How should one invest a sum of money in inflation (通貨膨脹)? Left in a bank it will hardly keep its value, however high the interest rate. Only a brave man, or a very rich one, dares to buy and sell on the Stock Market. Today it seems that one of the best ways to protect your savings, and even increase your wealth is to buy beautiful objects from the past. Here I am going to offer some advice on collecting antique clocks, which I personally consider are among the most interesting of antiques.
I sometimes wonder what a being from another planet might report back about our way of life. "The planet Earth is ruled by a mysterious creature that sits or stands in a room and makes a strange ticking sound. It has a face with twelve black marks and two hands. Men can do nothing without its permission, and it fastens its young round people's wrists so that everywhere men go they are still under its control. This creature is the real master of Earth and men are its slaves."
Whether or not we are slaves of time today depends on our culture and personality, but it is believed that many years ago kings kept special slaves to tell the time. Certain men were very clever at measuring the time according to the beating of their own hearts. They were made to stand in a fixed place and every hour or so would shout time. So it seems that the first clocks were human beings.
However, men quickly found more convenient and reliable ways of telling the time. They learned to use the shadows cast by the sun. They marked the hours on candles, used sand in hour- glasses, and invented water-clocks. Indeed, any serious student of antique should spend as much time as possible visiting palaces, stately homes and museums to see some of the finest examples of clocks from the past.
Antique clocks could be very expensive, but one of the joys of collecting clocks is that it is still possible to find quite cheap ones for your own home. After all, if you are going to be ruled by time, why not invest in an antique clock and perhaps make a future profit?
小題1:According to the passage, collecting antique clocks ________.
A．can hardly keep the value of your savings
B．will cost much of your savings
C．may increase your wealth
D．needs your bravery
小題2:By quoting (引用) the remark of a being from another planet, the author intends to ________.
A．suggest human beings are controlled by a clock
B．describe why clocks can rule the planet Earth
C．tell readers what clocks look like
D．compare clocks to human beings
小題3:Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a way to measure the time?
A．Counting the beating of one's own heart.
B．Making use of candles, sand and water.
C．Observing shadows cast by the sun.
D．Keeping slaves busy day and night.
小題4:The purpose of the passage is ________.
A．to introduce the culture of antique clocks
B．to offer some advice on collecting antique clocks
C．to compare different ways to make a future profit
D．to explain convenient and reliable ways of telling time

小題1:C
小題2:A
小題3:D
小題4:B
如何增值？文章告訴我們一種好方法，收集古鐘！
小題1:推理題。根據(jù)第一段Today it seems that one of the best ways to protect your savings, and even increase your wealth is to buy beautiful objects from the past.可知購買古董，文章介紹了古鐘，是一種投資增值得好方法。
小題2:推理題。根據(jù)第二段最后一句This creature is the real master of Earth and men are its slaves.可知人類被鐘所控制。
小題3:細節(jié)題。根據(jù)文章3,4兩段我們早點ABC都是正確的。而D沒有提及。
小題4:寫作意圖題。通讀全文可知文章是關(guān)于收集古鐘的一些建議。
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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Young children whose mothers talk with them more frequently and in more detail about people’s thoughts and feelings tend to be better at taking another person’s perspective（觀點）than other children of the same age.
That’s what researchers from the University of Western Australia found in a new study published in the journal Child Development.
“Parents who frequently put themselves in someone else’s shoes in conversations with their children make it more likely their children will be able to do the same,” said lead author Brad Farrant.
Researchers of the UWA’s Telethon Institute for Child Health Research looked at the influence of how parents interact with their children to learn more about how people develop the ability to take another’s perspective.
The two-year study involved more than 120 Australian children aged between four and six, including children with typically developing language and others delayed in language acquisition（習得）.
The children completed tasks which were designed to assess their language skills, ability to infer others’ beliefs and use these to predict others’ behavior, and their ability to shift flexibly between different perspectives.
Among children with typically developing language, the researchers found that mothers who talked more often and in greater detail about people’s thoughts and feelings — commenting on how another person might react to a particular situation as well as their own feelings about the topic — had children with better language skills and better perspective-taking skills.
Children with delayed language acquisition were also delayed in their development of perspective-taking skills. This displays the role played by language as children develop the ability to take another’s perspective.
“Solving the many challenges that the world faces today requires us all to get better at taking the perspective of other people,” said Brad Farrant.
小題1:According to the text, to help children gain better perspective-taking skills, parents should __________.
A．give their children more chances to express themselves
B．talk more with their children about people’s feelings
C．encourage their children to guess other people’s thoughts
D．spend more time playing with their children
小題2:Which of the following is TRUE about the study?
A．Over one hundred American children took part in it.
B．All the children had delayed in language acquisition.
C．The children in the study were around five years old.
D．Mothers helped their children to complete the tasks.
小題3:Which have an effect on the development of children’s perspective-taking skills?
A．The surrounding environments.
B．Mother’s perspectives.
C．Personal characters.
D．Language skills.
小題4:In the last paragraph, Brad Farrant __________.
A．stressed the importance of perspective-taking skills
B．expressed his concern about the world’s challenges
C．showed how to take the perspective of other people
D．explained why other people’s opinions are important
小題5:According to the text, we can learn __________.
A．parents should talk to their children frequently no matter how old their children are
B．it was Brad Farrant who wrote the study in Child Development herself
C．the only way to improve language skill is talking to children more often
D．parents who are always thinking about others will help their children do the same way

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


Inside the pleasingly fragrant cafe, So All May Eat(SAME) in downtown Denver ,the spirit ofgenerosityis instantly noticeable :donation box stands in place of a cash register. Customers here pay only what they can afford, no questions asked.A risky business plan, perhaps, but SAME Café has done one unchangeable thing in the Mile High City for six years: Open only at midday, the restaurant allows poor local customers who cannot pay to work as volunteers instead. They can act as waiters and waitresses, and dishwashers, or look after the buildings and equipment for the cafe.   
It’s based on trust, and it’s working all right”, says co-owner Brad Birky, who started the café in 2006.  Previously volunteering at soup kitchens, the Birkys were dissatisfied with the often unhealthy meals they served there. “We wanted to offer quality food in a restaurant where everyone felt comfortable, regardless of their circumstances,” Birky says. SAME’s special lunch menu changes
daily and most food materials are natural and grown by local farmers. The café now averages 65 to 70 customers (and eight volunteers) a day. And the spirit of generosity behind the project appears to be spreading. In early 2007,one volunteer who had cleared snow for his meals during t he long
winter said goodbye to the Birkys, He said he was going to New Orleans to help with the hurricane clearing up,” says Birky.
小題1:What can we learn about the soup kitchens the Birkys previously worked for?
A．They refused to have volunteers.
B．They offered low quality food.
C．They provided customers with a good environment.
D．They closed down because of poor management.
小題2:According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
A．The customers who cannot pay can work as volunteers instead.
B．More volunteers will go to new Orleans for the hurricane cleanup.
C．Many new cafes will be opened to offer free lunches in the town.
D．The lunch menu has remained the same since the café was started.
小題3:The author’s attitude towards running such a café is_______
A．unfavorableB．doubtfulC．cautiousD．a(chǎn)pproving

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Sometimes people come into your life and you know at once that they were sure to be there. They serve some sort of purpose, teach you a lesson or help find out who you are or who you want to become. You never know who these people may be: your classmate, neighbor, teacher, long-lost friend or even a real stranger. But you know that every moment they will affect your life in some serious way.
Sometimes things happen to you. At the time they may seem terrible, painful and unfair. But later you realize that without getting over those difficulties you would have never realized your further ability and strength. Everything happens for a reason and nothing happens by chance or with good or bad luck.
The people you meet affect your life, and the successes and failure you experience, create who you are. Even the bad experiences can be learned from. In fact, they are probably the most poignant and important ones.
Enjoy every day even every moment and take from it everything that you possibly can, for you may never be able to experience it again. Talk to people you have never talked to before, and really listen. You should set your sights high, hold your head up, tell yourself you are a great one and believe in yourself.
You can make your life anything you wish. Create your own life and then go out and live it.
小題1:The people we meet       .
A. all know where to find us 
B. serve us on no purpose  
C. will change us in some way
小題2:From the passage, we know that bad things can make us       .
A. terribly meet bad luck  
B. realize our further ability 
C. find no serious success    
小題3:The underlined word "poignant" in the passage means "       ".
A. 平淡的              B. 明顯的              C. 深刻的     
小題4:The writer's advice is that we should       .
A. never talk to strange people 
B. learn as much as we can each day
C. get over difficulties painfully            
小題5:Which is the best title for the passage?
A. Create Your Own Life  
B. Hold Your Head Up     
C. People You Meet in Life                

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

The necktie looks set to follow the top hat in being handed over to the fashion museum by office workers within the next 50 years, according to research.
Nearly three quarters (74%) think the tie will not survive within British firms beyond the next half a century with the popularity of the open-collared shirt. Its demise is being blamed on the boom in creative businesses, such as Facebook and Google, and online trading companies where formal dress codes tend to be avoided in favour of a more casual approach.
Once considered an important part of business dress, the tie has become a victim of the spread of "casual Fridays" into other weekdays, according to researchers.
The poll, by Deal Jungle. com, which helps small and medium enterprises, found more than half (51% ) thought the tie would die out in offices within the next 20 years and almost a quarter (22%) believed it would last less than 10 years.
A spokesman for the site, which has 20, 000 registered members, said: "Ties have been around seemingly forever but increasing numbers of office workers are telling them to get away."

"The success of businesses such as Facebook and Google, where even the CEO turns up wearing jeans and a hoodie, also seems to have had a corrosive (侵蝕性) effect on the idea of dressing formally for work."
"Many of our members keep their expenses to a minimum by working from home so they feel no need to dress up to go to work. We know that when they meet with clients, they still put on a business suit, but a tie is no longer seen as an essential part of the suited-and-booted look."
"Instead, many businessmen and increasing numbers of executives choose a suit and shirt with an open collar. The tie-less suit creates an impression of a more approachable deal maker, someone who is still business-minded, yet creative and technology-sensible, too. "
小題1:Why are ties expected to disappear in offices?
A．CEOs in creative businesses set a rule to forbid wearing ties.
B．The idea of casual weekdays is increasingly accepted.
C．Office workers are tired of wearing ties daily.
D．The tie-less look appears more modern.
小題2:According to the spokesman, how are their members dressed before clients?
A．Business suits and casual jeans.
B．Formal suits and a shirt with a tie.
C．Casual suits and buttoned-up shirt.
D．Business suits and an open-collared shirt.
小題3:What kind of image does the tie-less suit create?
A．Accessible in business.B．Professional in fashion.
C．Casual in working.D．Creative in dressing.
小題4:What does the underlined word "demise" mean in Para.2?
A．popularityB．survivalC．disappearanceD．development

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Hot words on the Internet don’t stay hot for long. “Geili” and “fuyun”, last year’s biggest linguistic innovations, are practically prehistoric in Internet terms. What’s buzzing now is “hold steady”
The term comes from a segment (片段) on the Taiwanese TV show University which features Miss Lin(Xie Yilin) giving a lecture on how to behave like a fashion queen at parties or on the bus. The extremely funny lecture is mainly an over-the-top mockery(嘲笑) of the fashion world, but Miss Lin makes a point: We need to hold steady in pressure-filled or embarrassing situations.
Holding steady, Internet slang for “staying poised”, is one of the qualities the public has been looking for lately as pressures on marriage, work and money can easily drive people crazy. The quality was demonstrated by a girl named Su Miaoling this year. The contestant in the TV singing competition Super Girl carried herself with an air of confidence on stage and kept her cool when others got anxious. “I like your poise(淡定). Very few contestants on this stage can keep calm like you do,” said one of the show’s judges, Hu Haiquan, to Su. Internet users dubbed Su “Sister Poise”.
Poise is also appreciated in Western culture as an essential quality of a well-mannered person. Each year, the National League of Junior Cotillions of the US releases a list of the Ten Best Mannered People. Kate Middleton made it onto the list in 2011 “for the poise and dignity with which she conducts herself in the public spotlight”. The Duchess of Cambridge was also acclaimed earlier this year for her remarkable poise at the royal wedding.
Good news for many, poise is not genetic----it can be acquired with a bit of effort. A personal growth guidance gives tips on how to stay poised. “Take a few deep breaths when you are facing a situation that tests your patience; practice yoga regularly to calm your nerves; use self-affirmation by saying ‘I choose to be calm in any situation’; write down your affirmation daily to imprint the goal,” reads the site.
小題1:According to the passage, what does “hold steady” mean?
A．well balancedB．hold still
C．remain stableD．keep calm
小題2:Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A．Poise isn’t born with people, so it can be acquired.
B．Under different pressures, people hope to keep calm.
C．“Hold steady” comes from a lecture given by a fashion queen.
D．In western culture, holding steady is a quality of well-mannered people.
小題3:Which of the following is NOT the way to hold steady?
A．learn to use self-encouragement.
B．Write the goals to be achieved
C．Practice yoga regularly to calm your nerves.
D．Take deep breaths when facing difficult situations.
小題4:The purpose of this passage is to_______.
A．introduce the Internet hot term “hold steady”
B．tell funny stories about how to hold steady
C．demonstrate how to keep calm under pressure
D．give advice on how to keep cool in daily life

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Honesty may well be the policy, but it often deserts us when no one is watching, psychologists report today. Experiments with an honesty box to collect payments for hot drinks show that people are better at paying up when under the gaze(注視) of a pair of eyes. The surprise was that the eyes were not real, but photographed.
Researchers at Newcastle University set up the experiment in secret. They attached a poster to a cupboard of mugs above an-honesty box alongside a kettle ,with tea, coffee and milk. Over 10 weeks, they alternated each week between images of eyes and pictures of flowers.
Dr. Bateson, a behavioral biologist and leader of the study, said that even though the eyes were not real they still seemed to make people behave more honestly. They effect may arise from behavioral characteristics that developed as early humans formed social groups that increased their chances of survival. Individuals had to co-operate for the good of the group, rather than act selfishly.
"If nobody is watching us it is in our interests to behave selfishly. But when we think we're being watched we should behave better, so people see us as co-operative and behave the same way towards us, "Dr. Bateson said.
"We thought we'd get a slight effect with eyes, but it was quite striking how much difference they made. Even at a subconscious(潛意識的) level, it seems people respond to eyes, and that might be because eyes send a strong biological signal we have evolved(進化) to respond to."
The finding, which researchers believe sheds light on our evolutionary past, could be turned to practical use. The psychologists say images of eyes could promote ticket sales on public transport and improve monitor systems to prevent antisocial behavior.
小題1:This passage is mainly about _______________.
A．the policy of honesty
B．a(chǎn)n honesty box to collect money
C．evolution on honesty
D．a(chǎn)n experiment on honesty
小題2:The reason for doing the experiment secretly is that the researchers _____________.
A．wanted to get a comparatively more exact result
B．had known they wanted to do something illegally
C．meant to get the co-operation of their colleagues
D．intended to sell the hot drinks at a higher price
小題3:People behave honestly under watchful gaze of eyes because _____________.
A．they want to leave a good impression
B．they fear to be laughed at by others
C．they've got the nature through evolution
D．they take the photo for a real pair of eyes
小題4:The underlined phrase" sheds light on" in the last paragraph means _____.
A．causes somebody to become cheerful
B．makes something easier to understand
C．comes upon something by accident
D．brings something into the broad daylight

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Through history, children have played with toys and they help to prepare children for adult life. But the toys are changing all the time. As science and technology have changed the way adults live, the toys children play with have changed as well. Developments in science and technology have had a big effect on the toys that children play with. Today trains and mobile phones are popular toys for young children, but there were no toys of this kind before real trains and mobile phones were invented.  The materials that toys are made of have also changed.  Today lots of toys are made of plastic. Plastic is a modern, man-made material that did not exist (存在) in the past. On the other hand, some other toys that you have might not be all that different from the ones children played with 1,000 years ago. Scientists have found some bone dice (骰子)in Aberdeen. In medieval (中世紀的)times dice were used for playing games as much as they are today.
A recent survey found that half of all the children aged from 4 to 6 have played video games, a quarter of them regularly. The increasing use of electronic toys troubles Dr Singer, a professor at Yale. “One thing we know is that kids in early years need to be in touch with the real world,” he said, “No matter how brilliant they are, they’re not going to learn to walk, to move or to talk to others unless their hands or feet have a direct role in such activities.”
Some toy experts argue that the best toys are the ones that increase a child’s creativity and imagination. Traditional toys can be used for different kinds of purposes and be used in group settings, individually(單獨地), and one-to-one. They are also used differently depending on the child’s age and skill level. And these toys made of natural materials are valuable for children because they teach children what the world is made of.
小題1:In how many ways do toys change according to the first paragraph?
A．One.B．Two.C．Three.D． Four.
小題2:From the article, we can know that     .
A．only children like to play with toys
B．toys have nothing to do with children’s future life
C．the development of toys is related to science and technology
D．plastic is the best material for making toys
小題3:According to Dr Singer,     .
A．the electronic toys are good for children if they play often enough
B．the electronic toys prevent children keeping in touch with the real world
C．children should be stopped from being hurt by the danger coming from the outside world
D．children should play with electronic toys instead of the traditional ones

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Time out
Cover Price: ￡2.35
Save up to 42%
Time out — London’s arts and entertainment weekly. This magazine offers the best listings and reviews of arts, music, films and nightlife, and it is a necessary guide to the entertainment capital of the world. If you’re not using Time out, you’re losing out on London.
School Sport Magazine
Cover Price: ￡4.40
School Sport Magazine is the only publication of its kind to celebrate the sporting achievements of schools, pupils and teachers in the UK. The purpose of the magazine is to report sporting news and record national and regional school sporting events as well as interviews with famous sport stars about their own sporting schooldays. Five issues (期) a year.
Time
Cover Price: ￡2.70
Save up to 76%
Every week, Time keeps you well informed of world news, covering all the matters that affect your life, from political struggles to scientific progress, environmental problems, and what’s new in business, fashion and arts. Its feature articles give you brief but true information and unique insights from world-leading journalists. Time is a great magazine, which can help you develop a truly global perspective.
FourFourTwo
Cover Price: ￡3.90
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FourFourTwo is a monthly football magazine for grown-up readers. Feature articles and wonderful action photographs will keep you attracted. You can read interviews with big name football stars, from today, tomorrow and yesterday. You’ll love it!
小題1:Among all of the above, there is/ are ________ weekly magazine(s).
A．one B．two C．three D．four
小題2: Which of the following magazines will probably provide you with articles about paintings and their painters?
A．Time Out & School Sport Magazine.
B．School Sport Magazine & FourFourTwo.
C．Time Out & Time.
D．only Time.
小題3:Which of the following magazines is suitable for a 13-year-old boy who wants to know about a famous football star’s playing experiences at school?
A．Time Out.
B．School Sport Magazine.
C．Time
D．School Sport Magazine or FourFourTwo.
小題4:We can learn from the passage that ________ .
A．a(chǎn)ll of the magazines are intended for adults.
B．a(chǎn)mong all the magazines, only School Sport Magazine is about sports.
C．Time Out & School Sport Magazine might be published in the United Kingdom.
D．a(chǎn)mong all the magazines, Time Out will cost you the least.
小題5:The author’s purpose in writing this passage is to ________ .
A．a(chǎn)dvertise four best-sellers
B．introduce four popular magazines to readers
C．a(chǎn)sk readers to decide which of the four magazines is the best
D．get more people to buy these magazines

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