Despite rising education levels, Americans of every age are reading less and less for pleasure these days, according to an analysis by the National Endowment for the Arts. The decline(下降) could have bad effects as people tune out books, tune in popular culture and become less socially engaged.
"We've got a public culture which is almost entirely commercial(商業(yè)化)and novelty - driven (追新)," says NEA chairman Dana Gioia. "I think it's letting the nation down."
The study gathers years of data on Americans' reading habits and finds that, at every age group, we're reading less.
Most of the data have appeared in private, government and university surveys, but today's report is the first to combine them into a single portrait. It suggests that the demands of school, work and family and the decisive advantage of other forms of entertainment have caused the decline in reading for millions of Americans.
·Only 38% of adults in 2006 said they had spent time reading a book for pleasure.
·65% of college freshmen in 2005 said they read little or nothing for pleasure.
·30% of 13 - year - olds in 2004 said they read for fun "almost every day," down from 35% in 1984.
According to Gioia, a poet, they decline is probably the single most important social issue in the United States today. The findings should be a wake - up call to educators to change the way they teach literature at every level. It was once believed that if someone went to college, they would become a lifelong reader. What we're seeing right now is that we're no longer producing readers. We're producing B. A. s and M. A. s and Ph. D. s.
Cioia also wants main media to wake up to how they can promote good books in many ways. He notes that when a character in the 1994 film Four Weddings and a Funeral recited a few lines of W. H. Auden's poem Funeral Blues, the poet briefly became a best seller.
65.The underlined phrase "tune out" in the first paragraph probably means________.
A.close    B.publish C.prove   D.read
66.According to Dana Gioia, the change of Americans' reading habit________.
A.is positive and valuable      B.does harm to the nation
C.is caused only by popular culture      D.can make poets best sellers
67.Which of the following is NOT the cause for the change in reading habit?
A.Demands of getting a B. A., M. A. or Ph. D.
B.Demands of family, school and work.
C.The change in the way the literature is taught.
D.Advantages of the entertainment.
68.We can infer that the number of teenagers reading for pleasure reduced by________in 20 years.
A.30%    B.38%    C.65%    D.5%

小題1:A
小題2:B
小題3:C
小題4:D
         
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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


第二節(jié) 完形填空（共20小題；每小題1.5分，滿分30分）
閱讀下面短文，從短文后各題所給的四個選項（A、B、C和D）中，選出可以填入空白處的最佳選項，并在答題卡上將該項涂黑。
Recently, I flew to Las Vegas to attend a meeting. As we were about to arrive, the pilot announced with apology that there would be a slight 36 before setting down. High desert winds had  37  the airport to close all but one runway. He said that we would be   38   the city for a few minutes waiting to   39 . We were also told to remain in our seats meanwhile with our seat belts fastened 40   there might be a few bumps．We11，that few minutes turned into about four—five minutes，including a ride that would make a roller coaster       by comparison.
The movement was so fierce that several passengers felt  42  and had to use airsickness bags（嘔吐袋）. As you might guess，that’s not good thing to have happen in a（n）  43  space because it only  44   to increase the discomfort of the situation.
About twenty minutes into the adventure，the entire airplane became very  45   There was now a sense of anxiety and fear that could be  46  noticed．Every passenger simply held on for dear life …except one. A  47   was having a good time! With each bump of the  48  !he would let out a giggle（咯咯的笑）of delight As I observed this，I  49  that he didn’t know he was supposed to be afraid and worried about his 50  He neither thought about the past nor about the future Those are what we grown—ups have learned from  51  .He was  52  the ride because had not yet been taught to fear it. Having understood this，I took a deep breath and  53   back into my seat，pretending I was  54  on a roller coaster. I smiled for the rest of the flight. I even 55 to giggle once or twice ,much to the chagrin（隨惱）of the man sitting next to me holding the airsicknessbag.
36．A．mistake    B．delay C．change      D．wind
37．A．forced      B．warned     C．swept       D．reminded
38．A．watching  B．visiting     C．circling     D．crossing
39．A．a(chǎn)rrive       B．enter C．stop   D．land
40．A．if      B．though      C．because     D．while
41．A．light  B．pale   C．easy  D．quick
42．A．sick   B．nervous    C．a(chǎn)ngry       D．a(chǎn)fraid
43．A．empty      B．narrow     C．secret       D．open
44．A．happens    B．continues  C．fails  D．serves
45．A．quiet B．hot    C．dirty  D．crowded
46．A．partly       B．gradually  C．shortly      D．clearly
47．A．pilot  B．baby  C．guard       D．man
48．A．seats  B．passengers C．flight D．a(chǎn)irplane
49．A．realized    B．hoped       C．a(chǎn)greed      D．insisted
50．A．health       B．safety       C．joy    D．future
51．A．teachers    B．books       C．experience       D．practice
52．A．learning    B．taking       C．missing     D．enjoying
53．A．sat    B．lay    C．went  D．rode
54．A．nearly      B．finally      C．really       D．suddenly
55．A．a(chǎn)ttempted B．managed   C．wanted     D．decided

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


One of the most popular American singers of the twentieth century was Elvis Presley. He made the rock ”n” roll music popular all over the world, He sold millions of records and made many successful films, and he helped change the direction of popular music in the 1960s.
Elvis Presley was born in a poor family in 1935, His parents were simple country people who often took him to church, where he learned to sing, and he never forgot the kind of songs that he used to sing in church as a child.
When he was young, Elvis moved from Toledo to Memphis in Tennessee, where he attended high school, but he was not a good student, His only real interest was singing. He began to sing in the style that is called “country and western”.
In 1955 he recorded some songs for his mother’s birthday. The people at the recording studio liked his singing and his music. It was country and western music, but it also sounded a little like the music which black people used to sing in the American South. It was called “blues”.
Shortly after that, Elvis met Tom Parker, who became his manager and arranged (安排) concerts for him across the United States and new recordings as well. Soon Elvis became famous around the country. Later Elvis went to Hollywood and began to appear in films such as Love Me Tender and King Creole.
But Elvis found it difficult to live with success. Like many other famous people, He began to take drugs and his health started to suffer. When he died at an early age of 42 in 1977,his many millions of fans were shocked, “The King Is Dead!” the newspaper said, But today his memory and his music live on and will always be remembered as the King of Rock “n” roll.
66. From the passage, we can see________________.
A. the church songs didn’t help Elvis develop his own style
B. Elvis forgot his church music at a later age
C. Elvis didn’t get any help from his parents
D. the church songs helped Elvis’ development in his singing
67. Who was Tom Parker?
A. A manager of a bank                             B. A famous singer
C. Elvis’ manager                                      D. Elvis’ best friend since childhood
68. What caused Elvis’ death?
A. His singing too much                                   B. His taking the drugs
C. His parent’s death                                  D. Tom Parker’s help
69. What was Elvis’ music style like most?
A. Only country and western
B. Only country and blues
C. Both western and church music
D. Not only country and western but also a bit “blues”
70. Which is the right order of Elvis’ life?
a. Elvis learned to sing at church
b. Elvis gave concerts all across America
c. Elvis recorded some songs for his mother’s birthday
d. Tom Parker became his manager
e. Elvis went to high school in Memphis
f. Elvis was born in Toledo
A. f; a; e; c; d; b                                       B. f; a; c; e; d; b
C. f; e; a; d; b; c                                        D. f; e; a; c; d; b

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


III 閱讀（共兩節(jié)，滿分50分）
第一節(jié)閱讀理解（共20小題；每小題2分，滿分40分）
閱讀下列短文, 從每題所給的A、B、C和D項中, 選出最佳選項, 并在答題卡上將該項涂黑。
I sit at my kitchen table, while my daughter, Anna, sits next to my mother. On the wall hangs a photo of my father.
“When is Rick going to be here?” My mother asks, referring to my husband. 
“I don’t know, Mom,” I answer patiently. “He’ll be here for dinner.”
I sigh and get up from the table. This is at least the tenth time she has asked that question. 
While my mother and daughter play, I busy myself making a salad. 
“Don't put in any onions,” Mom says. “You know how Daddy hates onion.”
“Yes, Mom,” I answer. 
I scrub(洗擦) off a carrot and chop it into bite-size pieces.
“Don't put any onions in the salad,” she reminds me. “You know how Daddy hates onion.”
This time I can’t answer. 
My mother had been beautiful. She still is. In fact, my mother is still everything she has
been, just a bit forgetful.
I cut off the end of the cucumber and rub it to take away the bitterness. Cut and rub. This  is a trick I have learned from my mother, along with a trillion other things: cooking, sewing, 
dating, laughing, thinking. I learned how to grow up. 
And I learned that when my mother was around, I never had to be afraid. So why am I afraid now? 
I study my mother's hands. Her nails are no longer a bright red, but painted a light pink.。Almost no color at all. And as I stare at them, I realize I am feeling them as they shaped my 
youth. Hands that packed a thousand lunches and wiped a million tears off my cheeks. 
Now my hands have grown into those of my mother's. Hands that have cooked uneaten 
meals, held my own daughter's frightened fingers on the first day of school and dried tears 
off her face. 
I grow lighthearted. I can feel my mother kiss me goodnight, check to see if the window is
locked, then blow another kiss from the doorway. Then I am my mother, blowing that same
kiss to Anna. 
Outside everything is still. Shadows fall among the trees, shaped like pieces of a puzzle.
Someday my daughter will be standing in my place, and I will rest where my mother now sits. 
Will I remember then how it felt to be both mother and daughter? Will I ask the same
question too many times? 
I walk over and sit down between my mother and her granddaughter. 
“Where is Rick?” my mother asks, resting her hand on the table next to mine. And in that
instant I know she remembers. She may repeat herself a little too much. But she remembers. 
“He’ll be here,” I answer with a smile. 
46. What’s wrong with the writer’s mother?
A. She is very old.           B. She suffers forgetfulness.
C. She is absent-minded.      D. She is eager to see Rick.
47. What can we learn about the writer’s father according to the passage?
A. He might have passed away for years.
B. He goes out for a walk by himself.
C. He is out doing something with Rick.
D. He loves the writer’s mother deeply.
48. The underlined sentence “I realize I am feeling them as they shaped my youth” probably means that ______. 
A. Mother’s hands witnessed my growth as a youth
B. Mother’s hands are similar to mine as a youth
C. I like to feel mother’s hands when she was young
D. I realize her hands were exactly like those in her youth
49. Which of the following words best describe the writer’s mood towards her mother?
A. Content.    B. Disappointed.     C. Loving.    D. Considerate.
50. The best title for the passage would be ______.
A. Mother’s beauty          B. My father hates onion 
C. Hard-working mother       D. Mother’s hands

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


There is a new take on an old tale．It's the story of the three
little pigs and the big bad wolf that blew down a house made of
straw and one made of sticks．The only house left standing was
the one made of bricks．Now there is new evidence to suggest
that houses built with bales（捆）of straw can be very strong．
Pete Walker is a professor at the University of Bath in Britain．
He and a team of researchers there have built a house made out of straw bale and hemp（大麻） material．During the next twelve months the team will study die effectiveness of these materials in home building．Professor Walker says there are many good reasons for using straw．It's a relatively inexpensive renewable material that's quickly and easily available．Straw takes in carbon dioxide as it grows．So it can be seen as having no harmful effects the environment．And the straw bales walls are relatively thick and so all that straw provides very good thermal insulation．So we make buildings that require very little heating in winter or indeed very little cooling in summer．So they require very little additional energy．
David Lanfear owns an eco-friendly home building service in the United States called Bale on Bale Construction．He says he laughed when some friends first told him about houses built of straw．But after doing his own research, he learned that building with straw bales makes a lot of sense．He has now helped to build more than ten straw bale houses and says the building material is becoming more widely accepted．To build the houses, he fills a wood frame with tightly packed bales of straw．Next he coats the walls inside and out with layers of clay plaster．He says the common ideas about straw houses continue, including stories about the threat of fire．As a matter of fact, straw bale houses have done well when tested for fire resistance．And his builders use the same building methods as traditional builders to keep out rain．He says we use what we call good shoes and a good hat, and that would be a solid foundation and a really good roof．
68．According to the passage, Pete Walker ____．
A．is cooperating with David Lanfear in building houses
B．is pretty sure that straw is a good building material
C．is studying home building with his team at present
D．holds a different view of building materials from David Lanfear
69．If we live in houses built with bales of straw, we ____．
A．will be worried about the threat of fire
B．need to wear good shoes in severe weather
C．can reduce our household expense
D．should use a special method to keep out rain
70．In building straw houses, ____．
A．a(chǎn) solid foundation and a good roof are necessary
B．straw bales have to be tested for fire resistance
C．a(chǎn) wood frame of straw should be used as a good roof
D．builders should wear good shoes and a good hat
71．Which of the following is the best tide of the passage?
A．Houses Made of Straw
B．New Meaning Of an Old Tale
C．Pete Walker and David Lanfear
D．Solid Foundation and Good Roof

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


第三部分 閱讀理解（共15小題；每小題2分，滿分30分）
閱讀下列段文，從每題所給的四個選項（A、B、C和D）中，選出最佳選項。
A poor traveller stopped under the tree to eat the boiled rice and vegetables which he had brought with him. A few metres away, there was a small shop by the side of the road where a woman was frying (油炸)fish and selling it to travelers. The woman watched the poor traveler carefully, and when he finished his food and began to go, she shouted rudely, “You haven’t paid me for the fried fish!”
“But I have not had any fried fish!” he said.
“But everyone can see that you enjoyed the smell of my fried fish with your rice and vegetables,” said the woman, “If you had not smelled the fish, your meal would not have been so pleasant!”
Soon a crowd collected, and although they supported the poor traveler, they had to admit that wind was blowing from the shop to the place where he had eaten, and that it had carried the smell of the fried fish to him.
Finally, the woman took the poor traveler to a judge, who said, “The woman says that the traveler ate his meal with the smell of her fried fish. The traveler agrees that the wind was blowing from the woman’s shop to the place where he ate his rice and vegetables, and that it carried the smell of her fried fish to his nose while he was eating, so he must pay for it. What does your fried fish cost?” he asked the woman.
“Twenty-five cents a plate,” she answered, delighted.
“Then go outside together,” said the judge. “There the traveler must hold up a twenty-five-cent piece so that its shadow（影子）falls on the woman’s hand. The price of the smell of a plate of fried fish is the shadow of twenty-five cents.”
51. The traveler refused to pay the woman for the fried fish because       .
A. he was poor                                                 B. he was rude
C. he was supported by a crowd                  D. he hadn’t eaten her fried fish at all
52. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A. The traveler bought the boiled rice and vegetables and ate them by the side of the road.
B. The judge had no idea what the woman meant.
C. In the fifth paragraph, the first “it” has the same meaning as the second “it”.
D. The woman got nothing but the shadow of twenty-five cents in the end.
53. The best title for the passage should be       .
A. The Smell and the Shadow
B. A Poor Traveler
C. A Rude Woman
D. A Woman and a Traveler

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


Pat Brown went to her bank to ask for an ATM card. It looks like a credit card. A few weeks later, the bank posted her a card and a four number personal identification number (PIN) .Her PIN is 1234。
As Pat was getting ready for bed one night, she remembered that she had only＄2 in her bag. The next day she had to pay＄10 for a lunch for a co-worker. She didn’t want to get up early to go to the bank. So she went to the bank that night. She used her ATM card to withdraw (take out) ＄50 from her checking account.
These are the steps she followed to withdraw money. First, she put her card in the lower slot on the right side of the machine. She made sure her card was facing the right way. Second, the computer screen (window) said,“Please enter (put in) your PIN.”Pat pressed the numbers 1,2,3,4. Next the screed said,“Please select the type of transaction you want by pressing the correct keys.”Pat pressed the bottom key for withdrawing money.
Then the screen said, “From which account?” The choices it gave were “Checking”, “Saving”, and “Money market”. Pat pushed the key for “Checking”.Next, the screen said,“Please select (choose) amount of transaction.”Pat pushed the number“5”and then“0”three times, until the screed read,“50.00.”The screen then read,“Please wait.”In less than a minute, it read,“Please lift (rise) the lid and take your money.”
Pat lifted the lid marked “Withdraw”. She counted her $50 to make sure the ATM hadn’t made a mistake. Then she waited for her withdrawal slip to come out of the slot at the upper right corner of the machine. Pat checked the slip to make sure it was correct. Then her ATM card was returned through the card slot. She put it in her bag and walked away. If Pat had made a mistake at any point by pressing the wrong button (number), she could have pressed “Cancel”and started over again.
53. What did Pat do immediately after choosing the account?
A. Selected whether to withdraw, deposit, of transfer money.
B. Lifted the lid and removed her money.
C. Selected the amount of money she wanted to withdraw.
D. Got back her ATM card.
54. When did Pat enter her PIN?
A. Right after inserting her card.                                B. Right before selecting the account.
C. Right before selecting the amount of money.            D. Right after selecting withdrawal.
55. When did Pat select the type of transaction?
A. Right after selecting which account she wanted.
B. Right before receiving her withdrawal slip.
C. Right before selecting the amount.    
D. Right after recording her PIN.
56.What did Pat do when the screed said,“Please lift the lid …”?
A. Got out her card.                               B. Took her $50.
C. Selected the type of transaction she wanted.           D. Picked up her withdrawal slip.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


Less than one year after France imposed(強(qiáng)加于)a nationwide ban on smoking in most public places, it will, from Jan. 1, 2008, extend the ban to bars, restaurants, hotels, nightclubs - and the most cherished of all: caf?s.
Ireland and Italy show that countries with longstanding smoking traditions may introduce bans fairly smoothly, as they did in 2004 and 2005. In Germany, where regulations vary locally, Berlin will join France on Jan 1. But fierce critics of the new law in France say it all but destroys the caf?'s basic function: to serve as the socioeconomic glue of society.
C?cile Perez, owner of La Fronde, a typical Parisian neighborhood caf? said: "In the morning, street cleaners in bright green uniforms sip coffee next to well-dressed businessmen; at lunch hour, working-class types rub shoulders with those of the latest fashion at the bar, while couples of all ages rub noses over salads; during the after-work rush, there is a steady soundtrack of clinking glasses combined with conversation; the constant, no matter what time of day, is the smoke that drifts through the air in curls and clouds, seemingly unnoticed."
"Our motto in France is: liberty, equality, fraternity," Olivier Seconda, a regular at the caf?, said.
"The caf? is the place that represents that. You're free to smoke, everyone pays the same price for a beer and different kinds of people talk with one another. This new law goes against that."
Seconda expects the ban to be felt even more strongly in small villages far from Paris, where the caf? is often the only means of social activity. "People already miss the space that allows people of all walks of life to share something-even if it is sometimes no more than a few words and the smoke floating between them."
69. In Germany, ______.
A. caf? smoking will be forbidden from Jan,1, 2008
B. the tradition of caf? smoking is and will be well-kept
C. local customs are well respected in terms of smoking
D. there are different regulation on smoking
70. C?cile Perez mentions the curls and clouds of smoke drifting through the air to ______
A. describe a friendly atmosphere                   B. show the beauty of his own caf?
C. support the ban on smoking                       D. remind us of something unnoticed
71. Olivier Seconda implies that ______.
A. the caf? provides people with enough liberty, equality, and fraternity
B. people, regardless of their social class, enjoy equal rights in a caf?
C. the new ban on caf? smoking should be put in effect only in villages
D. people would not find fun in a caf? without smoking a cigarette
72. The passage is written to _______.
A. show the writer's personal opinion against a new law
B. provide information for law-makers to pass a new law
C. tell why some people are unhappy about smoking ban in caf?s
D. compare attitudes to a law, held by people from different countries

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


Young Japanese people are evolving a new lifestyle for the 21st century based on the cell phones that few are now able to live without.
While about one-third of Japanese primary school students aged 7-12 use cell phones, by the time they get to high school, that figure has shot up to 96 percent, according to a government survey released last month. They are using their phones to read books, listen to music, chat with friends and surf the Internet -- an average of 124 minutes a day for high school girls and 92 minutes for boys.
While the wired world they now inhabit holds enormous advantages for learning and communicating, it also brings a downside, say experts who point to a rise in cyber-bullying and a growing inability among teenagers to deal with other people face to face. "Kids say what's most important to them, next to their own lives, is their cell phone," said Masashi Yasukawa. "It's a very scary world," he said. "As they reveal personal information about themselves, children can become prey (獵物) of adults who cheat or are sexually attracted to children. "
Education professor Tetsuro Saito said a survey of 1,600 middle school students aged around 14 found that most middle school cell phone users rarely used their phones to talk. Children seemed to want the security of communicating with someone, without the bother of dealing with a real person.
"Communication ability is bound to decline as cell phones and other devices are now getting between people," he said. Tomomi, 18, said: "I send some 20 emails a day. There are people I don't talk with -- even if I see them at school, I just exchange mail with them. I guess we're connected only by a machine."
Saito's survey found that students can also use their cell phones as an emotional crutch (拐杖) , and the more problems they have at home, the more dependent they seem to become on their phones. More than 60 percent of students who said they do not enjoy being with their families send 20 or more emails a day, compared with 35 percent of those happy with their families.
And even if cell phones can bring comfort, it can come at a terrible cost.
64. Which of the following topics is not included in the passage?
A. Sending emails to people around.                         B. Doing reading and listening to music.
C. Watching television on the cell phone.                   D. Getting the psychological dependence.
65. What's the meaning of the underlined word "downside" in Paragraph 3?
A. space below something solid or hard                     B. down part of a hill or mountain
C. decreasing of a certain figure                         D. negative part or disadvantage of something
66. Masashi says the cell phone is a scary world because the children will ________.
A. be exposed to a lot of frightening information
B. have their personal information exposed to some bad people
C. be attractive to some other children
D. go hunting with some adults who will cheat them
67. What will possibly be talked about in the paragraph that follows the passage?
A. The comfort brought by cell phones.                     B. The average cost of cell phones in Japan.
C. The high cost a teenager's phone bill hits.        D. The writer's attitude towards the problem.

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