Destiny and Personal Responsibility
One important variable affecting communication across cultures is destiny（命運）and personal responsibility. This refers to the degree to which we feel ourselves the masters of our lives, contrary to the degree to which we see ourselves as subject to things outside our control. Another way to look at this is to ask how much we see ourselves able to change and act, to choose the course of our lives and relationships. Some have drawn a parallel between the personal responsibility in North American settings and the view itself. The North American view is vast, with large spaces of unpopulated land. The frontier attitude of “King” of the wilderness, and the expansiveness of the land reaching huge distances, may relate to generally high levels of confidence in the ability to shape and choose our destinies.
In this expansive land, many children grow up with a heroic sense of life, where ideas are big, and hope springs forever. When they experience temporary failures, they encouraged to redouble their efforts, to “try, try again.” Action, efficiency（效率）, and achievement are valued and expected. Free will is respected in laws and enforced by courts.
Now consider places in the world with much smaller land, whose history reflects wars and tough struggles: Northern Ireland, Mexico, Israel, Palestine. In these places, destiny’s role is more important in human life. In Mexico, there is a history of hard life, fighting over land, and loss of homes. Mexicans are more likely to see struggles as part of their life and unavoidable. Their passive attitude is expr4essed in their way of responding to failure or accident by saying “ni modo”(“no way” or “tough lick”), meaning that the failure was destined.
This variable is important to understanding cultural conflict. If someone believing in free will crosses paths with someone more passive, miscommunication is likely. The first person may expect action and accountability. Failing to see it, he may conclude that the second is lazy, not cooperative, or dishonest. The second person will expect respect for the natural order of thins. Failing to see it, he may conclude that the first is forcible, rude, or big headed in his ideas of what can be accomplished or changed.
小題1:The author thinks that one’s character is partly determined by        .
A．physical sensesB．general attitude
C．financial backgroundD．geographic characteristics
小題2:According to the passage, Mexicans would think that Americans are        .
A．impracticalB．dishonestC．a(chǎn)mbitiousD．hesitant
小題3:The underlined word “subject” in Paragraph 1 probably means      .
A．a(chǎn) topic of a discussionB．a(chǎn) branch of knowledge
C．a(chǎn) person being experimented onD．a(chǎn) person under the power of others
小題4:The author would probably agree that        .
A．vast land may lead to a more controllable desire
B．heroic sense of life roots deeply in a small country
C．living in limited space contributes to an accepting attitude
D．fighting over land may help people gain high levels of confidence
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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：完形填空

Those days life was so hard that I finally wished that I could just be “l(fā)eft alone”.
The thought of going somewhere by myself would give me so much  1 . but then I’d remember when I was alone. Not that  2 _ left me. I was alone by myself in crowded places. It was the   3  that I built around me that would not  4  the outside in or the inside out.
When I was a child, I would play this silly   5 . It was always   6 _ because a place in a corner or under a table would do. My favorite place was simply to pull a blanket over my head. I would lie there and   7 , “Right now no one in the world knows where I am!” That thought was so   8 .
If you knew me well enough this wouldn’t   9  you…I still do it at 60. It drives my dogs crazy, because they find me and start digging at the blanket until they find a way in. All three of them  10  me. That thought is so satisfying, too.
I want you to know that at times we all wish that we could be left _11  . The fact that you can be alone with yourself and enjoy it shows clearly who you are. Imagine for a  12  being locked in a room with someone you  13 . It would be torture. So, if you find peace with being with yourself, that is good. However, if you are trying to build a wall so no one can ever  14 , it can’t happen.
The light of love can find a  15  through the tiniest cracks. You can pull the covers over your head and love will find you.
小題1:
A．troubleB．experienceC．pleasure D．worry
小題2:
A．a(chǎn)nybodyB．everyoneC．nobodyD．someone
小題3:
A．ideaB．placeC．houseD．wall
小題4:
A．permitB．stopC．findD．turn
小題5:
A．matchB．programC．competitionD．game
小題6:
A．interestingB．disappointingC．easyD．different
小題7:
A．shoutB．thinkC．cryD．dream
小題8:
A．satisfyingB．shockingC．importantD．strange
小題9:
A．fearB．meetC．surpriseD．excite
小題10:
A．biteB．joinC．watchD．excite
小題11:
A．quietB．calmC．a(chǎn)loneD．silent
小題12:
A．changeB．momentC．restD．chance
小題13:
A．respectB．a(chǎn)dmireC．noticeD．dislike
小題14:
A．go outB．come toC．get inD．leave for
小題15:
A．wayB．helpC． loveD．hope

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

At about 4 am, after hours of being unable to sleep, of shivering in the cold mountain air and trying to silence my crying kids who kept waking up, of attempting to find a comfortable sleeping position, of listening to whether there might have been a bear outside our tent, I finally couldn’t stand it any more. I complained, “Everything has gone wrong.”
My wife and I were in one tent with our two young kids. A hundred yards east away was Summit Lake, where the glorious early morning mist was shimmering（閃爍）off the water. A couple miles to the southwest was the base of the Lassen Peak Trail. The base was 8,000 feet above sea level, and huge snow dotted the scenery even in mid August. Further west still was Bumpass Hell, with steam rising up.
As the sun crept up over the edge of the Lassen peak, we fired up the camp stove and had breakfast. Half an hour later, my six-year-old daughter and I were in the parking lot of the Lassen peak trail, getting ready to go up the mountainside. We wouldn’t make it all the way, but it didn’t matter. We would see nature at its extremes: the volcanic ash that layered on the earth turning the melting snow a mysterious pink as the sun struck it; the blues of the sky shading into the blues of distant lakes, which in turn shaded into the whites and grays of the snow.
My daughter grabbed my camera. She wanted to take a photo of “the composite（混合物）”of colors. Looking out over that scenery, and seeing my daughter fascinated by nature, I felt stupid about my morning complaints.
Yes, camping is uncomfortable. And yes, there’s a lot to be said for getting out a credit card,reserving a room in a nice hotel, and going out for a fancy meal. But there’s also something wonderful about being so close to raw nature. And , as important, there’s something vital about getting young children out of their increasingly modern comfort zones and forcing them to meet the world around them.
小題1:.According to the passage, what contributed to the author’s sleeplessness ?
①the cold weather       ②his crying children          ③fear of bears            
④sounds of bears      ⑤the aches of his lower back      ⑥his own complaints
A．①④⑥B．①②③C．②④⑤D．②③⑤
小題2:.Which of the following maps correctly shows the places ?

小題3:.The underlined word “colors” in Paragraph 4 refers to ______ .
A．blue, white, gray and pinkB．white, yellow, gray and pink
C．white, green ,gray and pinkD．blue, green,white and gray
小題4:.How did the author’s feeling change from the beginning to the end ?
A．Calm→Satisfied.B．Excited→Frustrated.
C．Sad→Calm.D．Regretful→Satisfied.
小題5:.Which of the following statements can be inferred from the passage ?
A．Nature is the glass reflecting truth.
B．Nature is the best scenery designer.
C．The journey of a thousand miles starts with one step.
D．A bad beginning makes a bad ending.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：完形填空

完型填空（共20小題；每小題1.5分，滿分30分）
請閱讀下面短文，掌握其大意，然后從36—55各題所給的四個選項（A、B、C、D）中，選出最佳選項，并在答題卡上將該選項的標(biāo)號涂黑。
I believe in my mother. My belief began when I was just a kid,   36  I dreamed of becoming a doctor.
My mother was a 37__. Through her work, she observed that 38  _ people spent a lot more time 39 __than they did watch television. She 40 ___ that my brother and I could only watch two to three pre-selected TV programs during the week. With our free time, we had to read two books each from the Detroit Public Library and41__ written book reports to her. She would mark them up with check marks and under-line the important  42 . Years later we realized her marks were only a  43  My mother was a illiterate (文盲). Although we had no money, between the covers of those books, I could go anywhere, do anything and be 44__.
When I entered high school I was an A-student,  45  not for long. I wanted the fancy clothes. I wanted to hang about with the guys. I went from being an A—student then to a B--student then to a C-student, but I didn't   46 . I was cool.
One night my mother came home from working her multiple jobs and I  47   about not having enough Italian knit shirts. She said, "Okay, I will give you all the money I make this week by scrubbing floors and   48 _bathrooms, and you can buy the family food and pay the bills. With everything left over, you can have all that you want." I was very 49  with that arrangement but  50  I got through allocating (分配) money, there was nothing left. I realized my mother was a financial genius to be able to keep a  51 _over our heads and any kind of food on the table, much less to buy clothes. I also52 ___ that immediate satisfaction wasn't going to get me anywhere. Success 53 intellectual preparation. I went back to my studies and became an A—student 54__, and eventually I fulfilled my dream and I became a 55___
小題1:
A．whereB．whichC．whenD．who
小題2:
A．woman servantB．teacherC．workerD．nurse
小題3:
A．healthyB．successfulC．powerfulD．clever
小題4:
A．searchingB．readingC．workingD．training
小題5:A. ordered   B. insisted   C. suggested  D. announced41. A .hand in    B. turn over  C. pick up     D. write down
小題6:
A．titlesB．ideasC．booksD．parts
小題7:
A．gameB．trickC．pleasureD．task
小題8:
A．a(chǎn)nybodyB．nobodyC．somebodyD．everybody
小題9:
A．a(chǎn)ndB．soC．butD．or
小題10:
A．knowB．careC．faceD．stop
小題11:
A．thoughtB．chattedC．complainedD．worried
小題12:
A．repairingB．cleaningC．rubbingD．watching
小題13:
A．encouragedB．puzzledC．movedD．pleased
小題14:
A．a(chǎn)s soon asB．ifC．onceD．since
小題15:
A．wallB．houseC．windowD．roof
小題16:
A．realizedB．imaginedC．believedD．noticed
小題17:
A．suitedB．requiredC．madeD．matched
小題18:
A．evenB．foreverC．beforeD．a(chǎn)gain
小題19:
A．professorB．expertC．doctorD．boss

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：完形填空

完形填空
I had my first job at the age of thirteen , when a friend of my mother who owned a bookshop hired me for six hours a week to help her in the shop . I was very  36  to earn my own pocket money and my parents   37 interfered (干涉) with how I spent it , even when I was spending it  38  .They believed that by earning money ,spending it ,and learning from the  39  ,I would become more mature (成熟的)and  40  in how to handle work ,relationships with others ,and money.
Like many  41  parents ,my parents also let me and my brothers do things about which they  42  a great deal .When I was sixteen ,for example ,after I finished high school and before I entered university ,I wanted to spend the summer months traveling around  43  .My mother was against the idea of my traveling alone at such a young age, but my father felt that it would be a great  44  for me .In the end , my father won the  45  on the condition that I limited my traveling to France ,my mother’s home, where I had many uncles, aunts and cousins  46  through the country who could  47  shelter and help if I needed them .
Three years later ,my younger brother decided to  48  a year off after his first year in university and travel through the United States and the Caribbean. Again my mother was very worried and not  49  to see my brother leave school, but my father encouraged him and my brother spent a (n) 50  year working his way on trains and ships to  51  his passage to different ports and cities, and discovering many fascinating places and people.
These kinds of experiences are probably  52  for children in many countries but in the US they are fairly common. Most parents start  53  their children at a young age to do small things by themselves .By the time they have finished high school, many American kids have already had  54  jobs and traveled around the US or other countries on their own , have selected the university they plan to attend , maybe even have decided on their future  55 ,and so on .
小題1:
A．a(chǎn)nxiousB．worriedC．proudD．nervous
小題2:
A．neverB．everC．a(chǎn)lwaysD．even
小題3:
A．carefullyB．foolishlyC．seriouslyD．honestly
小題4:
A．workB．mistakesC．othersD．books
小題5:
A．strictB．reasonableC．politeD．responsible
小題6:
A．AmericanB．JapaneseC．ChineseD．British
小題7:
A．helpedB．supportedC．sharedD．worried
小題8:
A．AsiaB．AfricaC．EuropeD．Oceania
小題9:
A．journeyB．experienceC．chanceD．possibility
小題10:
A．a(chǎn)rgumentB．gameC．discussionD．plan
小題11:
A．sending outB．giving outC．carrying outD．spreading out
小題12:
A．promiseB．decideC．provideD．serve
小題13:
A．leaveB．makeC．takeD．prepare
小題14:
A．a(chǎn)ngryB．eagerC．sorryD．sad
小題15:
A．unusualB．hardC．strangeD．busy
小題16:
A．a(chǎn)cceptB．earnC．findD．search
小題17:
A．welcomeB．fitC．necessaryD．rare
小題18:
A．bringingB．forcingC．pushingD．protecting
小題19:
A．part-timeB．full-timeC．goodD．well-paid
小題20:
A．lifeB．careerC．hopeD．benefit

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

As I sat beside the window of our classroom that afternoon, my heart sank further with each passing car. This was a day I’d looked forward to for weeks: Miss Pace’s fourth-grade, end-of-the-year party.
I had happily volunteered my mother when Miss Pace looked for cookie volunteers. Mom’s chocolate chips were well-known, and I knew they’d be a hit with my classmates. But two o’clock passed, and there was no sign of her. Most of the other mothers had already come and gone, dropping off their sweet offerings.
The three o’clock bell soon took me away from my thoughts and I took my book bag from my desk.
I decided I would slam the front door, and refuse to return her hug. But when I arrived, she wasn’t at home.
I was lying face-down on my bed upstairs when I heard her come through the front door.
“Robbie,” she called out a bit urgently. “Where are you?”
I could then hear her rushing anxiously from room to room, wondering where I could be. I remained silent.
Coming through the door, she said: “I’m so sorry, honey,” she said. “I just forgot. I got busy and forgot.”
Then my mother did something completely unexpected. She began to laugh! How could she laugh at a time like this? I rolled over and faced her, ready to let her see my rage (憤怒).
But my mother wasn’t laughing at all. She was crying. “I’m so sorry,” she said. “I let you down. I let my little boy down.”
I was moved by her tears.
I tried to remember her kind words from times past when I’d skinned knees or cut myself, times when she knew just the right thing to say.
“It’s okay, Mom. We didn’t even need those cookies. There was plenty of stuff to eat. Don’t cry. It’s all right. Really.”
We didn’t say another word. We just held each other. When we came to the point where I would usually pull away, I decided that, this time, I could hold on, perhaps, just a little bit longer.
小題1:. The author was pretty down because ______.
A．he couldn’t go to the party he had been looking forward to
B．his mother didn’t turn up at the party as she had promised
C．his mother had refused to make chocolate chips for the party
D．the cookies his mom made was not popular at the party
小題2:. When the author returned home, ______.
A．he was so angry that he slammed the front door
B．he was silent and refused to return his mother’s hug
C．he rushed from room to room looking for his mother
D．he was disappointed that he couldn’t express his anger to his mother
小題3:. We can tell from the story that _____.
A．the mother didn’t get to the party because of the traffic jam
B．the mother was sorry for her absence and laughed at herself
C．the author was a caring and thoughtful boy
D．the author was overcome with anger
小題4:. The article expresses the message that ______.
A．it is silly to be angry with your family
B．everybody should keep his or her promises
C．true love is based on understanding
D．understanding how to comfort people in low spirits is a true skill

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

“Everything happens for the best,” my mother said whenever I faced disappointment. “If you carry on, one day something good will happen. And you’ll realize that it wouldn’t have happened if not for that previous disappointment.”
Mother was right, as I discovered after graduating from college in 1932, I had decided to try for a job in radio, then work my way up to a sports announcer. I hitchhiked to Chicago and knocked on the door of every station—and got turned down every time. In one studio, a kind lady told me that big stations couldn’t risk hiring an inexperienced person. “Go out in the sticks and find a small station that’ll give you a chance,” she said. I thumbed home to Dixon, Illinois.
While there were no radio-announcing jobs in Dixon, my father said Montgomery Ward had opened a store and wanted a local athlete to manage its sports department. Since Dixon was where I had played high school football, I applied. The job sounded just right for me. But I wasn’t hired. My disappointment must have shown. “Everything happens for the best.” Mom reminded me. Dad offered me the car to hunt a job. I tried WOC Radio in Davenport, Iowa. The program director, a wonderful Scotsman named Peter MacArthur told me they had already hired an announcer.
As I left his office, my frustration (挫折) boiled over. I asked aloud, “How can a fellow get to be a sports announcer if he can’t get a job in a radio station?” I was waiting for the elevator when I heard MacArthur calling, “What was you said about sports? Do you know anything about football?” Then he stood me before a microphone and asked me to broadcast an imaginary game. The preceding (在前的) autumn, my team had won a game in the last 20 seconds with a 65-yard run. I did a 15-minute build-up to that play, and Peter told me I would be broadcasting Saturday’s game! On my way home, as I have many times since, I thought of my mother’s words: “If you carry on, one day something good will happen. Something wouldn’t have happened if not for that previous disappointment.”
I often wonder what direction my life might have taken if I’d gotten the job at Montgomery Ward.
小題1:The writer shows his _____ by saying “… if I’d not gotten the job at Montgomery Ward”.
A．regret B．happinessC．gratefulnessD．disappointment
小題2:   The underlined phrase “out in the sticks” probably means _____?
A．in radio stationsB．in the country
C．in big citiesD．in Dixon, Illinois
小題3:   Why did the writer mention his mother’s words over and again? Because _____.
A．it was his mother’s words that encouraged him
B．his mother was a person who talked a lot
C．nothing good has happened to him up to now
D．he got turned down every time he tried
小題4:   Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A．There was a small radio station in Dixon, Illinois.
B．Peter MacArthur was a program director in Scotland.
C．WOC Radio in Davenport broadcast imaginary games.
D．Montgomery Ward had a store with a sports department.
小題5:When did the writer decide to take a radio-announcing job?
A．When he hitchhiked to Chicago.B．After he graduated from college.
C．Before he graduated from college.D．As soon as he was turned down.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

When you leave school，you can breathe sigh of relief and leave learning behind，right？Wrong！Learning should last a lifetime. You exercise your body to stay strong，and you should exercise your mind to stay sharp.

An English idiom says，“You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” But scientists have discovered that isn’t true. Older people can learn，and they should，in order to keep their brain active. Now a new trend has begun in several states in the US that encourages learning. Adults can attend One Day University. They can spend a Saturday or Sunday hearing four 70-minute lectures. Each one is given by a top university professor. One of the original participants said，“It’s like a health club for the brain.” Also，universities like MIT have made all of their courses and lectures available online for free！Libraries offer learning programs too. With so much available，there is no excuse not to learn!
Learning is a habit. Don’t leave it behind after you leave school. On the website lifehack.org，author Scott Young mentions several things to help you.
Always have a book. It doesn’t matter if you read fast or slow. Just read. If you read just one book a week，you’ll read 52 over the course of a year. Think of the knowledge you’ll gain!
Practice it. As you read，do something with what you’ve learned. Don’t just enjoy the mental exercise. Use the knowledge. If you read about painting，try it!
Make a “to learn” list. Compose a “to learn” list for yourself. Maybe you want to speak better English，play the piano，or cook French food. Whatever interests you，put it on your list and then make the time to do it.
Teach others. Whatever you learn，teach someone else. You’ll not only help others but also understand what you’ve learned.
小題1:What’s the best title for this passage?
A．Make learning last a lifetime.
B．What you should do after leaving school.
C．Several tips on learning.
D．A new trend in learning.
小題2:What does the underlined part in Paragraph 1 mean?
A．You don’t need to consider what you have learnt after graduation.
B．You can relax as you have escaped from the hard life of studying.
C．Leaving learning behind is what you should do after a break.
D．You should have a good rest and then go on learning.
小題3:How many ways of learning for adults in the US are mentioned in Paragraph 2?
A．One.B．Two.C．Three.D．Four.
小題4:Which of the following is NOT a suggestion made by Scott Young in the passage?
A．Keep learning as a habit.
B．Always have a book.
C．List what you want to learn.
D．Teach others what you learn.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

I am a German by birth and descent. My name is Schmidt. But by education I am quite as much an Englishman as a 'Deutscher', and by affection much more the former. My life has been spent pretty equally between the two countries, and I flatter myself I speak both languages without any foreign accent.
I count England my headquarters now: it is “home” to me. But a few years ago I was resident in Germany, only going over to London now and then on business. I will not mention the town where I lived. It is unnecessary to do so, and in the peculiar experience I am about to relate I think real names of people and places are just as well, or better avoided.
I was connected with a large and important firm of engineers. I had been bred up to the profession, and was credited with a certain amount of “talent”; and I was considered—and, with all modesty, I think I deserved the opinion—steady and reliable, so that I had already attained a fair position in the house, and was looked upon as a “rising man”. But I was still young, and not quite so wise as I thought myself. I came close once to making a great mess of a certain affair. It is this story which I am going to tell.
Our house went in largely for patents—rather too largely, some thought. But the head partner's son was a bit of a genius in his way, and his father was growing old, and let Herr Wilhelm - Moritz we will call the family name—do pretty much as he chose. And on the whole Herr Wilhelm did well. He was cautious, and he had the benefit of the still greater caution and larger experience of Herr Gerhardt, the second partner in the firm.
Patents and the laws which regulate them are strange things to have to do with. No one who has not had personal experience of the complications that arise could believe how far these spread and how involved they become. Great acuteness as well as caution is called for if you would guide your patent bark safely to port—and perhaps more than anything, a power of holding your tongue. I was no chatterbox, nor, when on a mission of importance, did I go about looking as if I were bursting with secrets, which is, in my opinion, almost as dangerous as revealing them. No one, to meet me on the journeys which it often fell to my lot to undertake, would have guessed that I had anything on my mind but an easy-going young fellow's natural interest in his surroundings, though many a time I have stayed awake through a whole night of railway travel if at all doubtful about my fellow-passengers, or not dared to go to sleep in a hotel without a ready-loaded gun by my pillow. For now and then - though not through me - our secrets did ooze out. And if, as has happened, they were secrets connected with Government orders or contracts, there was, or but for the exertion of the greatest energy and tact on the part of my superiors, there would have been, to put it plainly, the devil to pay.
小題1: The writer preferred to be called ________.
A．a(chǎn) GermanB．a(chǎn)n Englishman
C．both a German and an EnglishmanD．neither a German nor an Englishman
小題2:Which of the following words cannot be used to describe the writer?
A．TalentedB．ModestC．ReliableD．Wise
小題3:The head of the company where the writer works is ________.
A．SchmidtB．Moritz C．Wilhelm’s fatherD．Gerhardt
小題4: The writer often stayed awake on the train or kept a ready-loaded gun in the hotel, because  ________.
A．some people sometimes let out the secrets of his company
B．the writer occasionally didn’t keep the secrets of his company
C．patents and the laws are strange things to have to do with
D．the secrets were connected with Government orders or contracts

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