First lady Michelle Obama turns 50 on Friday, Jan. 17, 2014.
Michelle Obama has spent the first half-century of her life breaking barriers and checking off a series of firsts. Now, as she reaches her milestone birthday Friday, the nation will be watching to see in what other areas she will leave her mark.
Five years after moving into the White House, and without a re-election campaign to worry about, she has more room to relax in her role and, political watchers say, possibly become more vocal (声音的) on political issues in the three years left in office.
So far, critics have complained about Michelle’s silence on issues where they expected to hear her voice: Last year, at the start of her husband's second term, she disappointed advocates for tighter gun-control measures after she failed to push harder on the issue in response to the massacre (残杀) at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. She also disappointed some feminists (女权主义者) who wanted her to defend their causes instead of falling back on her self-described role as the nation’s “mom-in-chief.” Nor did she handle racial issues during her second term, as some had expected.
“The most important thing to remember is, whether you are black, white or Hispanic, you’re the first lady and the president of all the people in the United States. That’s a huge melting pot, so to reinforce (强化)that she's African American over anything else would not be wise,” said Anita McBride, who directs programming and national conferences on the legacies (遗产) of America’s first ladies and their historical influence at American University.
Valerie Jarrett, a top White House adviser and a close friend of the Obamas, said the first lady doesn't want to “spread herself too thin.”
“She really wants to have a maximum impact and to do that in fewer areas,” Jarrett told the Associated Press. “That, she said, “is better than trying to take on every single possible cause.”
But Robert Watson, a Lynn University professor, said he expects Obama to “go a little harder at issues” over the next several years. “Second-term first ladies usually feel more at ease to speak more forcefully about issues close to their heart,” he said.
Myra Gutin, a Ryder University communications professor and frequent lecturer on first ladies, said she expects Obama to continue making both of them a priority in her remaining years in the White House, given their success. Michelle launched the “Let’s Move” campaign in 2010. It in particular has gained widespread support, ranging from the National Football League to the Sesame Street franchise (特许), which even gave permission to the produce industry to use its licensed characters for free on fruits and vegetables.
“There’s no such thing as a traditional first lady, not anymore in this technology-filled world. Is Mrs. Obama cutting edge? Is she an activist? No. As first ladies go, I think she’s been politically careful because she does not want there to be a major flare-up that would require her husband to use his political capital to clean up,” she said. “But she’s not exactly just sitting in the White House pouring tea and having receptions, either.”
【小题1】Critics were disappointed with Michelle because _______.
| A．she didn’t put gun-control measures into effect |
| B．she failed some feminists to stand out to be a career woman |
| C．she didn’t solve some racial problems |
| D．she failed to voice her opinion on some issues |
| A．It’s not wise to reinforce Michelle is African American over anything else. |
| B．It’s better for Michelle to have a maximum impact than to take on every possible cause. |
| C．It's expected for Michelle to go a little harder at issues. |
| D．It’s a tradition for first ladies to stay out of political issues. |
| A．Try to do a lot of work at the same time. |
| B．Get very tired. |
| C．Try to improve physical fitness. |
| D．Move herself away from others. |
| A．a, c | B．a, b | C．b, c | D．c, d |
【小题1】D
【小题2】D
【小题3】A
【小题4】C
解析试题分析：文章是一些批评家对米歇尔在奥巴马连任美国总统后的表现很失望，认为她没有尽到第一夫人的职责。
【小题1】细节题：从文章第四段的句子：So far, critics have complained about Michelle’s silence on issues where they expected to hear her voice:可知批评家对米歇尔很失望，因为她没有对一些事情发表自己的观点。选D
【小题2】推理题：从文章最后一段的句子：“There’s no such thing as a traditional first lady, not anymore in this technology-filled world.可知根据教授们所说第一夫人不问政治这不是传统。选D
【小题3】猜词题：从文章第七段的句子：“She really wants to have a maximum impact and to do that in fewer areas,” Jarrett told the Associated Press. “That, she said, “is better than trying to take on every single possible cause.”这句话是对 “spread herself too thin” 的进一步解释，可知是“让自己同时做太多的工作”，选A
【小题4】细节题：从第9段的句子：It in particular has gained widespread support, ranging from the National Football League to the Sesame Street franchise (特许), which even gave permission to the produce industry to use its licensed characters for free on fruits and vegetables.可知“Let’s Move”的目的主要是帮助人们身体积极和获得健康的食品。选C
考点：考查新闻报道类短文
名校课堂系列答案科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Decision-making under Stress
A new review based on a research shows that acute stress affects the way the brain considers the advantages and disadvantages, causing it to focus on pleasure and ignore the possible negative (负面的) consequences of a decision.
The research suggests that stress may change the way people make choices in predictable ways. “Stress affects how people learn,” says Professor Mara Mather. “People learn better about positive than negative outcomes under stress.”
For example, two recent studies looked at how people learned to connect images(影像) with either rewards or punishments. In one experiment, some of the participants were first stressed by having to give a speech and do difficult math problems in front of an audience; in the other, some were stressed by having to keep their hands in ice water. In both cases, the stressed participants remembered the rewarded material more accurately and the punished material less accurately than those who hadn’t gone through the stress. This phenomenon is likely not surprising to anyone who has tried to resist eating cookies or smoking a cigarette while under stress –at those moments, only the pleasure associated with such activities comes to mind. But the findings further suggest that stress may bring about a double effect. Not only are rewarding experiences remembered better, but negative consequences are also easily recalled.
The research also found that stress appears to affect decision-making differently in men and women. While both men and women tend to focus on rewards and less on consequences under stress, their responses to risk turn out to be different. Men who had been stressed by the cold-water task tended to take more risks in the experiment while women responded in the opposite way. In stressful situations in which risk-taking can pay off big, men may tend to do better, when caution weighs more, however, women will win.
This tendency to slow down and become more cautious when decisions are risky might also help explain why women are less likely to become addicted than men: they may more often avoid making the risky choices that eventually harden into addiction.
【小题1】We can learn from the passage that people under pressure tend to ______.
| A．keep rewards better in their memory |
| B．recall consequences more effortlessly |
| C．make risky decisions more frequently |
| D．learn a subject more effectively |
| A．ways of making choices | B．preference for pleasure |
| C．tolerance of punishments | D．responses to suggestions |
| A．women find it easier to fall into certain habits |
| B．men have a greater tendency to slow down |
| C．women focus more on outcomes |
| D．men are more likely to take risks |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
As has been all too apparent in recent days at Balcombe, few issues cause greater concern than energy policy. Many village communities feel their countryside is being ruined by the power-producing machines of wind farms; yet they never take "direct action", even though the planning laws put them at a severe disadvantage. And the generous subsidies (财政补贴) , which encourage the expansion of wind power, are not favorable to the village communities and set landowners in conflict with other residents (居民) .
Those who disagree with the rapid expansion of wind farms state that the damage they cause is out of proportion(比例) to the benefits they bring, because their energy output cannot match that of the carbon-based power stations they are supposed to replace. Supporters insist that wind must be part of a mix of renewables, nuclear and carbon, and that the country is committed to meeting EU ( European Union) targets for non-carbon energy generation. ZXXK
Against this background, the fact that there is an argument within the Government over whether to publish an official report on wind farms' impact on the countryside becomes even more extraordinary. The two parties in the coalition (联合) government are in disagreement over what it should say.
We have some advice for the two parties: publish the report, and let the country be the judge. Even if it contains evidence that wind farms are harmful, it will hardly be a pleasant surprise to people who do not like them. Equally, supporters must argue their case by acknowledging the concerns and explaining why they are either misplaced or worthy of much attention.
The suggestion that further negotiations are to take place to produce an "acceptable" report suggests that the politics of coalition government are doing the country harm in a certain way. Given the sensitivities involved, all the information should be available so that people can reach their own conclusions, rather than being left with the suspicion（猜疑）that facts are being replaced by political beliefs.
【小题1】We can learn from the first paragraph that__________.
| A．energy policy catches much attention of the public |
| B．the residents are in favor of the expansion of wind farms |
| C．many village communities are satisfied with the subsidies |
| D．the planning laws offer great benefits to the residents |
| A．is more rapid than that of carbon-based power |
| B．guarantees an increase in energy output |
| C．is expected to be much better than that of nuclear power |
| D．agrees with EU targets for non-carbon energy generation |
| A．an official report will settle the energy problem |
| B．the two parties are divided over the issue of wind farms |
| C．the two parties have agreed on a further negotiation |
| D．political beliefs concerning energy issue go against facts |
| A．Increase political impact on energy policy. |
| B．Release a statement of supporters on wind farms. |
| C．Let the nation judge the facts about wind power. |
| D．Leave the two parties to reach their own conclusions. |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
University of Maryland student Ben Simon and his friends couldn’t stand to see good food thrown out on their campus.“We basically noticed that some of the extra food from the dining hall was going to waste at the end of the day.And we met with the dining services and asked them whether it would be okay if instead of throwing out the food we would donate it.And they were on board，” he said.
So 18 months ago，the students began what they call the Food Recovery Network.Each night，volunteers would show up at a campus dining hall to pick up leftovers and deliver them to area shelters and food banks.So far，they have donated more than 23 000 kilos of food that would otherwise have been thrown out.
Nationwide，$165 billion worth of food is wasted each year，according to the National Resources Defense Council.Spokesman Bob Keefe says that is about 40% of the country’s entire food production.“If we can reduce our waste in this country by 15%，we can feed 25 million hungry Americans.That is a huge benefit.That is what programs like this Food Recovery Network are doing，” he said.
Christian Life Center is one of the beneficiaries (受益者) of the students’ efforts.Ben Slye，the senior pastor (牧师)，said，“It has been just amazing to see these students take their own time，their own vehicles and own gas money and be able to make an effort like this.Each week we are able with this food probably to feed over hundred people.”
The University of Maryland’s Food Recovery Network now has 200 volunteers and the program has expanded to 18 schools across the country.“I want to grow 18 chapters to a thousand chapters within five years.And once we get to the Food Recovery Nation being at every college campus in America，we want to expand to restaurants and farms.” said Simon.
The volunteers are committed to making that happen.
【小题1】The dining services in University of Maryland________.
| A．threw out good food on the campus |
| B．supported the volunteers’ job |
| C．enjoyed the talk with the students |
| D．donated their leftovers to the poor |
| A．started the Food Recovery Network two years ago |
| B．delivered leftovers as well as money to shelters |
| C．helped to solve the hunger issues in America |
| D．donated leftovers to avoid food waste |
| A．unconcern | B．doubt |
| C．appreciation | D．opposition |
| A．over 40% of the country’s entire food is wasted each year |
| B．altogether 25 million Americans suffer from hunger nowadays |
| C．Simon aims to expand the program to restaurants and farms |
| D．every college has started the Food Recovery Network |
| A．College Students Rescue Leftover Food |
| B．Battles Against the Problem of Hunger |
| C．How to Pick up Leftovers on College Campuses |
| D．Waste Problems in University of Maryland |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Sydney—A shark savaged a schoolboy's leg while he was surfing with his father at a beach in Sydney on February 23．It was the third shark attack along the coast of Australia's largest city in a month．
The 15-year-old boy and his father were in the water off Avalon, on Sydney's northern beaches, around dawn when he was attacked．The city's beaches are packed with locals and tourists during the summer months．
"The father heard a scream and turned to see his son trashing （扭动） about in the water," police said．"Fortunately, the shark swam away and the boy was helped to shore by his father．
Lifesaving Club spokesman Nick Miller: "It got him around the top of his left leg and the father came and dragged him out of water．" He said the boy was bleeding heavily when he was brought to shore．"There was a lot of pain, as you can imagine"．The teenager was airlifted to hospital for treatment for leg injuries．
Police said the bites" cut through to the bone" , but the boy did not appear to have sustained any fractures （骨折）．He was in a stable condition now．
Several beaches were closed after the attack．Water police and lifeguards were searching for the shark, while police hoped to identify its species by the shape of the bite marks．But they said it was too early to say what type of shark attacked the boy．"I don't even know if he saw it," Miller said．
Many shark species live in the waters off Sydney's beaches, but attacks on humans are still relatively rare．However, there were two attacks on successive days earlier this month, one on a navy diver in Sydney harbor, not far from the famous Opera House, and the other on a surfer at the city's world-famous Bondi beach．
Fishermen say shark numbers are on the rise．There is a ban on commercial fishing in the harbor, which has increased fish stocks．Marine experts also claim environmental protection has created a cleaner environment, attracting sharks closer to shore as they chase fish．Many shark species, including the Great White—the man-eater made famous in Steven Spielberg's Jaws—are protected in Australian waters．
【小题1】The report mainly tells us _______．
| A．shark attacks on humans are on the rise |
| B．sharks attacked humans three times in one month |
| C．a boy was attacked by a shark at a Sydney beach |
| D．shark numbers are increasing in the waters off Sydney's beaches |
| A．attracted | B．dragged |
| C．bit | D．packed |
| A．It is one of the largest cities in Australia． |
| B．Sydney harbor is not far from the famous Opera House． |
| C．There are many locals and tourists on its coast all year round． |
| D．There are few shark species in the waters off Sydney's beaches． |
| A．environmental protection has created a cleaner environment |
| B．a ban on commercial fishing has increased fish numbers |
| C．many shark species are protected in Australia waters |
| D．the film Jaws made the Great White famous |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
LONDON, Feb. 18，2014 （Xinhua News agency） —Britain will send experts to East China's Shanghai to learn from the city's experience in maths teaching in an attempt to raise the teaching standards.
British Education Minister Elizabeth Truss is to lead a delegation of experts on a fact-finding mission to Shanghai's schools next week to see how children there have become the best in the world at maths, to get a first-hand look at maths classes and teaching methods there, and particularly to investigate why the performance of almost all children in Shanghai is high, regardless of gender or income.
Britain was last year placed 50th out of 148 countries and regions in the World Economic Forum's competitiveness ranking in quality of maths and science education. Two years ago, Shanghai topped the 2012 international PISA tables for maths, while England was ranked in 26th place. The top five were all in Southeast Asia, with 15-year-olds in Shanghai judged to be three years ahead of their peers in maths.
The education department said: "England's performance in maths has lagged behind while other countries have improved and overtaken us, including Poland and Germany." Actually, it is the latest step in the government's drive to raise standards in maths, looking at what has made schools in the far East the most successful in the world in teaching the subject.
"Shanghai is the top-performing part of the world for maths—their children are streets ahead. Shanghai and Singapore have teaching practices and a positive mind that make the difference. They have a belief that diligence makes up for lack of ability," Truss said. "Our new curriculum has borrowed from theirs because we know it works—early learning of key arithmetic, and a focus on times tables and long division（长除法）, for instance."
She was determined to change the situation as performance in maths is weakening the country's skills base and threatening the productivity and growth. The government is emphasizing maths because of the importance of good grades in the subject to young people competing for good jobs in a global labor market and to the economy more generally.
An education and skills survey released by the Confederation of British Industry last year showed that 30 percent of employers reported dissatisfaction with the standard of school and college leavers' numeracy. More than two-thirds of employers said they wanted both maths and science promoted more in schools.
【小题1】Why does the British government send a delegation of experts to Shanghai?
| A．To see how children from rich families have become the best at maths. |
| B．To investigate why the performance of almost all children in China is high. |
| C．To get a first-hand look at science classes and teaching methods there. |
| D．To raise the teaching standards in maths in Britain. |
| A．British students performed better in 2013 than in 2012. |
| B．British students did better than the students from Poland in 2013. |
| C．The students from Singapore did better than the students from Germany. |
| D．The students from Germany did better than the students from Poland. |
| A．Curriculum and teaching methods. |
| B．Teaching practices and a positive mind. |
| C．Early learning of key arithmetic and times tables. |
| D．A focus on times tables and long division. |
| A．By threatening the country's competitiveness of economy. |
| B．By weakening the country's political system. |
| C．By losing international competitions in education. |
| D．By failing to find jobs in a global labor market. |
| A．The students in Britain don’t work hard at Maths. |
| B．The students in shanghai are the smartest in the world. |
| C．The education of science in Britain is no better than that of maths. |
| D．Most British citizens are dissatisfied with teachers’ work. |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
The wedding took place in a Birmingham hotel. The bride and her father arrived in a new black American sports car. Her father looked nervous and uncomfortable in front of the cameras. The bride wore a silk wedding dress. She smiled nervously at the waiting photographers and went to a room on the first floor where she met her future husband for the very first time.
Carla Germaine and Greg Cordell were the winners of a radio station’s competition. The aim of the competition was to find two strangers prepared to marry without having met each other. Miss Germaine, 23, is a model. Mr. Cordell, 27, is a TV salesman. They were among the two hundred people who entered for a particular “experiment” organized by BMRB radio in Birmingham, England. Greg and Carla were among eight finalists who were interviewed live on radio. They took a lie detector （测谎仪）test and the station also spoke to their friends and family about their personalities. The competition judges included an astrologer（占卜家）who declared that they were suited.
The couple celebrated their wedding with a wedding breakfast and a party for 100 guests in the evening, but not everyone shared their joy. Miss Germaine’s mother looked anxious through-out the wedding and Mr. Cordell’s parents are reported to be less than delighted.
Organizations, including the marriage guidance service Relate, have criticized the marriage. As one expert put it, “we have enough problems getting young people to take marriage seriously. Marriage should always be about love.”
The couples are now on a Caribbean honeymoon followed by journalists. Their other prizes include a year’s free use of a wonderful apartment in the centre of Birmingham, and a car. But will it last?
【小题1】How did the couple’s parents react to the wedding?
| A．The bride’s mother shared their joy. |
| B．The bridegroom’s parents were not that joyful. |
| C．The bridegroom’s parents were quite delighted. |
| D．The bride’s father felt uncomfortable about the wedding. |
| A．marriage without the couple’s meeting each other first ends up in divorce. |
| B．most young people take marriage seriously except this couple. |
| C．taking a lie detector test can not solve all the marriage problems. |
| D．young people nowadays are too careless about marriage. |
| A．to use an apartment free for some time. |
| B．to spend their honeymoon wherever they like. |
| C．to have a wedding dress free. |
| D．to own an American sports car. |
| A．A Wedding Based on love. | B．Two Strangers and a Wedding. |
| C．A Short--lived Marriage. | D．A Well--Matched Couple. |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
A team of British surgeons has carried out Gaza’s（加沙）first organ transplants for a long-term plan to train local medical staff to perform the operations.
Two patients underwent kidney（肾脏）transplants at the Shifa, Gaza’s biggest public hospital. The operations were conducted a fortnight ago by a volunteer medical team from the Royal Liverpool hospital.
Ziad Matouk, 42, was born with one kidney and was diagnosed with renal failure（肾衰竭）several years ago. Matouk, whose wife donated one of her kidneys, hopes to return to his job within six months. The couple had sought a transplant in Cairo, but were rejected as unsuitable at a state hospital and could not afford the fee at a private hospital. “We were desperate,” said Matouk.
The UK-Gaza link-up began about a year ago after Abdelkader Hammad, a doctor at the Royal Liverpool hospital, was contacted by an anaesthetist（麻醉师）at the Shifa, who outlined the difficulties the Gaza hospital was facing with dialysis（透析）. The Shifa is forced to rely on generators because of power cuts; spare parts for its ageing dialysis machines have been difficult to import; and supplies of consumables are often scarce. After an exploratory trip last April, Hammad---whose family is Palestinian---and three colleagues from Liverpool arrived in Gaza via Egypt last month, bringing specialist equipment. Two patients were selected for surgery. The first, Mohammed Duhair, 42, received a kidney donated by his younger brother in a six-hour operation. Two days later, Matouk received a transplant after his wife, Nadia, 36, was found to be a good match. The surgeon was carried out by the British team, assisted by doctors and nurses from the Shifa. “We are very satisfied with the results,” said Sobbi Skaik, head of surgery at the Gaza hospital.
Skaik hopes that Gaza medical teams will eventually carry out kidney transplants independently, and that other organ transplants may follow. The Shifa is working with the Gaza ministry of health on a plan to train its doctors, surgeons, nursing staff and laboratory technicians in transplant surgery at the Royal Liverpool. “Funding is a problem,” said Hammad. “In the meantime we’ll go back as volunteers to Gaza for the next couple of years to do more transplants.” The Liverpool team’s next visit is scheduled for May.
【小题1】What effect does Gaza’s first organ transplants hopes to get?
| A．Helping poor Gaza people to regain health to make more money. |
| B．Releasing Gaza hospitals’ pressure of lack of professional doctors. |
| C．Assisting the Royal Liverpool hospital in perfecting their operations. |
| D．Calling for international attention at Gaza’s poor medical service. |
| A．Because he couldn’t afford the fee at a public hospital. |
| B．Because the hospital didn’t accept dangerous patients. |
| C．Because they couldn’t find a matched organ. |
| D．Because his condition was untreatable. |
| A．A UK doctor contacted Gaza hospital. |
| B．The Shifa imported medical machines from UK. |
| C．Ziad Matouk’s condition seemed to get worse. |
| D．A Shifa doctor turned to Royal Liverpool hospital for help. |
| A．They had an exploratory trip in Egypt last April. |
| B．They carried out surgeries to test Gaza’s medical equipment. |
| C．They carried out two transplant surgeries in Gaza. |
| D．They sought assistance from the hospital of the Shifa. |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Express delivery: How you can buy your groceries from a virtual supermarket
Aug, 1st, 2011 Daily Mail
A “virtual supermarket” consisting of posters of goods put on platform walls is set to be introduced at London Underground stations. Passengers “shop” by scanning QR—Quick Response—codes of the items they want to buy using their smart phones. These goods are later delivered to their home address. Supermarket giant(巨头) Tesco successfully trialed the hi-tech store in a South Korean underground station and there are now plans to bring the concept to Britain.
NYPD to Scan Facebook, Twitter for Trouble
Aug, 11th, 2011 Forbes
The New York Police Department announced it will form a new unit to search social media as part of its law enforcement(执行) efforts, responding to the criminals’ growing use of these sites to plan and celebrate illegal activities. The NYPD unit created particularly to comb social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and BlackBerry messenger for information on planned crimes and their criminals.
Space Junk(太空垃圾) reaching “tipping point”, report warns
Sep 3rd, 2011 Toronto Sun
The amount of debris(碎片) orbiting the Earth has reached “a tipping point” for crashes, which would produce more debris that may be dangerous to astronauts and satellites, according to a US study. According to the US Space Surveillance Network, the number of orbital debris jumped from 9,949 in December 2006 to 16,094 in July 2011.
【小题1】The “virtual supermarket” would be introduced to Britain because of .
A. the successful experience of a hi-tech store in South Korea
B. the wide use of smart phones for scanning QR codes
C. the large varieties of goods in the supermarket
D the convenient home delivery system around London
【小题2】we can learn from the news that .
| A．people with mobile phones can shop at London Underground stations |
| B．Facebook, Twitter, and BlackBerry messenger are not popular in the US |
| C．the amount of space junk has more than doubled in the past few years |
| D．more and more criminals are using social media sites for crimes |
| A．Create. | B．Operate. | C．Block. | D．Search. |
| A．sports | B．opinion | C．science | D．business |
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