The dollar is becoming weaker and weaker. What effects will it have?
Look at the record­high price of oil. Even if the same amount of oil is being pumped out of the ground，since it is traded in dollars and the dollar has weakened，the price of oil has increased to make up for the lost value of the dollar，creating a sort of vicious cycle(惡性循環(huán))．
Oil­producing countries don't want to keep all the dollars they are getting for their oil，since it's declining in value，so they exchange their dollars for euros or other currencies. That pushes more dollars back out into currency markets，which in turn pushes down the dollar's value.
One expert told ABC News that Russia used to have 90 percent of its financial reserves in dollars. It now has 45 percent in dollars,45 percent in euros and 10 percent in British pounds.
In the US itself，the news is mixed. It's good，because it makes what we produce here cheaper to sell in foreign markets，and that in turn spurs(刺激) exports of our products around the world. That translates into more manufacturing and more jobs.
But a weak dollar is bad，because it leads to inflation (通貨膨脹) in this country. Imports from foreign countries will become more expensive，and in particular，oil will be more expensive. That puts pressure on businesses to increase prices for anything that uses oil or products that come from overseas. One benefit for American shoppers is that China has largely pegged its currency to ours，so that keeps the price of Chinese­made goods low and therefore，keeps a check on inflation.
小題1:Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?
A．Why is the dollar losing value?
B．What caused the weak dollar?
C．What to do with the weak dollar?
D．What effects will the weak dollar have?
小題2:With the dollar losing its value，oil­producing countries will do all of the following EXCEPT ________.
A．raising the price of oil
B．raising their production of oil
C．exchanging their dollars for other currencies
D．decreasing their financial reserves in dollars
小題3:It can be inferred that ________.
A．the American economy is having a hard time
B．Russia is making the situation worse on purpose
C．American export businesses would like a stronger dollar
D．Chinese­made goods remain as competitive as before in the USA

小題1:D
小題2:B
小題3:D

小題1:答案　D　[主旨大意題。文章開頭兩句直入主題——美元疲軟將產(chǎn)生哪些影響？接下來各段從不同層面對(duì)此進(jìn)行展開，故選D。]
小題2:答案　B　[細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第二和第三段可知，產(chǎn)油國(guó)為應(yīng)對(duì)美元貶值主要采取兩項(xiàng)措施：(1)提升石油價(jià)格；(2)將美元儲(chǔ)備兌換成其他貨幣。A和C顯然正確。將美元儲(chǔ)備兌換成其他貨幣也就是減少美元儲(chǔ)備，D也正確。]
小題3:答案　D　[推理判斷題。根據(jù)最后一段可知，中國(guó)外匯儲(chǔ)備仍大部分綁定美元，這使得中國(guó)產(chǎn)品在美國(guó)市場(chǎng)的價(jià)格低廉，競(jìng)爭(zhēng)力一如既往的強(qiáng)勁。]
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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Most of the people who appear most often and most gloriously in the history books are great conquerors and generals and soldiers, whereas the people who really helped civilization forward are often never mentioned at all. We do not know who first set a broken leg, or launched a seaworthy boat, or calculated the length of the year, or manured(施肥)a field; but we know all about the killers and destroyers. People think a great deal of them, so much so that on all the highest pillars (紀(jì)念柱) in the great cities of the world you will find the figure of a conqueror or a general or a soldier. And I think most people believe that the greatest countries are those that have beaten in battle the greatest number of other countries and ruled over them as conquerors. It is just possible they are, but they are not the most civilized.
　　Animals fight; so do savages (野蠻人); hence to be good at fighting is to be good in the way in which an animal or a savage is good, but it is not to be civilized. Even being good at getting other people to fight for you and telling them how to do it most efficiently －this, after all, is what conquerors and generals have done －is not being civilized. People fight to settle quarrels.            Fighting means killing, and civilized peoples ought to be able to find some way of settling their disputes other than by seeing which side can kill off the greater number of the other side, and then saying that that side which has killed most has won. And it not only has won, but, because it has won, has been in the right. For that is what going to war means; it means saying that might is right.
　　That is what the story of mankind has on the whole been like. Even our own age has fought the two greatest wars in history, in which millions of people were killed or disabled. And while today it is true that people do not fight and kill each other in the streets －while, that is to say, we have got to the stage of keeping the rules and behaving properly to each other in daily life － nations and countries have not learnt to do this yet, and still behave like savages.
小題1:In the opening sentence the author indicates that ________.
A．conquerors, generals and soldiers should not be mentioned in history books.
B．history books focus more on those who helped civilization forward.
C．those who truly helped civilization forward is rarely mentioned in history books.
D．most history books were written by conquerors, generals and soldiers.
小題2:In the author’s opinion, the countries that ruled over a large number of other countries are           
A．certainly both the greatest and the most civilized
B．neither the most influential nor the most civilized.
C．possibly the most civilized but not the most powerful.
D．likely the greatest in some sense but not the most civilized.
小題3: The meaning of “it means saying that might is right.”(The last sentence of Paragraph 2) is that ________.
A．in a war only those who are powerful will win.
B．those who are right should fight against those who are wrong.
C．only those who are powerful have the right to go to war.
D．those who fight believe that the winner is right and the loser wrong.
小題4: In the third paragraph, what the author wants to convey to us is that ________.
A．we have fought fewer wars but suffered heavier casualties.
B．modern time is not so civilized compared with the past.
C．our age is not much better than those of the past.
D．World War I and World War II are different from previous wars.
小題5: According to the passage, who helped civilization forward?
A. The pioneers in science and technology.
B. Conquerors and generals.
C. Those setting disputes by force.
The experts in military matters
小題6: This passage is most likely taken from an article entitled ________.
A．Who Should Be Remembered
B．Civilization and History
C．War and World Peace
D．Great conquerors in the world

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

The way we do things round here
Some years ago, I was hired by an American bank. I received a letter from the head of the Personnel Department that started, “Dear John, I am quite pleased that you have decided to join us.” That “quite” saddened me. I thought he was saying “We’re kind of pleased you decided to join us although I wish we had hired someone else.” Then I discovered that in American English “quite” sometimes means “very”, while in British English it means “fairly”.
So the first lesson about working in other countries is to learn the language and by that I don’t just mean the words people speak. It is body language, dress, manners, ideas and so on. The way people do things highlights many of the differences we see between cultures.
Some of these differences may be only on the surface--- dress, food and hours of work--- while others may be deeper and take longer to deal with. Mostly, it is just a question of getting used to the differences and accepting them, like the climate (氣候), while getting on with business.
Some of the differences may be an improvement. People are more polite; the service is better; you ask for something to be done and it happens without having to ask again. However, other differences can be troubling, like punctuality (準(zhǔn)時(shí)). If you invite people to a party at 7 o’clock your guests will consider it polite to turn up exactly on time in Germany, five minutes early in the American Midwest, an hour early in Japan, 15 minutes afterwards in the UK, up to an hour afterwards in Italy and some time in the evening in Greece. I prefer not to use the word “l(fā)ate” because there is nothing wrong with the times people arrive. It is simply the accepted thing to do in their own country.
小題1:The author was unhappy as mentioned in Paragraph 1 because he thought _____.
A．the American bank didn’t think much of him
B．the American bank might hire another person
C．it’s difficult to get used to American culture
D．it’s easy to misunderstand Americans
小題2:The word “highlights” in Paragraph 2 probably means _______.
A．encouragesB．helps to narrowC．increasesD．draws attention to
小題3:According to the author, what should we do with most cultural differences?
A．Ask the native people for help.B．Understand and accept them.
C．Do things in our own way.D．Do in-depth research.
小題4:When invited to a party the people who are usually punctual（準(zhǔn)時(shí)的）are ______.
A．ItaliansB．GermansC．GreeksD．the British

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Increasingly, Americans are becoming their own doctors, by going online to diagnose their symptoms, order home health tests or medical devices, or even self-treat their illnesses with drugs from Internet pharmacies(藥店). Some avoid doctors because of the high cost of medical care, especially if they lack health insurance. Or they may stay because they find it embarrassing to discuss their weight, alcohol consumption or couch potato habits. Patients may also fear what they might learn about their health, or they distrust physicians because of negative experiences in the past. But playing doctor can also be a deadly game.  
Every day, more than six million Americans turn to the Internet for medical answers – most of them aren’t nearly skeptical enough of what they find. A 2002 survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project found that 72 percent of those surveyed believe all or most of what they read on health websites. They shouldn’t. Look up “headache”, and the chances of finding reliable and complete information, free from a motivation for commercial gain, are only one in ten, reports an April 2005 Brown Medical School study. Of the 169 websites the researchers rated, only 16 scored as “high quality”. Recent studies found faulty facts about all sorts of other disorders, causing one research team to warn that a large amount of incomplete, inaccurate and even dangerous information exists on the Internet.
The problem is most people don’t know the safe way to surf the Web. “They use a search engine like Google, get 18 trillion choices and start clicking. But that’s risky, because almost anybody can put up a site that looks authoritative(權(quán)威的), so it’d hard to know if what you’re reading is reasonable or not,” says Dr. Sarah Bass from the National Cancer Institute.
小題1:According to the text, an increasing number of American _____.
A．a(chǎn)re suffering from mental disorders
B．turn to Internet pharmacies for help
C．like to play deadly games with doctors
D．a(chǎn)re skeptical about surfing medical websites
小題2:Some Americans stay away from doctors because they _____.
A．find medical devices easy to operate
B．prefer to be diagnosed online by doctors
C．a(chǎn)re afraid to face the truth of their health
D．a(chǎn)re afraid to misuse their health insurance
小題3:According to the study of Brown Medical School, ______.
A．more than 6 million Americans distrust doctors
B．only 1/10 of medical websites aim to make a profit
C．a(chǎn)bout 1/10 of the websites surveyed are of high quality
D．72% of health websites offer incomplete and faulty facts
小題4:Which of the following is the author’s main argument?
A．It’s cheap to self-treat your own illness.
B．It’s embarrassing to discuss your bad habits.
C．It’s reasonable to put up a medical website.
D．It’s dangerous to be your own doctor.

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Anyone who doubts that children are born with a healthy amount of ambition need spend only a few minutes with a baby eagerly learning to walk. No matter how many times the little ones stumble in their first efforts, most keep on trying, determined to master their amazing new skill. It is only several years later, many psychologists and teachers agree, that a good number of kids seem to lose their natural drive to succeed. For the parents of such kids, whose own ambition is often tied to their children’s success, it can be a painful experience.
Figuring out why the fire went out is the first step. Assuming that a kid doesn’t suffer from a learning disability, or isn’t involved in some family crisis(危機(jī)) at home, many educators attribute a sudden lack of motivation to a fear of failure or classmate pressure. “Everything is within the kids’ control; their intelligence is changeable,” says Lisa Blackwell, a research scientist at Columbia University. More than any teacher or workshop, Blackwell says, “parents can play a key role in conveying this message to their children by praising their effort, and progress rather than emphasizing their ‘smartness’ or praising high performance alone. Most of all, parents should let their kids know that mistakes are a part of learning.”
Some experts say our education system, with its strong emphasis on testing and separation of students into different levels of ability, also bears blame for the disappearance of drive in some kids. “These programs shut down the motivation of all kids who aren’t considered gifted and talented. They destroy their confidence,” says Jeff Howard, a social psychologist. Howard and other educators say it’s important to expose kids to a world beyond homework and tests, through volunteer work, sports, hobbies and other extracurriculum activities.
“The problem of the issue is that many students experience education as irrelevant to their life goals and ambitions,” says Michael Nakkual, a Harvard education professor. The key to getting kids to aim higher at school is to free them of the idea that class work is irrelevant, to show them how doing well at school can actually help them fulfill their dreams beyond it. They need to understand that you have to learn to walk before you can run.
46．According to the passage, the parents of kids with no ambition        .
A．don’t do a very good job teaching them to walk
B．a(chǎn)re to blame if the kids do poorly in school
C．feel pain because ambitions are connected to their success
D．should take part in extracurriculum activities with kids
47．The underlined part “the fire went out” probably means        .
A．the motivation was suddenly lost
B．the fear of failure was suddenly gone
C．the learning disability was suddenly lost
D．the fire was suddenly gone
48．All the following can contribute to a sudden lack of ambition except        .
A．learning disability                                      B．classmate pressure
C．emphasis on testing                                    D．extracurricular activities
49．What is the most important thing for parents in motivating their kids?
A．By punishing kids who don’t display ambition.
B．By emphasizing smartness and high performance.
C．By telling kids that mistakes are a part of learning.
D．By praising the effort and progress they have made.
50．We can infer from the passage that        .
A．children who have lost their ambition will never succeed in life
B．school performance has much to do with students’ later success
C．both the parents and the school are to blame for the lost ambition
D．younger kids learning to walk are more ambitious than older ones

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

London’s newest skyscraper (摩天大樓)is called the Shard and it cost about 430 million pounds to build. At a height of almost 310 metres, it is the tallest building in Europe. The Shard has completely changed the appearance of London. However, not everyone thinks that it is a change for the better.
The Shard was designed by the famous Italian architect Renzo Piano. When he began designing the Shard for London, Piano wanted a very tall building that looked like a spire (尖頂)? He wanted the glass surfaces to reflect the sky and the city. The sides of the building aren’t regular. So the building has an unusual shape. It looks like a very thin，sharp piece of broken glass. And that is how the building got the name: the Shard. Piano says that the spire shape of the Shard is part of a great London tradition. The shape reminds him of the spires of the churches of London or the tall masts (桅桿）of the ships that were once on the river Thames.
The Shard has 87 floors. At the top, there is an observatory. At the moment the building is empty, but eventually there will be a five-star hotel. There will also be top quality restaurants, apartments and offices.
Before building work began, a lot of people didn’t want the Shard though the plans were approved. Now they are still unhappy about the Shard. Some critics say that such a tall skyscraper might be good in a city like New York, but not in London. They say that the best thing about the Shard is its spire shape. But that is the only thing. There is no decoration, only flat surfaces. The Egyptians did that 4,500 years ago. They also think the Shard is too big for London. It destroys the beauty of the city.
Other critics don’t like what the Shard seems to represent. They say that the Shard shows how London is becoming more unequal. Only very rich people can afford to buy the expensive private apartments and stay in the hotel. But the people who live near the Shard are among the poorest in London. So the Shard seems a symbol of the division in society between the very rich and the poor.
The Shard now dominates the London skyline. It is not certain, however, that ordinary London citizens will ever accept it as a valuable addition to the city.
小題1:London’s newest skyscraper is called the Shard because of ._____
A. its cost
B  its size
C .its shape
D .its height
小題2:When he designed the Shard, Piano wanted it to ._____
A．change London’s skyline
B．inherit London’s tradition
C．imitate the Egyptian style
D．a(chǎn)ttract potential visitors
小題3:The critics who refer to social division think the Shard_______    .
A．is only preferred by the rich
B．is intended for wealthy people
C．is far away from the poor area
D．is popular only with Londoners
小題4:Which would be the best title for the passage?
A．The Shard: Cheers and Claps
B．The Shard: Work of a Great Architect
C．The Shard: New Symbol of London?
D．The Shard: A Change for the Better?

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Nearly all the tourists who come to southeast France make a tour to Monaco(摩納哥), too. Lying near the French-Italian border, Monaco is not part of France, but a separate principality(公國(guó)), though it is surrounded by its greatest neighbour.
Monaco became a principality in the 16th century after being owned by a family member of a certain Italian king. The French and Italians, however, soon came to “protect” it one after another, until 1861, when it became its own master again.
Facing the blue Mediterranean(地中海), Monaco is mainly made up of two cities, Monaco, where the palace of the prince(王子)stands, and Monte Carlo(蒙特卡洛), which is a wonderful place for tourists. Every year, around half a million people from all parts of the world come to Monaco, nearly 25 times as much as its population.
Believe it or not, Monaco has no soldiers or policemen of its own. Law and order is kept by French police, and French stands for it in its foreign affairs, even the money used in Monaco is franc, too.
小題1:Monaco is　　　.
A．a(chǎn)nother name for Monte Carlo
B．mostly visited by French tourists
C．surrounded by France
D．more related to Italy than to France
小題2: Monaco has a population of　　　.
A．over 20, 000　　　　　B．20, 000 or so
C．more than 25, 000D．no more than 20, 000
小題3: Which of the following is TRUE?
A．The national income of Monaco depends mainly on France.
B．Monaco is famous for having no soldiers or policemen of its own.
C．Monaco does not have a seat in the UN because it is too small a country.
D．Monte Carlo City seems more important for the existence of this principality.
小題4: The Head of Monaco is　　　.
A．the King
B．the President of France
C．a(chǎn) member of the royal family
D．the Emperor

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

On March 15．Dunes View Middle School held a contest for school bands．
Student bands tried out for the opportunity to perform at the school picnic，which will be held at the end of June．The winner of the contest was the band called Four Square.
“We’re very proud that we won the contest and are excited to perform at the picnic，” says Peter Zandt，who plays guitar in the band．“And since we hope to perform someday at other local places，like restaurants and parks，this will be a great first step.”
The contest was the creation of music teacher Mr．Lopez and drama teacher Ms．Cho. The two thought of the idea while discussing recent years' school picnics．“The picnic is one of the biggest events of the year，but it has become a bit formulaic，"said Ms．Cho．“The activities are the same every year .We thought that a performance by a student band would make the school picnic more interesting and fun．”
Mr．Lopez，Ms．Cho，and three other teachers judged the contest，which took place in the gym. To see if the bands could present a wide range of musical skills，the teachers asked them each to prepare two songs：one song with original words，and another in which students played instrumental music only．The judges finally chose the band Four Square as the winner of the contest．Four Square is a rock band with an unusual twist：it includes a violin player! The members of Four Square write their own songs and practice three times a week after schoo1．
Students and teachers agreed that the band competition was：a big success．All are looking forward to the school picnic in June．
小題1:What can be the best title for the article?
A．Famous Band Visits Schoo1．
B．Teachers Give Music Lessons．
C．Students Have Fun at School Picnic．
D．School Holds Student Band Contest．
小題2:The underlined word“formulaic”in Paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to ____________．
A．expensiveB．dullC．1ongD．uncertain
小題3:Why did the teachers ask each band to play two songs?
A．To decide which songs to play at the picnic．
B．To see if the bands could play a variety of songs．
C．To make sure the contest did not go on too long．
D．To make the concert more enjoyable for students．
小題4:According to the article，what is unusual about the band Four Square?
A．It is named after a popular children’s game．
B．Its members practice several times a week．
C．It is a rock band with a violinist．
D．Its members all play guitar．
小題5:According to the article，what does the band Four Square hope to do in the future?
A．Perform at the school picnic every year．
B．Perform in many different places．
C．Buy new instruments．
D．Record an album．

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：不詳 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.
Invented a few years ago by students and seized upon by digital marketers, this festival for lonely hearts falls annually on the 11th day of the 11th month(since 1 is the loneliest number). It is like St Valentine's Day, only worse. Singletons show each other with tender gifts: a barrage of pearls; a storm of sweets.
This November 11th they spent a surprising 19 billion yuan on Alibaba's online platforms—a fourfold increase on a year ago, and more than double what Americans spent online last Cyber Monday(the Monday after Thanksgiving, when retailers urge Americans to shop online). About 100 million purchases were logged, accounting for 80% of the packages shipped that day. Couriers(快遞員) were buried in parcels.
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.
The fiercest battles are being fought between online retailers and their bricks­and­mortar(實(shí)體的) rivals. Dangdang, a firm that resembles Amazon, and 360buy, another online retailer, have cut prices fiercely. Tencent, a cash­rich online giant known for its instant­messaging software, is splashing out to win market share. 360buy has also just raised $400 millon from investors to do the same. But it is unclear how much longer such firms can burn through capital.
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
B．rank top among all the Internet firms
C．have more than 159 billion dollars' sale
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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