For some people, music is no fun at all. About four percent of the population is what scientists call “amusic.” People who are amusic are born without the ability to recognize or reproduce musical notes (音調(diào)). Amusic people often cannot tell the difference between two songs. Amusics can only hear the difference between two notes if they are very far apart on the musical scale.

As a result, songs sound like noise to an amusic. Many amusics compare the sound of music to pieces of metal hitting each other. Life can be hard for amusics. Their inability to enjoy music sets them apart from others. It can be difficult for other people to identify with their condition. In fact, most people cannot begin to grasp what it feels like to be amusic. Just going to a restaurant or a shopping mall can be uncomfortable or even painful. That is why many amusics intentionally stay away from places where there is music. However, this can result in withdrawal and social isolation. “I used to hate parties,” says Margaret, a seventy-year-old woman who only recently discovered that she was amusic. By studying people like Margaret, scientists are finally learning how to identify this unusual condition.

Scientists say that the brains of amusics are different from the brains of people who can appreciate music. The difference is complex, and it doesn’t involve defective hearing. Amusics can understand other nonmusical sounds well. They also have no problems understanding ordinary speech. Scientists compare amusics to people who just can’t see certain colors.

Many amusics are happy when their condition is finally diagnosed (診斷). For years, Margaret felt embarrassed about her problem with music. Now she knows that she is not alone. There is a name for her condition. That makes it easier for her to explain. “When people invite me to a concert, I just say, ‘No thanks, I’m amusic,’” says Margaret. “I just wish I had learned to say that when I was seventeen and not seventy.”

1.Which of the following is true of amusics?

A. They can easily tell two different songs apart.

B. Listening to music is far from enjoyable for them.

C. Their situation is well understood by musicians.

D. They love places where they are likely to hear music.

2.According to paragraph3, a person with “defective hearing” is probably one who __________.

A. dislikes listening to speeches

B. can hear anything nonmusical

C. has a hearing problem

D. lacks a complex hearing system

3.What is the passage mainly concerned with?

A. Amusics’ strange behaviours.

B. Some people’s inability to enjoy music.

C. Musical talent and brain structure.

D. Identification and treatment of amusics.

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科目：高中英語 來源：2015-2016學(xué)年浙江杭州七校高一上學(xué)期期中英語試卷（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解

We offer five kinds of courses. Each course has been designed to help students according to their needs.

Course 1: General English

General English is designed to develop students’ basic communication skills in: Speaking and Pronunciation, Reading, Listening, Writing, Grammar and Vocabulary. Tuesday to Friday: 9:00 am to 11:00 am, $288 per week.

Course 2: Academic English

Academic English is for students who want to take the IELTS exam or for those who need to use English in a professional area. Monday to Friday: 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm, $ 320 per week.

Course 3: High School ESL

Why not make the most of your time studying in Australia with the help from TIES? We have High School ESL classes each week specifically designed for international students. Tuesday to Friday: 8:00 am to 11:00 am, $ 25 per hour.

Course 4: Night Classes

Do you want to improve your English and get the best possible results in your GRE test? We have two night classes each week designed to meet your needs. Tuesday and Thursday evenings: 8:30 pm to 10:30 pm, $ 60 per day.

Course 5: One on One

If you are interested in some One on One lessons with TIES teachers, we can design a course to meet your needs. One on One lessons can improve your English language skills more quickly and help students who want to take TOEFL. Tuesday to Friday: 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm, $ 80 per hour.

1. If you are an English beginner, you’d better choose________.

A. General English B. High School ESL

C. Night Classes D. Academic English

2.Which course would be helpful for students who want to take the IELTS exam?

A. Course 1. B. Course 2.

C. Course 3. D. Course 4.

3.How much will you pay if you spend two weeks taking the High School ESL course?

A.$ 200. B.$ 300. C.$ 500. D.$ 600.

4.What can we learn from One on One according to the passage?

A. Its lessons are given in the morning.

B. It’s especially designed for English beginners.

C. It’s more expensive than the other courses.

D. Its lessons are designed to only improve writing skills.

5.If you are only free in the morning, you may choose________.

A. Course 1 or Course 5 B. Course 3 or Course 4

C. Course 2 or Course 4 D. Course 1 or Course 3

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科目：高中英語 來源：2015-2016學(xué)年河南鄭州第一中學(xué)高一上期中英語試卷（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解

The Celerifere, an early version of the bicycle, was built around 1791 by a French man, Comte Mede de Sivrac. It was basically a scooter with a high seat. There were no pedals---you had to push with your feet like you do with a skateboard or a scooter.

Around 1816 Baron Karl Drais de Sauerbrun in Germany added a moveable steering（操縱）handle. These early machines were often known as dandy horses or hobby horses, but weren’t very popular.

The improvement that made them popular was added by a Scottish blacksmith around 1839. Kirkpatrick Macmillan added pedals to enable it to get up hills. It was this improvement that made the bicycle a serious form of transportation.

Bike were called velocipedes（腳踏兩輪車）or bone-shakers, because of the lack of the proper tires made for a rough ride! It wasn’t until around 1869 that they began to be called bicycles (“two-wheels”). Carriage makers in Paris (either Pierre and Ernest Michaux, or their employee Pierre Lallement) switched the pedal to the front wheel. That’s why it is usually either Lallement or the Michauxs, not Macmillan, who are considered as the inventor of the bicycle.

In 1869 the penny-farthing or high-wheeler was invented. With the large wheel the rider could go much farther with each push of the pedal, but caused many accidents because the seat was so far off the ground.

In the mid-1880s Englishman James Starley manufactured what he called the “safety bicycle” , which had two similarly-sized wheels and a major improvement--- a chain（鏈條）and sprocket（鏈輪齒） driven rear wheel, with the pedals between the two wheels like modern bicycles.

One more historical note---it’s possible that the idea of the bicycle was thought of almost 400 years before it was actually invented. There is a drawing of a bicycle-like machine in one of Leonardo da Vinci’s notebooks, which dates back to about 1493.

1.Who is recognized as the inventor of the bicycle?

A. The Michauxs.

B. Macmillan.

C. Comte Mede de Sivac.

D. Baron Karl von Drais de Sauerbrun.

2. Why was the bicycle not popular in the early 1800’s?

A. It was too expensive.

B. The seat was too high.

C. There were no pedals.

D. It had no tires.

3.Which of the following statements can NOT be inferred from the passage?

A. The “safety bicycle” was much like the modern bicycle.

B. Leonardo da Vinci once drew a machine similar to the bicycle.

C. The penny-farthing did not last long because it was a bit too dangerous.

D. Comte Mede De Sivrac’s invention had both a steering handle and pedals.

4. What’s the best title of the passage?

A. The Inventor of the Bicycle

B. Modern Bicycles

C. The History of the Bicycle

D. Leonardo da Vinci and the Bicycle

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科目：高中英語 來源：2016屆浙江臨海臺(tái)州中學(xué)高三上學(xué)期第三次統(tǒng)練英語試卷（解析版） 題型：完形填空

完形填空

閱讀下面短文，從短文后所給各題的四個(gè)選項(xiàng)（A、B、C和D）中，選出可以填入空白處的最佳選項(xiàng)，并在答題卡上將該項(xiàng)涂黑。

I am anything but adventurous. So, when I actually ____ the courage to learn driving and, even more ____, passed the test, I fancied being a free spirit at last.

I mistakenly thought I would ____new roads and drive to the farthest horizons. But, trying new highways was next to ____ for me. The time I tried, I got hopelessly ____ and found myself going around in circles. When I eventually found the way home, I ____ this was the end of the adventurous life. I _____ the known routes. When a friend ____ me to make the most of weekend when the traffic was ____ to make new discoveries, I ___ at her with horror. Was I going to ____ a perfectly good weekend raising my blood pressure or was I going to spend it doing as little as possible? _____, I chose the latter option.

After some years of battling the Sharjah-Dubai ___ , I told myself it wasn’t worth ____ my peace of mind. Now I had the Metro, buses and ____ to choose from. Taking taxi was one of the best ____ I have made from a traffic point of view. There was an unbelievable sense of lightness _____ I jumped into a taxi, taken to my destination without being worried.

All one has to do is give directions. I am good at that. Giving directions, I mean. And I am very __ ___ when I issue these, with no effect on the part of the person driving. As soon as I sit inside, I start the description of the _____ to be taken in great detail so as to _____ the possibility of being taken for a ride.

1.A．covered B．delivered C．gathering D．removing

2.A．enthusiastically B．surprisingly C．importantly D．typically

3.A．discover B．get C．invent D．purchase

4.A．invisible B．useful C．practical D．impossible

5.A．lost B．a(chǎn)mazed C．puzzled D．moved

6.A．refused B．hoped C．replied D. swore

7.A．a(chǎn)dded to B．stuck to C．got to D．referred to

8.A．suggested B．ordered C．a(chǎn)dvised D．persuaded

9.A．light B．heavy C．slow D．safe

10.A．glared B．stared C．glanced D．viewed

11.A．use B．spare C．waste D．devote

12.A．Of course B．In short C．In case D．Of all

13.A．system B．a(chǎn)tmosphere C．society D．traffic

14.A．weighing B．disturbing C．conducting D. carrying

15.A．cars B．trains C．trucks D．cabs

16.A．dreams B．discoveries C．choices D．challenges

17.A．while B．when C．until D．before

18.A．considerate B．ignorant C．stubborn D．a(chǎn)ccurate

19.A．route B．map C．design D. course

20.A．increase B．extend C．reduce D．Expand

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科目：高中英語 來源：2016屆云南玉溪第一中學(xué)高三上學(xué)期期中英語試卷（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解

VOLUNTEER HELP WANTED, WORKING WITH NEW EVENTS TEAM

Gants Hill, London

We are looking for a few volunteers to work with us in the creation of a new events group which is needing help to expand and may lead to part-time or full-time work. Hours are flexible, and successful candidates will be working on social media and liaising (聯(lián)絡(luò)) phone calls with organizations and groups. Candidates must speak excellent fluent English.

VOLUNTEER EVENTS ADMINISTRATION

Westminster, London

We would like an enthusiastic and outgoing administration volunteer for our Events Team at our London Head Office. This opportunity would suit a well-organized person with an eye for detail and good computer skills. You will support our Events by sending thank-you letters, answering the telephone, and assisting with all aspects of event organization for 2 days a week.

LOVE MUSIC? WANT EVENTS EXPERIENCE?

Notting Hill, London

Oxfam Notting Hill Takeover are looking for volunteers for our music festival on 19th October 2013. The festival takes place in 5 places in Notting Hill. This charity event will be showcasing over 30 bands and DJs and playing all forms of music. We need a team of volunteers to assist us on the day in order to make sure everybody has a good time. If you want to be a part of a great event to help us raise money for Oxfam then please come along to our open recruitment session (招聘會(huì)).

VOLUNTEERS WANTED!

Hillingdon, London

Royal Voluntary Service is a national charity which delivers services through volunteers to help older people remain active and independent in their communities. We are growing our new Dementia Support Service in Hillingdon and need help from you! You will be required to have good communication skills.

1.If you want to work with the new events team, you should _____.

A. be confident

B. work full-time

C. speak English very well

D. have enough experience

2.In the Royal Voluntary Service, volunteers can _____.

A. communicate with older people

B. enjoy all forms of music

C. answer the telephone

D. work part-time only

3.All of the four ads were written to _____.

A. look for some volunteers

B. provide some job opportunities

C. introduce some new information

D. complain about volunteers’ poor service

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科目：高中英語 來源：2015-2016學(xué)年江西南昌二中高二上第三次月考英語試卷（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解

You may have heard of the American Dream, an ideal that has powered the hopes of Americans for generations.

It began as a belief that the US was a land of opportunity, and that anyone could achieve success through hard work. At times, the dream has referred to home ownership, a good job, retirement security or each generation doing better than the last.

Yet today, this concept seems to have greatly changed. As Time magazine pointed out, quite different from the older generation, many Millennials (the generation born after 1980) redefine(重新定義) the American Dream as “day-to-day control of your life”. They “prize job mobility, flexible schedules, any work that is more interesting than typing, and the ability to travel”, said the magazine.

Home ownership, once the cornerstone of the American Dream, is becoming a smaller priority for this generation. Meanwhile, nearly 40% of them choose travel as part of their dream. And entrepreneurship(創(chuàng)業(yè)) is a rising favorite, as nearly 26% of Millennials consider self-employment as part of their dream.

So what has led to this huge change?

Many point fingers at the poor economy. “Modern young Americans seem bound to face a world stamped by ever narrowing opportunity and social stagnation(停滯),”noted The Daily Beast.

“The rate of 16-to 24-year-olds out of school and out of work is unusually high at 15%. Many college graduates have taken jobs that don’t require a degree,” Time reported.

The magazine worries that these difficulties may lead to a lost generation who are “unable to ever truly find their feet on the corporation’s ladder”.

Dan Kadlec, a reporter of Time, sees Millennials as resetting their expectations. “This situation is different for young adults today,” he wrote. “A true American dream has to feel attainable, and many Millennias are feeling they can only attain a day-today lifestyle that suits them.”

1.What’s the passage mainly about?

A. Meaning of American Dream

B. Redefinition of American Dream

C. Value of Achieving American Dream

D. History of Changing American Dream

2.The underlined word “cornerstone” in Paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to “ ”.

A. growth B. balance

C. purpose D. basis

3.According to the passage, what has changed Millennials’ view of the American Dream?

A. A lack of confidence in themselves

B. Fierce competition in the job market

C. The discouraging economy and unemployment

D. Their dissatisfaction with the government

4.Dan Kadlec thinks Millennials’ new definition of the American Dream is ______.

A. understandable B. beautiful

C. worrying D. Positive

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科目：高中英語 來源：2015-2016學(xué)年山西臨汾第一中學(xué)高一12月月考英語試卷（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解

Elizabeth Freeman was born about 1742 to African American parents who were slaves. At the age of six months she was acquired, along with her sister, by John Ashley, a wealthy Massachusetts slaveholders. She became known as “Mumbet” or “Mum Bett.”

For nearly 30 years Mumbet served the Ashley family. One day, Ashley’s wife tried to hit Mumbet’s sister with a spade(鐵鍬). Mumbet protected her sister and took the blow instead. Angry, she left the house and refused to come back. When the Ashleys tried to make her return, Mumbet turned to a lawyer, Theodore Sedgewick. With his help, Mumbet sued(起訴) for her freedom.

While serving the Ashleys, Mumbet had listened to many discussions of the new Massachusetts laws. If the laws said that all people were free and equal, then she thought it should apply to her. Eventually, Mumbet won her freedom—the first slave in Massachusetts to do so under the new law.

Strangely enough, after the trial, the Ashleys asked Mumbet to come back and work for them as a paid employee. She refused and instead went to work for Segdewick. Mumbet died in 1829, but her spirit lived on in her many generations. One of her great-grandchildren was W.E.B. Du Bois, one of the founder of the NAACP, and an important writer and spokesperson for African American civil rights.

Mumbet’s tombstone still stands in the Massachusetts cemetery where she was buried. It reads, in part: “She was born a slave and remained a slave for nearly thirty years. She could neither read nor write, yet in her own area she had no superior or equal.”

1.What do we know about Mumbet according to Paragraph 1?

A. She was born into a rich family.

B. She was a slaveholder.

C. She was born a slave.

D. She had a famous sister.

2.What did Mumbet do after the trial?

A. She founded the NAACP.

B. She went to live with her grandchildren.

C. She continued to serve the Ashleys.

D. She chose to work for a lawyer.

3.What did Mumbet learn from discussions about the new constitution?

A. How to be a good servant.

B. How to apply for a job.

C. She should always obey her owners’ orders.

D. She should be as free and equal as whites.

4.What is the text mainly about?

A. A trial that shocked the whole world.

B. The life of a brave African American woman.

C. A story of a famous writer and spokesperson.

D. The friendship between a lawyer and a slave.

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科目：高中英語 來源：2016屆湖南省邵陽市高三上學(xué)期第五次月考英語試卷（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解

Most nights I lie in bed, ready for an escape from myself, yet a streaming video of everything I ate, how I exercised, the activities of the day won’t stop playing in my mind.

I pause. I breathe. I try to relax once again, but it doesn’t work.

When I’m not exercising — even if I’ve already exercised that day — I’m consumed with anxiety about my next workout. Will something come up and make me miss the gym? What about holidays when the gym is closed?

Exercise has become a disease; it even disguises (偽裝，假裝) itself as the cure. If I don’t have it as an escape, then what’s left to hold me together? Working out feels like the only way to calm myself, but as soon as I leave the gym or finish a walk, the whole cycle starts over again.

As you might have guessed by now, I suffer from depression and OCD (強(qiáng)迫癥). I’m a highly-educated adult woman who knows the risks of this behavior, and yet I can’t stop.

As a society, we’re told over and over that it’s important to exercise. That’s what makes it so easy to keep this addiction a secret; it’s not as obvious as lighting up a cigarette. You can continue to feed your addiction under the guise that you’re just being “healthy”. I not only have to fight the nonstop thoughts in my head but also the “more exercise is better” messages I receive from the media every day.

For me, exercise has become a drug, which is a way to numb the pain I might feel. I wonder what it would be like to “have the problem” of not wanting to go to the gym. It still feels very far away.

Yet I know I can be stronger than this. I can break the cycle I’m in. I can tell my story so as to give up a piece of the secrecy that keeps me sick.

Because no, you don’t want my problem. And finally, neither do I.

1.When the author goes to bed, she___________.

A. can’t breathe normally B. can’t fall asleep

C. always feels hungry D. always feels tired

2.The underlined word “it” in paragraph 4 probably refers to ___________.

A. the gym B. disease C. exercise D. the cure

3. What is special about the addition to exercise?

A. It is popular among highly-educated people.

B. It is widely reported by the mass media.

C. It does little harm to health.

D. it is not easily discovered.

4.We know from the text that the author ____________.

A. is emotionless

B. lives far away from the gym

C. is seriously ill

D. has difficulty in keeping secrets

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科目：高中英語 來源：2016屆遼寧大連第八中學(xué)高三上學(xué)期期中英語試卷（解析版） 題型：完形填空

完形填空

The family had just moved to Rhode Island, and the young woman was feeling a little depressed on that Sunday in May. After all, it was Mother's Day—and 800 miles ________ her from her parents in Ohio.

She had called them that morning, to wish her a happy Mother's Day and her mother had ________ how colorful their backyard was ________ spring had arrived. Later, she told her husband how she ________ those lilacs（丁香） in her parents' yard. “I know where we can find some,” he said. “Get the ________ and come on.” So off they went.

Some time later, they stopped at a hill and there were lilacs all round. The young woman rushed up to the nearest ________and buried her face in the flowers. Carefully, she ________ some．Finally, they returned to their car for the ________ home. The woman sat smiling, surrounded by her ________ .

When they were near home, she shouted “stop,” got off quickly and ________ to a nearby nursing home. She went to the end of the porch (門廊), where a(n) ________patient was sitting in her wheelchair, and put the flowers into her lap. The two ________ , bursting into laughter now and then. Later the young woman turned and ran back to her ________ . As the car pulled away, the woman in the wheelchair________ with a smile, and held the lilacs ________ .

“Mom,” the kids asked, “ ________ did you give her our flowers?” “It is Mother's Day, and she seems so ________ while I have all of you. And anyone would be ________ by flowers.”

This satisfied the kids, but not the husband. The next day he ________some young lilacs around their yard.

I was the husband. Now, every May, our yard is full of lilacs. Every Mother's Day our kids________ purple lilacs. And every year I remember that smile of the lonely old woman.

1.A. separatedB. keptC. movedD. made

2.A. mentionedB. learnedC. imaginedD. realized

3.A. now thatB. so thatC. as ifD. even if

4.A. grewB. missedC. wateredD. showed

5.A. carsB. clothesC. kidsD. lilacs

6.A. yardB. hillC. bushD. door

7.A. boughtB. pickedC. setD. raised

8.A. breakB. holidayC. dinnerD. trip

9.A. flowersB. memoryC. honorD. friends

10.A. respondedB. hurriedC. droveD. pointed

11.A. seriousB. lovingC. elderlyD. sensitive

12.A. hesitatedB. chattedC. waitedD. sat

13.A. familyB. motherC. pathD. home

14.A. noddedB. leftC. wavedD. continued

15.A. sadlyB. politelyC. quicklyD. tightly

16.A. whereB. whenC. howD. why

17.A. lonelyB. confusedC. aloneD. patient

18.A. cheeredB. persuadedC. disappointedD.calmed

19.A. arrangedB. plantedC. driedD. hid

20.A. findB. gatherC. receiveD. sell

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