I was brought up in the British, stiff upper lip style. Strong feelings aren’t something you display in public. So, you can imagine that I was unprepared for the outpouring of public grief(悲傷) at a Chinese funeral.
My funeral.editorial team leader died recently after a short illness. He was 31. The news was so unexpected that it left us all shocked and upset. A female colleague burst into tears and cried piteously at her desk. Somehow we got through the day's work. The next day was the funeral.
Our big boss stepped forward to deliver a eulogy and was soon in tears. She carried on, in Chinese of course, but at the end said in English: "There will be no more deadlines for you in heaven." Next came a long-term colleague who also dissolved in tears but carried on with her speech despite being almost overcome by emotion. Then a close friend of the dead man paid tribute(哀悼), weeping openly as he spoke. Sorrow is spreading. Me and women were now sobbing uncontrollably. Finally, the man's mother, supported between two women, addressed her son in his coffin. At one point, the mother almost collapsed and had to be held up. We were invited to step forward to each lay a white rose on the casket. Our dead colleague looked as if he was taking a nap. At the end of the service I walked away from the funeral parlor stunned at the outpouring of emotion.
In the UK, families grieve privately and then try to hold it together and not break down at a funeral. Here in China it would seem that grieving is a public affair. It strikes me that it is more cathartic to cry your eyes out than try to keep it bottled up for fear of embarrassment, which is what many of us do in the West.
Afterwards, a Chinese colleague told me that the lamenting at the funeral had been restrained(克制) by Chinese standards. In some rural areas, she said, people used to be paid to mourn noisily. This struck me like something out of novel by Charles Dickens. But we have all seen on TV scenes of grief-stricken people in Gaza and the West Bank, in Afghanistan, Iraq and the relatives of victims of terrorist bombings around the world. Chinese grief is no different. I realized that it's the reserved British way of mourning that is out of step with the rest of the world.
It was our newspaper's production day. We were bussed back to the office to resume work. No more deadlines for our former colleague, but we had to pull together to put the newspaper to print. The boss invited the team to go out for dinner after work. We relaxed, smiled, joked. There was no mention of the funeral or our poor colleague. Enough sorrow had been shed already. We needed a break.
【小題1】The underlined words “stiff upper lip style” in Paragraph 1 mean “________”.
A.cold-blooded | B.warm-hearted |
C.light-hearted | D.self-controlled |
A.five individuals made speeches |
B.the boss’s speech was best thought of |
C.the writer was astonished by the scene |
D.everyone was crying out loudly |
A.a(chǎn)re not willing to be sad for the dead |
B.cry their eyes out at the public funeral |
C.prefer to control their sadness in public |
D.have better way to express sadness |
A.Chinese express their sadness quite unlike other peoples |
B.the English might cry noisily for the dead in Dickens’ time |
C.victims of terrorist bombings should be greatly honored |
D.English funeral culture is more civilized than the others |
A.a(chǎn)n editor’s death | B.bad funeral customs |
C.cultural differences | D.western ways of grief |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
Grant Wood’s American Gothic caused a stir (轟動)in 1930 when it was exhibited for the first time at the Art Institute of Chicago and awarded a prize of 300 dollars. Newspapers across the country carried the story, and the painting of a farmer and a younger woman posed before a white house brought the artist instant fame.
In 1930, Grant Wood, an American painter with European training, noticed a small white house built in the small southern Iowa town of Eldon. Wood was so fascinated by it that he decided to paint the house along with the kind of people he thought should live in that house. In the painting, the farmer is modeled on his dentist. Dr. Byron McKeeby. His younger sister Nan served as a model for the woman (imagined to be the farmer’s wife or daughter). Wood wanted to give a description of the traditional roles of men and women as the man is holding a pitchfork symbolizing hard labor. Each element was painted separately; the models sat separately and never stood in front of the house. The Gothic style of the house inspired the painting’s title.
American Gothic remains one of the most famous paintings in the history of American art. The painting has become part of American popular culture. Some believe that Wood used it to satirize(諷刺) the narrow-mindedness that has been said to characterize Midwestern culture. The painting may also be read as a praise of the moral virtue or rural America or even as a mixture of praise and satire. American Gothic is one of the few images to reach the status of cultural symbol, along with Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.
【小題1】Which of the following is true about American Gothic?
A.It won a prize of £ 300. |
B.The two characters in it posed before the White House. |
C.It was the first painting by Grant Wood. |
D.It was on show at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1930. |
A.the southern town of Eldon | B.the Midwest of the United States |
C.a(chǎn) European country | D.the city of Chicago |
A.to describe traditional roles of men and women |
B.to praise the moral virtue of rural America |
C.to make his dentist and his sister famous |
D.to carry the story across the country |
A.the name of a small town | B.the man and the woman |
C.the Gothic style of the house | D.the pitchfork symbolizing hard labor |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
What is an idiom? An idiom is a group of words which, when used together, has a different meaning from the one which the individual words have. For example, “---How do you know that Sid and Nancy have separated ?” “---I heard it on the grapevine(葡萄藤)”.
Of course, the second speaker does not mean he heard the news about John by putting his ear to a grapevine! He is conveying the idea visually of information spreading around a widespread network, similar to a grapevine. We use idioms to express something that other words do not express as clearly or as cleverly. We often use an image or symbol to describe something as clearly as possible and thus make our point as effectively as possible. For example, "in a nutshell" suggests the idea of having all the information contained within very few words. Idioms tend to be informal and are best used in spoken rather than written English.
One of the best ways to learn an idiom is by looking at the context in which it is used. This can be done by concentrating on the rest of the sentence and try to guess the meaning. Many idioms are not that difficult to understand when considered in their context. For example: We are going to have a surprise party for Tom tomorrow. It's a secret so please don't let the cat out of the bag.
'Let the cat out of the bag' is an idiom. Imagine you don't know what this idiom means; by looking at the words preceding, it should be easy to guess that the speaker does not want you to tell Tom about the surprise party. Therefore, 'let the cat out of the bag' must mean something like' reveal a secret' or 'tell a secret'.
【小題1】Which of the following sentences is NOT similar to “I heard it on the grapevine. ” in figures of speech(在修辭方面)?
A.The exam was a piece of cake. |
B.You will be paid under the table. |
C.You eat with that mouth? |
D.It rained cats and dogs yesterday. |
A.blue | B.homesick | C.unhappy | D.ill |
A.in a paper | B.in an preface(序言) | C.in a notice | D.in online chatting |
A.Other words can express something as vividly as idioms. |
B.Written English with spoken English does not use idioms at all. |
C.There are plant, food, animal idioms used to express something. |
D.Contexts play not a bit important part in guessing the meaning of idioms. |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
Millions of people die of hunger in southern Africa every year, but when Zambia was offered thousands of tons of free maize by the US, the government politely said no.
“We don’t know whether the food is safe,” said Zambia’s commerce, Trade and Industry Minister Dipak Patel.
His worries are shared by countries around the world that are in two minds about America’s genetically modified(GM,轉(zhuǎn)基因的)crops.Just last week, EU(歐盟)member nations were discussing whether or not to import GM sweet corn from the US.
Ever since people started farming, they have tried to crossbreed(雜交)plants to make them stronger or better tasting. At one time, only related plants could be crossed with each other.
But when GM techniques were developed in the 1970s, scientists were able to put a single gene from a living creature into an unrelated creature.
This means they can make crops more productive and resistant to disease by adding genes from other species.They can also create food with special characteristics, such as “golden rice”, which is enriched with vitamin A. But many people believe GM foods are a health risk.
At the moment, the official argument is that GM foods “are not likely to present risks for human health”. But there are still many questions to be answered as the foods are produced in different ways.
Some experts believe the genetic material added to plants can transfer to humans and give damage to our bodies. Further harm could be caused by the genes from GM plants crossbreeding with naturally produced crops.
People in China are also getting worried about GM foods. More than 70 percent of the
country’s soybean oil is produced from imported GM soybeans. Meanwhile, an investigation last November found that 12 of 60 famous foods sold across the country were GM products. The government has begun to introduce a marking system for GM goods so that people can choose whether or not to eat them.
【小題1】Which is the best title for the passage?
A.Harmful GM foods | B.Advantages of GM foods |
C.GM foods, a health risk? | D.the Techniques of GM foods |
A.they decide to follow EU member’s advice |
B.they are concerned about the safety of GM foods |
C.they care little about the problem of starvation |
D.they are too proud to accept free offer |
A.GM foods are harmful to people’s health |
B.GM food is no better than naturally produced foods |
C.only related plans could be crossed with each other |
D.GM techniques can increase the production of crops |
A.GM foods are a health risk. |
B.Only Zambia worries about the safety of GM foods . |
C.China’s government hasn’t taken any action about GM foods. |
D.Some experts believe human bodies can absorb genetic material from GM foods. |
A.Supportive. | B.Neutral. | C.Doubtful. | D.Critical. |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
You may have heard some respectable elders say, “It’s not what you want in this world, but what you get.”
Psychology teaches that you do get what you want if you know what you want and want the right things.
You can make a mental blueprint of a desire as you would make a blueprint of a house, and each of us is continually making these blueprints in the general routine of everyday living. If we intend to give a dinner for friends, we plan the menu, make a shopping list, and decide which food to cook first, and such planning is essential and necessary for any type of meal to be served.
Similarly, you can make a blueprint for your could-be-job, take a sheet of paper, and write a brief account of yourself. In making a blueprint for a job, begin with yourself, for when you know exactly what you have to offer, you can intelligently plan where to sell your service.
This account of yourself is actually a description of your working life and should include education, experience and references. Such an account is valuable. It can be referred to filling out standard application blanks and it is extremely helpful in personal interviews. While talking to you, your could-be employer is deciding whether your education, your experience and other qualifications will pay him to employ you, and your abilities must be displayed on an orderly and reasonably connected manner. When you have carefully prepared a blueprint of your abilities and desires, you have something exact to sell. Then you are ready to hunt for a job.
Get all the possible information about your could-be job. Make your eyes and ears open, and use your own judgment. Spend a certain amount of time each day seeking in the employment you wish for, and keep in mind: Obtaining a job is your job now!
【小題1】When the elders say, “It’s not what you want in the world, but what you get”, they mean ______.
A.you will certainly get what you want |
B.it’s no use dreaming but be practical |
C.you should never be satisfied with what you have |
D.it’s essential to be ambitious |
A.a(chǎn) set rule for job hunters |
B.a(chǎn) suggestion on how to get a good job |
C.a(chǎn)n example of how to plan important things ahead |
D.a(chǎn) guideline for a job description |
A.writing up a detailed plan for a job interview |
B.keeping a blueprint of what you want to do |
C.drawing a description of your working life |
D.seeking the employment you want |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
Homesick is a compound word made up of HOME and SICK. You know what each word means on its own, of course. But think about what the words mean when they are used together. Homesick means SICK FOR HOME.
Now think for a minute about SEASICK. If you change the word home in the definition(釋義)to the word sea, would the definition fit SEASICK? Seasick means SICK BY THE MOVEMENT ON THE SEA. When you are homesick ,the only place you want to be is at home. When you are seasick, the last place you want to be is at sea.
Have you ever heard of a person being heartsick? Heartsick doesn’t mean that something is wrong with a person’s heart. people are heartsick when they are hurt deep inside and when they feel as if their hearts are broken.
But, on the other hand, we have such compound words as handshake, handstand, and handbag. Perhaps you may write definitions for them.
【小題1】The word SEASICK means“______”.
A.to be eager to go to the sea | B.what has nothing to do with the sea |
C.to be sick because of the sea | D.that the sea is terrible |
A.his heart is sick | B.his heart needs testing |
C.he’s sorry at heart | D.he’s terribly disappointed and sad |
A.where you want to be most | B.where you want to be least |
C.where you go the last | D.the last place you go to |
A.easy to know | B.difficult to know |
C.impossible to learn | D.unnecessary to learn |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
Throughout the history of the arts, the nature of creativity has remained constant to artists. No matter what objects they select, artists are to bring forth new forces and forms that cause change-to find poetry where no one has ever seen or experienced it before.
Landscape(風(fēng)景) is another unchanging element of art. It can be found from ancient times through the 17th-century Dutch painters to the 19th-century romanticists and impressionists. In the 1970s, Alfred Leslie, one of the new American realists, continued this practice. Leslie sought out the same place where Thomas Cole, a romanticist, had produced paintings of the same scene a century and a half before. Unlike Cole who insists on a feeling of loneliness and the idea of finding peace in nature, Leslie paints what he actually sees. In his paintings, there is no particular change in emotion, and he includes ordinary things like the highway in the background. He also takes advantage of the latest developments of color photography(攝影術(shù)) to help both the eye and the memory when he improves his painting back in his workroom.
Besides, all art begs the age-old question: What is real? Each generation of artists has shown their understanding of reality in one form or another. The impressionists saw reality in brief emotional effects, the realists in everyday subjects and in forest scenes, and the Cro-Magnon cave people in their naturalistic drawings of the animals in the ancient forests. To sum up, understanding reality is a necessary struggle for artists of all periods.
Over thousands of years the function of the arts has remained relatively constant. Past or present, Eastern or Western, the arts are a basic part of our immediate experience. Many and different are the faces of art, and together they express the basic need and hope of human beings.
【小題1】The underlined word “poetry” most probably means __________.
A.a(chǎn)n object for artistic creation | B.a(chǎn) collection of poems |
C.a(chǎn)n unusual quality | D.a(chǎn) natural scene |
A.they are close in style to works in ancient times |
B.they look like works by 19th-century painters |
C.they draw attention to common things in life |
D.they depend heavily on color photography |
A.It will not be found in future works of art. |
B.It does not have a long-lasting standard. |
C.It is expressed in a fixed artistic form. |
D.It is lacking in modern works of art. |
A.They express people's curiosity about the past. |
B.They make people interested in everyday experience. |
C.They are considered important for variety in form. |
D.They are regarded as a mirror of the human situation. |
A.History of the arts. |
B.Basic questions of the arts. |
C.New developments in the arts. |
D.Use of modern technology in the arts. |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
When you walk along a street in a big city in the United States, you may see clocks in most stores. Radio announcers give the correct time during the day. People there think that it is important to know the time. Most Americans have watches. They want to do certain things at certain times. They do not want to be late. Not all people all over the world value time. Suppose you visit a certain country in South America. You would find that people living there do not like to rush. If you had an appointment(約會)with someone, he would probably be late. He would not care for arriving on time. In some countries in South America, even the radio programs may not begin right on time, nor do the radio announcers think it important to announce the right time. Many people regard a clock as a machine. It seems to them that a person who does everything on time is controlled(控制)by a machine. They do not want a clock or any machine to have that much power over their lives.
【小題1】There are clocks in most stores in the US cities because ______.
A.people in the stores want to sell these clocks |
B.people think it important to know the time |
C.bosses want to make their stores beautiful |
D.they needn't wear watches when they are away from home |
A.“run” | B.“race” | C.“move” | D.“hurry” |
A.he didn't have a watch with him |
B.he didn't think it important to arrive on time |
C.he forgot to have a look at a watch or a clock |
D.he didn't like an appointment with someone |
A.the radio programs many start a bit early or late |
B.the radio announcers do think it important to announce the exact time |
C.many people think a clock has much power |
D.most people do not want to be controlled by others |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is one of the most loved children's books of all time, and many adults enjoy it as well. It tells the story of a young girl named Alice, who follows a rabbit entering a magical world called Wonderland: she has many experiences which seem to change the rules of reasoning or common sense. The popularity of the book comes from its imagination, interesting story, and art work.
The writer of the book is Lewis Carroll. In fact, Lewis Carroll was not the writer's real name. His real name was Charles Dodgson. One day, he took a boat ride down the Thames River to have a picnic with three little girls who were friends of the family. To keep them entertained on the ride, he told them a story in which Alice, the middle child, was the main character. They enjoyed the story very much.
Charles later wrote the story down under the name Alice's Adventures under Ground and gave it to Alice as a Christmas present. Later, he gave a copy to his friend George MacDonald. George read it to his children and they loved it. George suggested to Charles that he make a book from his story. Charles then wrote more parts to the story until it was around 35,000 words. It was first printed in 1866, with art work by John Tenniel, under the name Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The book was an immediate success.
One of its first fans was Queen Victoria. She immediately requested a collection of all of Lewis Carroll's works. She was surprised to find that they included many works on math. In fact, Charles Dodgson was a highly respected mathematician. This can be seen in many puzzles and plays on reasoning that appear in his books and poems.
Since the story was first printed, it has kept selling up to the present day. It has been translated into over fifty languages and has had several movies based on it. The story is even mentioned in the popular 1999 film The Matrix by the character Morpheus.
【小題1】The passage is mainly about _____.
A.Charles' family life |
B.a(chǎn) girl's adventurous experience |
C.a(chǎn) magical world called wonderland |
D.the birth of a book and its lasting influences |
A.The writer published his works under his real name. |
B.The character Alice was based on from George's child. |
C.John contributed partly to the popularity of the book. |
D.Charles offered a copy to George as a present. |
A.Queen Victoria asked for a few of Charles' writings |
B.Charles was good at reasoning and writing |
C.Charles had his works translated into fifty languages |
D.The Matrix was based on Alice's Adventures in Wonderland |
A.c-b-a-d-e | B.c-a-b-e-d | C.b-a-d-c-e | D.b-a-c-e-d |
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