Gossip moves so quickly that few people have time to cover their ears, even if they want to.
“I hate it when others gossip about me,” said Mandy Miraglia, 16, a high school student from California, “but to be honest, gossip about my friends makes me feel I am trusted and belong to the group.” Miraglia is not the only person feeling like that.
Gossip has long been looked down on as little more than nonsense and bad manners. But recent research has shown that gossip has many positive effects on your social life.
“There has been a trend among people to dislike gossip,” said David Sloan Wilson, Professor from the State University of New York in Binghamton, US, “but gossip appears to be a very important form of behavior in a group of friends, defining their group membership.”
For 18 months, Kevin Kniffin, from the University of Wisconsin, US, researched the behavior of 50 people. He found that gossip levels peaked when a sports team included a slacker, someone who regularly missed practices or showed up late. Other members of the team would soon start to joke about the slacker’s shortcomings behind his back, because they thought they were bad for the whole team.
Gossip about the mistakes of senior members helps newcomers rebuild their confidence after a failure.
It also helps relieve social and professional anxiety. Long-term studies show that people around the world devote from a fifth to two-thirds or more of their daily conversation to gossip, and men appear to be just as eager for gossip as women.
It is hard to judge gossip, but it is more powerful than you think.
小題1: The author would probably agree that______________.
A．gossip is bad manners
B．gossip has many good effects
C．gossip is somewhat like nonsense
D．gossip is more powerful than advice
小題2: What does the underlined word “slacker” mean according to the context?
A．Someone who values the team benefit much.
B．Someone who does not do what they should well.
C．Someone who is active in sports.
D．Someone who shows no much interest in sports.
小題3:Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A．Gossip is a useful way of building group membership.
B．Gossip can possibly make someone confident.
C．Generally, women are fonder of gossip than men.
D．Actually, everyone gossips to some degree in their daily conversation.

小題1:B
小題2:B
小題3:C
略
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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：完形填空

Mr. Jones had always wanted to make a trip into the middle of Africa to shoot wild animals. 36  first he had no enough money, and then he was married. His wife had not wanted him to37 her. At last his wife  38  to the trip if he allowed her to go, too.
“But it will be very uncomfortable,” Mr. Jones  39 her, “ It will be very hot and we shall live in a tent, and it  40  be dangerous. ”“I don’t care,” said his wife, “I want to go with you.” So they bought a big tent, camp beds, a refrigerator which did not need  41  and many other things which would make the trip 42, and went off to the middle of Africa.
The first morning,  43  Mr. Jones took his gun and left the tent, he  44  his wife a bell and explained to her , “If you fall in  45  and you need me ,  46  this bell and I’ll come at once.”
After a few minutes, he heard the bell and returned 47   to the tent. “What’s the matter?” he asked.“  48  ” said his wife, “I was only  49  the bell.” Mr. Jones went off, but after a quarter of an hour, the bell rang again .
Mr. Jones hurried back to the tent, but his wife said, “I’m  50 . I was cleaning our tent, and I knocked the bell over by mistake.” Mr. Jones returned to his  51 , but soon he heard the  52  once more. This time, when he got back to his   53  , the tent was burning and Mrs. Jones was lying on the ground, with  54  running from a big cut on her shoulder. “That’s better!” said Mrs. Jones. “This time the bell had been used 55 !”
小題1:
A．AndB．ButC．ForD．Although
小題2:
A．leaveB．missC．marryD．care
小題3:
A．a(chǎn)llowedB．promisedC．satisfiedD．a(chǎn)greed
小題4:
A．toldB．a(chǎn)dvisedC．persuadedD．warned
小題5:
A．mayB．mustC．can’tD．shall
小題6:
A．moneyB．electricityC．forceD．power
小題7:
A．differentB．comfortableC．perfectD．interesting
小題8:
A．whileB．untilC．beforeD．a(chǎn)fter
小題9:
A．gaveB．sentC．lentD．bought
小題10:
A．hurryB．surpriseC．safetyD．danger
小題11:
A．hitB．knockC．beatD．ring
小題12:
A．a(chǎn)gainB．backC．quicklyD．finally
小題13:
A．SomethingB．NothingC．NoD．None
小題14:
A．ringingB．tryingC．usingD．testing
小題15:
A．happyB．sorryC．tiredD．a(chǎn)ll right
小題16:
A．wifeB．tentC．tripD．hunting
小題17:
A．cryB．shotC．bellD．shout
小題18:
A．gardenB．houseC．campD．office
小題19:
A．waterB．tearsC．bloodD．sweat
小題20:
A．correctlyB．wronglyC．frequentlyD．carefully

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：完形填空

Long time ago, there was a seed. Because he was only a seed,  36  cared to notice him. Thus, feeling useless, the seed thought he was not important at all.
Then one day, a  37  picked him up and threw him on an open field under the sun. He was  38 , thinking, "Why would a wind do such a thing?" But  39  any pleasant answers, he was  40  with sunlight as well as  41  , sometimes light and sometimes heavy.
Time flew by and years later, he saw a  42  sitting by his side. "Thank God for this. I really need some  43 ",he heard the traveler say.
"What are you  44  ?"The seed asked. He thought the man was  45  him. Surely he had seen many people sitting by his side,  46  no one ever spoke to him like that.
"Who is this?" The man was  47
"This is me, the seed. "
"The seed?" The man looked at the big  48   "Are you kidding me? You are not a seed. You are a tree. A big tree ！
"  49  ?"
"Yes! Why else do you think people  50  here?"
"What do they come here for?"
"To  51 your shade! Don't tell me you didn't know you had  52 over time. "
A moment passed, and the traveler's words made him think a lot.
The seed, now a big tree, thought and  53  for the first time in his life. The years of suffering from the sun and the rain were useful to him at last.
"Oh! That means I'm not a(n)  54  seed anymore! Wow! I'm a big tree now. That's the  55  that I really want !"
小題1:
A．everybodyB．nobodyC．someoneD．a(chǎn)nything
小題2:
A．windB．birdC．boyD．man
小題3:
A．confusedB．gladC．excitedD．hurt
小題4:
A．except forB．because ofC．instead ofD．in case of
小題5:
A．madeB．coveredC．heatedD．provided
小題6:
A．foodB．rainC．friendsD．flowers
小題7:
A．travelerB．womanC．dogD．god
小題8:
A．waterB．1oveC．restD．money
小題9:
A．thinking ofB．preparing forC．looking forD．talking about
小題10:
A．looking atB．making fun ofC．seeing offD．getting away from
小題11:
A．soB．becauseC．butD．since
小題12:
A．a(chǎn)ngeredB．delightedC．movedD．surprised
小題13:
A．stoneB．mountainC．treeD．river
小題14:
A．WhenB．ReallyC．WhereD．Who
小題15:
A．hateB．leaveC．liveD．come
小題16:
A．huntB．likeC．enjoyD．steal
小題17:
A．a(chǎn)ppearedB．survivedC．grownD．risen
小題18:
A．criedB．smiledC．sangD．danced
小題19:
A．smallB．beautifulC．uglyD．lovely
小題20:
A．experienceB．a(chǎn)dventureC．reasonD．life

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Nodira, 18, lives in the Tashkent region of Uzbekistan. She was born with a rare disease and is now paralyzed(癱瘓) from the waist down. Her life is confined to a wheelchair but her dreams know no such boundaries. Her hopes for the future include attending university, riding in her father’s car and being able to walk like other children.
Nodira, which means ‘unique’ in Uzbek, is one of five children in a poor family. Every morning, after reciting her prayers, Nodira feeds the hens and goats from her wheelchair. The rest of her day is spent knitting for other people and helping her mother with the household chores.
Nodira has never been to school because it is too far from her home and inaccessible for her wheelchair. A local teacher used to come and tutor her at home and, as a result, she was able to finish third grade. After that, her parents moved to another town and the tutor could not visit as much.
Despite the many difficulties in Nodira’s life she is lucky to be living with her family. The stigma(羞辱) attached to the children living with disabilities, combined with the lack of wheelchair access in schools and the economic difficulties faced by many Uzbek families, have led many parents to place children with disabilities in special institutions.
These days, Nodira does homework exercises at home and reads as much as she can. Still, it is unlikely that she will be able to finish her primary education, much less attend university. While missing out on an education is a great disappointment to Nodira, her greatest wish, for a true friend, can still come true. “What I want more than anything is a friend who also has a disability,” she says. “Somebody will not feel sorry for me or make fun of me, and will understand what my life is like.”
小題1:The underlined sentence in the first paragraph probably means “_____”.
A．her dreams will help her desert her wheel chair
B．her dreams are never limited by her disability
C．she often dreams of moving freely without a wheel chair
D．she never dreams of recovering from her disability
小題2:Nodira does all the following every day EXCEPT _____.
A．give food to some animals
B．to make clothes from woolen or cotton thread
C．drive cars designed for the disabled
D．help with the housework
小題3:The underlined word “tutor” in the 3rd paragraph can be replaced by “_____”.
A．educateB．visitC．treatD．comfort
小題4:What Nodira wants most is ______.
A．to go to universityB．to walk on her own feet
C．to finish her primary educationD．to find a true friend

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：完形填空

Mr. Grey traveled a lot on business. He sold machines of different kinds to farmers. It was not really a very   36  job, but Mr. Grey had always been interested in   37 , and he was quite   38  with his life.
One of Mr. Grey’s problems was often__39___ to stay when he reached some small places in the country. He did not expect great ___40__ and wonderful food, but he found it annoying when he was given a __41___ room and when there was no hot water or good food after a long and ___42__ day.
Late one __43__ evening, Mr. Grey arrived at a small railway station. The journey by __44__ that day had not been ___45__ interesting, and Mr. Grey was cold and tired and hungry. He was __46___ a simple but satisfying meal by a bright burning __47___ , and then a hot bath and a comfortable ___48__.
While he was walking to the taxi stand, he said to a local man who was _  49__ walking there, “ As this is my first __50___ to this part of the country and I was in too much of a __51___ to find out about hotels before I left home, I would very much like to know how many you have here?”    
The local man answered, “ We have two.”
“And which of the two would you __52___ me to go to ?” Mr. Grey asked then.
The local man scratched his __53___ for a few moments and then answered, “ Well, it’s like this: ___54__ you go to, you’ll be ___55__ you didn’t go to the other.”
小題1:
A．curiousB．serious C．exciting D．horrible
小題2:
A．shoppingB．farmingC．studyingD．teaching
小題3:
A．satisfiedB．terrifiedC．thankful D．careful
小題4:
A．whereB．whichC．whatD．how
小題5:
A．positionB．respectC．comfortD．money
小題6:
A．coldB．smallC．commonD．local
小題7:
A．happyB．interestingC．tiringD．ordinary
小題8:
A．winterB．summerC．Sunday D．holiday
小題9:
A．a(chǎn)irB．trainC．planeD．boat
小題10:
A．in allB．a(chǎn)t allC．a(chǎn)ll overD．a(chǎn)ll the same
小題11:
A．bookingB．ordering C．longing forD．finding out
小題12:
A．fireB．lightC．woodD．stove
小題13:
A．hotelB．roomC．seatD．bed
小題14:
A．a(chǎn)lreadyB．a(chǎn)lsoC．yetD．quite
小題15:
A．a(chǎn)rriveB．lookC．visitD．moment
小題16:
A．whileB．hurry C．habitD．wonder
小題17:
A．wantB．suggestC．a(chǎn)llowD．a(chǎn)dvise
小題18:
A．paperB．headC．handD．notebook
小題19:
A．wheneverB．whereverC．whichever oneD．neither one
小題20:
A．proudB．sureC．sorryD．glad

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

A traveler hurried down to the hall of an American hotel and went to the cash-desk. He had just 15 minutes to pay his bill and get to the station. Suddenly he remembered that he had left something in his room.
"Look here, boy," he said to the bellboy, "run up to my room and see if I have left a parcel on the table there. Be quick about it."
The boy ran upstairs. Five minutes passed. The traveler was walking up and down the hall, looking very angry. At last the boy appeared.
"Yes, sir," he reported to the traveler," you have left the parcel there, it's right on the table in your room."
小題1: The traveler _______.
A．ran down the street
B．came downstairs hurriedly
C．ran so quickly that he fell down
D．came into the hotel hall very quickly
小題2:Which statement is true?
A．He had to pay his bill and arrived at the station in 15 minutes .
B．It took him 15 minutes to go to the station from the hotel.
C．He could pay his bill in 15 minutes and then go to the station .
D．He had nothing but 15 minutes.
小題3: According to the passage, a bellboy is _____.
A．a(chǎn) boy whose work is to ring the bell
B．a(chǎn) boy who plays with a bell
C．a(chǎn) boy whose work in a hotel is to help guests with their bags
D．the hotel owner's boy
小題4: The traveler asked the boy _____ .
A．to go upstairs
B．to look for his parcel
C．to fetch the parcel he had left in his room
D．only to see if the parcel was on the table in his room
小題5:Five minutes later, the boy ______ .
A．ran up to the room
B．came downstairs
C．reported to the traveler in the room
D．came down to the hall but brought nothing back

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

  The playwright George Bernard Shaw once said humorously, “England and America are two nations divided by a common language. If he were writing today, he might add ‘divided by a common technology--- e-mail’”.
Two completely different styles of e-mail have formed on either side of the Atlantic-Euromail and Amerimail. Americail is informal and chatty. It’s likely to begin with a “Hi” and end with a “Bye”. The chances of Amerimail containing a smiley face or an “xoxo” are disturbingly high. We Americans are unwilling to dive into the meat of an e-mail. We feel we have to first inform recipients (收信人) about our vacation on the island which was really excellent except the jellyfish were biting and the kids caught a cold, so we had to skip the whale watching trip, but about that investors’ meeting in New York. Amerimail is a bundle of contradictions, casual and yet direct, respectful yet over proud. In other words, Amerimail is America.
Euromail is stiff and cold often beginning with a formal “Dear Mr. X” and ending with a simple “Sincerely”. You won’t find any mention of kids or the weather or jellyfish in Euromail. It’s all business. It’s also slow. Your correspondent might take days even weeks to answer a message. Euromail is exactly like the Europeans themselves.
Recently about 100 managers were asked on both sides of the Atlantic whether they noticed differences in e-mail styles. Most said yes. Here are a few of their observations:
“Americans tend to write (e-mail) exactly as they speak.”
“Why don’t you just call me instead of writing five e-mails back and forth?”
“Europeans are less interested in checking e-mail”.
“In general, Americans are much more responsive to e-mail—they respond faster and provide more information.”
So which is better, Euromail or Amerimail? I realized it’s not popular these days to suggest we have anything to learn from Europeans, but I’m fed up with an inbox filled with casual, barely meaningful e-mails from friends and colleagues. If the alternative is a few earnestly written, carefully worded bits of Euromail, then I say, “Bring it on.”
小題1:What did George Bernard Shaw mean by saying “England and America are two nations divided by a common language”?
A．There is not much difference between British English and American English.
B．Both England and America speak the common language, so they are much the same.
C．Either England or America is a divided nation, though they share a common language.
D．There is sharp difference between England and America despite their common language.
小題2:Which of the following is most likely to be the “meat” of an Amerimail?
A．The jellyfish were biting.
B．We had an excellent vacation on the island.
C．We had to skip the whale watching trip.
D．We were to attend the investors’ meeting in New York.
小題3:On receiving an e-mail, Europeans tend to __________.
A．respond to it immediately and earnestly
B．take more time than Americans to respond to it
C．respond by calling up their correspondent
D．never respond to it all
小題4:What are characteristics of Amerimail?
A．Informal and chattyB．Casual and indirect
C．Stiff and coldD．Formal and direc60
小題5:We can conclude from the passage that __________.
A．the different e-mail styles do much harm to the relationship between the two sides on Atlantic
B．Amerimail is more appreciated by the writer for being informative and casually written
C．Euromail always impresses the writer as something more pleasant to read
D．the writer doesn’t favor either e-mail style as both have their own shortcomings

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

At two o’clock a bank robber stole in.“This is a holdup,” the man said loudly. He took a gun from under his jacket, pointing to George.“Hand it over!” George reached into his money-box and took all the bills from the top part-close to six thousand dollars. The robber took them and turned to leave.
　　Then, while everyone watched the robber, George calmly lifted the top part of the money-box, took bills from the bottom part and put them into his own pocket secretly.
　　The door was shut and the bank robber was gone. George fainted（暈倒）.
　　As soon as he was safely behind his bedroom door, George counted the money. He had eight thousand dollars. He was very happy.
　　The next morning, while the others were examining the bank's records, George was called into Mr Burrow's office and was introduced to Mr. Carruthers, who used to be president of the bank.
　　“Good morning, George, I was sorry to give you a hard time yesterday, but with all the banks being robbed these days I thought it would be a good idea to prove that our little bank can be robbed too. I have retired（退休）, but I’m always thinking of our bank. That's why I played my little game yesterday, just to keep everyone on his toes（趾）. Now, I have put the money back in your money-box all six thousand.”
小題1:This passage tells us ______.
A．a(chǎn) serious caseB．one part of a play
C．a(chǎn) humorous storyD．a(chǎn) meaningful story
小題2: Which of the following do you think is true?
A．George wanted to protect the money for the bank.
B．George had been thinking of taking money away.
C．This bank had been robbed several times.
D．Nobody knew the bank would be robbed that day.
小題3: Why was George called into Mr. Burrow’s office?
A．His stealing money was disclosed.
B．Mr. Burrow wanted to say sorry to him.
C．Mr. Carruthers wanted to explain the whole thing to him.
D．Mr. Burrow wanted to tell him the money had been put back.
小題4: In this article “to keep everyone on his toes” means “______”.
A．to make everyone work hard
B．to keep everyone standing straight
C．to make everyone do a kind of exercise
D．to keep everyone paying attention to the coming danger
小題5: Which sentence can be used to end the story?
A．George turned cold with fear.B．George turned red with anger.
C．George was pleased with the end.D．George was disappointed with the end.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

When 47-year-old volunteer Susan Boyle stepped onto the stage of Britain’s Got Talent and announced she was unemployed, had never been married and “never been kissed, actually”, few in the audience would have wondered why. This Ms Boyle, looking unfashionable, from a village in Scotland, shocked the three judges and the audience with the song I dreamed a dream from the musical Les Miserables on a show of Britain’s Got Talent, one of the hottest reality shows in Britain.
She couldn’t hide the awkwardness when walking to the center of the stage in a housedress, and everyone — including the judges — seemed laughing at her when she said she wanted to be as successful as Elaine Paige. As soon as she began singing, however, everyone in the auditorium fell silent, then rose within seconds to applaud her incredible voice as the celebrity judges sat open-mouthed, and remained standing to the end.
After her performance, one of the judges Piers Morgan said, “Without doubt that was the biggest surprise I’ve had in three years of this show. When you stood there everyone was laughing at you. No one is laughing now. That was amazing.” Actress Amanda Holden followed, “I’m so thrilled because I know that we everybody were against you. I honestly think that we were all being very cynical (憤世嫉俗的) and I think that’s the biggest wake up call ever.”
Susan obviously won over the hearts of millions around the world with sensation spreading across the Atlantic. Hollywood actors Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore — who between them have nearly 1.5 million followers — speak highly of her. Kutcher posted a link to the video clip (片段). The Scottish talent made her live American debut via satellite connection on CBS’s The Early Show, doing an interview and singing live from her room. And she already accepted an invitation from talk show host Oprah Winfrey.
Now Boyle has become one of the world’s hottest celebrities. The video clip of her performance has been viewed more than 50 million times on Youtube, becoming a hit on the Internet.
小題1: We learn from the passage that Susan Boyle ______.
A．rose from a low social class
B．had an unhappy marriage
C．lived with a dog alone on a farm
D．won the championship in the Britain’s Got Talent show
小題2: At the beginning of the show, almost everybody ______.
A．looked forward to her wonderful performance
B．was attracted by her beautiful dress
C．looked down upon her
D．placed great hope on her
小題3:We can infer that ______ contributed most to her global popularity.
A．the judgesB．the InternetC．the newspaperD．the advertisement
小題4:The 4th paragraph intends to tell us ______.
A．how Susan Boyle achieved her success
B．the comment made by American actor Ashton Kutcher
C．Susan Boyle’s influence in the USA
D．Oprah Winfrey’s invitation to Susan Boyle

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