Nobody Benefits
NEW YORK—America has been experiencing the longest economic increase in its history.Incomes have risen, unemployment has fallen, and cities such as New York are bursting with new office buildings.
But just a short walk from Manhattan's skyscrapers, George Brown sits on the side-walk, cooking a lunch of rice and bits of fish over a can of cooking fuel.
Brown is homeless — one of the 2.3 million people in the US who end up on the street.
During the day, Brown collects aluminium cans and sells them for five cents a piece.At night, he sleeps on the street.
"I have been on the street about eight or nine years, something like that," said the 62-year-old former construction worker.
Brown admits he's had problems with alcohol and has smoked cocaine.But he said he still wants a more stable housing arrangement.He could afford it just with the money he earns by collecting cans and small pieces of metal, if only truly low-income housing were available.
However, he sees no hope of finding affordable housing in New York.
With the strong economy and unemployment down, beautiful housing is being built to meet demand.
A US report shows rents in New York city rose more than 27 percent between 1984 and 1999, from US $549 to US $700 a month.
One of the side effects of the strong economy is that rents have been going up.
The majority of people who experience homelessness really just need some affordable housing help.
But few housing companies have been built for the poor.Many small apartments in the city now rent for US $1,500 a month or more.
Brown, the homeless New Yorker, said he has a daughter who lives in the city but he rarely sees her.She is angry about his drinking and won't allow it in her house.
Smiling, he said he also has seven grandchildren whom he'd like to see more often.
"All I've got to do is clean up my act," he said.
【小題1】What kind of life does George Brown lead?
A.Homeless and dangerous. |
B.Homeless and childish. |
C.Homeless and miserable (痛苦的). |
D.Homeless and sleepless. |
A.old Americans lead a hard life |
B.old Americans want to live alone |
C.American cities are crowded with poor people |
D.bad habits play a role in some poor people's Life |
A.America is short of housing companies |
B.the poor can't benefit from the increasing economy |
C.poor people in America will become rich |
D.housing companies will build more houses for the poor |
A.Society. | B.Science. | C.Economy. | D.Business. |
【小題1】C
【小題2】D
【小題3】B
【小題4】A
解析試題分析:文章介紹美國貧窮人的生活狀態(tài),他們的貧窮與其不良習(xí)慣有關(guān)。雖然美國經(jīng)濟(jì)增長很快,但是房價(jià)租金也很高,窮人不能受益。
【小題1】細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)文章第二、三段的描述,George是一個(gè)無家可歸的人,在馬路上做簡單的飯菜,因此我們可確定他過的生活很悲慘。選C
【小題2】細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)文章第六段的“Brown admits he’s had problems with alcohol and has smoked cocaine”可知,布朗酗酒、吸毒,因此我們可以看出Brown 的貧窮與其不良習(xí)慣有關(guān)。選D
【小題3】細(xì)節(jié)題:從文章的句子:One of the side effects of the strong economy is that rents have been going up. The majority of people who experience homelessness really just need some affordable housing help. But few housing companies have been built for the poor.可知雖然美國經(jīng)濟(jì)增長很快,但是房價(jià)租金也很高,窮人不能受益。選B。
【小題4】推理判斷題。本文反映了美國社會(huì)不平衡的現(xiàn)實(shí),所以是報(bào)紙上的社會(huì)版,故A正確。
考點(diǎn):考查社會(huì)現(xiàn)象類短文
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
If you live in America in the 21st century you'll probably have to listen to a lot of people tell you how busy they are. It's become the default response when you ask anyone how they are doing: “Busy!” “Crazy busy!”. It is, pretty obviously, a boast disguised as a complaint. And the common response is a kind of congratulation:“ That's a good problem to have, ”or“ Better than the opposite.”
Notice it isn't generally people pulling back-to-back shifts in the ICU or commuting by bus to three minimum-wage jobs who tell you how busy they are. What those people are is not busy but tired. Exhausted! Dead on their feet. It's almost always people whose busyness is purely self-imposed work and obligations they've taken on voluntarily, classes and activities they've “encouraged” their kids to participate in. They're busy because of their own ambition or drive or anxiety, because they're addicted to busyness and dread that they might have to face in its absence.
Almost everyone I know is busy. They feel anxious and guilty when they aren't either working or doing something to promote their work. It's something they have chosen. Busyness serves as a kind of existential reassurance(令人安心的保證),a measure against emptiness, obviously your life cannot possibly be silly or tiny or meaningless if you are so busy, completely booked, in demand every hour of the day.
Idleness is not just a vacation. It is as necessary to the brain as vitamin D is to the body, and deprived of it we suffer a mental affliction as ugly as rickets. The space and quiet that idleness provides is a necessary condition for standing back from life and seeing it whole, for making unexpected connections and waiting for the wild summer lightning strikes of inspiration.” Idle dreaming is often the essence of what we do”, wrote Thomas Pynchon. Archimedes' “Eureka” in the bath, Newton's apple :history is full of stories of inspirations that come in idle moments.
【小題1】When many Americans say “Crazy busy”, they mean______.
A.they are really tired of their present situation |
B.they are really proud of their present life |
C.they are complaining about their current work |
D.their life are full of all kinds of problems |
A.history is full of interesting stories |
B.Archimedes and Newton were very busy, so they made great discoveries |
C.people may get inspiration when they are idle |
D.inspirations come from hard work |
A.generally people pulling back-to-back shifts in the ICU tell you they are busy |
B.“Dead on their feet” means “being tired out” |
C.a(chǎn)ll the kids are self-imposed due to the drive and motivation |
D.The author seems to agree that idleness is better than busyness |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
Is It OK to Snap (拍照) Your Food?
Have you ever taken a snap of a luxurious cake or photographed a juicy steak when you eat in restaurants? You may want to share what you eat with your friends or just post part of your daily life onto the Internet. However, such action may be very annoying(討厭的) to other diners, or even to chefs and restaurant owners. Currently, more and more people begin to consider “ foodstagramming” as very silly and a bad manner.
In many restaurants, diners complain of being blinded by flasher(閃光燈), snapped without their permission and disturbed by people climbing on to chairs for a better angle. Even chefs and restaurant owners are annoyed at food photography. A Michelin-starred(米其林星級) chef said, “It’s hard to build a memorable evening when flashes are flying every six minutes.”
At the start of 2013, the debate on whether it is OK to take photographs of your food in restaurants seemed to swing (搖擺) towards a definite “no.” According to several chefs in New York City, some restaurants there have started banning customers from taking photos of their food. Policies around the ban of food photography vary from restaurant to restaurant, ranging from restrictions on using a flash to outright(完全的) bans. If other restaurants follow such policies, it may signal the death of “ foodstagramming”.
Nevertheless, instead of banning food photography, some restaurants are offering food photography courses. In Spain, the restaurant group Grupo Gourmet has started running a “ Fotografia para foodies” course to instruct its customers to better take food pictures. The course teaches customers to take photos in a proper way without disturbing other dinners, such as never use a flash.
【小題1】Who are annoyed with food photography in restaurants?
A.Restaurant owners. | B.Other diners. |
C.Chefs. | D.The above all. |
A.They started to ban customers from taking photos of their food. |
B.They had no idea about taking photos for the profits. |
C.They wanted to talk with some customers. |
D.They decided to learn from Spain. |
A.It told the customers when to take food pictures. |
B.It asked the customers to pay for taking food pictures. |
C.It ran a course to instruct customers to better take food pictures. |
D.It also prevented the customers from taking food pictures. |
A.It’s a popular practice where diners take photos of their meals and share them online. |
B.It’s a popular practice where dinners take photos of their meals and sells to others. |
C.It’s a habit that people take photos when they eat. |
D.It’s an idea how to take photos of their meals. |
A.Customers in America like others to use flashes when they eat. |
B.Restaurants in Spain think of a methord to meet people’s need. |
C.American government is discussing the problem of foodstagramming. |
D.People in China are trying to think of an idea to deal with the problem. |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
Last year college students in America spent an estimated $700 on textbooks on average. The National Association of College Stores reported more than five billion dollars in sales of textbooks and course materials.
The association spokesman Charles Schmidt says electronic textbooks now just make up 2%~3% of sales. But he says that is expected to reach 10%~15% by 2012.
Online versions(版本) are now available for many of the most popular college textbooks. An etextbook can cost half the price of a new print textbook. But students usually lose access to them after the end of the term. And the books cannot be placed on more than one device(設(shè)備),so they are not easy to share.
So what do students think of etextbooks?Administrators at Northwest Missouri State University wanted to find it out. Earlier this year they tested them with 500 students in 20 classes.
The university is unusual. It provides laptop computers for all 7,000 of its fulltime students. It does not require students to buy their textbooks either. They rent them to save money. The school aims to save even more by moving to etextbooks.
The students in the survey reported that downloading the books from the Internet was easy. They liked the idea of carrying lighter backpacks. And 56% said they were better able to find information.
But most found that using etextbooks did not change their study habits. And 60% felt they read more when they were reading on paper. In all,almost half the students said they still liked physical textbooks better.
But the survey found that cost could be a big influence.55% said they would choose etextbooks if using them meant their textbook rental fee would not increase.
Roger Von Holzen heads the Center for Information Technology in Education at Northwest Missouri State University. He tells us that administrators are disappointed with the etextbooks now available because the majority are not interactive(交互式的).
He thinks growth will come when more digital books include video,activities,games and other ways to interact with the information. The technology is improving. But for now,most of the books are just words on a screen.
【小題1】Etextbooks are not better than paper books in that________.
A.they cost more money |
B.they’re difficult to carry |
C.they’re not convenient to share |
D.they can’t be downloaded from the Internet |
A.60%. | B.56%. | C.55%. | D.50%. |
A.digital books will be more popular |
B.the digital books available need improvement |
C.free digital books are available online |
D.digital books will replace print textbooks |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
Traditional fairytales are being abandoned by parents because they are too horrible for their young children, a study found.
Research revealed one in five parents dislike old classics such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarves and Rapunzel and are in favor of more modern books. One third of parents said their children have been left in tears after hearing the horrible details of Little Red Riding Hood. And nearly half of mothers and fathers refuse to read Rumplestiltskin to their kids as the themes of the story are about kidnapping and crimes. Similarly, Goldilocks and the Three Bears was also a tale likely to be left on the book shelf as parents felt it forgives stealing.
The survey of 2,000 adults was conducted to mark the launch of the hit US drama GRIMM, which starts tonight at 9pm on Watch, and sees six episodes based on traditional fairytales. The survey found a quarter of parents questioned wouldn’t consider reading a fairytale to their child until they had reached the age of five, as they prompt too many awkward questions from their children.
Steve Hornsey, General Manager of Watch, said: “Bedtime stories are supposed to calm down children and send them off to sleep soundly. But as we see in GRIMM, fairytales can be dark and dramatic tales so it’s understandable that parents worry about reading them to young children.”
“As adults we can see the innocence in fairytales, but a five-year-old child with an over active imagination could take things too seriously. Despite the dark nature of classic fairytales, as we see in GRIMM, good will triumph over evil and there is always a moral to the story.”
The study also found two thirds of mums and dads try to avoid stories which might give their children nightmares.
However, half of parents said traditional tales are more likely to have a strong moral message than a lot of modern kids’ books, such as The Gruffalo, The Hungary Caterpillar and the Mr. Men books.
【小題1】Why don’t some parents want to read Rumplestiltskin to their kids?
A.Rumplestiltskin forgives stealing |
B.Rumplestiltskin is too difficult |
C.Rumplestiltskin is too long |
D.Rumplestiltskin may have bad influence on Children |
A.a(chǎn) fairytales book |
B.a(chǎn) movie for children |
C.a(chǎn) play loved by children |
D.a(chǎn) drama based on traditional fairytales |
A.There is a moral to a classic fairytale. |
B.Fairytales are dark. |
C.Adults take fairytales too seriously. |
D.Fairytales are not good for children's sleep. |
A.Optimistic | B.Not mentioned | C.Casual | D.Disapproving |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
In every British town, large and small, you will find shops that sell second-hand goods. Sometimes such shops deal mostly in furniture, sometimes in books, sometimes in ornaments and household goods, sometimes even in clothes.
The furniture may often be “antique”, and it may well have changed hands many times. It may also be very valuable, although the most valuable piece will usually go to the London salerooms, where one piece might well be sold for hundreds of thousands of pounds. As you look around these shops and see the polished wood of chests and tables, you cannot help thinking of those long-dead hands which polished that wood, of those now-closed eyes which once looked at these pieces with love.
The books, too, may be antique and very precious; some may be rare first printings. Often when someone dies or has to move house, his books may all be sold, so that sometimes you may find whole libraries in one shop. On the border between England and Wales, there is a town which has become a huge bookshop as well.Even the cinema and castle have been taken over, and now books have replaced sheep as the town’s main trsde.
There are also much more humble shops, sometimes simply called “junk shops”, where you can buy small household pieces very cheaply. Sometimes the profits from these shops go to charity. Even these pieces, though, can make you feel sad; you think of those people who once treasured them, but who have moved on, to another country or to death.
Although the British do not worship their ancestors, they do treasure the past and the things of the past. This is true of houses as well. These days no one knocks them down; they are restored until they are often better than new. In Britain, people do not buy something just because it is new. Old things are treasured for their proven worth; new things have to prove themselves before they are accepted.
【小題1】Books found in second-hand book shops may _____.
A.be copies of the earliest printing | B.be on sale for the first time |
C.never be worth very much | D.never be rare |
A.they are too expensive for average buyers |
B.they remind you of the original owner |
C.they are now neglected |
D.they are sold for charity |
A.invention | B.possession | C.material | D.relic |
A.do not respect old things because they are not fashionable |
B.like to build new houses simply because it is fashionable to do so |
C.like to buy new things because they are fashionable |
D.do not like to buy things simply because they are fashionable |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
Writer Jean Stafford scoffed, “Happy people don't need to have fun,” but studies show that the absence of feeling bad isn’t enough to make you feel good;you must try hard to find sources of feeling good. Research shows that regularly having fun is a key factor in having a happy life;people who have fun are 20 times more likely to feel happy.
Recently, I noticed a pattern among activities that people find fun:Have a mission. There’s something about having a playful purpose,of trying to achieve something that makes an activity more fun.
For example a friend told that she loved visiting flea markets(舊貨市場)and antique stores to look for old globes-not fancy ones,but cheap ones. She has a rule that she'll never pay more than$20. She’s the kind of person who loves wandering around in those kinds of shops in any case,but having a mission makes it more fun, less aimless.
For that matter,having a collection of any sort is a very popular way to have a mission. You get satisfaction whenever you find another piece of blue sea glass on the beach or another out-of-print book by Charlotte Yonge in an old bookstore.
Taking photos is a common way to incorporate(使并入) a mission into traveling. Not only does this help keep memories vivid, it also makes you more attuned(協(xié)調(diào)一致)to your environment while traveling. For example,during my most recent visit to New Haven,I had a lot more fun wandering around once I set myself the mission of taking tourist photos of my own romance.
Why is this true? The First Splendid Truth holds that to be happier,you have to think about feeling good and feeling right,in an atmosphere of growth. The more I’ve thought about happiness,the more surprised I’ve been at the importance of the “atmosphere of growth.” I think this is a huge engine of happiness, and when you have a mission, you create an atmosphere of growth whenever you pursue that mission.
Have you found a way to have a mission? What is it and does it boost your happiness?
【小題1】. According to the author, happy people____
A.don't need to have fun |
B.don't have to be occupied with work |
C.can have 20 times more fun than others |
D.a(chǎn)re always finding sources of feeling good |
A.making a comparison | B.presenting numbers |
C.stating common sense | D.using examples |
A.How to live happily |
B.Where to look for fun |
C.The importance of feeling good |
D.Having a mission can make you happier |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
Without proper planning, tourism can cause problems. For example, too many tourists can crowd public places that are also enjoyed by the inhabitants居民of a country. If tourists create too much traffic, the inhabitants become annoyed and unhappy. They begin to dislike tourists and to treat them impolitely. They forget how much tourism can help the country’s economy. It is important to think about the people of a destination country and how tourism affects them. Tourism should help a country keep the customs and beauty that attract tourists. Tourism should also advance the well-being (health and happiness) of local inhabitants.
Too much tourism can be a problem. If tourism grows too quickly people must leave other jobs to work in the tourism industry. This means that other parts of the country’s economy can suffer.
On the other hand, if there is not enough tourism, people can lose jobs. Businesses can also lose money. It costs a great deal of money to build large hotels, airports, air terminals航空集散站, first-class roads and other support facilities needed by tourist attractions. For example, a major international-class tourism hotel can cost as much as 50 thousand dollars per room to build. If this room is not used most of the time, the owners of the hotel will lose money.
Building a hotel is just a beginning. There must be many support facilities設(shè)施as well, including roads to get to the hotel, electricity, sewers下水道to handle waste, and water. All of these support facilities cost money. If they are not used because there are not enough tourists, jobs and money are lost.
【小題1】 Which of the following has most probably been discussed in the paragraph that goes before the passage?
A.It is extremely important to develop tourism. |
B.Building roads and hotels is essential. |
C.Support facilities are highly necessary. |
D.Planning is of great importance to tourism. |
A.a(chǎn) bad impact on other industries |
B.a(chǎn) change of tourists’ customs |
C.over crowded of places of interest |
D.pressure on traffic |
A.a(chǎn)n increase of unemployment |
B.a(chǎn) decrease in tourist attractions |
C.the higher cost of support facilities |
D.a(chǎn) rise in price and a fall in pay |
A.use up large amount of water |
B.weaken their economy |
C.help establish their traditions |
D.help improve their life |
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