As an English teacher, I’ve been lucky enough to travel to many countries all over the world. I’ve seen people celebrate everything from the arrival of new babies to the delivery of new cars. I’ve attended weddings, parties and religious celebrations in countries such as Argentina and Japan, and I’ve noticed that gold---the metal or the colour of it---is always part of cultural events, traditions and celebrations.
It makes me wonder: Why do people love gold?
For some people, gold seems to be a status(地位)symbol. Indian businessman Datta Phuge loves gold so much that he even bought a shirt made of gold at a cost of $250,000. I’m not sure I’d spend so much money on a shirt, would you? But Datta Phuge has his reason .He explains,“ Some people want to own an Audi or a Mercedes. I choose gold.”
For other people, gold is an investment(投资). The price of gold generally increases over time and in European markets, it reached even $1,500 per ounce in 2011.
And for many people, a family heirloom（传家宝）brings together status and investment. My mother has a gold bracelet（手镯）that was given to her by her grandmother who, in turn, inherited it from her own grandmother. It’s quite a heavy piece and probably worth quite a lot of money. But its mental value is greater than its value in dollars. It’s a beautiful object that holds many family memories. When the time comes, my mum will give the bracelet to me, and one day, I’ll pass it on to the younger generation.
Therefore, status and investment are good reasons to value gold. However, I think that the real reason why people love gold is that it can be made into beautiful objects. Think about Tutankhamen’s death mask. Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?
People love gold because it holds their minds, their imaginations and, above all, their hearts.
【小题1】The main idea of the first paragraph is that______.
| A．the author has traveled to many countries |
| B．people celebrate almost everything |
| C．there are many ways to use gold |
| D．people all over the world love gold |
| A．gold is a status symbol to him | B．he loves this kind of shirt |
| C．people there love gold so much | D．he is a successful businessman |
| A．$1,550 | B．$1,500 | C．$1,450 | D．$1,600 |
| A．it’s worth a lot of money | B．it brings status and investment |
| C．it’s a beautiful object | D．it holds family memories |
| A．it is a status symbol to some people |
| B．it can be made into beautiful objects |
| C．it can be passed on to the younger generation |
| D．it can bring people a lot of money |
【小题1】D
【小题2】A
【小题3】C
【小题4】D
【小题5】B
解析试题分析：本文主要讲了全世界的人们都爱金子。人们喜爱金子有各种各样的原因，作者认为人们喜欢黄金的真正原因是它可以被制成好看的物体。
【小题1】概括题。根据and Japan, and I’ve noticed that gold---the metal or the colour of it---is always part of cultural events, traditions and celebrations.可以看出第一自然段主要讲了全世界的人们都爱金子，故选D。
【小题2】 细节题。根据For some people, gold seems to be a status(地位)symbol.可知Datta Phuge买了一件金子作成的衬衣，是因为对他而言，金子象征着社会地位，故选A。
【小题3】推理题。根据The price of gold generally increases over time and in European markets, it reached even $1,500 per ounce in 2011.可知在欧洲市场上，金价在2011年涨到了每盎司1500美元，也就是说在2010年，金价要低于每盎司1500美元，故选C。
【小题4】细节题。根据It’s a beautiful object that holds many family memories.可知金手镯是作者家庭的传家宝，主要是因为它保存了家族的记忆，故选D。
【小题5】细节题。根据However, I think that the real reason why people love gold is that it can be made into beautiful objects.可知依作者来看，人们喜欢黄金的真正原因是它可以被制成好看的物体，故选B。
考点：考查历史文化类短文
科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Do you ever wonder why the English have one word for some animals and a different one for their meat? Why do they use pig and pork, cow and beef, and sheep and mutton? To find it out, we have to go back to 1066, when the Norman French invaded England and put a French king on the English throne (王位), which not only changed the government but also changed the language. French became the language of the upper classes of society. And it remained that way for 300 years. Only these high society people could afford to eat meat. As a result, French words like porc (pork) and beouf (beef) came into the English language. However, poor English farmers raised the animals. So the English language retained the words pig and cow from the Native Anglo-Saxon.
The Norman French added about 10,000 French words to the English language. Seventy-five percent of them are still in use today.
In French grammar, nouns have either a male or female gender (性别), so adjectives (形容词) take different forms for each. English has only one adjective that does this, and it came from French. The word “blond” describes someone with light-colored hair. “Blond” is used for men, and “blonde” describes women. And they are also nouns.
Some French words that entered the English language have taken on completely different meanings. The French phrase “a la mode” means “in style”. In English, the phrase means “with the ice cream”. Someone must have decided something eaten with ice cream was in style!
Now, as you learn English, you’re on your way to learning French!
【小题1】French was once popular among the upper classes of the UK because_____.
| A．too many French moved to Britain |
| B．French brought animals with them |
| C．the king and his officials spoke French |
| D．the king allowed French to be spoken |
| A．Chose | B．Kept | C．Introduced | D．Give up |
| A．Because English and French share similar pronunciations. |
| B．Because English grammar and French grammar are similar. |
| C．Because a large number of English words have French origins. |
| D．Because English has great influences on the French language. |
| A．no words have the same pronunciation |
| B．all words have the same pronunciation |
| C．English nouns have a male or female gender |
| D．French nouns have different adjective forms |
| A．Language is closely related to history and culture. |
| B．French and English words have nothing in common. |
| C．Language is controlled by the upper classes of society. |
| D．English combines French and the Native Anglo-Saxon. |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
(2013·高考辽宁卷，D)“Indeed，”George Washington wrote in his diary in 1785，“some kind of fly，or bug，had begun to eat the leaves before I left home.”But the father of America was not the father of bug.When Washington wrote that，Englishmen had been referring to insects as bugs for more than a century，and Americans had already created lightningbug(萤火虫)．But the English were soon to stop using the bugs in their language，leaving it to the Americans to call a bug a bug in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
The American bug could also be a person，referring to someone who was crazy about a particular activity.Although fan became the usual term，sports fans used to be called racing bugs，baseball bugs，and the like.
Or the bug could be a small machine or object，for example，a bugshaped car.The bug could also be a burglar alarm，from which comes the expression to bug，that is，“to install (安装) an alarm”．Now it means a small piece of equipment that people use for listening secretly to others’ conversations.Since the 1840s，to bug has long meant“to cheat”，and since the 1940s it has been annoying.
We also know the bug as a flaw in a computer program or other design.That meaning dates back to the time of Thomas Edison.In 1878 he explained bugs as“little problems and difficulties”that required months of study and labor to overcome in developing a successful product.In 1889 it was recorded that Edison“had been up the two previous nights discovering ‘a bug’ in his invented record player.”
【小题1】We learn from Paragraph 1 that ________.
| A．Americans had difficulty in learning to use the word bug |
| B．George Washington was the first person to call an insect a bug |
| C．the word bug was still popularly used in England in the nineteenth century |
| D．both Englishmen and Americans used the word bug in the eighteenth century |
| A．Explanation. | B．Finding. |
| C．Origin. | D．Fault. |
| A．the misunderstanding of the word bug |
| B．the development of the word bug |
| C．the public views of the word bug |
| D．the special characteristics of the word bug |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Do you know when and where ice cream got its start? It's an international favorite with a long and interesting history
The earliest ices were eaten in China many years ago. The people would put orange juice on ice .Later, this idea traveled to Italy. Nero, the emperor of Rome between 37 and 68 A.D, liked to eat ices as a special treat between violin lessons. He ordered runners to run to the mountains, get snow and quickly run back to the palace; The snow was mixed with fruit juices and nuts.
Around 1660,Coffee shops serving ice cream were very popular in Paris. Most of the coffee shops were owned by Italians. The first successful one was opened by a man from Sicily named Francesco Procopio.
Ice cream was probably brought to America in the early 1700's, and quickly became the favorite of American presidents. George Washington had ice cream pots and machines in his kitchen. Dolly Madison the wife of President Madison, was the first person to actually serve it in the White House. She made her guests very happy when she served her favorite dessert.
Before ice cream was sold in stores, it was made and frozen at home. it took a lot of work to mix cream，eggs，fruit，and salt, and then to freeze it. Nancy Johnson, an American woman who was good with machines, invented the hand-turned ice cream freezer in 1846. Five years later, Jacob Fluse opened the first ice cream business, in Baltimore, Maryland His business quickly spread to other states. Today in the United States, ice cream is not only a food , it is away of life.
【小题1】What's the passage about? (No more than 10 words)
_____________________________________________________________________________
【小题2】From which country did ice cream begin to travel in the world? (No more than l word)
_____________________________________________________________________________
【小题3】What does the underlined word "it" refer to in paragraph 4? (No more than 3 words)
_____________________________________________________________________________
【小题4】Who was the first person to serve the ice cream in White House'? (No more than 5 words)
_____________________________________________________________________________
【小题5】According to the passage ,what made ice cream so popular in the USA? Please list two reasons．
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Expressions about water are almost as common as water itself. But many of the expressions using water have unpleasant meanings.
The expression “to be in hot water” is one of them. It is a very old expression. “Hot water” was used 500 years ago to mean being in trouble. One story says it got that meaning from the custom of throwing extremely hot water down on enemies attacking a castle．
That no longer happens. But we still get in “hot water”. When we are in “hot water”, we are in trouble. It can be any kind of trouble---serious or not so serious. A person who breaks a law can be in hot water with the police. A young boy can be in hot water with his mother if he walks in the house with dirty shoes．
Being in “deep water” is almost the same as being in hot water. When you are in deep water, you are in a difficult position. Imagine a person who cannot swim being thrown in water over his head. You are in deep water when you are facing a problem that you do not have the ability to solve. You can be in deep water, for example, if you invest in stocks without knowing anything about the stock market.
“To keep your head above water” is a colorful expression that means staying out of debt. A company seeks to keep its head above water during economic hard times. A man who loses his job tries to keep his head above water until he finds a new job．
“Water over the dam” is another expression about a past event. It is something that is finished. It cannot be changed. The expression comes from the idea that water that has flowed over a dam cannot be brought back again．
Another common expression, “to hold water”, is about the strength or weakness of an idea or opinion that you may be arguing about. It probably comes from a way of testing the condition of a container. If it can hold water, it is strong and has no holes in it. If your argument can hold water, it is strong and does not have any holes. If it does not hold water, then it is weak and not worth debating.
“Throwing cold water” also is an expression that deals with ideas or proposals. It means that one doesn’t like an idea. For example, you want to buy a new car because the old one has some problems. But your wife throws cold water on the idea because she says a new car costs too much.
This is our Special English program, WORDS AND THEIR STORIES. It was written by Marilyn Christiano. I’m Rich Kleinfeldt. See you next time.
【小题1】According to the passage, expressions about water __________.
| A．are very common | B．have unpleasant meanings |
| C．are very interesting | D．are easy to understand |
| A．is not used nowadays | B．has a long history |
| C．means arguing with others | D．only means serious trouble |
| A．“Throwing cold water” and “deep water” |
| B．“Hot water” and “water over the dam” |
| C．“Deep water” and “water over the dam” |
| D．“Hot water” and “deep water” |
| A．You should keep your head above water |
| B．You can’t throw cold water |
| C．It is water over the dam |
| D．Don’t be in deep water |
| A．Water | B．Expressions about water |
| C．Several common expressions | D．Water and everyday English |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
American parents usually think that their child should not have more pocket money than the children with whom he regularly connects no matter they are wealthier or not than he.
Whatever the pocket money is, its entire use is not controlled by the parents, because a child learns to use money correctly only through dealing with it himself. If a seven-year-old child gets a quarter as a week pocket money and is made to put it all in his piggy bank to save it up, he gets no idea what the real use for the money is. He gets the shiny coins and they soon disappear. The idea of a bank account(在银行开户) is too early for so small a child, although he can be made understand and enjoy saving his coins-not all of them, only a part of what he receives-to buy something he especially wants. By the time he is eight, he is old enough to take part in the opening of his own savings account, parents may take him to the bank, open a saving account for him, and encourage him to put a certain quantity(数量) of money he receives as gifts into the bank and watch his bank saving grow as entry by entry(存入)is made. He will be saving, earning, and spending suitable quantities all along in order to learn how to manage money and to keep him in a favorable position with his friends. The boy is a sorry child who can't join his fellows in a sweet shop once in a while because he has to save every cent he gets or earns for some big unknown projects his parents have chosen for him.
【小题1】What does the underlined word "piggy bank" refer to?
| A．Something in the shape of a pig for saving coins. |
| B．A kind of bank run by the children. |
| C．A bank whose building looks like a pig. |
| D．A bank for children's saving. |
| A．Whatever the pocket money is, its entire use is not controlled by American parents. |
| B．If an eight-year-old child receive 10 dollars as his birthday gift, he probably have most of it saved in the bank. |
| C．American parents never interfere(干涉) with their children's use of their pocket money. |
| D．American parents don't usually give their children much pocket money. |
| A．Because he can not manage his money and it keeps him in an unfavorable position. |
| B．Because he can not learn the use of money through spending it himself. |
| C．Because he can not have any other choice but to save, earn or spend money. |
| D．Because he can not join the fellow in a sweet shop once in while. |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Homestay provides English language students with the opportunity to speak English outside the classroom and the experience of being part of a British home.
What to Expect
The host will provide accommodation（住宿） and meals. Rooms will be cleaned and bedcovers changed at least once a week. You will be given the house key and the host is there to offer help and advice as well as to take an interest in your physical and mental health.
Accommodation Zones
Homestays are located in London mainly in Zones2，3 and 4 of the transport system. Most hosts do not live in the town centre as much of central London is commercial and not residential(居住的). Zones 3 and 4 often offer larger accommodation in a less crowed area. It is very convenient to travel in London by Underground.
Meal Plans Available
? Continental Breakfast ? Breakfast and Dinner ? Breakfast, Packed Lunch and Dinner
It’s important to note that few English families still provide a traditional cooked breakfast. Your accommodation includes Continental Breakfast which normally consists of fruit juice, cereal（谷物类食品），bread and tea or coffee. Cheese, fruit and cold meat are not normally part of a Continental Breakfast in England. Dinners usually consist of meat or fish with vegetables followed by dessert, fruit and coffee.
Friends
If you wish to invite a friend over to visit. you must first ask your host’s permission. You have no right to entertain friends in a family home as some families feel it is an invasion of their privacy.
Self-Catering Accommodation in Private Homes
Accommodation on a room-only basis includes shared kitchen and bathroom facilities and often a main living room. This kind of accommodation offers an independent lifestyle and is more suitable for the long-stay student. However, it does not provide the same family atmosphere as an ordinary homestay and may not benefit those who need to practise English at home quite as much.
【小题1】Which of the following will the host provide?
| A．Room cleaning. | B．Medical care. | C．Free transport. | D．Physical training. |
| A．hosts willing to receive foreign students |
| B．foreigners hoping to build British culture |
| C．English learners applying to live in English homes |
| D．travellers planning to visit families in London |
| A．Dessert and coffee. | B．Fruit and vegetables. |
| C．Bread and fruit juice. | D．Cereal and cold meat. |
| A．Zone 4 is more crowded than Zone 2. |
| B．The business centre of London is in Zone 1. |
| C．Hosts dislike travelling to the city centre. |
| D．Accommodation in the city centre is not provided. |
| A．To experience a warmer family atmosphere. |
| B．To enrich their knowledge of English. |
| C．To entertain friends as they like. |
| D．To enjoy much more freedom. |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Some people believe that international sport creates goodwill between the nations and that if countries play games together they will learn to live together. Others say that the opposite is true: international contests encourage false national pride and lead to misunderstanding and hatred. There is probably some truth in both arguments, but in recent years the Olympic Games have done little to support the view that sports encourage international brotherhood. Not only was there the incident of tragedy involving murders of athletes, but the Games were also ruined by lesser incidents caused principally by minor national contests.
One country received its second-place medals with visible anger after the hockey final. There had been noisy scenes at the end of the hockey match, as the losers disagreed with the final decisions. They believed that one of their goals should have been allowed and that their opponents’ victory was unfair. Their manager was in great anger when he said: “This isn’t hockey. Hockey and the International Hockey Federation are finished.” The president of the Federation said later that such behavior could result in the suspension(停赛) of the team for at least three years.
The American basketball team announced that they would not yield first place to Russia, after a disputable(有争议的) end to their contest. The game had ended in disorder. It was thought at first that the United States had won by a single point, but it was announced that there were three seconds still to play. A Russian player then threw the ball from one end of the court to the other, and another player popped it into the basket. It was the first time the US had ever lost an Olympic basketball match. An appeal jury (评审委员会) debated the matter for four and a half hours before announcing that the result would stand. The American players then voted not to receive the silver medals.
Incidents of this kind will continue as long as sport is played competitively rather than for the love of the game. The suggestion that athletes should compete as individuals or in non-national teams, might be too much to hope for. But in the present organization of the Olympics there is far too much that encourages aggressive patriotism (爱国主义).
【小题1】According to the author, recent Olympic Games have ____.
| A．created goodwill between the nations |
| B．hardly showed any international friendship |
| C．caused only false national pride |
| D．led to more and more misunderstanding and hatred |
| A．There should be no more hockey matches organized by the Federation. |
| B．His team would no longer take part in international games. |
| C．Hockey and the Federation are ruined by the unfair decisions. |
| D．The Federation should be ended. |
| A．too much patriotism was displayed in the incident |
| B．the announcement to make the match last longer was wrong |
| C．the appeal jury was too hesitant in making the decision |
| D．The American team was right in receiving the silver medals |
| A．The organization of the Olympic Games must be improved. |
| B．Different teams often have disputes when fighting for the first place. |
| C．Any team that has disrespectful behavior should be suspended. |
| D．Athletes should compete as individuals. |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
The island of Great Britain being small (compare the size of Australia), the natural place for holiday relaxation and enjoyment is extensive coastline, above all its southern and eastern coasts, and the favorite resort of the mass-population of industrial Lancashire, is on the north-west coast. Distant and little-inhabited area like Northern Scotland, are too remote for the development of large seaside resorts.
For most children, going to the seaside suggests a week or fortnight of freedom on the beach, ideally a sandy one providing enough opportunities for the construction of sandcastle, fishing in pool, paddling in shallow water or swimming in deep water. Their parents spend sunny days swimming in the sea and sunbathing on the beach. Not that the British sun can be relied on and the depressing sight of families wandering round the town in old –fashioned and under umbrellas is only too common. However, there are always shops with their tourist souvenirs, plenty of cafes and if the worst comes to the worst, the cinema to offer a refuge.
The average family is unlikely to seek accommodation in a hotel as they can stay more cheaply in a boarding-house. There are usually three or four-storeyed Victorian buildings, whose owners spend the summer season letting rooms to a number of couples or families and providing three cooked meals a day at what they describe as a reasonable price, with the hope that in this way they will add enough to their savings to see the winter through. Otherwise there are the camping sites for those who prefer self-catering.
Nowadays, even when an increasing number of people fly off to Mediterranean resorts where a well-developed suntan (晒黑) can be assured, or explore in comfort Swiss lakes and mountains or romantic Italian or Spanish cities, the British seaside is still the main attraction for families, especially those with younger children. As they queue for boats trips, cups of tea or ice-cream under gray skies and in dizzling rain, the parents are reliving (重温) their own childhood when time seemed endless, their own sandcastles the most splendid on the beach, the sea always blue and friendly and the sun always hot.
【小题1】Children enjoy the seaside because ________.
| A．their parents can live and play with them |
| B．they can buy what they want there |
| C．there are a variety of enjoyable ways of spending time there |
| D．they can learn how to build sandcastles, how to swim, etc. |
| A．people can live as where they live at home |
| B．people can cook what they are favorite |
| C．the owners provide three cooked meals a day at a reasonable price |
| D．the resulting additional income will ensure a living for several months |
| A．still have their happy memories of it |
| B．don’t want to have a holiday there |
| C．don’t want to take their children to have a holiday there. |
| D．want to build their own sandcastles the most splendid on the beach again |
| A．an exploration of lakes in comfort | B．a well-developed suntan |
| C．a well-equipped boarding-house | D．a romantic party |
| A．It is suggested that as a form of holiday entertainment the cinema is the best place to go in bad weather. |
| B．A reason suggested in the first paragraph for the appeal of the English seaside is that it is an ideal place for children. |
| C．Northern Scotland is little-inhabited and remote. |
| D．Few people in Britain go abroad for holiday relaxation and enjoyment. |
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