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

小題1:D
小題2:D
小題3:B
小題4:A
小題5:D
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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：完形填空

Last Monday, at the beginning of class, I   31  asked my students how their weekend had been. One young man said that his weekend had not been so   32 . He had his wisdom teeth removed. Then the young man asked me why I   33  seemed to be so cheerful.
His question reminded me of something I’d read somewhere before: “Every morning when you get up, you have a choice about   34  you want to approach life that day,” I said. “I choose to be cheerful.”
“Let me give you an example.   35  teaching here, I also teach out at the community college in Henderson, 17 miles down the freeway from where I live. One day, I drove those 17 miles to Henderson. I   36  the freeway and turned onto College Drive, only another quarter mile ahead to the college. But just then my car died. I tried to start it again, but the engine   37  turn over. So I put my flashers on, grabbed my books, and marched down the road to the college.”
“  38  getting there I called AAA and arranged for a tow truck to meet me at my car after class. The secretary asked me what had happened. ‘This is my lucky day,’ I replied, smiling.”
“ ‘Your car breaks down and today is your lucky day?’ She was   39 . ‘What do you mean?’ ’’ “I live 17 miles from here.” I replied. “My car   40  have broken down   41  along the freeway. It didn’t.   42 , it broke down in the perfect place: off the freeway,   43  walking distance of here. I’m still able to teach my class, and I’ve been able to arrange for the tow truck to meet me after class.”
“The secretary’s eyes opened wide, and then she    44 . I smiled back and headed for class.” So ended my story.
I scanned the sixty faces in my class. Despite the early hour, no one seemed to be   45 . Somehow, my story had touched them.
小題1:
A．calmlyB．seriouslyC．cheerfullyD．curiously
小題2:
A．badB．goodC．excitingD．scary
小題3:
A．oftenB．a(chǎn)lways C．usuallyD．seldom
小題4:
A．howB．whyC．whereD．that
小題5:
A．As well asB．As toC．In exchange forD．In addition to
小題6:
A．enteredB．leftC．foundD．hit
小題7:
A．wouldn’tB．shouldn’tC．couldn’tD．won’t
小題8:
A．WhileB．In C．Before D．After
小題9:
A．surprising B．a(chǎn)stonishingC．puzzledD．shaken
小題10:
A．couldB．canC．wouldD．must
小題11:
A．somewhereB．a(chǎn)nywhereC．nowhereD．wherever
小題12:
A．HoweverB．InsteadC．ThoughD．So
小題13:
A．between B．in C．withinD．beyond
小題14:
A．leftB．understoodC．pausedD．smiled
小題15:
A．clearB．a(chǎn)sleepC．tiredD．interested

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：完形填空

Jody was ten years old when he decided he needed a job. He thought it might be   36  to raise worms. He could sell them to farmers and people who fished. So in   37 , he bought many worms. But that winter the cold weather killed all the worms because he had not   38  them in a warm place.
The next spring Jody   39  again. He bought more worms, which he took good care of. When winter came, he took them inside   40  they would stay warm. Many people bought his worms.
One day when Jody was twelve, he got a letter. It was from state of New York. The letter said, “Everyone who   41  things has to pay taxes!” Jody made only one dollar selling worms. But he still   42  to pay part of that money to the state. He told many people in his town what had ___43  . Soon some people from a television station   44  with Jody. Many people saw it and they began to write letters to the state. The letters now said that the law was   45 . Finally the law was changed. Children like Jody can now sell things without paying money to the state.
小題1:
A．boring
B．lucky
C．fun
D．impossible
小題2:
A．a(chǎn)utumn
B．spring
C．winter
D．summer
小題3:
A．caught
B．found
C．hidden
D．put
小題4:
A．tried
B．waited
C．failed
D．practised
小題5:
A．before
B．until
C．though
D．so
小題6:
A．buys
B．sells
C．keeps
D．presents
小題7:
A．hoped
B．wanted
C．had
D．remembered
小題8:
A．followed
B．a(chǎn)ppeared
C．happened
D．continued
小題9:
A．talked
B．visited
C．quarreled
D．worked
小題10:
A．common
B．unfair
C．different
D．useless

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

   Many scientists are now exploring the idea of going to live on Mars. Some other scientists from the MASA AMES Center(美國(guó)宇航局) have already started the creation of a “Mars town” and many others are in fact already experimenting with it. Of course, these experiments are done on Earth itself but this “Mars town” has an environment practically like that of Mars.
The astronauts working in these towns wear their space suit and also do everything they would really have to carry out if they ever go to Mars in the future.
But Mars would be like Earth, a temporary（臨時(shí)的） place for humans. When the Sun starts swallowing up(吞掉) the planets, Mars will disappear only hours after Earth. So Mars only seems to be the ideal place to spread the human beings. It is also a good location to send humans if ever there is a disaster on Earth. By saying disaster, I mean asteroids(小行星) hitting and things like that.
If we humans do not want to disappear when Earth or Mars gets swallowed up, we will have to go and live beyond the solar system. But are there any planets outside our solar system prepared to support life? Astronomers’ answer is:
“If Earth can support life, why can’t other planets do the same too? Astronomers have already discovered a Jupiter(木星)- like planet orbiting a Sun-like star, so why not an Earth-like planet orbiting a Sun-like star?
To achieve this goal though, many other problems have to be taken into consideration. How do we transform(改造) a dusty planet like Mars into one more or less like our Earth? How should we go on? There is still a long way to go.
小題1: The “Mars town” mentioned in the passage is ___________
A．a(chǎn) research base on Mars.
B．a(chǎn)n experimental lab built on Earth.
C．a(chǎn) strange place on Mars .
D．a(chǎn) town existing in scientists’ imagination
小題2: We can know from the passage that astronomers probably think ____________
A．it is impossible to transport humans to other planets.
B．there may be an Earth-like planet outside the solar system
C．humans will move to the new-found Jupiter-like planet
D．there’s no need for humans to move beyond the solar system.
小題3:Why would Mars only be a temporary(臨時(shí)) place for humans?
A．The conditions there would be too hard for the human beings
B．There would be more disasters like asteroids hitting.
C．It would disappear when Earth disappeared.
D．It would be too hot to live on.
小題4:The underlined word “orbiting” in the fifth paragraph is closest in meaning to “________”
A．moving aroundB．getting close to
C．passing by quicklyD．going through
小題5:Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?
A．Mars TownB．Living on Mars
C．The Future of EarthD．Where to live in the Future

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Pat O’Burke was a poor Irishman with a large family, and one morning, waking up very early from cold and hunger, he decided to go shooting in a wood near his cottage. The wood belonged to Lord Northwood, a rich gentleman, Pat had no right to go there, but in it there were swarms of rabbits and flocks of birds that were good to eat, and Pat determined to take the risk. Suddenly he saw the owner, with a group of friends, coming towards him in the wood. There was a look of anger on Lord Northwood's face as he caught sight of the gun in Pat's hands. Pat's heart sank with fear, but he saw there was no hope of escape, so he walked boldly (大膽) up to the group and said to Lord Northwood, “Good morning, sir, and what has brought you out so early this morning?” Lord Northwood, rather surprised, said he and his friends were taking a little exercise to get an appetite(食欲) for their breakfast. Then, looking at Pat with suspicion(懷疑), he said, “but why are you out so early in the morning?” “Well, sir” said Pat, “I just came out to see if I could get a breakfast for my appetite.” The whole crowed burst into laughter at Pat's ready wit(機(jī)智，風(fēng)趣), and with a smile Lord Northwood walked on, leaving Pat to try his luck with the rabbits.
小題1:This is a story about _____.
A．a(chǎn) rich man who owned a big wood
B．a(chǎn) poor Irishman who lived all by himself
C．a(chǎn) clever man who tried to get something to eat
D．a(chǎn)n Irish hunter with a large family
小題2: There was a look of anger on Lord Northwood's face. Why?
A．He was not expecting Pat at this early hour.
B．He knew Pat was coming for shooting.
C．He didn't like the poor Irishman at all.
D．Pat had not told him he would come.
小題3:Why was Lord Northwood surprised?
A．He had not expected such a bold question from Pat.
B．He wondered why Pat didn't run away.
C．Pat wasn't afraid of him.
D．Pat had a gun in his hands.
小題4: What made the whole crowd burst into laughter?
A．Pat's funny looksB．Pat's interesting remarks
C．Pat's quick and humorous responseD．Pat's promise to leave fight away
小題5: Guess the meaning of the underlined word “right”.
A．對(duì)的B．右邊C．正好D．權(quán)利

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

After twenty years of shaving（剃須）himself every morning, a man in a small Southern town thought he had enough. He told his wife that he intended to let the local barber shave him each day. He put on his hat and coat and went to the barber shop.
The barber's wife, Grace, was working that day, so she performed the task. Grace shaved him, and said, "That will be $20." The man thought the price was a bit high, but he paid the bill and went to work.
The next morning the man looked in the mirror, and his face was as smooth as it had been when he left the barber shop the day before. “Not bad, he thought. At least I don't need to get a shave every day.”
The next morning, the man's face was still smooth. Two weeks later, the man was still unable to find any trace of whiskers on his face. It was more than he could take and he was frightened, so he returned to the barber shop.
"I thought $20 was high for a shave", he told the barber's wife, "but you must have done a great job. It's been two weeks and my whiskers still haven't started growing back." The expression on her face didn't even change, expecting his comment. She responded, "You were shaved by Grace and once shaved, always shaved!"
小題1:It’s implied in the first sentence of the passage that          .
A．the man lived a very poor lifeB．the man liked shaving himself
C．the man finally got bored of shaving himselfD．the man decided not to shave again
小題2:We learn that at first the man thought ＄20 for a shave was         .
A．too littleB．too muchC．properD．impossible
小題3:What can we learn from the passage?
A．Everybody in the town knows Grace.
B．Nobody wants to be shaved by Grace in the town.
C．The man was scared by the result two weeks later.
D．The man’s whiskers grew back at last.

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

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.

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Jenny lived in a town．Her father，Mr．Young，had a shop there and sold clothes in it．The shopkeeper was born in a poor family and was in school no more than a year．He was always sorry for it though he had much money now．He hoped his daughter could become a scientist．But the girl didn’t 1ike anything else except singing．She often went to the concerts，bought a lot of records the famous pop stars made and insisted on listening to the music when she was free．Of course she wanted to be a pop star，too．Her parents wanted to prevent her，but she didn’t listen to
them and they had to agree to her choice．They engaged an old man who was good at music as a private teacher．
Five years passed．Mr．Young bought all kinds of musical instruments for Jenny and they visited some places where the famous singers were born．Of course he spent a lot of money on it．But he found the girl didn’t make any progress．At last the teacher didn’t think the girl could become a singer at all and had to tell Mr．Young about it．The man became angry and said，“Why didn’t you tell me about it earlier? My daughter learned nothing but I paid you month after month!”
“I think you should thank me for it，”said the teacher．“Another teacher, who teaches
badly，is paid more than I was．And I saved much money for you!”
小題1:Mr. Young was in school for a short time because______  ．
A．he was too poor to go on studyingB．he had to help his parents
C．he was weak in his lessonsD．he didn’t like studying at all
小題2:Jenny spent much money buying records and went to the concerts in order to ______
A．visit some placesB．know some pop stars
C．become a pop star D．1earn singing
小題3:Mr．Young became angry because______．
A．he paid a lot of money to the teacher
B．his daughter decided to drop music
C．his daughter spent four years on music
D．the teacher taught his daughter nothing

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

JAMES Brown, the legendary US singer known as the “Godfather of Soul”, died Christmas morning, 2006. he was 73.
Brown was one of the major musical influences of the last
50 years. He provided the basis for much of black music and
most of pop music with his early hits like. “Please, Please,
Please”. He essentially created funk（“瘋客”音樂(lè)）with
mid-1960s songs such as "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag".
It won him a Grammy Award as best rhythm-and-blues song,
and it was only the beginning of Mr. Brown's rhythmic
breakthroughs. His rapid-footed dancing inspired Michael Jackson and Prince. Rap stars of recent years, such as Fat Boys and Public Enemy, have all borrowed his lyrics and rhythms.
Brown's songs in the late 1960s and early 1970s, such as "Hot Pants" and "Make It Funky", mixed the sophistication(復(fù)雜) of jazz-style arrangements with raw funk. With these songs, Brown established himself as the godfather not just of soul, but of all subsequent styles of dance music: funk, disco, hip hop.
"He made soul music a world music," said Al Sharpton, who toured with Brown in the 1970s and imitates his hairstyle to this day. "What Brown was to music in terms of soul and hip hop, rap, all of that, is what Bach(巴赫, 德國(guó)作曲家) was to classical music. He put everybody on a different beat, a different style of music."
Amid the civil rights movement of the 1960s Mr. Brown used his fame and music for social messages. He released "Don't Be a Dropout" in 1966 and met with Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey to promote a stay-in-school initiative. Two years later "Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud" insisted, "We won't quit movin' until we get what we deserve."
小題1:The passage is mainly about _______.
A．black music in the US
B．James Brown's unique music styles
C．James Brown's contribution to American music
D．great musicians in the US in the last 50 years
小題2:The author intends to tell us by the last paragraph that ______.
A．James Brown was proud of being a black
B．James Brown was also active in political movements
C．the then Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey was one of Brown's fans
D．no children dropped out of school because of James Brown's social influence
小題3: Which of the following indicates that Brown's career began to take off?
A．His rapid-footed dancing.
B．His three years in prison.
C．His tour around the country with Al Sharpton.
D．His mid-1960s songs such as "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag".
小題4:James Brown has influenced all American music types EXCEPT ______.
A．classical music B．rhythm-and-blues
C．Rap D．hip hop

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