Art is everywhere in our lives.Every man­made object is linked with art—a house，a motor car，a bridge，a chair，a teapot，or a piece of cloth.Throughout history，humans have made articles for a wide variety of purposes；generally for everyday practical requirements.The style of practical objects reflects the outlook and the spirit of the times in which they are made and in consequence style is constantly changing.
It seems that humans possess a natural urge to improve constructed objects with decoration：sometimes for beautification，sometimes for religious reasons，sometimes to show off their wealth and power，and sometimes to tell a story.Decoration is not art in itself.Unnecessary decoration can ruin the form and perhaps the function of an object，but when decoration is used with care，it can beautify，produce variety，and add interest.
The first essential(要點(diǎn)) in every creation is that it should properly fulfil its purpose；for instance，a teapot should pour perfectly，an easy chair should provide comfortable relaxation，a block of flats should be a pleasant place in which to live，and a factory or commercial building should be a suitable building in which to work.
The second essential is that an object should please the eye with its form，line，proportion(比例)，colour and texture(質(zhì)地)，and it should be capable of inspiring the emotions.For example，contemporary furniture designers must think of form，function and structure，and have taken their lead from the outstanding Scandinavian designs of Denmark，F(xiàn)inland and Sweden，whose preference was for simple functional furniture to suit the architectural environment of the day.Heavy furniture is no longer desirable，and by contrast，modern furniture is often characterised by its good proportion，pleasing lines，simple fittings and attractive structures.
Motor vehicles are a perfect example of how design has changed to suit function.Early car design was greatly influenced by the horse­drawn carriage，but today we find functional design satisfying every requirement of practical use and good appearance.Designs in the 1980s and 1990s included streamlining(流線型) to reduce wind resistance in fast­moving vehicles，and，at the same time，satisfy an important art principle—rhythm.But the cars of today，often half size of their predecessors(前身)，have taken the concept of industrial design way beyond simple strength，comfort and beauty.They now include safety and ecological characteristics，reflecting the need to be environmentally friendly through，for example，reduced fuel consumption，while at the same time satisfying the need to be stylish，and appealing to the eye.For many people，the 21st­century car represents the greatest work of art.
【小題1】What point does the writer make about decorating objects?

A．It is something people have always done.
B．It can show the object has a range of functions.
C．It always improves the appearance of an object.
D．It is usually done to make the object more noticeable.
【小題2】The underlined word “fulfil” in Paragraph 3 means “________”．
A．keep B．find
C．change D．realize
【小題3】What is the best title for the text?
A．Form Follows Function
B．Life Is Art，Art Is Life
C．Art in Everyday Life
D．The Best Work of Art


【小題1】A
【小題2】D
【小題3】C

解析【小題1】A
解析　細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第二段的第一句“人類似乎有一種本能的欲望用裝飾來(lái)改進(jìn)自己制造的物品，有時(shí)是為了美化……”可知，這是人類一直在做的事情。
【小題2】D
解析　詞義猜測(cè)題。根據(jù)下文的內(nèi)容：茶壺能倒水，椅子坐起來(lái)很舒服，房子適宜居住，工廠或者商業(yè)大樓適合工作，推斷該詞意為“實(shí)現(xiàn)”，即每一個(gè)創(chuàng)造都應(yīng)該實(shí)現(xiàn)它的目的、用途。
【小題3】C
解析　標(biāo)題歸納題。文章第一句就講“藝術(shù)在我們的生活中無(wú)處不在。”接下來(lái)，從人類為什么總在美化自己制造的每一件物品、美化的要點(diǎn)論述這個(gè)主題，并以現(xiàn)代家具和汽車為例證，因此推斷文章標(biāo)題為“藝術(shù)存在于日常生活之中”。

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源： 題型：閱讀理解

Working with a group of baboons (狒狒）in the Namibian desert, Dr. Alecia Carter of the Department of Zoology，Cambridge University set baboons learning tasks involving a novel food and a familiar food hidden in a box. Some baboons were given the chance to watch another baboon who already knew how to solve the task, while others had to learn for themselves. To work out how brave or anxious the baboons were, Dr. Carter presented them either with a novel food or a threat in the form of a model of a poisonous snake.
She found that personality had a major impact on learning. The braver baboons learnt, but the shy ones did not learn the task although they watched the baboon perform the task of finding the novel food just as long as the brave ones did. In effect, despite being made aware of what to do, they were still too shy to do what the experienced baboon did.
The same held true for anxious baboons compared with calm ones. The anxious individuals learnt the task by observing others while those who were relaxed did not, even though they spent more time watching.
This mismatch between collecting social information and using it shows that personality plays a key role in social learning in animals, something that has previously been ignored in studies on how animals learn to do things. The findings are significant because they suggest that animals may perform poorly in cognitive (認(rèn) 知的）tasks not because they aren’t clever enough to solve them，but because they are too shy or nervous to use the social information.
The findings may impact how we understand the formation of culture in societies through social learning. If some individuals are unable to get information from others because they don’t associate with the knowledgeable individuals，or they are too shy to use the information once they have it，information may not travel between all group members, preventing the formation of a culture based on social learning.
【小題1】What is the first paragraph mainly about?

A．The design of Dr. Carter’s research.
B．The results of Dr. Carter’s research.
C．The purpose of Dr. Carter’s research.
D．The significance of Dr. Carter’s research.
【小題2】According to the research, which baboons are more likely to complete a new learning task?
A．Those that have more experience.
B．Those that can avoid potential risks.
C．Those that like to work independently.
D．Those that feel anxious about learning.
【小題3】Which best illustrates the “mismatch” mentioned in Paragraph 4?
A．Some baboons are intelligent but slow in learning.
B．Some baboons are shy but active in social activities.
C．Some baboons observe others but don’t follow them.
D．Some baboons perform new tasks but don’t concentrate.
【小題4】Dr. Carter’s findings indicate that our culture might be formed through   .
A．storing information
B．learning from each other
C．understanding different people
D．travelling between social groups

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源： 題型：閱讀理解

More than a century ago, the composer and bandleader John Philip Sousa warned that technology would destroy music, who said, “These talking machines are going to ruin the artistic development of music in this country. When I was a boy … in front of every house in the summer evenings you would find young people together singing the songs of the day or the old songs. Today you hear these terrible machines going night and day. We will not have a vocal cord (聲帶) left.”
Music has greatly changed in the past hundred years, which has been everywhere in our world: rivers of digital melody flow on the Internet or on disc; MP3 players with forty thousand songs can be put in a back pocket or a purse. Yet, for most of us, music is no longer something we do ourselves, or even watch other people do in front of us. It has become a radically virtual medium, an art without a face.
Ever since Edison invented the phonograph cylinder(留聲機(jī)), people have been assessing what the medium of recording has done for and to the art of music. Sousa was a spokesman for the party of doom; in the opposite corner are the utopians(烏托邦), who argue that technology has not imprisoned music but liberated it. Before Edison came along, Beethoven’s symphonies could be heard only in select concert halls. Now the recordings carry the man from Bonn to the corners of the earth. Glenn Gould, after renouncing live performance in 1964, predicted that within the century the public concert would disappear into the electronic air.
Having discovered much of my favorite music through LPs and CDs, I am not about to join Sousa’s party. Modern urban environments are often so soulless or ugly that I’m grateful for the humanizing touch of electronic sound. But neither can I accept Gould’s slashing futurism. I want to be aware of technology’s effects, positive and negative. Fortunately, scholars and critics have been methodically exploring this terrain for many decades, trying to figure out exactly what happens when we listen to music with no musicians in the room.
【小題1】The first paragraph is intended to        .

A．defend an argumentB．make a prediction
C．criticize an attitudeD．summarized a viewpoint
【小題2】The author’s attitude towards the recorded music may best be described as        .
A．dissatisfiedB．defensiveC．optimisticD．objective
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A．regionB．subjectC．landD．distinction
【小題4】The primary purpose of the passage is to       .
A．explain different attitudes of scholars and critics
B．defend the view of one group from the criticism of another
C．a(chǎn)dvocate an unexpected solution to a pressing problem
D．present the key issues in an ongoing debate

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源： 題型：閱讀理解

Alomada Racraotion and Fork Deportment (ARFD)
(510)747­7529
TEEN TRIP TO
THE LELAND HIGH SNOW PLAY
FOR Teens Currently in 6th to 12th Grades
LELAND HIGH SNOW PLAY­Class #8389
Friday，December 9 (Non­Public School Holiday)
8∶00 a．m.to 7∶00 p．m.
Cost per person：$50 ($60 after January 22)—Includes：Lunch，Admission and Transportation
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Additional liability(責(zé)任) form required for the trip.
Be sure to bring warm clothing and prepare for the cold，but dress in layers in case it warms up.Wear dry boots，socks，and sunscreen.If possible，bring a mobile phone in case of emergency，as well as money for snacks and a light dinner；or bring your own food and drinks.Meet at The Underground (Veteran’s Building­2203 Central Avenue)—don’t be late!
Do not bring electronic or fragile items during the trip.The ARFD is not responsible for your personal belongings or money.
Refunds are issued only if the ARFD cancels this trip due to weather conditions.
Click here to download the registration form and “Leland High Snow Play Liability Form”．
?Register in person，or mail the completed form to Leland High Snow Play，Inc.Send the liability form and payment to the ARFD Office,2226 Santa Clara Avenue，Alameda.
?Fax the registration and liability form accepted with VISA，(510)747­7566.
?Online registrations available at www.arpdeplay.com. Make sure you bring your completed liability form on the trip.
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A．lunch B．drinks
C．a(chǎn)dmission D．transportation
【小題2】The purpose of the text is to ________.
A．introduce a famous tour agency
B．explain the details of a school activity
C．urge teenagers to climb a snowy mountain
D．a(chǎn)dvertise a trip to the Leland High Snow Play
【小題3】Teenagers who want to take part in the activity need to ________.
A．wear some warm clothes
B．climb the hill themselves
C．pay for tows individually
D．wear hats to protect themselves from the sun
【小題4】From the text it can be inferred that ________.
A．the activity is very dangerous
B．the weather there is changeable
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There is a story about a man who lost his legs and left arm in an accident. After the accident, only a finger and thumb on his right hand remained.
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Filled with excitement, the man knew he could write his letters. He began sending one-way messages of God’s love, hope, strength, and encouragement. He wrote twice a week, testing his strength and ability to the limit. He poured his heart and soul into his words and shared his experience, sense of humor, optimism, and faith.
It was difficult to write those letters, especially without hope of a reply. One day he received a letter from the prison ministry. It was a short note from the officer who monitored and checked the prison mail.
The letter said, "Please write on the best paper you can afford. Your letters are passed from cell to cell until they literally fall to pieces!"
No matter what circumstances life may present, we all have unique experiences, abilities, and God-given talents. We can discover ways to reach others who desperately need messages of encouragement and strength.
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A．had toured around the world
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A．the man was not allowed to write to the prisoners
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D．he was not sure if the prisoners liked receiving the letters
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A．the man would be offered free paper to write letters on
B．some of the prisoners were not satisfied with his letters
C．the prisoners eagerly wanted to write back to the man
D．his letters were very popular among the prisoners
【小題5】What can be the best title for the passage?
A．Stories about a humorous Person
B．Popularity of Special Letters
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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源： 題型：閱讀理解

Governments all over the world make public reports about the condition of their economies. Most countries, including the United States, have used a measure called the gross national product (國(guó)民生產(chǎn)總值)or GNP. It includes all goods and services produced by citizens of the country anywhere in the world.
Recently the American Commerce Department has started using a new method to measure production. It is known as the gross domestic product（國(guó)內(nèi)生產(chǎn)總值）or GDP. It counts only goods and services that have been produced within the nation’s borders. Money earned by foreign companies operating in the United States is included in the GDP, but money earned by American companies operating in other countries is not.
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A．by American companies at home
B．by American companies in China
C．by American companies in Singapore
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B．by American companies within its own borders
C．by foreign companies in the United States
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C．It will come down a little. D．It will slightly go up.
【小題5】How often are the reports of GDP issued by the American Commerce Department?
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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源： 題型：閱讀理解

“It is one of the few bright spots in the Chinese economy，” says Zeng Ming. He is talking about e­commerce. Mr. Zeng, the chief strategy officer for Alibaba, a giant Chinese Internet firm, predicts that digital transactions on his firm's platforms will top 1 trillion yuan($159 billion) this year—more than Amazon's and eBay's combined. That is a bold claim, but consider what happened on Singles Day.
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So life is good for China's e­tailers. Then? Not exactly. The number of digital marketers is increasing and online sales are booming. Consumers are enjoying lower prices, better service and more variety. The problem? The pressure on profits in Chinese e­commerce is worse than in America, reckons Elinor Leung of CLSA, a broker. “Almost no one makes money，” she says.
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【小題1】What's the best title of this passage?

A．The Ambition of Alibaba
B．Fierce Competition between Retailers
C．A New Festival for the Singles
D．Chinese Booming E­commerce
【小題2】According to Zeng Ming, this year Alibaba will ________.
A．outweigh Amazon and eBay in worldwide influence
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D．create another sales miracle just like the one on Singles Day
【小題3】How many packages were shipped on November 11th from Alibaba's online platforms?
A．About 80 million. B．About 100 million.
C．About 125 million. D．About 180 million.
【小題4】What's the author's attitude towards online retailers in China?
A．Optimistic. B．Concerned.
C．Sympathetic. D．Indifferent.

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源： 題型：閱讀理解

Market analysts in the United States have recently been quoted as saying that the biggest threat to the luxury (奢侈品) industry in the US is the tech industry. This is according to an article by fellow journalist Ashley Lutz. Her suggestion is sound. The main idea of her article is that products from Tiffany & Co. find their biggest competition not from other luxury brands but from companies like Apple. Lutz points out that luxury products are often only for “show,” while the attraction behind tech products is functionality.
You find few people in the United States today willing to purchase luxury goods at full price. It didn’t use to be that way. Luxury goods used to be actually exclusive. That meant you needed to travel to the right store to purchase them, and you didn’t even have the option of getting a deal.
Today, no one wants to pay full price for luxury goods. People have the unfortunate belief that fakes (贗品) somehow are equal to originals, and if you can’t get a deal on eBay, Amazon, or in an outlet store, purchasing a luxury product probably isn’t worth it. Luxury brands struggle to remain high-end (高檔的) images despite the reality that the American consumer is motivated much more by discounts than they are by brand names or image.
Yet people stand in line to pay full price for a new product from Apple and crowds gather to hear about a new smart phone. While electronics are updating every day, people are purchasing technology at full prices much more than they are purchasing luxury goods. What are high-tech makers doing right that luxury makers are pitifully failing at?
Carefully looking at the situation, it would appear as if the Internet didn’t hurt the luxury industry, expectation from the consumers did. What people want these days more than anything is stuff that does something. They want cars that drive, shoes that are comfortable, games that are fun to play, screens that are beautiful to look at, tools that are useful, and entertainment that is entertaining. Little of that fits into what the luxury industry has typically offered with its status, image, and fine materials. The sad reality is that luxury products aren’t that luxury any more.
【小題1】What does this passage mainly talk about?

A．Nobody likes luxury goods any more.
B．Luxury goods are of poor quality nowadays.
C．Tech products become the new “l(fā)uxury goods”.
D．Iphones have taken the place of luxury products.
【小題2】The underlined word “exclusive” in paragraph 2 means _______.
A．unique and with no bargain B．low in price
C．hard to find D．easy to sell
【小題3】From paragraph 3 we can know that _______.
A．people have found that some luxury goods are fakes
B．people can buy luxury goods at a low price on eBay
C．luxury brands will give up high-end images
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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源： 題型：閱讀理解

More and more Italians are leaving their country because they can not get a job. One in every three Italians say they are willing to go abroad, sometimes even to other continents to get work. Currently, about 300,000 young Italians may be living abroad.
Although emigration has always been a choice for Italians, especially for those who left the country at the beginning of the twentieth century, more young Italians think leaving their home country is the only way to escape economic difficulty. These young Italians, however, are not poor farmers or laborers but bright university graduates and other talented young people.
Many of them want to go to richer places, like northern Europe, but they are also prepared to go elsewhere. Most of them describe a feeling of unhappiness and frustration. They are not sure which direction their country is heading and feel no longer proud of being Italians.
Many leave because they think that getting a good job is possible in other countries where all doors are open to you if you are young and dynamic. However, in Italy everything is boring and old-fashioned. Italy’s economic system is largely based on family structures and the elderly who don’t want to give up power. Corruption(腐敗) is also a big problem that simply won’t go away.
The Italian government is aware of the problem and says it must create new opportunities for its younger generation. But even if it starts working on a new style economy right away it may take years before things in Italy really change. The government has already passed laws which will make it easier for doctors, lawyers and other academics to start a career in Italy.
Many economic experts claim that Italy is doing a lot for its older generation but very little for its youth. For example, it spends little on housing, childcare but a lot on pensions.
【小題1】Some people are leaving Italy mainly because they _____ .

A．want to get a jobB．want to travel abroad
C．prefer working abroadD．no longer love their country
【小題2】The Italian government _____ .
A．is blind to the problem of emigration
B．encourages young Italians to go abroad
C．has taken some measures to change the situation
D．promise to offer more jobs to young Italians soon
【小題3】Many economic experts think that the Italian government should _____ .
A．do more for its youth
B．try to improve its economy
C．stop its youth from going abroad
D．solve the problem as soon as possible
【小題4】What problem is Italy facing?
A．Most of its laborers are old.
B．There aren’t any truly talented youngsters.
C．The government officials’ attitude is old-fashioned.
D．People with power are doing illegal and dishonest things.
【小題5】Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?
A．Italian emigration history
B．More care for old Italians
C．Young Italians are leaving Italy
D．The influence of economic difficulty

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