Perhaps every older generation since ancient times has complained about young people, and today is no different. Isn’t it obvious that kids these days are self-absorbed social network addicts?
However, this summer, my impression of today’s kids has been restored by the story of Rachel Beckwith. She could teach my generation a great deal about maturity (成熟) and unselfishness — even though she’s just 9 years old, or was when she died on July 23.
At age 5, Rachel had her long hair cut off and sent to Locks of Love, which uses hair donations to make artificial hair for children who have lost their own hair because of cancer or other diseases. After that, Rachel announced that she would grow her hair long again and donate it again. And that’s what she did.
Then when she was 8 years old, her church began raising money to build wells in Africa through an organization called “charity: water”. Rachel was astonished when she learned that other children had no clean water, so she skipped her ninth birthday party. Rachel set up a birthday page on the charity: water website with a target of $300. Instead of presents, she asked her friends to donate $9 each to charity: water. Finally Rachel raised only $220 — which had left her just a bit disappointed.
Then, on July 20, a serious traffic accident left Rachel critically injured. Church members and friends, seeking some way of showing support, began donating on Rachel’s birthday page — charitywater.org/Rachel — and donations reached her $300 goal, and kept rising.
When it was clear that Rachel would never regain consciousness, the family decided to remove the life-support machine. Her parents donated her hair for the final time to Locks of Love, and her organs to other children.
Word spread about Rachel’s last fund-raiser (募捐行動). Contributions poured in, often they donated $9. The total donations soon topped $100,000, then $300,000.
This is a story not just of one girl, but of a young generation of outstanding problem-solvers working creatively.
小題1:Which of the following is TRUE of Rachel?
A．She died at the age of 8.B．She was a cancer patient.
C．She was a warm-hearted girl.D．She founded Locks of Love.
小題2:The underlined word “skipped” in Paragraph 4 probably means “      ”.
A．put off B．gave upC．expectedD．planned
小題3:According to the text, Rachel set up the birthday page to       .
A．make more new friends
B．call on people to donate hair
C．a(chǎn)sk her friends to send her gifts
D．raise money to help African children
小題4:How does the author feel about the young generation now?
A．WorriedB．Critical.C．Appreciative.D．Doubtful
小題5:What would be the best title for the text?
A．Rachel’s last fund-raiser
B．Rachel and her birthday page
C．Kids are addicted to social networks.
D．What’s wrong with the young generation?

小題1:C
小題2:B
小題3:D
小題4:C
小題5:A
文章通過一個善良的女孩子的慈善行為告訴我們新一代的年輕人也是非常有愛心的，也是非常有希望的。
小題1:推理題。根據(jù)文章所講述她捐頭發(fā)，籌集資金為非洲人打井等等行為說明她是一個熱心腸的人。根據(jù)文章可知ABD都是錯誤的。
小題2:詞義辨析題。根據(jù)下文Instead of presents, she asked her friends to donate $9 each to charity可知她放棄為自己舉辦生日聚會。而是為這一慈善組織建立了一個網(wǎng)頁來籌集資金。
小題3:細節(jié)題。根據(jù)第4段第4行內(nèi)容Rachel set up a birthday page on the charity: water website with a target of $300.
小題4:推理題。根據(jù)文章最后一段內(nèi)容尤其是outstanding problem-solvers working creatively. 可以推斷作者對于年輕的一代是非常欣賞的。
小題5:主旨大意題。文章通過講述這個善良的女孩子的慈善行為告訴我們新一代的年輕人也是非常有愛心的。A項所講Rachel’s last fund-raiser 更能表達這個主題。要特別注意B項，概括性不夠。
練習冊系列答案
相關(guān)習題

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：完形填空

A farmer had some puppies（小狗）to   36  . He painted a sign advertising the puppies and   37__  nailing （釘）it to a post on the edge of his yard. As he was driving the last nail into the post, a little boy came to him.
“Mister,” he said, “I want to buy one of your puppies.”
“Well,” said the farmer, as he   38  the sweat off his face, “these puppies come from fine parents and cost   39  money. Do you have enough money?”
The boy    40   his head for a moment. Then reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a handful of   41  and held it up to the farmer. “I’ve got thirty-nine cents. Is that enough to take a look?” “Sure,” said the farmer. And with that he  42  a whistle (口哨聲), “Here, Dolly!” he called.   43  from the doghouse and down the ramp ran Dolly    44  by four little balls of fur. The little boy’ eyes danced with delight. As the dogs made their   45  to the fence, the little boy noticed something else stirring inside the doghouse.   46    another little ball appeared; this one noticeably smaller.  Then in a somewhat    47   manner the little pup began hobbling（蹣跚） toward the others, doing its best to    48  .
“I want that one,” the little boy said,   49   to the smallest one. The farmer said, “Son, you don’t want that puppy. He will never be able to run and play with you   50  these other dogs would.”
With that the little boy   51  back from the fence, and began    52    up one leg of his trousers. In doing so he exposed a steel support running down both sides of his leg   53  itself to a specially made   54   . Looking back up at the farmer, he said, “You see sir, I don't   55   too well myself, and he will need someone who understands.”
小題1:
A．sellB．buy C．raiseD．drive
小題2:
A．set offB．set outC．set aboutD．set up
小題3:
A．wipedB．removed C．settledD．drove
小題4:
A．a(chǎn) number ofB．quite a fewC．a(chǎn) great deal ofD．only a little
小題5:
A．raised B．buried C．droppedD．shook
小題6:
A．changeB．priceC．treasureD．wallet
小題7:
A．made outB．put awayC．gave awayD．let out
小題8:
A．In B．AwayC．OutD．Up
小題9:
A．equippedB．protectedC．a(chǎn)ttackedD．followed
小題10:
A．wayB．directionC．pathD．struggle
小題11:
A．RapidlyB．SlowlyC．SuddenlyD．Simply
小題12:
A．curiousB．foolish C．ordinaryD．a(chǎn)ctive
小題13:
A．catch upB．keep upC．put upD．make up
小題14:
A．staring B．pointingC．greeting D．devoting
小題15:
A．whileB．a(chǎn)sC．that D．what
小題16:
A．steppedB．escapedC．wentD．kept
小題17:
A．pushingB．forcingC．rollingD．tearing
小題18:
A．a(chǎn)ttachingB．a(chǎn)ttachedC．being attachedD．to attach
小題19:
A．legB．stick C．shoeD．foot
小題20:
A．walkB．runC．liveD．go

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：完形填空

I was sitting in the surgical waiting area at the hospital waiting for word of my wife's operation. The small room was filled with other families and friends who were 36 waiting to hear how their loved ones were doing.
There was a young boy sitting quietly in the__37__.He held a small box of__38__in one hand and a tablet( 寫字板)in the other. Every so often he'd place the tablet on his lap and draw something. As the hours passed I began to see the room almost__39__.And there was a strange silence.
“Daddy，when is Mommy going home？”the young boy asked，breaking the__40__.
“Tomorrow，”his father replied. The boy picked up his crayons and__41__something on the tablet.
I _42__him as he moved his feet back and forth，looking up at the ceiling and then toward the sunshine－filled window.“When's__43__，Daddy？”he asked. His father__44__him over to sit by him. “Come，_45__here next to me，”he said with a gentle tone in his voice.
__46__his things，the little boy walked slowly to his father's side from the corner.
The man_47__out and held his son by his shoulders.
“There are three days in life. Yesterday，today and tomorrow. One is over and done，one we live in，the other we__48__.We can't live in yesterday，but if we are happy enough today，we will be even happier tomorrow，”he said in an attempt to__49__the boy.
The little boy looked at him for a moment and said，“If Mommy is going home tomorrow，I'll be__50__. So，I want it to be tomorrow already, Daddy.”
Now hanging on every word of this__51__，I leaned forward to hear his response. It was__52__.
“Son，the one great thing about today is once it__53__，it is already almost tomorrow.”
I thought about how__54__it was. Even in my adult life. I still live waiting for what tomorrow may__55__.Now I know that it is already “almost tomorrow.”
小題1:
A．eagerlyB．patientlyC．happilyD．curiously
小題2:
A．chairB．cornerC．distanceD．shadow
小題3:
A．giftsB．toysC．chalksD．crayons
小題4:
A．darkB．fullC．emptyD．clean
小題5:
A．promiseB．ruleC．recordD．silence
小題6:
A．wroteB．drewC．printedD．carved
小題7:
A．followedB．foundC．watchedD．caught
小題8:
A．todayB．yesterdayC．futureD．tomorrow
小題9:
A．knockedB．orderedC．calledD．pulled
小題10:
A．standB．sitC．lieD．sleep
小題11:
A．GatheringB．ForgettingC．SavingD．Choosing
小題12:
A．gotB．tookC．setD．reached
小題13:
A．spendB．wasteC．killD．expect
小題14:
A．frightenB．satisfyC．persuadeD．warn
小題15:
A．happierB．calmerC．smarterD．sadder
小題16:
A．storyB．a(chǎn)rgumentC．conversationD．discussion
小題17:
A．humorousB．sillyC．positiveD．perfect
小題18:
A．endsB．startsC．passesD．lasts
小題19:
A．meaningfulB．importantC．interestingD．fantastic
小題20:
A．happenB．comeC．bringD．need

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Thomas Alva Edison was awarded more patents on inventions than any other American. When he died in 1931, Americans wondered how they could best show their respect for him. One suggestion was that the nation observe a minute or two of total blackout. All electric power would be shut off in homes, streets, and factories. Perhaps this suggested plan made Americans realize fully what Edison and his inventions mean to them. Electric power was too important to the country. Shutting it off for even a short time would have led to complete confusion. A blackout was impossible.
On the day of Edison's funeral, many people silently dimmed their lights. In this way they honored the man who had done more than anyone else to put the great force of electricity at his countrymen's fingertips.
小題1:This selection says that Thomas Edison ________.
A．was the only important American inventor
B．received the first American patent
C．received more patents than any other American
D．was the first American inventor
小題2:People decided to honor Edison when ________.
A．he made the first electric light
B．electric power was 100 years
C．the country realized electricity's importance
D．he died in 1931
小題3:The suggested plan was to ________.
A．turn off the lights in factories and schools
B．observe a few minutes of total silence
C．dim all electric lights
D．shut off all electricity for a short time

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Vincent Willem van Gogh (30 March, 1853---29 July, 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist artist. He is considered one of the greatest artists with great influence on the greatest artists with great influence on the 20th-century art.
Van Gogh spent his early adult life working for a firm of art dealers. After a brief period as a teacher, he became a missionary (傳教士) in a very poor mining region. He did not begin his career as an artist until 1880; however, during the last ten years of his life, he produced more than 2,000 pieces, including around 900 paintings and 1,100 drawing and sketches (素描). He worked only with somber colours until he met Impressionism and Neo-Impressionism in Paris. Van Gogh used their bright colours and style of painting in a uniquely recognizable style. Most of his best-known works were produced during his final two years, when he was suffering from serious mental illness.
In 1890, at the age of 37, van Gogh shot himself in the chest. He died two days later, with Theo, his brother and his best friend, at his side, who reported his last words as “The sadness will last forever”. It would not take long before his fame grew higher and higher.
Van Gogh’s mother threw away quite a number of his paintings. The only painting he sold during his lifetime, The Red Vineyard, was created in 1888. It is now on display in the Pushkin Museum in Moscow, Russia. Several paintings by van Gogh rank among the most expensive paintings in the world. On March 30, 1987 van Gogh’s painting Irises was sold for a record of $53.9 million at Southby’s, New York. On May 15, 1990 his Portrait of Doctor Gachet was sold for $83.5 million at Christie’s, thus setting a new price record.
小題1:When did van Gogh begin his career as an artist?
A．At the age of 17.
B．At the age of 27.
C．In his early adult adult life.
D．In his early childhood.
小題2:The underlined word “somber” in Para. 2 means         .
A．colourfulB．differentC．darkD．bright
小題3:What’s the right order of van Gogh’s life experience?
a. worked as a teacher
b. took up drawing
c. worked in an art firm
d. worked as a missionary
A．c, a, b, dB．c, a, d, bC．b, c, a, dD．b, a, c, d
小題4:Which of the following can best describe van Gogh’s final two years?
A．Sand and boring.B．Normal and peaceful.
C．Happy but fruitless.D．Painful but productive.
小題5:What can we learn from the passage?
A．Van Gogh didn’t become famous until he dies.
B．Van Gogh sold many paintings in his life.
C．Van Gogh had become famous as an artist when he was alive.
D．Irises was the most expensive among van Gogh’s paintings.

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Half a century after the March of Dimes (a US charity organization that collects money for children) put the 20th century’s most feared childhood disease on the road to eradication (根除), Bill Gates declared polio (小兒麻痹癥) his important job and challenged world leaders to finish the job.
India, Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan now have active transmission (傳播) of the disease. Gates says the biggest problem with the success of the Global Polio Eradication program in those countries and elsewhere is lack of money.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation plans to increase its $200 million annual contribution (每年的捐款) by $102 million this year, Gates says. Gates recently met privately with Pakistan’s President in Washington, D.C., to try to persuade him to provide full support for Pakistan’s eradication plan.
Children in the USA also are at risk, experts say. Parents who don’t vaccinate (給某人接種疫苗) their children because they are fearful of vaccine side-effects create a large number of children who are likely to be harmed by the virus.
“If you increase the number of unvaccinated children, you increase the chance that this virus will find new subjects,” says David Oshinsky, Pulitzer Prized-winning author of Polio: An American Story.
“We’ve got to get this vaccine into the mouths of children,” says Bruce Aylward, head of the World Health Organization’s eradication program.
In 1988, when the World Health Organization launched the Global Polio Eradication program, the disease killed 350,000 children a year worldwide. By last year, the total dropped to fewer than 1,500 worldwide, Aylward says.
If Gates provides the final push for polio eradication, he may be remembered as much for helping prevent polio as for founding Microsoft, Oshinsky says.
“As long as there’s polio anywhere, people everywhere are at risk,” Aylawrd says. “We’re still not out of the woods.”
小題1:According to the text, the success of the Global Polio Eradication program mainly depends on          .
A．the World Health Organization’s policy
B．the development of a new vaccine
C．the local governments’ support
D．the collection of funds.
小題2:What do we know about polio according to the text?
A．People in Nigeria don’t take it seriously.
B．It’s now the most serious childhood disease.
C．Great progress has been made in preventing it.
D．There are few organizations helping to prevent it.
小題3:According to Oshinsky,           .
A．Gates should devote more time to Microsoft
B．polio eradication is a very important cause
C．vaccine side-effects should not be ignored
D．polio has been brought under control
小題4:According to the passage, which of the following about Bill Gates is TRUE?
A．He is the founder of the Global polio Eradication program.
B．He persuades some of the world leaders to support the eradication plan.
C．His foundation contributes $302, 000 to eradicate polio every year.
D．He works harder on preventing polio than founding Microsoft.
小題5:The underlined part “We’re still not out of the woods” means “       ”.
A．We get lost in the woodsB．We’re not free from trouble
C．we have no idea where to goD．We’re unable to eradicate polio

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

In the early 1950s, researchers found that people scored lower on intelligence tests if they spoke more than one language. Research in the sixties found the opposite. Bilingual people scored higher than monolinguals, people who speak only one language. So which is it?
Researchers presented their newest studies last month at a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The latest evidence shows that being bilingual does not necessarily make people smarter. But researcher Ellen Bialystok says it probably does make you better at certain skills.
Ellen Bialystok said, “Imagine driving down the highway. There’re many things that could capture your attention and you really need to be able to monitor all of them. Why would bilingualism make you any better at that?”
And the answer, she says, is that bilingual people are often better at controlling their attention — a function called the executive control system.
Ms. Bialystok is a psychology professor at York University in Toronto, Canada. She says the best method to measure the executive control system is called the Stroop Test. A person is shown words in different colors. The person has to ignore the word but say the color. The problem is that the words are all names of colors.
Ellen Bialystok said, “So you would have the word blue written in red, but you have to say red. But blue is so salient(顯著的), it’s just lighting up all these circuits(電路) in your brain, and you really want to say blue. So you need a mechanism(機制) to override that so that you can say red. That’s the executive control system.”
Her work shows that bilingual people continually practice this function. They have to, because both languages are active in their brain at the same time. They need to suppress(抑制) one to be able to speak in the other.
This mental exercise might help in other ways, too. Researchers say bilingual children are better able to separate a word from its meaning, and more likely to have friends from different cultures. Bilingual adults are often four to five years later than others in developing dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.
小題1:What’s the best title of the text?
A．Bilingual People, Smarter
B．Monolingual People, Smarter
C．Bilingual People, Longer Lives
D．Bilingual People, Better at Some Skills
小題2:The underlined word “override” in Paragraph 6 probably means ____.
A．pay attention to B．take no notice of
C．take an interest inD．take care of
小題3:In the Stroop Test, supposing you have the word yellow written in white, you will have to say ____.
A．whiteB．yellowC．blueD．red
小題4:Which group of people can most likely pass the Stroop Test?
A．People who can speak only Chinese.
B．People who can speak only Japanese.
C．People who can speak more than one language.
D．People who can speak only English.
小題5:Which of the following statements is FALSE according to the text?
A．A bilingual child is better at separating a word from its meaning.
B．A bilingual child can more easily make friends with a foreign child.
C．Bilingual people are more able to monitor several things at the same time.
D．It’s not possible for bilingual people to develop Alzheimer’s disease.

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Did you ever wonder who invented products like Liquid Paper, Kevlar or paper bags? Most would think a man invented these items. Guess what? Women invented each of these. What? You don’t believe me? Well, read this:
Liquid Paper was invented by Bette Nesmith Graham in 1951 and originally called Mistake Out. Being a typist, Bette was increasingly irritated with being unable to erase her typing mistakes. The messy business left her hands black and the paper dirty. Bette was good at painting and remembered that an artist paints over mistakes. She applied that same principle to typing mistakes and Liquid Paper was born, making Bette into a self-made millionaire.
Kevlar, yes, the Kevlar of the bullet proof vest（防彈衣）—what police officers and soldiers wear, was invented by Stephanie Kwolek. Stephanie worked for the DuPont Company as a research chemist. She was asked to find a high-performance fiber. Originally, this fiber was intended to be used for car tires (輪胎). However, the fiber she developed in 1964 was amazing and is still used in products such as sailboats, skis, shoes, and yes, bullet proof vests. In 1995 Stephanie was named to the National Inventor’s Hall of Fame.
Margaret Knight invented a machine that revolutionized the making of paper bags. Paper bags had been made like envelopes but Margaret developed a machine that would fold and paste（粘）a flat-bottom paper bag, the very same type we still use today. Margaret’s family was poor and she started working at the age of nine. Her first invention at the age of twelve was a safety tool for a loom（織布機）. Later she worked for the Columbia Paper Bag Company. It was there that she worked on improving the making of paper bags. She was issued her patent（專利）in 1870.
So next time you use a new product or an old one, will you wonder who made it? Do some research on the web and answer a few questions like: Who invented it? How was it invented? You may be surprised at some of the stories you uncover.
小題1:The underlined word “irritated” in Paragraph 2 is the closest in meaning to_________.
A．a(chǎn)nnoyedB．excitedC．delightedD．nervous
小題2:What do we know about Margaret?
A．She was a member of the National Inventor’s Hall of Fame.
B．Her first invention was made when she was twenty.
C．Her invention was designed to produce envelopes.
D．She began working when she was very young.
小題3:which of the following best shows the structure of the passage? (①="paragraph" 1, ②="Paragraph" 2,… ⑤="paragraph" 5)
 
小題4:What would be the best title for the passage?
A．How inventions were made
B．Amazing inventions by women
C．Women and modern technology
D．You can also be an inventor

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Catch yourself daydreaming while washing the dishes again? If this happens often you probably have a pretty capable working memory and a sharper brain, new research suggests.
This mind wandering, it seems, actually gives your working memory a workout. Working memory is the mental work space that allows the brain to juggle multiple thoughts at the same time. The more working memory a person has, the more daydreaming they can do without forgetting the task at hand.
Researchers studied groups of people from the University of Wisconsin－Madison community, ranging in age from 18 to 65. The volunteers were asked to perform simple tasks, like pressing a button every time they took a breath or clicking in response to a letter popping up on a computer screen; these tasks were so easy that their minds were likely to wander, the researchers figured.
The researchers checked in periodically, asking the participants if their minds were on task or wandering. When the task was over, they measured each participant's working memory capacity by having them remember letters while doing math questions. Though all participants performed well on the task, the researchers noticed that the individuals who indicated their minds had wandered more than others also scored higher on the working memory test.
“What this study seems to suggest is that, when circumstances for the task aren't very difficult, people who have additional working memory resources allocate them to think about things other than what they're doing，” said Jonathan Smallwood, a study researcher of the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitve and Brain Science.
When our minds run out of working memory, these off－topic thoughts can take the main stage without us consciously meaning them to; for instance, arriving at home with no memory of the actual trip, or suddenly realizing that they've turned several pages in a book without understanding any of the words.
“It's almost like your attention was so absorbed in the mind wandering that there wasn't any left over to remember your goal to read，” study researcher Daniel Levinson, said in a statement.
People with overall higher working memory were better able to stay focused when the task at hand required it. Those who had low working memory often had their thoughts drift away from the task, and did less well at it.
The findings add to past research suggesting these mind drifts can be positive moments. For instance, daydreaming has often been associated with creativity—researchers think that our most creative and inventive moments come when daydreaming. It's likely that the most intelligent among us also have high levels of working memory, Levinson noted.
小題1:The word “juggle” in the second paragraph can be replaced by “________”．
A．handleB．searchC．understandD．distribute
小題2:What can be concluded from Jonathan Smallwood's words?
A．People who often have daydreams probably own a pretty capable working memory.
B．On the working memory test, people with wandering minds will get high score.
C．Absorbed in the mind wandering, your attention left no space for your goal.
D．Dealing with some easy jobs, people with higher working memory will daydream.
小題3:What is the best title of the passage?
A．Mind drifts are always positive.
B．Daydreaming is good for the mind.
C．Creative moments come with working memory.
D．The more daydreaming, the more effectively one works.

查看答案和解析>>

同步練習冊答案