My destination is the River Walk, one of the most popular places in all of Texas. In the first half of 20th century, to control flooding, the city fathers began redirecting the San Antonio River. They built a network of canals that pass through the downtown area. At nearly every street corner, stairs lead down to walkways on both sides of the canals.
The River Walk is linked with cafes, bars, shops --- and, of course, plenty of bridges. You can easily cross over to the other side without having to return to the street. It’s a constant party along the River Walk, with music and festivals throughout the year. The Mud Festival, for example, takes place each January, when the city empties this section of the river to clean it out. That’s when the Mud King and Mud Queen are crowned.
No visit to Texas would be complete without seeing a rodeo --- another aspect of this part of the country that is completely foreign to someone from New England. The announcer walks on stage and gets the crowd excited with talk about the courageous cowboys who’ll be performing. While he’s talking, a band plays sad songs about love gone wrong.
Suddenly the announcer calls for silence. He takes off his tall hat and asks us to join him in prayer. We pray for the cowboys who are, we are told, risking their lives to entertain us, as well as for the bulls and other animals taking part in the shows. We pray for the tourists who are visiting. The rodeo gets going and the fun begins.
Our prayers for the cowboys and animals are answered, and nobody gets hurt. But as we walk over to the cowboy dance hall after the show to enjoy a Texas-size barbecue, it’s clear that not enough prayers were said for the bulls’ less athletic relatives --- the ones not chosen for rodeo work. They’ll be our meal. It seems that moving too slowly has its disadvantages, too.

  1. 1.

    What do you know about the River Walk from the article?

    1. A.
      People hold parties to celebrate festivals here every day.
    2. B.
      It refers to the sidewalks on either side of this section of the San Antonio River.
    3. C.
      There are many bridges that connect the River Walk and the Main Street.
    4. D.
      Stairs link the River Walk to cafes, bars and shops in the street.
  2. 2.

    Which of the following statements about Mud festival is NOT true?

    1. A.
      Mud Festival dates back to the first half of 20th century.
    2. B.
      Mud Festival is held in January every year.
    3. C.
      Mud King and Mud Queen are chosen in the festival
    4. D.
      Mud Festival is celebrated to clear the mud of the San Antonio River.
  3. 3.

    What does the underlined word “rodeo” refer to?

    1. A.
      One aspect of the American country life.
    2. B.
      The concert given by a band.
    3. C.
      The cowboys’ performance.
    4. D.
      The grand Texas-size barbecue.
  4. 4.

    Why do some bulls become the visitors’ meal?

    1. A.
      Because they do not run as fast as those taking part in the shows.
    2. B.
      Because the visitors do not pray enough for them before the shows.
    3. C.
      Because they lose the competition to their relatives in the shows.
    4. D.
      Because they are only beef cattle intended as people’s food.
  5. 5.

    Which of the following words can NOT be used to describe the writer’s mood?

    1. A.
      light-hearted      
    2. B.
      excited         
    3. C.
      anxious       
    4. D.
      humorous
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相關(guān)習(xí)題

科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源: 題型:完形填空

What is true friendship? True friendship doesn’t mean that when you need your friends’ help, you will 1 them to dinner, and you will put your friends in a difficult 2 when you have to protect yourself. 3 true friendship is understanding of the souls and the 4 of the hearts. True friends are connected in hearts every minute whatever the 5 is.
True friendship involves 6 : doing something for someone else while expecting nothing 7 ; sharing thoughts and feelings 8 fear of judgment or negative criticism.
9 is essential to true friendship. We need to be able to 10 our deepest secrets with someone, without worrying that those secrets will 11 on the Internet the next day! Failing to 12 those secrets can destroy a friendship in a hurry. True friendship has 13 to do with fame, power, or possessions. True friends 14 contact you at usual time, but come to you 15 you need their help. They care not 16 you are, but who you are. You’re not his stepping-stone to 17but are his walking stick to 18 difficulties. When you are happy, you are 19 to forget him, but when you are in trouble, he is the first one you will 20 for help.

  1. 1.
    1. A.
      inform
    2. B.
      regard
    3. C.
      treat
    4. D.
      advise
  2. 2.
    1. A.
      situation
    2. B.
      state
    3. C.
      occasion
    4. D.
      surrounding
  3. 3.
    1. A.
      In a word
    2. B.
      On the contrary
    3. C.
      In a nutshell
    4. D.
      On average
  4. 4.
    1. A.
      consideration
    2. B.
      connection
    3. C.
      attraction
    4. D.
      communication
  5. 5.
    1. A.
      distance
    2. B.
      destination
    3. C.
      position
    4. D.
      ambition
  6. 6.
    1. A.
      promise
    2. B.
      action
    3. C.
      belief
    4. D.
      words
  7. 7.
    1. A.
      in turn
    2. B.
      at times
    3. C.
      in return
    4. D.
      at no times
  8. 8.
    1. A.
      with
    2. B.
      without
    3. C.
      despite
    4. D.
      beyond
  9. 9.
    1. A.
      Trust
    2. B.
      Honesty
    3. C.
      Kindness
    4. D.
      Humor
  10. 10.
    1. A.
      keep
    2. B.
      unite
    3. C.
      share
    4. D.
      realize
  11. 11.
    1. A.
      take up
    2. B.
      end up
    3. C.
      come up
    4. D.
      bring up
  12. 12.
    1. A.
      keep
    2. B.
      prevent
    3. C.
      protect
    4. D.
      remain
  13. 13.
    1. A.
      something
    2. B.
      nothing
    3. C.
      anything
    4. D.
      everything
  14. 14.
    1. A.
      frequently
    2. B.
      regularly
    3. C.
      seldom
    4. D.
      usually
  15. 15.
    1. A.
      all the time
    2. B.
      any time
    3. C.
      each time
    4. D.
      by the time
  16. 16.
    1. A.
      where
    2. B.
      who
    3. C.
      how
    4. D.
      what
  17. 17.
    1. A.
      dream
    2. B.
      future
    3. C.
      success
    4. D.
      aim
  18. 18.
    1. A.
      live through
    2. B.
      put through
    3. C.
      break through
    4. D.
      look through
  19. 19.
    1. A.
      possible
    2. B.
      likely
    3. C.
      probable
    4. D.
      impossible
  20. 20.
    1. A.
      turn to
    2. B.
      bring in
    3. C.
      set out
    4. D.
      look up

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源: 題型:閱讀理解

The fact that blind people can see things using parts of their bodies apart from their eyes may help us to understand our feelings about color.If they can sense color differences, then perhaps we, too, are affected by color without knowing it.Salesmen have discovered by experience over a long period of time that sugar sells badly in green wrappings, that blue foods are considered not agreeable to the taste, and that cosmetics(化妝品) should never be packed in brown.These discoveries have grown into a whole subject of color psychology.
Some of our preferences are clearly psychological.Dark blue is the color of the night sky and therefore connected with calm, while yellow is a day color connected with energy and encouragement.Experiments have shown that colors, partly because they are connected with psychology, also have a direct effect on people's mind.People in bright red surroundings show an increase in breathing speed, heartbeat and blood pressure.Red is exciting.Pure blue has exactly the opposite effect; it is a calming color.Being exciting, red was chosen as the signal for danger, but a closer study shows that a bright yellow can produce a more basic state of alarm, so fire engines in some advanced areas are now rushing around in bright yellow colors that stop buses, trucks and cars.

  1. 1.

    The passage tells us that salesmen have____ .

    1. A.
      tried colors on blind people
    2. B.
      found out that colors affect sales
    3. C.
      developed a special subject of color psychology
    4. D.
      discovered the relationship between color and psychology
  2. 2.

    It can be inferred from the passage that__ _.

    1. A.
      blind people cannot sense color differences
    2. B.
      foods sell well in green or blue wrappings
    3. C.
      w hat color we prefer depends on our state of mind
    4. D.
      a bright color has exactly the opposite effect to red
  3. 3.

    The most effective color in the passage for warning people is____.

    1. A.
      red
    2. B.
      dark blue
    3. C.
      green
    4. D.
      bright yellow
  4. 4.

    If someone is in an angry mood, which color is better for him to become quiet?

    1. A.
      Red.
    2. B.
      Dark blue.
    3. C.
      Brown.
    4. D.
      Bright yellow
  5. 5.

    Which of the following do you think is the best title for the passage?

    1. A.
      Colors and Feelings
    2. B.
      Colors and Sales
    3. C.
      The Blind and Colors
    4. D.
      Preferences for Colors

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源: 題型:閱讀理解

Jones worked so hard that made the sparks fly from his hammer.The son of Mr.Smith, a rich neighbor, used to come to see the blacksmith and he would enjoy himself watching how the tradesman worked."Why don’t you try your hand to learn to make shoe tacks?" said the blacksmith."Who knows, one day, it may be of use to you." The lazy boy began to see what he could do.But after a little practice he found that he was becoming very skilled and soon he was making some of the finest tacks.
Old Mr.Smith died and the son on account of the war lost all his goods.He had to leave home and was forced to take up residence in another country.It so happened that in this village there were numerous shoemakers who were spending a lot of money to buy tacks for their shoes and even at times when they paid high prices they were not always able to get what they wanted, because in that part of the country there was a high demand for soldiers’ shoes.
Young Smith, who was finding it difficult to earn his daily bread, remembered that he had learned the art of making tacks and had the sudden idea of making a bargain with the shoemakers.He told them that he would make the tacks if they would help to get him settled in his workshop.The shoemakers were only too glad of the offer."How funny it seems," he used to say, "even making tacks can bring a fortune.My trade is more useful to me than were all my former riches."

  1. 1.

    From Paragraph 1 we can refer that ______.

    1. A.
      Jones was a blacksmith from another country
    2. B.
      Old Smith wanted his son to learn skill from Jones
    3. C.
      Young Smith was too lazy to learn to make shoe tacks
    4. D.
      Young Smith was good at making shoe tacks by accident
  2. 2.

    The reason why young Smith was forced to leave his home town is that ______.

    1. A.
      he was lazy and wasted all the money from his father
    2. B.
      the price of shoe tacks in another country was high
    3. C.
      his father died and left nothing for him
    4. D.
      there was a terrible which broke his peace
  3. 3.

    We can learn from the last paragraph that Young Smith ______.

    1. A.
      made a living in the village by selling bread
    2. B.
      worked in the workshop as a shoemakers
    3. C.
      was good at making soldier shoes
    4. D.
      lived a better life in the village than before
  4. 4.

    Which of the following well-known sayings can best tell the main idea of the passage?

    1. A.
      Knowledge is no burden
    2. B.
      Where there’s a will, there’s a way
    3. C.
      You can’t teach an old dog new tricks
    4. D.
      Time lost cannot be recalled

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源: 題型:閱讀理解

Age has its special advantage in America. And one of the more impressive of them is the senior citizen discount. Anyone who has reached a certain age—in some cases as low as 55-is automatically entitled to plenty of price reductions at nearly every level of commercial life. Eligibility(資格)is determined not by one’s need but by the date on one’s birth certificate. Practically the discounts have become a routine part of many businesses-as common as color televisions in motel rooms and free coffee on airliners.
People with gray hair often are given the discounts without even asking for them;yet, millions of Americans above age 60 are healthy and solvent(有支付能力的). Businesses that would never dare offer discounts to college students or anyone under 30 freely offer them to older Americans. The practice is acceptable because of the widespread belief that “elderly” and “needy” are synonymous(同義的). Perhaps that once was true, but today, to be sure, there is economic variety within the elderly, and most of them aren’t poor.
It is impossible to determine the effect of the discounts on individual companies. For many firms, they are a stimulus to income. But in other cases the discounts are given at the expense, directly or indirectly, of younger Americans. Moreover, they directly annoy some politicians and scholars who consider it a coming conflict between the generations.
Generational tensions are being fueled by continuing debate over Social Security benefits, which mostly involves a transfer of resources from the young to the old. Employment is another point. Supported by laws and court decisions, more and more older Americans are refusing the retirement dinner in favor of staying on the job-thereby lessening employment and promotion opportunities for younger workers. Far from a kind of charity they once were, senior citizen discounts have become a powerful economic privilege(特權(quán))to a group with millions of members who don’t need them.
It no longer makes sense to treat the elderly as a single group whose economic needs deserve priority over those of others. Senior citizen discounts only enrich the myth that older people can’t take care of themselves and need special treatment;and they threaten the creation of a new myth, that the elderly ale ungrateful and taking for themselves at the expense of children and other age groups. Senior citizen discounts are the heart of the very thing older Americans are fighting against-discrimination by age.

  1. 1.

    We learn from the first paragraph that   .

    1. A.
      offering senior citizen discounts has become routine commercial practice
    2. B.
      senior citizen discounts have enabled many old people to live a good life
    3. C.
      giving senior citizen discounts has increased the market for the elderly
    4. D.
      senior citizens have to show their birth certificates to get a discount
  2. 2.

    The reason to give the senior citizen discount is that   .

    1. A.
      the elderly need humane help from society
    2. B.
      businesses should do something for society in return
    3. C.
      old people are entitled to special treatment for their contribution to society
    4. D.
      the senior discounts can make up for the lack of the Social Security system
  3. 3.

    What does the author think of the Social Security system?

    1. A.
      It encourages elderly people to retire in time.
    2. B.
      It opens up broad career chances for young people.
    3. C.
      It benefits the old at the expense of the young.
    4. D.
      It should be strengthened by laws and court decisions.
  4. 4.

    What does the author mainly argue in the passage?

    1. A.
      Senior citizens should fight hard against age discrimination.
    2. B.
      The elderly are selfish and taking senior discounts for granted.
    3. C.
      Senior citizen discounts may well be a type of age discrimination.
    4. D.
      Discount should be given to the economic needs of senior citizens.

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源: 題型:閱讀理解

Many people have heard stories of the California gold rush during the 19th century, when lots of people went there in search for gold. Panning (淘洗) for gold has a rich and interesting history. Nowadays some people continue to pan for gold in California. Although it cannot be regarded as a method for earning income, taking on gold-panning as a hobby can give you a feeling of being in the old west and get you out into nature.
The only tool that is required to pan for gold is a gold pan. You can use a regular old flat pan, but “officially” gold pans are quite cheap so you may as well buy one that is made for the task. Most sold pans come in either plastic or medal.
Once you have your pan you will want to start practicing your gold panning technique. Panning for gold works because gold is much heavier than most rocks. To pan for gold you add rock and dirt form the bottom of a stream to your pan and then gently let water flow through the pan. The lighter-weight rocks are slowly swept away while any gold will be left behind in the pan.
To start panning for gold, first you will need to find a good location. Try checking maps of your area and old history books to find location where there were gold mines in the past. Even though most of the gold have already been removed, there are likely to be small leftovers that you can find. Once you have found an area that looks promising, look for any small stream or river where you can try out panning for gold.
Panning for gold requires patience and it may be a long time before you hit anything of value. However, it is an enjoyable hobby and provides a great opportunity to get outdoors, so don’t give up too quickly.

  1. 1.

    What is Paragraph 4 mainly about?

    1. A.
      Where to pan for gold.
    2. B.
      How gold-panning works.
    3. C.
      What tools are needed.
    4. D.
      A promising area for panning.
  2. 2.

    What is the author’s attitude toward modern gold-planning?

    1. A.
      Opposed.
    2. B.
      Indifferent .
    3. C.
      Positive.
    4. D.
      Neutral .
  3. 3.

    In which part of a newspaper would you probably find this article?

    1. A.
      Lifestyle.
    2. B.
      Health.
    3. C.
      Travel.
    4. D.
      Sports.

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源: 題型:閱讀理解

It was four o'clock when we left Micatlan,and we traveled quickly until it became almost completely dark.It was our intention to return to our general quarters in Atlacomulco that night.We had a long journey ahead of us,especially because it had been decided there was no way we would try to cross the ravines again at night,since they were considered far too dangerous.Futhermore,an eclipse of the moon was expected,and,in fact,while we were crossing an open field,the moon appeared on the horizon,half in shadow,a rare and beautiful sight.
After a few hours of riding,we suddenly realized that we had lost our way,and worse still,had no way of finding it again.Night had fallen and there was not a single hut in sight,only great plains and mountains and the lowing of distant bulls all around us.We continued on ahead,trusting in luck,though it was difficult to say where she had brought us.By good fortune,our advance riders ran into two Indians,a man and a boy,who agreed to guide us their village and no further.
After an interminable and exhausting road,which we traveled at a brisk trot,the barking of several dogs announced an Indian village.In the dying light,we could just make out cane huts,firmly situated between the banana trees,with fenced gardens in front of each one.Our convoy stopped in front of one particular hut,a kind of inn or shop for alcohol,where a naked goblin-like figure,the ideal husband for a witch,was serving cheap brandy to the Indians,most of whom were already drunk.
We dismounted and threw ourselves to the ground,too tired to even think.Someone found us,God knows how,a cup of dreadful hot chocolate.We began to realize that we were completely lost,and so it was agreed to give up our attempt to reach Atlacomulco that night.Instead,we should head for the village of “E1 Puente”,where our guides know a Spanish family,made up of several unmarried brothers,who,without any doubt,would be delighted to offer us a safe refuge for the rest of the night.We remounted and began our journey,a little restored after the pause in our journey and the dreadful hot chocolate.

  1. 1.

    Where did we travel to?

    1. A.
      El Puente.
    2. B.
      The cane huts.
    3. C.
      Atlacomulco.
    4. D.
      An Indian Village.
  2. 2.

    When we traveled at night_________.

    1. A.
      there was a good guide leading us
    2. B.
      there was a full moon in the sky
    3. C.
      we could hardly see anything
    4. D.
      we could see everything around clearly
  3. 3.

    When we lost our way we believed that_________.

    1. A.
      we should stay where we were for rescue
    2. B.
      we should go on to seek after our fortune
    3. C.
      we should go back where we started
    4. D.
      we should ask the Indians for help
  4. 4.

    When we reached the inn-like hut_________.

    1. A.
      someone served alcohol and hot chocolate at once
    2. B.
      we had a good sleep
    3. C.
      we had a good drink
    4. D.
      we were too exhausted to ask for anything

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源: 題型:閱讀理解

Elephants don’t forget—at least,female elephants don’t.Elephant families are matriarchal. And the social knowledge gained by the oldest females is the key to a family group’s survival, according to a study published in April by Karen McComb,a biologist at Sussex University in England.?
Elephants announce their presence by making a deep,long sound,a practice referred to as contact calling.An unfamiliar call may mean that an elephant from outside the family group is nearby.A stranger can cause trouble,interrupting feeding or disturbing the young.So an elephant matriarch signals the family to gather around her;then they all lift their trunks in the air to smell the unfamiliar caller.False alarms can disturb the group and take time and energy away from feeding,so survival may depend in part on getting it right.?   Working with Cynthia Moss,who founded the Amboseli Elephant Research Project in Kenya 30 years ago,McComb tested the social knowledge of 21 Amboseli elephant families with matriarchs 27 to 67 years old.She played recordings of contact calls to each family and found that the oldest matriarchs were much better at picking out unfamiliar calls.In fact,a group with a matriarch in her fifties was several thousand times more likely to form into a group upon hearing an unfamiliar contact call than when hearing a familiar call.However,families with younger matriarchs were less than twice as likely to gather together upon hearing an unfamiliar contact call as compared with a familiar call.And they gathered together a lot.Moreover,the social knowledge of older matriarchs translated into favourable results:Families with older matriarchs produced more baby elephants in each female-reproductive year.?
This finding shows how difficult it is to protect the oldest members of elephant families. As elephants age,they continue to grow larger,as do their much wanted tusks .So the older—and wiser—a matriarch is,the greater the chance she will be killed.About 800 000 elephants have been killed by people in the past 20 years.

  1. 1.

    What does the underlined word “matriarch” mean?

    1. A.
      An old member of an elephant family.     
    2. B.
      A female head of an elephant family.
    3. C.
      A wise elephant.                      
    4. D.
      A large elephant.
  2. 2.

    The research with recordings of contact calls shows _________.

    1. A.
      how fast elephants form into groups
    2. B.
      how important the age of a leading elephant is
    3. C.
      how frightened elephants are when hearing a strange call
    4. D.
      how frequently old elephants call other members of the family
  3. 3.

    The older a female elephant is,_________.

    1. A.
      the stronger she will be               
    2. B.
      the poorer memory she will have
    3. C.
      the more useless her tusks will be       
    4. D.
      the more likely she will be killed
  4. 4.

    We can infer from the passage that elephants may _________.

    1. A.
      run into other elephant families       
    2. B.
      give wrong warnings to their mothers
    3. C.
      run away upon hearing a strange sound
    4. D.
      produce more babies by gathering together more often

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源: 題型:閱讀理解

Dear mommy and daddy,
I write this letter to you in hopes that you should consider your method of parenting me before I arrive. I am a joyous child. I expect love and respect, order and discipline. When I arrive, I will seem very small to you. Even though I don’t look like an adult, please understand that I am a human being.
Even though I will not speak words to you, I will know you with my heart. I will feel all your feelings, absorb your thoughts. I will come to know you more than you may know yourself. Do not be misled (誤導(dǎo)) by my silence. I am open, growing and learning more rapidly than you can imagine.
I will keep in heart all that I see, so please give me sweet music and language that tells me how much I am loved. Give me silence to rest my ears. I will absorb all that I feel, so please wrap life in love.
I am waiting patiently to be with you. I am so happy to have the opportunity to be alive. Maybe when you see me you will remember how precious life is too!
Your joyous child

  1. 1.

    According to the letter, why did the child write this letter?

    1. A.
      Because the child wanted to apologize to its parents.
    2. B.
      Because the child wanted the parents to consider the method of being parents.
    3. C.
      Because the child expressed the happiness of having such parents.
    4. D.
      Because the child wanted to show how much it understood its parents.
  2. 2.

    According to the text, we can infer the “child” is in fact _______ .

    1. A.
      a lovely boy
    2. B.
      a joyous child
    3. C.
      an unborn baby
    4. D.
      a lovely girl
  3. 3.

    The child in the text required all the following EXCEPT that ________ .

    1. A.
      it should be looked on as a human being
    2. B.
      it would like to be loved by its parents
    3. C.
      it wanted to be with the parents an soon as possible
    4. D.
      it wanted a place full of beautiful music and love language
  4. 4.

    The letter is likely to be printed in the part of ______ in a magazine.

    1. A.
      “Baby’s world”
    2. B.
      “Current news”
    3. C.
      “Young parent center”
    4. D.
      “Science and our life”

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