There is no question that fewer teenagers are on the roads in the US.
In 1978, 50% of 16-year-olds had got their first driving licence. In 2008, according to the US Transportation Department, it was just 30%. The number of those aged 19 and under with driving licences has also been declining since 1978, when 11, 989, 000 had licence. In 2010, it was 9, 932, 441, or 4.1% of American drivers.
In the UK, 683, 273 teenagers have driving licences- just 1.85% of total licence holders, according to Department of Transport figures from September 2010.
But the decline in the US may have more to do with tougher tests and the introduction of the new rule in many states, which force drivers aged under 16 to be with licensed drivers of 21 years and older when driving.
In recent years, the annual number of journeys being made by American drivers of all ages has declined clearly for the first time ever. Car use began falling in 2007, when average petrol prices almost doubled to $4.12 a gallon, and the economy became worse.
But there are signs that it is getting back to normal and American remains a country on wheels. It has a higher number of cars per head of population than any other country in the world.
“Cars will always be a popular means of transportation in America. You have to take into consideration some places don’t have access to public transportation. Cars are the only way some people can get around,” says Kristin Nevels. This makes driving necessary in some rural states, where about twice as many teenagers are on the road than in big cities.
【小題1】The underlined word “declining” in the second paragraph most probably means “__________”.
A.rising | B.dropping | C.improving | D.holding |
A.traffic jams | B.harder tests | C.expensive petrol | D.worst economy |
A.doubts the popularity of the car use in the future. |
B.thinks American people can not live without cars. |
C.holds confident attitude to the cars’ future in America. |
D.believes America should build up its public transportation. |
A.The UK has more teenager drivers than the US. |
B.A 15-year-old boy cannot drive alone in the US. |
C.The US has very developed bus transportation system. |
D.Big cities have more teenager drivers than rural areas in the US. |
【小題1】B
【小題2】C
【小題3】C
【小題4】B
解析試題分析:文章主要講述了美國汽車行業(yè)的一些情況。美國擁有駕照的人數(shù)在下降,油價上漲,經(jīng)濟蕭條導致汽車的使用量也在減少。有人認為,美國不會喪失它在汽車工業(yè)中的地位。
【小題1】根據(jù)“since 1978, when 11, 989, 000 had licence. In 2010, it was 9, 932, 441”可知,十九歲及以下?lián)碛旭{照的人數(shù)在下降,故選B。
【小題2】根據(jù)第五段“Car use began falling in 2007, when average petrol prices almost doubled to $4.12 a gallon, and the economy became worse.”可知,油價上漲是汽車使用量減少的主要原因,故選C。
【小題3】根據(jù)“Cars will always be a popular means of transportation in America. ...Cars are the only way some people can get around”可知,Kristin Nevels對美國的汽車行業(yè)很有信心,故選C。
【小題4】根據(jù)“the introduction of the new rule in many states, which force drivers aged under 16 to be with licensed drivers of 21 years and older when driving.”可知,16歲以下?lián)碛旭{照的人必須和擁有21年以上駕齡的人一起開車出行,16歲以下的人不能單獨開車外出,故選B。
考點:社會類短文閱讀
科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
This year the selfie earned its place as the Oxford English Dictionary’s 2013 Word Of The Year.It has taken over our culture-and our smartphones.The rise of the selfie has become universal-between presidents,celebrities(名人)and citizens alike-and the trend is only continuing to grow.
A recent survey conducted by the Pew Internet&American Life Project found that 54 percent of Internet have posted original photos online.And of those hundreds of millions of photos, many are of selfie photos.
For example,currently there are nearly 62 million posted selfie
photos on Instagram,the social media tool that has significantly contributed to the personal photo’s popularity.That figure,which continues to rise every day, does not even begin to include the selfies shared on Facebook and Twitter.
What makes the selfie so attractive-and why do we feel it a must to take one? According to Dr.Pamela Rutledge,psychologist and director of the Media Psychology Research Center,the desire to take,post and get“l(fā)ikes” on selfies goes back to a biological behavior of all humans.
“ I think it influences our sense of social connection in the same way as it does when you go
to a party and people say‘Oh I love your dress,’” Rutledge told The Huffington Post.“Biological,social recognition is a real need and there is even an area of the brain that contributes to social activity.”
There is a way to adapt to the growing selfie culture.Whether you’re a selfie novice or an advanced poster,there are always things to be mindful of when you’re posting,Rutledge advises.
She offered two main principles to follow when it comes to posting on social media:
1.The Grandmother Rule
“Don't post anything online,whether text or visual,that you don't want grandmother or future
employer to see,” Rutledge said.“Selfies especially.”
2.The Elevator Rule
“You wouldn’t say something in an elevator that you or no one else wants to hear—the whole
world of social media is an elevator,” Rutledge said.“Be aware of the breadth of platform.It's easy to think you’re sharing a photo with a few people,but Instagram is public and people can come across things.”
【小題1】What's the main idea of the first paragraph?
A.The selfie is taking the lead. |
B.Many people are fond of smartphones. |
C.The selfie will take over everything. |
D.The selfie is an important new word. |
A.need to be acknowledged in social life |
B.want to show off their new dresses |
C.desire to share good things |
D.mean to amuse the public |
A.publisher | B.greenhand | C.novelist | D.celebrity |
A.share photos only on Instagram |
B.talk about their photos in an elevator |
C.be cautious in posting things online |
D.follow rules set by their grandmothers |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
Cultural Center Adds Classes for Young Adults
The Allendale Cultural Center has expanded its arts program to include classes for young adults. Director Leah Martin announced Monday that beginning in September, three new classes will be offered to the Allendale community. The course titles will be Yoga for Teenagers; Hip Hop Dance: Learning the Latest Moves; and Creative Journaling for Teens: Discovering the Writer Within. The latter course will not be held at the Allendale Cultural Center but instead will meet at the Allendale Public Library.
Staff member Tricia Cousins will teach the yoga and hip hop classes. Ms. Cousins is an accomplished choreographer (舞蹈教師) as well as an experienced dance educator. She has an MA in dance education from Teachers College, Columbia University, where she wrote a thesis on the pedagogical (教學法的) effectiveness of dance education. The journaling class will be taught by Betsy Milford. Ms. Milford is the head librarian at the Allendale Public Library as well as a columnist for the professional journal Library Focus.
The courses are part of the Allendale Cultural Center’s Project Teen, which was initiated by Leah Martin, Director of the Cultural Center. According to Martin, this project is a direct result of her efforts to make the center a more essential part of the Allendale community. Over the last several years, the number of people who have visited the cultural center for classes or events has steadily declined. Project Teen is primarily funded by a generous grant from The McGee Arts Foundation, an organization devoted to bringing arts programs to young adults. Martin oversees the Project Teen board, which consists of five board members. Two board members are students at Allendale’s Brookdale High School; the other three are adults with backgrounds in education and the arts.
The creative journaling class will be cosponsored by Brookdale High School, and students who complete the class will be given the opportunity to publish one of their journal entries in Pulse, Brookdale’s student literary magazine. Students who complete the hip hop class will be eligible to participate in the Allendale Review, an annual concert sponsored by the cultural center that features local actors, musicians, and dancers. All classes are scheduled to begin immediately following school dismissal, and transportation will be available from Brookdale High School to the Allendale Cultural Center and the Allendale Public Library. For more information about Project Teen, contact the cultural center’s programming office at 988-0099 or drop by the office after June 1 to pick up a fall course catalog. The office is located on the third floor of the Allendale Town Hall.
【小題1】Which of the following statements is correct?
A.Tricia Cousins will teach two of the new classes. |
B.The new classes will begin on June 1. |
C.People who want a complete fall catalogue should stop by the Allendale Public Library. |
D.The cultural center’s annual concert is called Pulse. |
A.Tricia Cousins was available to teach courses in the fall. |
B.Community organizations were ignoring local teenagers. |
C.The McGee Arts Foundation wanted to be more involved in Allendale’s arts programming. |
D.She wanted to make the cultural center a more important part of the Allendale community. |
A.The number of people visiting the cultural center has declined over the last several years. |
B.The cultural center wanted a grant from The McGee Arts Foundation. |
C.The young people of Allendale have complained about the cultural center’s offerings. |
D.Leah Martin thinks classes for teenagers are more important than classes for adults. |
A.In time order, from the past to the future. |
B.Most important information first, followed by background and details. |
C.Background first, followed by the most important information and details. |
D.As sensational news, with the most controversial topic first. |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
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 |
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 |
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 |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
Recently the busiest person on the Internet is absolutely Yuanfang, a fictional figure from the Chinese TV series “Detective Di Renjie”. In the TV series, Li was often asked by Di, “How do you see it, Yuanfang?” Then, the dialogues between them help advance the plot. Now, the casual pet phrase is used as many as 2.5 million times by netizens in a single day, according to statistics.
In fact, it is not the first popular sentence pattern on the Internet. Many other types of popular network words include those evolved from “the slogans of Vancl(凡客網(wǎng))” and actor’s lines of “The Legend of Concubine Zhen Huan”.
The explosive spread of the sentence “How do you see it, Yuanfang?” again proved the vast power of the network spread. The appearance of a buzzword(流行詞) on the Internet may be coincidental, but the spread of numerous buzzwords has started a social and cultural phenomenon. It is more noticeable that the spread is not a deliberate choice but by chance. Usually, everyone has known about it, except the one concerned.
The appearance of buzzwords is resulting from the agreement of netizens. If something is new and interesting enough, it will cause public attention.
The rise of these buzzwords also benefits from their strong “adhesive(粘著的) force”. After analyzing these buzzwords, we find that they have a common character, namely “novel in structure but empty in content”. Therefore, any concrete contents can be added in these buzzwords, creating fantastic results.
Taking the “Yuanfang-style” as an example, its popularity displayed a social mentality of questioning. Although it seems a little funny to ask “Yuanfang”, a fictional character, and some people even find it boring. This way of asking a question reveals a valuable quality-listening. The Internet provides a space for everyone to express their views, but it also causes controversies. What’s your opinion, Yuanfang?
【小題1】We can learn from the passage that Yuanfang .
A.is the busiest person in modern industrial societies |
B.plays an important role in a Chinese TV series |
C.is a fictional figure currently popular with netizens |
D.starts a social and cultural phenomenon by himself |
A.a(chǎn) choice made on purpose | B.a(chǎn) choice made by accident |
C.a(chǎn) choice done in person | D.a(chǎn) choice done at ease |
A.The dialogues between Di Renjie and Yuanfang help understand the network buzzwords. |
B.The “Yuanfang-style” suggests once again that the power of the network spread is quite vast. |
C.The spread of numerous buzzwords has started a social development of structure and content. |
D.The result of the netizens’ agreement directly leads to the rise of some socially strong problems. |
A.People benefited from the Internet on which they can learn a lot about real society. |
B.People learned about some controversies from the Internet and decided to deal with them. |
C.People provided a space through which they can display their own criminal mentality. |
D.People found out a place where they can question and express their different views. |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
Kiss crisis, hug horrors and the UK's handshake headaches
Greeting someone, saying goodbye – these situations fill me with unease. You have a second to make a dangerous decision. One peck (輕吻)? Two pecks? Three? No kisses at all? Why, I think, as I crash into the other person’s face, why can’t it be as simple as a handshake?
A survey by the soap company Radox in May showed one in five Brits now feels a handshake is “too formal”, according to the Daily Mail. Some 42 percent said they never shook hands when greeting friends. For one third of people the alternative was a hug, for 16 percent a kiss on the cheek.
British people are known to be reserved (保守的) – unfriendly, some would say. Handshakes used to work for us because we didn’t have to get too close. But the super-British handshake is no longer fashionable. We want to be more like our easygoing Mediterranean neighbors who greet each other with kisses and hugs.
The trouble is, we still find it a bit awkward. What does a married man do when greeting a married female friend, for example? How should someone younger greet someone older?
Guys don’t tend to kiss one another; my male friends in Britain go for the “manly hug”, taking each other stiffly (不自然地) in one arm and giving a few thumps on the back with words like “Take it easy, yeah?”.
The biggest questions, if you do decide to kiss, are how many times and which cheek first. Unlike the French, who comfortably deliver three, our cheek-pecks usually end in embarrassed giggling (咯咯笑): “Oh, gosh, sorry, I didn’t mean to kiss you on the lips, I never know where to aim for first!”
But then it’s never been easy for us poor, uncomfortable Brits. Even the handshake had its problems: don’t shake too hard, but don’t hold the other person’s hand too limply (無力地) either, and definitely don’t go in with sweaty hands.
Maybe it’s better to leave it at a smile and a nod.
【小題1】What is the article mainly about?
A.Origin of the traditional British way of greeting someone. |
B.New trends and problems that Brits have with the way they greet people. |
C.Why the author feels uneasy when greeting someone or saying goodbye. |
D.Differences in greetings between Britain and other Western countries. |
A.It is now considered unfriendly to greet friends with a handshake in Britain. |
B.A kiss on the cheek is becoming the most popular form of greeting in Britain. |
C.Most Brits no longer offer to shake hands with those they meet. |
D.More and more Brits prefer to be greeted with a hug or kiss. |
A.not helpful | B.too informal | C.quite embarrassed | D.very interesting |
A.A hug. | B.A smile and a nod. | C.A handshake. | D.A kiss on the cheek. |
A.A British writer. | B.An American writer. | C.A French writer. | D.A Chinese writer. |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
Men and women are still treated unequally in the workplace. Women continue to earn less, on average, for the same performance. Research has shown that both conscious(有意識的) and subconscious biases (偏見) contribute to this problem. But we’ve discovered another source of inequality: Women often don’t get what they want and deserve because they don’t ask for it. In three separate studies, we found that men are more likely than women to negotiate for what they want.
The first study found that the starting salaries of male MBAs who had recently graduated from Carnegie Mellon were 7.6%, or almost $4,000, higher on average than those of female MBAs from the same program. That’s because most of the women had simply accepted the employer’s salary offer; in fact, only 7% had attempted to negotiate. But 57% of their male counterparts--or eight times as many men as women—had asked for more.
Another study tested this gender difference in the lab. Subjects were told that they would be observed playing a word game and that they would be paid between $3 and $10 for playing. After each subject completed the task, an experimenter thanked the participant and said, “Here’s $3. Is $3 OK?” For the men, it was not OK, and they said so. Their requests for more money are nine times as many as the women’s.
The largest of the three studies surveyed several hundred people over the Internet, asking them about the most recent negotiations they’d attempted or started and when they expected to negotiate next. The study showed that men place themselves in negotiation situations much more often than women do.
There are several reasons accounting for the phenomenon. First, women often are taught from an early age not to promote their own interests and to focus instead on the needs of others. The messages girls receive—from parents, teachers, other children, the media, and society in general—can be so powerful that when they grow up they may not realize that they’ve made this behavior part of them, or they may realize it but not understand how it affects their willingness to negotiate. Women tend to think that they will be recognized and rewarded for working hard and doing a good job. Unlike men, they haven’t been taught that they can ask for more.
【小題1】According to this passage, what causes the inequality in the workplace?
A.social bias |
B.women’s poorer working ability |
C.women’s worse academic background |
D.women’s less negotiating |
A.Women are more likely to accept the employer’s salary offer. |
B.Men tend to ask for more money than woman. |
C.Women care more about other’s interest instead of themselves’. |
D.Men believe that the better they work, the better they’re paid. |
A.The suggestions given to women. |
B.The warnings to men. |
C.Another reason for women’s not asking. |
D.Another reason for men’s asking. |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
Is It OK to Snap (拍照) Your Food?
Have you ever taken a snap of a luxurious cake or photographed a juicy steak when you eat in restaurants? You may want to share what you eat with your friends or just post part of your daily life onto the Internet. However, such action may be very annoying(討厭的) to other diners, or even to chefs and restaurant owners. Currently, more and more people begin to consider “ foodstagramming” as very silly and a bad manner.
In many restaurants, diners complain of being blinded by flasher(閃光燈), snapped without their permission and disturbed by people climbing on to chairs for a better angle. Even chefs and restaurant owners are annoyed at food photography. A Michelin-starred(米其林星級) chef said, “It’s hard to build a memorable evening when flashes are flying every six minutes.”
At the start of 2013, the debate on whether it is OK to take photographs of your food in restaurants seemed to swing (搖擺) towards a definite “no.” According to several chefs in New York City, some restaurants there have started banning customers from taking photos of their food. Policies around the ban of food photography vary from restaurant to restaurant, ranging from restrictions on using a flash to outright(完全的) bans. If other restaurants follow such policies, it may signal the death of “ foodstagramming”.
Nevertheless, instead of banning food photography, some restaurants are offering food photography courses. In Spain, the restaurant group Grupo Gourmet has started running a “ Fotografia para foodies” course to instruct its customers to better take food pictures. The course teaches customers to take photos in a proper way without disturbing other dinners, such as never use a flash.
【小題1】Who are annoyed with food photography in restaurants?
A.Restaurant owners. | B.Other diners. |
C.Chefs. | D.The above all. |
A.They started to ban customers from taking photos of their food. |
B.They had no idea about taking photos for the profits. |
C.They wanted to talk with some customers. |
D.They decided to learn from Spain. |
A.It told the customers when to take food pictures. |
B.It asked the customers to pay for taking food pictures. |
C.It ran a course to instruct customers to better take food pictures. |
D.It also prevented the customers from taking food pictures. |
A.It’s a popular practice where diners take photos of their meals and share them online. |
B.It’s a popular practice where dinners take photos of their meals and sells to others. |
C.It’s a habit that people take photos when they eat. |
D.It’s an idea how to take photos of their meals. |
A.Customers in America like others to use flashes when they eat. |
B.Restaurants in Spain think of a methord to meet people’s need. |
C.American government is discussing the problem of foodstagramming. |
D.People in China are trying to think of an idea to deal with the problem. |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
Writer Jean Stafford scoffed, “Happy people don't need to have fun,” but studies show that the absence of feeling bad isn’t enough to make you feel good;you must try hard to find sources of feeling good. Research shows that regularly having fun is a key factor in having a happy life;people who have fun are 20 times more likely to feel happy.
Recently, I noticed a pattern among activities that people find fun:Have a mission. There’s something about having a playful purpose,of trying to achieve something that makes an activity more fun.
For example a friend told that she loved visiting flea markets(舊貨市場)and antique stores to look for old globes-not fancy ones,but cheap ones. She has a rule that she'll never pay more than$20. She’s the kind of person who loves wandering around in those kinds of shops in any case,but having a mission makes it more fun, less aimless.
For that matter,having a collection of any sort is a very popular way to have a mission. You get satisfaction whenever you find another piece of blue sea glass on the beach or another out-of-print book by Charlotte Yonge in an old bookstore.
Taking photos is a common way to incorporate(使并入) a mission into traveling. Not only does this help keep memories vivid, it also makes you more attuned(協(xié)調(diào)一致)to your environment while traveling. For example,during my most recent visit to New Haven,I had a lot more fun wandering around once I set myself the mission of taking tourist photos of my own romance.
Why is this true? The First Splendid Truth holds that to be happier,you have to think about feeling good and feeling right,in an atmosphere of growth. The more I’ve thought about happiness,the more surprised I’ve been at the importance of the “atmosphere of growth.” I think this is a huge engine of happiness, and when you have a mission, you create an atmosphere of growth whenever you pursue that mission.
Have you found a way to have a mission? What is it and does it boost your happiness?
【小題1】. According to the author, happy people____
A.don't need to have fun |
B.don't have to be occupied with work |
C.can have 20 times more fun than others |
D.a(chǎn)re always finding sources of feeling good |
A.making a comparison | B.presenting numbers |
C.stating common sense | D.using examples |
A.How to live happily |
B.Where to look for fun |
C.The importance of feeling good |
D.Having a mission can make you happier |
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