’s about conscious living and creating the life you want. The less stuff you buy, the less money goes out of the door, and the less money you have to earn.”
1.Kay and Charles Giddens sold their home to ______.
A.pay off the debt
B.start a private hotel
C.cut down expenses
D.buy living necessities
2.Simple living includes ______.
A.building a home library
B.living in the countryside
C.enjoying a colorful night life
D.sharing housing with others
3.It can be learned from the passage that now Janet Luhrs ______.
A.spends more time with her kids
B.has an interest in classical music
C.works as a reporter of a magazine
D.helps people buy recycled clothes
4.How does the author develop the passage?
A.By using figures.
B.By asking questions.
C.By giving examples.
D.By making comparisons.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
More People Are Leaving the Rat Race for the Simple Life
Time is more precious than money for an increasing number of people who are choosing to live more with less—and liking it
Kay and Charles Giddens, two lawyers, sold their home to start a B&B hotel．Four years later, the couple dishes out banana pancake breakfast, cleans toilets and serves homemade chocolate chip cookies to guests in a B&B hotel surrounded by trees on a hill known for colorful sunsets.
“Do I miss the freeways? Do I miss the traffic? Do I miss the stress? No,” says Ms．Giddens, “This is a phenomenon that’s fairly widespread． A lot of people are reevaluating their lives and figuring out what they want to do．If their base is being damaged, what’s the payoff?”
Simple living ranges from cutting down on weeknight activities to sharing housing, living closer to work, avoiding shopping malls, borrowing books from the library instead of buying them, and taking a cut in pay to work at a more pleasurable job.
Vicki Robin, a writer, lives on a budget equal to a fifth of what she used to make．“You become conscious about where your money is going and how valuable it is,” Ms．Robin says, “You tend not to use things up．You cook at home rather than eat out…”
Janet Luhrs, a lawyer, quit her job after giving birth and leaving her daughter with a nanny for two weeks．“It was not the way I wanted to raise my kids,” she says, “Simplicity is not just about saving money; it’s about me sitting down every night with my kids to a candlelit dinner with classical music.”
Mrs．Luhrs now edits a magazine, Simple Living, which publishes tips on how to buy recycled furniture and shoes, organize potluck dinners instead of expensive receptions, and generally how to consume less.
“It’s not about poverty,” Mrs．Luhrs explains, “It’s about conscious living and creating the life you want．The less stuff you buy, the less money goes out of the door, and the less money you have to earn.”
1.Kay and Charles Giddens sold their home to ______.
A． pay off the debt
B． start a private hotel
C． cut down expenses
D． buy living necessities
2.Simple living includes ______.
A． building a home library
B． living in the countryside
C． enjoying a colorful night life
D． sharing housing with others
3.It can be learned from the passage that now Janet Luhrs ______.
A． spends more time with her kids
B． has an interest in classical music
C． works as a reporter of a magazine
D． helps people buy recycled clothes
4.How does the author develop the passage?
A． By using figures.
B． By asking questions.
C． By giving examples．
D． By making comparisons．
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
More and more people choose to shop in the supermarket，for they are especially interested in the ________ of goods on offer.
| A．price | B．variety |
| C．value | D．amount |
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
______ the average age of the population increases, there are more and more old people to care for.
A. Unless B. Until
C.As D. While
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
______ the average age of the population increases, there are more and more old people to care for.
A. Unless B. Until
C. As D. While
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
More and more people are signing up for Yoga classes nowadays, ______ advantage of the health and relaxation benefits.
A. taking B. taken C. having taken D. having been taken
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Traditionally, the more people in a city, the fewer trees there are. To create space for houses, offices and other buildings, nature takes second place. But, if the architect Stefano Boeri has anything to do with it, this will soon be changing.
Boeri has designed a forest city, to be created in the north of Liuzhou in Guangxi region in southern China. This mountainous area was chosen to be “a city where living nature is totally intertwined with architecture.” According to Boeri, instead of completely getting rid of the trees to build houses, the city’s design considers the surrounding greenery. Homes and commercial buildings will be covered with trees, with gardens on the balconies (阳台) of every floor, and rooftops that are home to miniature forests.
“I have been working on the idea of urban forestation for years,” says Boeri. “In those areas of the planet where it is still necessary to build new cities, we are planning real forest cities for a maximum of 150,000 citizens.”
The Liuzhou Forest City will be connected to central Liuzhou via a railway line and a road. It will be home to 30,000 people, and include commercial and recreational spaces, two schools and a hospital. On top of this, the vegetation will absorb carbon dioxide and pollutants, as well as releasing oxygen into the atmosphere.
Development is well underway for the forest city. “Our masterpiece for a forest city in Liuzhou has been approved by the local government,” says Boeri. Now, the government is starting the process of selling land to interested developers. “The current phase is still ongoing for land selling,” says Boeri. Building is expected to begin in 2020. At the same time, the firm has copied the concept in Lishui, a city in the southeast of China. The masterpiece has also been given the thumbs-up by local governments here, and the developer is collecting funds to launch the project.
If the Chinese cities prove successful, Boeri hopes that the idea will take hold across the world. “We are developing the same concept in other places with different climate conditions, such as Mexico and north Africa,” he says.
And there is science behind the idea of planting trees to halt climate change. A study earlier this year by scientists at ETH Zurich found that planting at least a trillion trees around the world could lock up 205 billion tonnes of carbon, once the trees are mature, helping to offset the effects of releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
1.According to the passage, Boeri holds the belief that ______.
A.a city can be built in harmony with nature
B.climate change results from the city development
C.the building of a city may cost the damage of nature
D.we should stop building new cities to protect nature
2.What can we infer from the cities designed by Boeri?
A.Houses would be built in a huge forest.
B.Citizens will live in inconvenient areas.
C.Cities can be transformed to forest cities.
D.The idea will be tried out soon worldwide.
3.What is the attitude of the Lishui government on Boeri’s concept?
A.Supportive. B.Neutral.
C.Unclear. D.Critical.
4.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage？
A.Where the Problem of Pollution Is Rooted
B.How Forest Cities Are Affecting the World
C.Can Forest Cities Help to Clean Up Pollution
D.Who Is to Blame for the Problem of Pollution
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
阅读理解。
For many people，volunteering is a way of life.Holidays are the time of the year that more people are in a giving mood.Homeless shelters，children’s hospitals，and nursing homes are excellent places to give of one’s time.
Volunteering in Homeless Shelters
There is a homeless directory online that anyone can easily access to find the closest homeless shelter to their home.According to the homeless shelter directory，currently there are 3,233 shelters in the US，so it is not difficult to find a shelter.Helping to serve food，picking up donations of food，preparing meals，and cleaning up are things that one can do to help at a homeless shelter.
Volunteering in Children’s Hospitals
Every child needs comfort and joy，especially during the holiday seasons.By visiting sick children in hospitals，an individual provides helping hands by supplementing the services usually done by the hospital staff.Personalizing the hospital experience adds to the comfort and happiness of the children and their families.Volunteers provide help，and positive interactions (相互交流) which enhance the patient’s quality of care.Help is needed almost everywhere in a hospital；from the lobby，parking lot，cafeteria，to admitting，helping with the gift cart，and even reading to children in the waiting rooms or their hospital rooms.
Volunteering in Nursing Homes
According to the National Center for Health Statistics，“Over 50% of those living in nursing homes do not have close relatives and 46% have no living children.” Life in a nursing home is lonely，confusing，and frightening for many residents. Volunteering at a nursing home is a great opportunity to make a difference in someone else’s life.Playing cards，sitting with and talking to a resident，taking a walk，or sharing a meal makes a huge difference，especially when they have no other sole on earth to visit them.
The three examples above are only a small fraction of institutions in which volunteers are needed.Giving of oneself，especially during the holidays blesses and cheers others.
1.According to the passage，what can a volunteer do in nursing homes?
A．Visiting the sick children.
B．Picking up the donated food.
C．Helping with the gift cart.
D．Playing cards with a lonely old man.
2.What can we learn about the volunteering?
A．You can only volunteer during the holidays.
B．You can help prepare meals in a nursing home.
C．It is easy to find a homeless shelter to volunteer.
D．Help is needed everywhere in a homeless shelter.
3.In a children’s hospital，which of the following is true?
A．Over 50% of those living there do not have relatives.
B．A personal visit brings happiness to a sick boy.
C．Children live a lonely and frightening life.
D．Children love listening to volunteers’ reading.
4.The best title for the passage would be ________.
A．Giving of oneself cheers others
B．Volunteering is a way of life
C．Volunteering during the holidays
D．Giving is better than taking
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
Nowadays people are more likely to go to ____ mall than visit the tailor when shopping for clothes, so tailors have adapted to ____ new reality.
A. the; a B. /; the
C. the; the D. a; a
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
while intelligent people can often ____ the complex ,a fool is more likely to complicate the simple .
A. sacrifice B. substitute
C. simplify D. survive
高三英语单项填空困难题查看答案及解析