Silence is unnatural to man. He begins life with a cry and ends it in stillness. In between he does all he can to make a noise in the world, and he fears silence more than anything else. Even his conversation is an attempt to prevent a fearful silence. If he is introduced to another person, and a number of pauses occur in the conversation, he regards himself as a failure, a worthless person, and is full of envy of the emptiest headed chatterbox (喋喋不休的人). He knows that ninety-nine percent of human conversation means no more than the buzzing of a fly, but he is anxious to join in the buzz and to prove that he is a man and not a waxwork figure (蠟塑人像).
The aim of conversation is not, for the most part, to communicate ideas; it is to keep up the buzzing sound. There are, it must be admitted, different qualities of buzz; there is even a buzz that is as annoying as the continuous noise made by a mosquito (蚊子). But at a dinner party one would rather be a mosquito than a quiet person. Most buzzing, fortunately, is pleasant to the ear, and some of it is pleasant even to the mind. He would be a foolish man if he waited until he had a wise thought to take part in the buzzing with his neighbors.[來源:Z*xx*k.Com]
Those who hate to pick up the weather as a conversational opening seem to me not to know the reason why human beings wish to talk. Very few human beings join in a conversation in the hope of learning anything new. Some of them are content if they are merely allowed to go on making a noise into other people’s ears, though they have nothing to tell them except that they have seen two or three new plays or that they had food in a Swiss hotel At the end of an evening during which they have said nothing meaningful for a long time, they just prove themselves to be successful conservationists
【小題1】According to the author, people make conversation to ______

A．exchange ideas B．prove their value
C．a(chǎn)chieve success in life D．overcome their fear of silence
【小題2】By "the buzzing of a fly" (Para. 1), the author means"________”
A．the noise of an insect B．a(chǎn) low whispering sound
C．meaningless talks D．the voice of a chatterbox
【小題3】According to the passage, people usually talk to their neighbors ______.
A．a(chǎn)bout whatever they have prepared
B．a(chǎn)bout whatever they want to
C．in the hope of learning something new
D．in the hope of getting on well
【小題4】What is the author's purpose in writing the passage? ________.
A．To discuss why people like talking about weather.
B．To encourage people to join in conversations.
C．To persuade people to stop making noises.
D．To explain why people keep talking.


【小題1】D
【小題2】C
【小題3】B
【小題4】D 

解析試題分析：文章大意：沉默是金，文章作者主要解釋了人為什么會(huì)不停的交談。
【小題1】D細(xì)節(jié)理解題。文章的第一段Even his conversation is an attempt to prevent a fearful silence.可知交談是克服沉默的恐懼。故D正確。
【小題2】C詞義理解題。根據(jù)文章第一段大意及最后一句but he is anxious to join in the buzz and to prove that he is a man and not a waxwork figure可知the buzzing of a fly為“無意義的交談”之意。故C正確。
【小題3】B細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)文章第二段最后一句he waited until he had a wise thought to take part in the buzzing with his neighbors可以得出答案。故B正確。
【小題4】D主旨大意題。根據(jù)大意可知文章作者主要解釋了人為什么會(huì)不停的交談。故可知文章作者的寫作目的。故D正確。
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科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解

Old-Fashioned Play-For Pay
Kids! Come to have a ball! Or 60,000 of them! There’s a new type of business franchise（特許經(jīng)銷權(quán)）that is appearing in shopping malls and neighborhood across America offering pay-per-use  indoor playgrounds, which feature toys, games, guided fun and a workout that doesn’t break the family bank.
As public playgrounds grow increasingly worn and dirty, the for-profit centers offer clean, safe guided activity as well as a variety of challenging exercises to develop kids’ physical fitness, usually for a fee of around $ 5 an hour. “Playgrounds are dirty, not guided,” says Dick Guggenheimer, owner of the two-month-old Discovery Zone in Yonkers, N. Y., part of Kansas City-based chain, “We are indoors; we are padded; parents can feel their child is safe”.
In order to satisfy the need of two-earner families, the new franchise stays open in the evenings, long after traditional public playgrounds have grown dark and unusable. However, these new playgrounds are not meant to be day-care centers. Parents are expected to go stay and play with their kids rather than drop them off. But several also provide high-tech baby-sitting services. At some of the Discovery Zones, parents can register their children in special guided programs, then leave them and slip away for a couple of hours to enjoy a movie or dinner. If there is a problem, Mom and Dad are called.
The most fun of all, though, is getting to do what parents used to do in the days before two-earner families and two-hour commutes（兩小時(shí)上下班往返）, play with their kids. That, at least, is old-fashioned, even at per-hour rates.
【小題1】What is this article mainly talking about?

A．Children can play without parent’s care.
B．The fast development of Discovery Zone.
C．A new type of business franchise of kids.
D．The disadvantages of outdoor playgrounds.
【小題2】According to the article, which of the following is TRUE to the new playground?
A．The cost is high for a family.
B．It doesn't allow parents to leave their kids.
C．It stays open in the evening just as traditional playgrounds.
D．It's a place where parents can play together with their kids.
【小題3】What does the writer mean by saying "old-fashioned"?
A．The so-called new playground is out of date.
B．The new playground is actually enjoyed by parents.
C．The new playground is also enjoyed by old people.
D．The new playground offers a fashion which is popular in the past.
【小題4】The writer’s attitude toward the new playground is_______________.
A．a(chǎn)greeable B．negative
C．doubtful D．unknown

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科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解

When I was a kid, my Mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then. And I remember one night in particular when she had made breakfast after a long, hard day at hospital.
On that evening so long ago, my Mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage and extremely burned toast in front of my dad. I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed! Yet all my dad did was reach for his toast, smile at my Mom and ask me how my day was at school. I don't remember what I told him that night, but I do remember watching him spread butter and jelly on that toast and eat every bite!
　When I got up from the table that evening, I remember hearing my Mom apologize to my dad for burning the toast. And I'll never forget what he said: "Honey, I love burned toast."
Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if he really liked his toast burned. He took me in his arms and said, "Your Momma put in a hard day at work today and she's really tired. And besides – a little burned toast never hurt anyone!"
You know, life is full of imperfect things and imperfect people. What I’ve learned over the years is that learning to accept each other’s faults is one of the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and lasting relationship. This good quality is the base of any relationship --- husband-wife or parent-child or friendship! As far as I’m concerned, I’m not the best engineer as expected. However, I have made my efforts. That’s enough.
So learn to take the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of your life. Burnt toast isn’t a deal-breaker! Don’t put the key to your happiness in someone else’s pocket but into your own.
【小題1】When his mother put the burnt biscuit on the table, the author _____.

A．wanted to see how his father reacted
B．pretended not to notice it
C．pretended to enjoy the burnt food
D．stopped his father eating the burnt toast
【小題2】We can infer from the passage that the author’s mother       .
A．She was not good at cooking.
B．She hardly had time to cook at home.
C．She felt sorry for the burnt food.
D．She spent more time on breakfast than dinner.
【小題3】How did the author feel when his father said he loved burnt toast?
A．Moved. B．Puzzled C．Surprised. D．Disappointed.
【小題4】According to the text, to get a happy life, one should______ .
A．give help to people in need B．try to be a perfect person
C．learn from one’s mistakes D．learn to be understanding

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科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解

Some years ago, writing in my diary used to be a usual activity.I would return from school and spend the expected half hour recording the day's events, feelings, and impressions in my little blue diary.I did not really need to express my emotions by way of words, but I gained a certain satisfaction from seeing my experiences forever recorded on paper.After all, isn't accumulating memories a way of preserving the past?
When I was thirteen years old, I went on a long journey on foot in a great valley, well－equipped with pens, a diary, and a camera.During the trip, I was busy recording every incident, name and place I came across.I felt proud to be spending my time productively, dutifully preserving for future generations a detailed description of my travels.On my last night there, I wandered out of my tent, diary in hand.The sky was clear and lit by the glare of the moon, and the walls of the valley looked threatening behind their screen of shadows.I automatically took out my pen...
At that point, I understood that nothing I wrote could ever match or replace the few seconds I allowed myself to experience the dramatic beauty of the valley.All I remembered of the previous few days were the dull characterizations I had set down in my diary.
Now, I only write in my diary when I need to write down a special thought or feeling.I still love to record ideas and quotations that strike me in books, or observations that are particularly meaningful.I take pictures, but not very often—only of objects I find really beautiful.I'm no longer blindly satisfied with having something to remember when I grow old.I realize that life will simply pass me by if I stay behind the camera, busy preserving the present so as to live it in the future.
I don't want to wake up one day and have nothing but a pile of pictures and notes.Maybe I won't have as many exact representations of people and places; maybe I'll forget certain facts, but at least the experiences will always remain inside me.I don't live to make memories—I just live, and the memories form themselves.
【小題1】Before the age of thirteen, the author regarded keeping a diary as a way of________.

A．observing her school routine
B．expressing her satisfaction
C．impressing her classmates
D．preserving her history
【小題2】What caused a change in the author's understanding of keeping a diary?
A．A dull night on the journey.
B．The beauty of the great valley.
C．A striking quotation from a book.
D．Her concerns for future generations.
【小題3】What does the author put in her diary now?
A．Notes and beautiful pictures.
B．Special thoughts and feelings.
C．Detailed accounts of daily activities.
D．Descriptions of unforgettable events.
【小題4】The author comes to realize that to live a meaningful life is________.
A．to experience it
B．to live the present in the future
C．to make memories
D．to give accurate representations of it

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科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解

It was Thanksgiving morning. I was busy preparing the traditional Thanksgiving turkey when the doorbell rang. I opened the front door and saw two small children in rags huddling together on the top step.
“Any old papers, lady?” asked one of them.
I was busy. I wanted to say “no” until I looked down at their feet. They were wearing thin little sandals （涼鞋）, wet with heavy snow.
“Come in and I’ll make you a cup of hot cocoa.”
They walked over and sat down at the table. Their wet sandals left marks upon the floor. I saved them cocoa and bread to fight against the cold outside. Then I went back to the kitchen and started cooking. [來源:學(xué)§科§網(wǎng)]
The silence in the front room struck me. I looked in. The girl held the empty cup in her hands, looking at it. The boy asked in a flat voice, “Lady, are you rich?”
“Am I rich? Pity, no!”
I looked at my worn-out slipcovers （椅套）. The girl put her cup back in its saucer （茶碟）carefully and said, “Your cups match your saucers.” They left after that, holding their papers against the wind. They had reminded me that I had so much for which to be grateful.
Plain blue china cups and saucers were only worth five pence. But they matched.
I tasted the potatoes and stirred the meat soup. Potatoes and brown meat soup, a roof over our heads, my man with a regular job, these matched, too.
I moved the chairs back from the fire and cleaned the living room. The muddy marks of little sandals were still wet upon my floor. Let them be for a while, I thought, just in case I should begin to forget how rich I am.
【小題1】The writer let the two children come in and served them well because ______.

A．she wanted to sell old papers to them
B．she wanted to give them some presents
C．she showed great pity and care on them
D．she wanted to show her thanks to them
【小題2】The writer left the muddy marks of little sandals on the floor for a while to _______.
A．show that she was a kind-hearted lady
B．remind her she shouldn’t forget how rich she was
C．leave room for readers to think about what being rich is
D．call up her memories of the good old days
【小題3】It can be inferred from the text that whether you are rich depends on _______.
A．how much money you have made
B．what attitude you have had toward life
C．the way you help others
D．your social relationship

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科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解

Many of us dream of having thousands and thousands of dollar to spend on what we desire We can buy lottery tickets, enter contests or spend hours building a business or invest in the stock market. We are sure that when we have plenty of money, we will be happy.
While having some money does have an impact on our level of happiness, having a lot of money does not. It is reported that Americans whose income goes from $20,000 a year to $50,000 a year are more likely to be happy. But beyond $50,000, happiness does not increase as salaries go up. It is because we are never satisfied. Catherine Sanderson, a psychology professor at Amherst College says, "We always think if we just had a little more money, we’d be happier. But when we get there, we are not."
Daniel Gilbert, a psychology professor at Harvard notes,"The more you make, the more you want. The more you have, the less it brings you joy. We incorrectly assume we’Il get more pleasure from more, and we don’t."
The things money can buy don't make you happy either. A lot of research suggests that you won't find the "good life" buying expensive "toys". You finally buy that BMW you've always wanted and it soon loses its appeal. Then, instead of wondering if a new car is what really makes you happy, you decide you just need a different new car. It is an endless cycle.
To really be happy, you need to understand what makes you happy in the first place. One secret of happiness is people. Surveys have found that people need people. Those who have five or more close friends are 50% more likely to describe themselves as "very happy". Good relationships have a far greater effect on happiness than larger salary. Andrew Oswald, an economist at England's University of Warwick says, "B you are looking for happiness in life, find the right husband or wife rather than trying to double your salary."
So invest your time and energy in people. The reward is much bigger in terms of happiness!
【小題1】In Paragraph 1 the author intends to tell us the "belief" that

A．we are unhappy because we often lack money 
B．people can buy what they want if they have enough money 
C．more money will make one's dreams come true 
D．happiness will result from more money 
【小題2】Which of the following statements would the author agree to?
A．Having some money brings happiness to some degree. 
B．The more money one earns, the sadder one becomes 
C．Buying expensive things will surely bring pleasure 
D．We get nothing from buying expensive things we want. 
【小題3】Why does happiness not increase with pay rises?
A．Most of us have a psychological problem. 
B．People are not content with what they get. 
C．It is human nature to be unhappy. 
D．Happiness has nothing to do with money. 
【小題4】In order to find happiness we should
A．a(chǎn)lways make new friends B．take no notice of our salaries 
C．focus on good relationships D．invest our money in our friend 

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科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解

There is a problem each of us faces in following advice on emotional healing: apologizing is difficult. We are trapped in what we think of ourselves by holding onto our pride. We can be selfish and not willing to admit our most obvious mistakes. Pride eats away at us as we argue or ignore the mistake.
It's happened to me. I have had too much pride and selfishness to apologize to a loved one I hurt. When I did want to apologize, I couldn't bring myself to face the other person. This is the pride I'm talking about. Maybe apologies come difficult for men because they're expected to be dominant. It's like the joke that a man never asks for directions when lost. Ladies are more emotionally open than guys and are willing to express it. Still, both genders wonder how to correctly apologize.
In shifting the focus on apologizing away from you, what does not apologizing do to other people? They feel hurt that you are not willing to communicate your mistake. They lose trust in you as you hide behind your mistake avoiding reality. They become angry with you, wondering why you do not tell them the truth. They may begin to counter your lack of apologies by not apologizing themselves and from this the relationship goes downhill as the two of you get caught in a power struggle.
You need to communicate your mistakes. A mistake you made is like a scratch and by not apologizing you are making the scratch a deeper wound and rubbing salt into it. You need to stop hurting the other person and yourself by learning to apologize. There is real power in apologizing and emotional healing.
【小題1】Why are men more unwilling to make apologies?

A．They don't intend to hurt other people.
B．They expect others to forgive them.
C．They don't want to be considered weak.
D．They aren't good at expressing themselves.
【小題2】What bad effect will there be if you refuse to apologize for your mistakes?
A．Other people won't pay attention to you.
B．You will lose confidence in yourself.
C．You won't be forgiven even if you tell the truth.
D．The friendship will get hurt and go worse.
【小題3】From the last paragraph, it can be inferred that              .
A．communication can stop you making mistakes
B．mistakes would turn into deeper scratches
C．a(chǎn)pologizing is good for you and other people
D．a(chǎn)pologizing is the most powerful in emotional healing

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科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解

The latest research suggests that the key factor separating geniuses from the merely accomplished is not I.Q., a generally bad predictor of success. Instead, it’s purposeful practice. Top performers spend more hours practising their craft. It you wanted to picture how a typical genius might develop, you’d take a girl who possessed a slightly above average language ability. It wouldn’t have to be a big talent, just enough so that she might gain some sense of distinction. Then you would want her to meet, say, a novelist, who coincidentally shared some similar qualities. Maybe the writer was from the same town, had the same family background, or shared the same birthday.
This contact would give the girl a vision of her future self. It would hive her some idea of a fascinating circle who might someday join. It would also help if one of her parents died when she was 12, giving her a strong sense of insecurity and fueling a desperate need for success. Armed with this ambition, she would read novels and life stories of writers without end. This would give her a primary knowledge of her field. She’s be able to see new writing in deeper ways and quickly understand its inner workings.
Then she would practise writing. Her practice would be slow, painstaking and error-focused. By practising in this way, she delays the automatizing process. Her mind wants to turn conscious, newly learned skills into unconscious. Automatically performed skills. By practising slowly, by breaking skills down into tiny parts and repeating, she forces the brain to internalize a better pattern of performance. Then she would find an adviser who would provide a constant stream of feedback, viewing her performance form the outside, correcting the smallest errors, pushing her to take on tougher challenges. By now she is redoing problems — how do I get characters into a room—dozens and dozens of times. She is establishing habits of thought she can call upon in order to understand or solve future problems.
The primary quality our young writer possesses is not some mysterious genius. It’s the ability to develop a purposeful, laborious and boring practice routine; the latest research takes some of the magic out of great achievement. But it underlines a fact that is often neglected. Public discussion is affected by genetics and what we’re “hard-wired” to do. And it’s true that genes play a role in our capabilities. But the brain is also very plastic. We construct ourselves through behaviour.
【小題1】The passage mainly deals with         .

A．the function of I.Q. in cultivating a writer
B．the relationship between genius and success
C．the decisive factor in making a genius
D．the way of gaining some sense of distinction
【小題2】By reading novels and writers’ stories, the girl could        .
A．come to understand the inner structure of writing
B．join a fascinating circle of writers someday
C．share with a novelist her likes and dislikes
D．learn from the living examples to establish a sense of security
【小題3】 In the girl’s long painstaking training process, ________.
A．her adviser forms a primary challenging force to her success
B．her writing turns into an automatic pattern of performance
C．she acquires the magic of some great achievement
D．she comes to realize she is “hard-wired” to write
【小題4】What can be concluded from the passage?
A．A fueling ambition plays a leading role in one’s success
B．A responsible adviser is more important than the knowledge of writing.
C．As to the growth of a genius, I.Q. doesn’t matter, but just his/her effort.
D．What really matters is what you do rather than who you are.

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科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解

My grandmother often said to me, “You can count the number of your true friends on the fingers of one hand.” For a long time I thought this was true. However, I’ve now discovered my grandmother was only half right. Maybe we do only make a few “best” friends in our lifetime, but those aren’t the only people that we can call friends. There are many different types. Let me tell you about a few of them.
One type of friends is the type I call the “football mom friend”. My neighbor Sally is a good example. We both have kids who play football in a football club, and someone has to take them to practice and pick them up. Sally and I and two other mothers take turns to do this. We meet sometimes and have tea and talk about what our kids are doing, but those are the only times that we meet each other. I enjoy being with these women, but we don’t do anything else together.
Another type is called the “hobby friend”. That’s the person you share an interest or a hobby with. Michael and Cater, who are brothers, are a good example of this type. We’re all in a bird watching club. Every few weekends the members of the club go on a trip to watch different kinds of birds. There’s nothing romantic（浪漫的）about my relationship with Michael and Cater, of course. We just share interest in birds.
Then there’s the “other half of the couple” type of friends. Jim is married to Rose, a friend that I’ve known since college. When Rose married Jim, I realized that I would have to be Jim’s friend if I want to continue to be Rose’s. Jim and I don’t share so many interests, but we do have a friendly relationship.
【小題1】What does the first paragraph tell us about?

A．We need true friends in our lifetime.
B．We have few best friends in our lifetime.
C．We should make new friends.
D．We must be friendly to all our friends.
【小題2】Many people are mentioned in this passage. Who is the writer’s true friend?
A．Sally. B． Michael. C． Jim. D． Rose.
【小題3】Which of the following statements is RIGHT?
A．Finally the writer agrees with her grandmother.
B．Michael and Cater both fall in love with the writer.
C．The writer herself sometimes takes her kid to the football club.
D．Sally and the writer are close friends.
【小題4】How many types of friends are mentioned in the passage?
A．2. B． 3. C． 4. D．5
【小題5】From the last paragraph we learn that ________.
A．the writer made friends with Jim only because of Rose
B．Jim was the writer’s good friend at college
C．Rose didn’t want the writer to be a friend of her husband
D．the writer made friends with Rose because of Jim

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