I came home one day recently and, for reasons...

I came home one day recently and, for reasons I don’t quite understand, my living room smelled like my grandmother’s house. Suddenly I felt as if I were 12 years old, happy and relaxed, sitting in her kitchen. I can remember what her house looked like, though it was sold 20 years ago – her three-level plant stand, the plates lining the walls, the window over her sink – but these visual memories don’t have the power that smell does. The funny thing is, I can’t even begin to describe the odor(气味) that was so distinctively hers. The best I can do is this: “It smelled like my grandmother’s house.”

It’s a common experience, and a common linguistic( 语言学的) problem. In cultures worldwide, people have powerful olfactory memories. This odor-memory link is also called “the Proust phenomenon,” after Marcel Proust’s famous description of the feelings aroused by a cake dipped in tea in “Remembrance of Things Past.”

Olfactory memories seem to be more closely bound up with emotions than are visual or auditory ones.

Not all these memories are pleasant, of course, and smells can also trigger feelings of pain.

It is surprisingly hard for English-speakers to describe the odors that occasion such strong emotions, however. English possesses almost no abstract smell words that pick out links or themes among unrelated aromas(芳香).

We have plenty of these in the visual field. “Yellow,” for example, identifies a characteristic that bananas, lemons, some cars, some flowers, old book pages, and the sun all share.

But for odors, we don’t have many more than the vague “musty” (smells old and stale) and “musky” (smells perfumey). We usually have no choice but to say that one thing smells like another – like a banana, like garlic, like diesel fuel.

A few languages, though, do have a rich odor vocabulary. Linguist Asifa Majid has found that the Jahai, the Semaq Beri, and the Maniq, hunter-gatherer groups in Malaysia and Thailand, employ a wide range of abstract smell words and can identify aromas as easily as we can colors. The Jahai have a word, for example, that describes “the seemingly dissimilar smell of petrol, smoke, bat poop, root of wild ginger and wood of wild mango.”

Last year my cat got sprayed by a skunk(臭鼬), and the vet told me to wash its face with coffee to cover the bad smell. Until then, I had never realized that coffee, which I find delicious, smells remarkably like skunk spray, which I do not.

Science has identified the chemicals that both share. They are called mercaptans (硫醇). But in oral English, we have no word for the underlying note that connects these two odors. If the Jahai drank coffee and encountered skunks, I bet they would.

1.The opening paragraph is mainly intended to　 .

A.express the writer’s affection for his grandmother

B.direct the readers’ attention to a linguistic problem

C.tell us the odor of the grandmother’s house stayed the same

D.prove smell has a greater power than visual memories

2.Which of the following is related to olfactory memories?

A.Forming an image in mind after seeing the word “injury”.

B.Feeling sympathetic when seeing a sick cat.

C.Dancing to the music upon hearing it played.

D.Missing fried eggs with garlic cooked by mum.

3.The example of the Jahai suggests that　 .

A.the Jahai don’t have many words in the visual field

B.English possesses many vague words like “musty” and “musky”

C.the Jahai has more abstract smell words than English

D.skunk and coffee have the same smell, but different functions

4.What can we learn from the passage?

A.The author feels pity about the limitation of his language.

B.English has a wide range of visual and odor vocabulary.

C.Olfactory memories can bring nothing but pleasant feelings.

D.Cultures worldwide always collide with each other.

高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

One day I came home from school, changed my clothes and got ready for work. I worked at a local restaurant in town as a cashier and waiter.

I went to work feeling　　. And to make matters worse, I was busy that evening. It’s the same thing over and over again, 　　with customers who complain about their food and where they are　　is too big or too small. Little things like that tend to　　a lot of us　　but we manage to deal with them.

Three elderly ladies walked in and sat by the windows. It happened to be the very　　near where I keep the dirty　　in the boxes. Trying to keep up with all the dirty tables, customers leaving and coming in and　　running all over the house, it was crazy. 　　these elderly women were watching　　I was working to make sure every table was clean and ready for the next customers.

When they　　their meals, I took their plates back to the kitchen. They talked to me for a while about school, how I was doing, what　　I was in and what I planned to do in the future.

　　they were leaving, they walked past me and one of them said to me in a　　and gentle voice, “You are going places. ”And that was it. They left the　　and I had tears in my eyes, because they gave me　　to believe in myself. They 　　my spirit from being down and gave me a　　to keep on working hard.

People used to tell me that I couldn’t have a career in　　until I had a degree. I’m now a co-anchor(联合主持人)of a student-produced television　　. And the best thing is: I’m only 17 years old and I am a senior in high school.

1.A. tired　　    B. excited　　    C. up　　　    D. down

2.A. dealing        B. helping            C. talking            D. meeting

3. A. sat            B. seated            C. laid                D. dressed

4.A. attract        B. avoid            C. adjust            D. annoy

5. A. employees                        B. customers

C. bosses                                D. employers

6.A. table            B. box                C. spot                D. kitchen

7. A. dishes        B. rooms            C. clothes            D. chairs

8. A. men            B. women            C. waiters            D. bosses

9.A. And                                B. Otherwise

C. But                                    D. So

10. A. what        B. how                C. where            D. why

11. A. finished        B. completed        C. ordered            D. got

12. A. place        B. grade            C. mark            D. position

13. A. Before        B. While            C. As                D. After

14. A. confident    B. loud                C. low                D. pleasant

15. A. kitchen        B. house            C. restaurant        D. table

16. A. ability                            B. courage

C. imagination                            D. time

17. A. put down                        B. picked up

C. took over                            D. pointed out

18.A. cause                            B. reason

C. present                                D. permission

19. A. television                        B. government

C. school                                D. restaurant

20. A. company                        B. station

C. show                                D. advertisement

高三英语完型填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

One day I came home from school, changed my clothes and got ready for work. I work at a local restaurant in town as a cashier and waiter.

I went to work feeling36. And to make matters worse, I was busy that evening. It' s the same thing over and over again.37with customers who complain about their food andwhere they are38is too big or too small. Little things like that tend to39 a lot of us  40but we manage to deal with it.

Three elderly ladies walked in and sat by the windows. It happened to be the very 41near where I keep the dirty 42 in the boxes. Trying to keep up with all the dirty tables, customers leaving and coming in and   43running all over the house, it was crazy．44these elderly women were watching 45  I was working to make sure every table was clean and ready for the next customers.

When they 46 their meals, I took their plates back to the kitchen. They talked to me for a while about school, how I was doing, what 47  I was in and what I planned to do in the future.

48they were leaving, they walked past me and one of them said to me in a49  and gentle voice, “You are going places.（你前途无量） And that was it.” They left the 50and I had tears in my eyes, because they gave me51to believe in myself．They 52 my spirit from being down and gave me a 53to keep on working hard.

People used to tell me that I couldn’t have a career in 54 until I had a degree. I'm now a co-anchor (联合主持人) of a student-produced television55. And the best thing is: I'm only 17 years old and I am a senior in high school.

高三英语完型填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

One cold day last November, my wife and I came home from work to a sick young daughter and we decided to stay at home for the night. Problem was, we had two tickets to see Miranda July, the performance artist, being interviewed at the Herbst Theatre. We decided to sell them online for ＄50. One hour before the event, a guy named Peter called me and said he wanted to buy the tickets. Since the time was limited, I told Peter to pay me the next day. Peter seemed touched and we said a fond goodbye.

However, a month later, Peter still didn’t pay me back. A few more weeks passed. Another month. There’d been one e-mail promising to mail the check, then silence.

Maybe he was having a hard time, I thought. But truth was, Peter seemed to be having a pretty normal time. According to the pictures and messages on his Facebook, he had been playing golf, dancing happily with his friends, and traveling on a boat. But he just refused to answer my calls, or reply to my e-mails or messages. So I tried reaching him with my wife’s phone one night. And he didn’t pick up when I called,but texted right back, playfully wondering who might be calling him.

“You should go to his office,”my wife said, “He would have to give you the money if all his coworkers were watching.”

But I didn’t want to become a debt collector. My efforts to reach Peter over these months had been light and I wanted to keep it that way. My initial exchange with Peter had been just two regular people agreeing to handle things humanly. There was a rare niceness in that, and I still wanted to keep that balloon in the air, however disappointing it was starting to look. I wanted to believe we could still trust each other.

1.For what reason did the author and his wife decide to sell the ticket?

A. They thought it was too cold that night.

B. They needed to look after their daughter.

C. They wanted to save some money.

D. They were going to be interviewed.

2.On the night the author sold his tickets to Peter, he　　　　　 .

A. knew he might not get the ＄50.　　 B. felt a little hesitant.

C. thought he could trust Peter.　　 D. was moved by Peter’s kindness.

3.Why didn’t Peter pay the author back?

A. Because he didn’t remember it.　　 B. Because he was too busy to pay.

C. Because he didn’t want to pay.　　 D. Because he was having a tough time.

4.What can we infer about the author?

A. He would never trust strangers.

B. He might call the police for help.

C. He would go to Peter’s office to talk to him.

D. He still hoped Peter would pay him back.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

A man worked in a big company．One day, he came home from _______ late, tired and annoyed, to find his 6-year old son _______ him at the door．The _______ his son saw him, he asked him a question, “Daddy, how much do you make an hour?” “That’s _______ of your business．If you _______　 know, I make $20 an hour．” the man said angrily．“Oh, ” the little boy replied, with his head down．Looking up, he said, “Daddy, may I please_______ $10?”

The father was _______ and shouted at him to go back to his room because he thought his son was so _______. The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door．The man sat down and started to get _______ angrier about the little boy’s　 __________．How dare he ask such questions only to get some money? After an hour __________, the man had calmed down, and started to __________．Then he went into the little boy’s room．“I’ve been thinking, maybe I was too __________ on you earlier．Here’s the $10 you asked for．”said the man.

The little boy sat __________ up, smiling．“Oh, thank you daddy!” He yelled．Then,　 __________ under his pillow, he __________ some crumpled up bills．The little boy slowly __________out his money, then __________ at his father．“Daddy, I have $20 now．Can I　 __________ an hour of your time? Please come home __________ tomorrow．I would like to have dinner with you．”

1.A. school　　 B. work　　 C. trip　　 D. hospital

2.A. standing for　　 B. asking for　　 C. waiting for　　 D. playing with

3.A. moment　　 B. time　　 C. day　　 D. when

4.A. not　　 B. no　　 C. nothing　　 D. none

5.A. have　　 B. must　　 C. might　　 D. want

6.A. earn　　 B. make　　 C. 1end　　 D. borrow

7.A. angry　　 B. happy　　 C. desperate　　 D. embarrassed

8.A. selfish　　 B. crazy　　 C. aggressive　　 D. innocent

9.A. more　　 B. perhaps　　 C. even　　 D. 1ittle

10.A. money　　 B. questions　　 C. toys　　 D. pillows

11.A. about　　 B. or else　　 C. or so　　 D. 1ater

12.A. relax　　 B. refresh　　 C. relieve　　 D. regret

13.A. hard　　 B. kind　　 C. soft　　 D. gentle

14.A. straightly　　 B. straight　　 C. slowly　　 D. 1azily

15.A. putting　　 B. getting　　 C. taking　　 D. reaching

16.A. brought out　　 B. picked out　　 C. pulled out　　 D. 1eft out

17.A. counted　　 B. gave　　 C. presented　　 D. sent

18.A. 1ooked down　　 B. 1ooked away　　 C. 1ooked up　　 D. 1ooked out

19.A. sell　　 B. borrow　　 C. buy　　 D. have

20.A. 1ate　　 B. early　　 C. happily　　 D. often

高三英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

You Are Going Places

One day I came home from school, changed my clothes and got ready for work．I work at a local restaurant in town as a cashier, seater and waiter．

I went to work feeling31 . And to make matters worse, I was busy that evening．It' s the same thing over and over again． 32 with customers who complain about their food and where they are 33  is too big or too small．Little things like that tend to34 a lot of us35 but we manage to deal with it．

Three elderly ladies walked in and sat by the windows．It happened to be the very36 near where I keep the dirty37 in the boxes．Trying to keep up with all the dirty tables, customers leaving and coming in and38 running all over the house, it was crazy． 39 these elderly women were watching40 I was working to make sure every table was clean and ready for the next customers．

When they41 their meals, I took their plates back to the kitchen．They talked to me for a while about school, how I was doing, what42 I was in and what I planned to do in the future．

43 they were leaving, they walked past me and one of them said to me in a44 and gentle voice, "You are going places．And that was it．They left the45 and I had tears in my eyes, because they gave me46 to believe in myself．They47 my spirit from being down and gave me a48 to keep on working hard．

People used to tell me that I could not have a career in49 until I had a degree．I'm now a co-anchor （联合主持人）of a student-produced television50  . And the best thing is: I'm only 17 years old and I am a senior in high school．

1.A．tired                           B．excited             C．up                          D．down

2.A．Dealing                      B．Helping            C．Talking                   D．Meeting

3.A．sat                              B．seated              C．laid                        D．seating

4.A．attract                        B．avoid               C．adjust                     D．annoy

5.A．employees B．customers                         C．boss                       D．employers

6.A．table                          B．box                  C．spot                        D．kitchen

7.A．dishes                        B．rooms               C．clothes                   D．chairs

8.A．men                           B．women             C．servers                   D．people

9.A．And                         B．Otherwise          C．But                        D．So

10.A．what                      B．how                   C．where                     D．why

11.A．finished  B．completed                       C．ordered                  D．got

12.A．place                      B．grade                 C．mark                      D．position

13.A．Before                   B．While                 C．As                          D．After

14.A．confident               B．loud                   C．low                        D．pleasant

15.A．kitchen                  B．house                 C．restaurant               D．table

16.A．ability                    B．courage              C．imagination            D．time

17.A．put down               B．picked up           C．took over               D．pointed out

18.A．cause                     B．reason                C．present                   D．permission

19.A．television               B．government       C．school                    D．restaurant

20.A．company                B．station                C.show            D．advertisement

高三英语完型填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

________Quite well in the important exam , he came back home,________ and smiling.

A．Having done; relaxed                    B．having done ; relaxing

C．having been done ; relaxing               D．Done; relaxed

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

I recently came in contact with celebrity magazines. My family isn’t one to give money for pictures of skinny, drunk celebrities with paragraphs about their relationships and shopping cart times. Thus, I was excited to finally get a chance to read about other people’s attractive yet troubled lives.

Right away I noticed how each magazine seemed to be a copy of the other. They had headlines and pictures that were almost the same. Still, the pictures of perfectly constructed faces with cute designers outfits going on with their daily lives made me read on.

Wait, celebrities taking their dogs for walk? Spending an afternoon at a park? All of these things seemed so ordinary—things my own family and I do together often. I suddenly realized how unextraordinary the people in these magazines were. They are simply normal people who happen to have a cool job and much money. For some reason, pictures of them doing things like buying milk at the store appeal to millions of readers. Then, when these regular people mess up, their mistakes is painted onto hundreds of newspapers and internet sites.

What if every time we made a mistake, it was made public? Have you ever failed a test? Imagine seeing pictures of you on the front of a newspaper with headlines like, “Regular Schooling Isn’t Enough”. You’d be embarrassed. Now, I’m not necessarily taking the celebrity’s side. I’m more realizing the fact that these people we were crazy about are just ordinary human beings with many photographs following them around. Role models? I’d think not. Personally, I’d rather look up to people in any community who have accomplished a lot instead of an ordinary person walking his dog in Berverly Hills.

1.What do we know about the author’s family?

A.They admire celebrities very much.

B.They often buy celebrity magazines.

C.They are not interested in celebrities.

D.They are curious about the life of celebrities.

2.What does the author think of celebrities?

A.They live happy life.

B.They seldom do usual things.

C.They deserve people’s admiration.

D.They are just ordinary people like us.

3.Who is most likely to be the author’s role model?

A.Celebrities who live ordinary live.

B.Common people who do great things.

C.Extraordinary people who accomplish a lot.

D.People who make great contributions to communities.

4.What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?

A.To describe the actual life of celebrities.

B.To ask us to be realistic about other’s mistakes.

C.To show people’s different attitudes towards celebrities.

D.To advise us to have a right attitude towards celebrities.

高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

I recently came in contact with celebrity magazines. My family isn’t one to give money for pictures of skinny, drunk celebrities with paragraphs about their relationships and shopping cart times. Thus, I was excited to finally get a chance to read about other people’s attractive yet troubled lives.

Right away I noticed how each magazine seemed to be a copy of the other. They had headlines and pictures that were almost the same. Still, the pictures of perfectly constructed faces with cute designers outfits going on with their daily lives made me read on..

Wait, celebrities taking their dogs for walk? Spending an afternoon at a park? All of these things seemed so ordinary---things my own family and I do together often. I suddenly realized how unextraordinary the people in these magazines were. They are simply normal people who happen to have a cool job and much money. For some reason, pictures of them doing things like buying milk at the store appeal to millions of readers. Then, when these regular people mess up, their mistakes is painted onto hundreds of newspapers and internet sites.

What if every time we made a mistake, it was made public? Have you ever failed a test? Imagine seeing pictures of you on the front of a newspaper with headlines like, “Regular Schooling Isn’t Enough”. You’d be embarrassed. Now, I’m not necessarily taking the celebrity’s side. I’m more realizing the fact that these people we were crazy about are just ordinary human beings with many photographs following them around. Role models? I’d think not. Personally, I’d rather look up to people in any community who have accomplished a lot instead of an ordinary person walking his dog in Berverly Hills.

1.What do we know about the author’s family?

A. They admire celebrities very much.

B. They often buy celebrity magazines.

C. They are not interested in celebrities.

D. They are curious about the life of celebrities.

2.What does the author think of celebrities?

A. They live happy life.

B. They seldom do usual things.

C. They deserve people’s admiration.

D. They are just ordinary people like us.

3.Who is most likely to be the author’s role model?

A. Celebrities who live ordinary live.

B. Common people who do great things.

C. Extraordinary people who accomplish a lot.

D. People who make great contributions to communities.

4.What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?

A. To describe the actual life of celebrities.

B. To ask us to be realistic about other’s mistakes.

C. To show people’s different attitudes towards celebrities.

D. To advise us to have a right attitude towards celebrities.

高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

It was really an unforgettable experience. The other day on my way home, for some reason all the traffic _______ were out. It was 5 pm, _______ it was rush hour and pure chaos.

I approached a 4﹣way stop, and found myself _______ in a mess. On all 3 sides of me, people all were looking for the right time to _______ the road.

On one side was an elderly woman who was _______ forward as if she would get through the crossroad. _______ across from me was a business man talking on his cell phone. On the other side was a _______ dancing to his radio, not looking like he really cared whether he moved or not. _______ , I waited…and waited…and waited. For what felt like 5 minutes, everyone there was still looking. Then after I gave it a little _______ , I pulled out into the road, and I became the most __________ man on the road. The man __________ his cell phone and screamed. The teenager turned off his __________ and yelled. The elderly lady just __________ her head and then leaned back.

Did I __________ any traffic laws or universal laws of politeness? No.

Did I give everyone __________ time to do what we are all taught in driving school?

Yes.

So how does this story __________ to you and your business?

Is it __________ when you make a move and break out of the pack? And all three of them were upset with me because I ignored that excuse and made my move.

We will __________ all these people in our lives, but it is important to remember that this is your life, and that you can't __________ for other people to decide if you can make a（n）__________ . You and only you can make it happen.

1.A.rules B.accidents C.lights D.arrangements

2.A.but B.so C.or D.yet

3.A.introduced B.stuck C.lost D.interrupted

4.A.cross B.ignore C.overlook D.observe

5.A.putting B.dragging C.admiring D.leaning

6.A.Roughly B.Obviously C.Gradually D.Directly

7.A.man B.boy C.woman D.girl

8.A.However B.Still C.Therefore D.Moreover

9.A.challenge B.belief C.thought D.concept

10.A.encouraging B.inspiring C.terrifying D.annoying

11.A.turned up B.handed up C.hung up D.called up

12.A.radio B.phone C.computer D.camera

13.A.shook B.raised C.lowered D.nodded

14.A.follow B.obey C.improve D.break

15.A.spare B.ample C.convenient D.significant

16.A.apply B.refer C.stick D.lead

17.A.energetic B.intelligent C.brave D.silly

18.A.question B.face C.envy D.beat

19.A.call B.allow C.wait D.care

20.A.move B.preparation C.deal D.adjustment

高三英语完形填空困难题查看答案及解析