If you live in America in the 21st century you'll probably have to listen to a lot of people tell you how busy they are. It's become the default response when you ask anyone how they are doing: “Busy!” “Crazy busy!”. It is, pretty obviously, a boast disguised as a complaint. And the common response is a kind of congratulation:“ That's a good problem to have, ”or“ Better than the opposite.”
Notice it isn't generally people pulling back-to-back shifts in the ICU or commuting by bus to three minimum-wage jobs who tell you how busy they are. What those people are is not busy but tired. Exhausted! Dead on their feet. It's almost always people whose busyness is purely self-imposed work and obligations they've taken on voluntarily, classes and activities they've “encouraged” their kids to participate in. They're busy because of their own ambition or drive or anxiety, because they're addicted to busyness and dread that they might have to face in its absence.
Almost everyone I know is busy. They feel anxious and guilty when they aren't either working or doing something to promote their work. It's something they have chosen. Busyness serves as a kind of existential reassurance(令人安心的保證），a measure against emptiness, obviously your life cannot possibly be silly or tiny or meaningless if you are so busy, completely booked, in demand every hour of the day.
Idleness is not just a vacation. It is as necessary to the brain as vitamin D is to the body, and deprived of it we suffer a mental affliction as ugly as rickets. The space and quiet that idleness provides is a necessary condition for standing back from life and seeing it whole, for making unexpected connections and waiting for the wild summer lightning strikes of inspiration.” Idle dreaming is often the essence of what we do”, wrote Thomas Pynchon. Archimedes' “Eureka” in the bath, Newton's apple :history is full of stories of inspirations that come in idle moments.
小題1:When many Americans say “Crazy busy”, they mean______.
A．they are really tired of their present situation
B．they are really proud of their present life
C．they are complaining about their current work
D．their life are full of all kinds of problems
小題2:The writer mentions Archimedes'“Eureka” and Newton's apple to show that________.
A．history is full of interesting stories
B．Archimedes and Newton were very busy, so they made great discoveries
C．people may get inspiration when they are idle
D．inspirations come from hard work
小題3:The word “its” in the second paragraph refers to_________________.
ambition      B. anxiety         C. busyness        D. dread
小題4:From the article, we can infer that ___________________.
A．generally people pulling back-to-back shifts in the ICU tell you they are busy
B．“Dead on their feet” means “being tired out”
C．a(chǎn)ll the kids are self-imposed due to the drive and motivation
D．The author seems to agree that idleness is better than busyness

小題1:B
小題2:C
小題3:C
小題4:B

試題分析：本文敘述了21世紀(jì)的美國人們的生活現(xiàn)狀�！懊�！”“很忙�！薄懊Ο偭��！币呀�(jīng)變成了“你最近還好嗎”的默認(rèn)回答。很明顯，這些都是偽裝在抱怨之下的自我標(biāo)榜。對于它們的常備答復(fù)是：“忙一點好，”或者“總比不忙強(qiáng)�！彼麄兠Γ浅鲇谧约旱闹鞠�、動力或者焦慮情緒，只因為他們對忙碌上癮，并且恐懼無所事事的感覺。但是歷史總是充滿了靈感的故事，它們恰恰來自于悠閑的時光與白日夢。
小題1:推理題：根據(jù)“It is,pretty obviously,a boast disguised as a complaint. And the common response is a kind of congratulation:"That's a good problem to have,"or"Better than the opposite.”很顯然,這是一個偽裝的抱怨。和常見的反應(yīng)是一種祝賀:“這是個好問題,”或“比相反的"。意思是他們以自己的生活為傲。故選B。
小題2:細(xì)節(jié)題：根據(jù)"Eureka"in the bath, Newton's apple :history is full of stories of inspirations that come in idle moments.人們得到靈感是他們閑的時候，故選C。
小題3:推理題：根據(jù)他們忙，是出于自己的志向、動力或者焦慮情緒，只因為他們對忙碌上癮，并且恐懼無所事事的感覺。故選C。
小題4:推理題：根據(jù)What those people are is not busy but tired.Exhausted!可以判斷是人累壞了，故選B。
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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Parents are creating an “I want it now” generation by indulging children's every demand at Christmas，say experts.Youngsters are becoming increasingly selfish，claim the education analysts.
Consumer­savvy children are forcing their families into racking up huge debts and risk becoming spoilt and dissatisfied in the future.
Behavioural consultant Chris Calland said，“Parents are desperate to make Christmas into a magical fairy tale for their kids.There's nothing wrong with that as such.The problem arises when it means always giving in to all our children's demands—even if they are beyond our price range or not age­appropriate.”
Ms.Calland，who runs “Santa Says No” style sessions with colleague Nicky Hutchinson，added, “Many of us go into so much debt providing the gifts our children want that we spend the rest of the year paying off the bills.Yet so often the parcels we've carefully wrapped，once opened，are just pushed away because the very thing our little boy or girl was once so desperate for, they have now lost interest in.”
Ms. Calland and Ms.Hutchinson have drawn up a list of guidelines to help parents manage their offspring's Christmas lists this year.They say that adults can actually improve their relationships with their children by resisting “pester (糾纏) power”．
Ms.Calland said，“All too often we say yes because we want an easier life when the fact is that we're only building up problems for the future.We are helping create a generation of youngsters who are blind to the needs of others and the necessity of hard work.”
“Children learn fast—if we sometimes change our mind，they quickly realise it might be worth lying on the floor and screaming for it.Make sure you and your partner are working together on this.Be consistent.And try not to get caught up in competition with other families or friends.”
小題1:How is the “I want it now” generation created?
A．Parents can't afford the gifts for their children.
B．Parents become heavily in debt.
C．Parents are trying to make Christmas into a magical fairy tale.
D．Parents give children whatever they want at Christmas.
小題2:What is the main problem with the “I want it now” generation?
A．They are quite self­centered.
B．They like to live in fairy tales.
C．They waste a lot of money on gifts.
D．They can't keep their interest in gifts.
小題3:What is probably the aim of “Santa Says No” style sessions?
A．To advise on how to wrap gifts properly.
B．To keep children's interest in the gifts.
C．To tell parents how to say no to children's demands.
D．To advise parents on what gifts to buy for children.
小題4:According to the passage，we can infer that Ms.Calland intends to ________.
A．a(chǎn)nalyze children's behavior
B．give advice to parents
C．introduce a new generation
D．give her support to parents
小題5:Ms.Calland would agree that parents should ________.
A．buy nothing for children at Christmas
B．choose gifts carefully for children
C．let children choose their own gifts
D．a(chǎn)void competing with others

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：完形填空

I'd gone from a tiny village school with a total of 60 students, to a huge school, with thousands of pupils．I was a little fish in a very big       . I lived too much of my first year        doing anything wrong．I just decided to be the wallflower when it discussion and answering questions．I was always the one that         Class        didn't look the teacher in the eye       they asked me to answer．I listened well, and          everything in, but I always liked to be a spectator（旁觀者）．It's hard not t0           what others may think of you when you are speaking in front of many              ．It did take long for me to feel teachers and make friends with classmates．Some people       with straight into a new learning environment． 
Some people       straight into a new learning environment.       , most are nervous and feel they don't fit in．It's completely       , so it should not be a worry to you．Be            and you will adapt to the new school．School life is          you make obit．Some       it; some Iike it．-But it's only when you leave that you can really appreciate how school       you into the person you become．
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A．classB．school C．lake D．house
小題2:
A．in fear ofB．in favor of C．in honor ofD．in danger of
小題3:
A．got toB．referred toC．turned to D．came to
小題4:
A．sharplyB．purposely C．hopelessly D．searchingly
小題5:
A．in caseB．so that C．the moment D．soon after
小題6:
A．wroteB．broughtC．took D．got
小題7:
A．doubtB．a(chǎn)pply C．check D．care
小題8:
A．teachersB．classmates C．a(chǎn)dults D．friends
小題9:
A．a(chǎn)ngryB．popular C．disappointed D．comfortable
小題10:
A．slideB．fitC．change D．turn
小題11:
A．Therefore B．InsteadC．HoweverD．Meanwhile
小題12:
A．normalB．strange C．a(chǎn)wkwardD．interesting
小題13:
A．proudB．practical C．privateD．positive
小題14:
A．whatB．how C．which D．when
小題15:
A．likeB．ignore C．a(chǎn)ccept D．hate
小題16:
A．forcesB．develops C．places D．teaches
小題17:
A．pushB．takeC．kick D．remove
小題18:
A．voiceB．question C．hand D．head
小題19:
A．a(chǎn)nswer B．chance C．hugD．smile
小題20:
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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Are we getting more stupid? According to Gerald Crabtree, a scientist at Stanford University in the US, we are.
You may not want to hear this, but Crabtree believes that human intelligence reached its peak more than 2,000 years ago and ever since then has been going downhill. “If an average Greek from 1,000 BC were transported to modern times, he or she would be one of the brightest among us,” Crabtree told The Guardian.
At the heart of Crabtree’s thinking is a simple idea. In the past, intelligence was critical for survival when our ancestors had to avoid dangerous animals and hunt for food. The difference of being smart or stupid is often life or death. However, after the spread of agriculture, when our ancestors began to live in dense farming communities, the need to keep their intelligence in peak condition gradually reduced.
This is not hard to understand. Most of the time, pressure is what keeps us going – you need the pressure from your teachers to finish your homework; the pressure of looking pretty prompts(促使) you to lose weight when summer comes. And the same is also true of our intelligence – if we think less, we become less smart.
These mutations(變異) are harmful to our intelligence and they were all developed in the past 3,000 years. The other evidence that Crabtree holds is in our genes. He found that among the 2,000 to 5,000 genes that we have that determine human intelligence , there are two or more mutations in each of us.
However, Crabtree’s theory has been criticized by some who say that early humans may have better hunting and surviving abilities, but people today have developed a more diverse intelligence. For example, spearing a tiger doesn’t necessarily require more brainpower than playing chess or writing a poem. Moreover, the power of modern education means a lot more people have the opportunity to learn nowadays.
“You wouldn’t get Stephen Hawking 2,000 years ago. He just wouldn’t exist,” Thomas Hills of the University of Warwick, UK, told Live Science. “But now we have people of his intellectual capacity doing things and making insights(洞察力) that we would never have achieved in our environment of evolutionary adaptation.”
小題1:What is Crabtree’s recent finding according to the article? 
A．The Greeks from 1,000 BC could have been the smartest in human history.
B．Our ancient ancestors had no better surviving abilities than we do nowadays.
C．Humans have been getting steadily more intelligent since the invention of farming.
D．Mutations in genes that decide human intelligence have affected the development of intelligence.
小題2:According to Crabtree, ancient humans _______.
A．had much more genes that determine human intelligence
B．were forced to be smart due to natural selection pressures
C．relied more on group intelligence than individual intelligence
D．developed a diverse intelligence to adapt to the hard realities
小題3:Some argue that Crabtree’s theory is false because they think _______.
A．people today are under much more pressure than early humans
B．it’s ridiculous to compare a hunter’s and a poet’s intelligence
C．modern education is far more advanced than ancient education
D．human intelligence nowadays is different from that of the distant past
小題4:What is Thomas Hills’ attitude toward Crabtree’s theory?
A．SupportiveB．UnfavorableC．WorriedD．Confused

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

The word I'm going to introduce to you today is — phubbing. Let's see the definition of this term：

phubbing n. the act of snubbing(冷落)someone in a social setting by looking at your cell phone instead of paying attention
As you can probably guess，phubbing is a blend of phone and snubbing. The term was coined by a 23—year—old Melbourne resident Alex Haigh. Obviously，he got fed up with how people are always checking Facebook or Twitter on their phones when they are supposed to be interacting with someone face to face. He wanted to put an end to this social phenomenon，therefore he came up with this catchy term.
And it did catch on. The word's earliest media mention dates back to June 2012，and in a little over a year's time，phubbing has already been picked up by almost all the mainstream media outlets one can think of.
Here is a typical example from the British newspaper The Independent. In the article titled The Rise of Phubbing，which was published on August 5，2013，Tom Chatfield writes，there's an uncomfortable truth at the heart of phubbing：other people are easier to handle when seen on screen. They're less likely to demand unreasonable efforts such as undivided attention or clean shirts.
While the term phubbing has undoubtedly taken off，some people question why it is called phubbing instead of phnubbing. Alex Haigh has not personally addressed the issue，but word has it that phubbing sounds more crispy and thus easier to remember.
Phubbing is indeed a universal problem that can no longer be ignored. So why do people keep phubbing each other if they know it's rude? Is there anything we can do to stop it? Or maybe we should just be more kind，because sometimes there are good excuses to phub.
I think there is plenty we can do to try and stop phubbing. For starters，we can join Alex Haigh in his Stop Phubbing campaign. Remind our friends and family that phubbing is not appreciated. We can also make or download some anti—phubbing posters to spread the word in public places. And don't forget that some phubbers simply do not realize the harmful effect their behavior has on others，so be brave enough to stop them，even if you are a total stranger.
小題1:This passage is mainly talking about _______.
A．the rise of phubbing in all the mainstream media outlets
B．a(chǎn) new term “phubbing”and its problem
C．the campaign of keeping phubbing
D．different opinions on phubbing
小題2: The author’s attitude towards the act of phubbing can be described as ___________.
A．bearable
B．unacceptable
C．reasonable
D．understandable
小題3:What can we infer from this passage?
A．People are easier to handle when seen on screen.
B．Alex Haigh doesn’t like the term “phnubbing”
C．More and more people have become phubbers.
D．We can phub if we have proper excuses.
小題4:The write suggests we should _________.
A．stop phubbing in public places
B．not be afraid of the harmful effect
C．be brave to support a stranger phubbing
D．remind our friends of Stop Phubbing campaign

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Many Chinese kids, known as "left-behind" children, hardly ever see their parents, because their parents are migrant workers.
Li Ling, 11, is a left-behind child. Her parents have been working in Zhejiang for 10 years, while she lives with her grandparents in Guangdong. She was reunited with her parents last Spring Festival. As the number of migrant workers in China increases, the number of left-behind children is rising fast. Li is one of the 61. 02 million left-behind children under 17. They account for 37. 7 percent of rural children and 21. 88 percent of all Chinese children
The large number of left-behind children has already become a social issue. If left unsolved, it will cause serious problems, Wang Zhenyao, director of the China Philanthropy Research Institute, told China Daily. The education level of adults supervising（監(jiān)管） these children is generally not that high. They can only take care of the children's personal safety and daily living, being unable to care for their educational and spiritual needs. Meanwhile, the absence of parental support will make some left-behind children lack self-confidence. They may be slower in physical and emotional growth than their peers. Others may even become "problem youths".
To solve this problem, the government is taking action. For instance, 30 provinces and cities have allowed certain children to attend school and take the college entrance exam in the city where their parents are. However, Wang suggested that the country do more, such as making policies encouraging migrant workers to work in their hometowns. He also said that a well-balanced child welfare system is needed. "These children are the future of the nation, so they deserve our loving care and protection," Wang said.
小題1:Left-behind kids hardly see their parents because _______.
A．they are poor and in rural areas
B．they are brought up by their grandparents
C．their parents are making a living in other cities
D．their parents don't go back home on Spring Festival
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A．Li Ling hasn't seen her parents for about 10 years.
B．Left-behind children have become problem youths.
C．There are 61. 02 million left-behind children in China.
D．Much remains to be done to settle the left-behind kids issue.
小題3:The purpose of the passage is _______.
A．to criticize the migrant workers who leave their children at home
B．to focus on the present situation of the left-behind children
C．to worry about the present situation of left-behind children
D．to call on the government to educate the migrant workers
小題4:In which column of a newspaper can we most probably find this passage?
A．Education.B．Society.C．Entertainment.D．Employment.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Should students do the grading?
The Supreme Court says the practice doesn’t violate(侵犯) a student’s right to privacy, but is it right for students to grade one another?
Walter Potenza, California
The Supreme Court was absolutely correct to say it’s OK for students to grade one another’s homework, quizzes, and tests: in fact, it’s a great idea.
By grading one another’s papers and seeing the problems their classmates have, students double their exposure(暴露) to the troubles that they may meet on future exams and tests. Grading one another’s papers may be one of the best ways for students to reinforce within themselves the ways to master the most difficult parts of what they are learning.
Teachers are underappreciated and underpaid for the number of hours they have to work to be able to teach really well. Grading all their students’ papers can take hours. Some of that time and energy can be saved by spending a few minutes in class, while providing an extremely valuable learning experience.
I understand that some individuals are sensitive to their classmates seeing their work or grades. Any good teacher would be considerate of students who don’t want their classmates to grade their assignments.
Winston Smith, North Carolina
A girl moves back as her classmate announces her failing test grade and hands her the paper. The quiet classroom heats up.
With the increase in student grading over the past few years, scenes like this have become a bitter reality in schools across the nation. Teachers and schools should not advocate student grading and public announcement of grades because it provides a violation of privacy for students and causes unfair judgments and treatment by their classmates.
Since 1974, a law known as the Buckley Amendment has forbidden the release of education records in order to protect the privacy of students and their families. I strongly disagree with the Court’s ruling that this law does not include student grading.
I can think of no greater violation of privacy than the exposure of one’s personal information to a group of peers(同齡人). This can be very embarrassing. Releasing this sort of personal information should be avoided, especially by institutions that seek to provide a supportive environment during essential years of human development.
小題1:The underlined word “reinforce” has the same meaning as “_________”.
A．changeB．imagineC．strengthenD．create
小題2:Walter Potenza suggests that ______________.
A．teachers should set aside some time to grade students’ papers
B．the Supreme Court should do more research on students grading
C．teachers should guide students on how to grade homework
D．teachers should be careful not to hurt those sensitive students
小題3:By mentioning the example of a girl, Winston Smith wants to ____________.
A．show her weak points
B．criticize the student grader
C．tell us she is not a good student
D．present the negative effect of student grading
小題4:What does Winston Smith seem to agree?
A．Student grading is not related to families’ privacy.
B．The Supreme Court should change its decision.
C．The Buckley Amendment doesn’t apply to student grading.
D．Student grading is OK, but not public announcement of grades.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

How can you build more word-of-mouth advertising (口碑廣告)? In other words, why would your customers want to talk to their friends about their experience of doing business with you?
When you perform your service or deliver your product competently (出色地),  you are just doing what the customer expects. In order to increase the number of the customers who want to share their good experience with their friends, you must make your service impressive, going beyond what is expected.   
Recently my daughter Dawn and I had lunch with my team members at the Campbell House. The food and service were truly excellent. My daughter asked for her leftovers (剩菜) to be packed. They were returned to her in aluminum foil (鋁箔) shaped like a swan(天鵝). Guess what she talked about when she got home? How much more do you think it cost the Campbell House to produce that “Wow!” experience? Answer —not a cent!   
Disneyland should be an inspiration to us all in providing a “Wow!” experience. What do people talk to their friends about when they come home? “You should have seen how clean that park was! With all of the people there, it’s unbelievable! There’s not even a gum wrapper on the ground!” Walt Disney understood that cleanliness is marketing.  
小題1:According to the passage, customers would like to share their good experience with their friends if ______.
A．what they need is provided on time
B．the price of the service is low enough
C．the service is better than they expected
D．the after-sale service is good enough
小題2:How did Dawn feel the moment she saw her packed leftovers?   
A．Disappointed and angry.B．Excited and crazy.
C．Worried and unhappy. D．Surprised and pleased.
小題3:By saying “Answer — not a cent!” the author seems to believe that ______.
A．it is always possible to satisfy all of the customers
B．sometimes it is easy to provide a good experience
C．most customers are easy to do business with
D．the service should be as cheap as possible

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解



A new generation addiction is quickly spreading all over the world. Weboholism（網(wǎng)癮）, a twentieth century disease, affects people from different ages. They surf the net, use e-mail and speak in chat rooms. They spend many hours on the computer, and it becomes a compulsive habit.  They cannot stop, and it affects their lives.
Ten years ago, no one thought that using computers could become compulsive behavior that could affect the social and physical life of computer users. Such behavior has seriously affected teenagers and college students. They are likely to log(寫日志) on computers and spend long hours at different websites.
They become hooked（著迷） on computers and gradually their social and school life is affected by this situation. They spend all free time surfing and don’t concentrate on homework, so this addiction influences their grades and success at school. Because they can find everything on the websites, they hang out there. Moreover, this addiction to websites influences their social life.
They spend more time in front of computers than with their friends. The relation with their friends changes. The virtual life becomes more important than their real life. They have a new language that they speak in the chat rooms and it causes cultural changes in society.
Because of the change in their behavior, they begin to isolate themselves from society and live with their virtual friends. They share their emotions and feelings with friends who they have never met in their life. Although they feel confident on the computer, they are not confident with real live friends they have known all their life. It is a problem for the future. This addictive behavior is beginning to affect all the world.
小題1:.The main idea of the passage is about__________.
A．the cause of weboholismB．the advantage of weboholism
C．the popularity of weboholismD．the effect of weboholism
小題2:. We can infer from the passage that_______.
A．weboholism has the greatest effect on teenagers
B．students can hardly balance real and virtual life
C．people are addicted to games on the Internet
D．virtual life is more vivid and attractive than real life.
小題3:. Which of the following is NOT true of weboholism?
A．It contributes to the development of the web.
B．The chat room language may change social culture.
C．The problem will be getting more and more serious later.
D．People addicted to the web often become inactive in real life.

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