There was a time when the owners of shops and businesses in Chicago had to pay large sums of money to gangsters(匪徒)in return for “protection”. If the money was not paid immediately, the gangsters would quickly put a man out of business by destroying his shop. Getting “protection money” is not a modern means. As long ago as the fourteenth century, an Englishman, Sir John Hawkwood, made the remarkable discovery that people would rather pay large sums of money than have their life work destroyed by gangsters.
Then Sir John Hawkwood arrived in Italy with a group of soldiers and settled near Florence. He soon made a name for himself and came to be known to the Italians as Giovanni Acuto. Whenever the Italian city-states were at war with each other, Hawkwood used to hire his soldiers to those who were willing to pay the high price he demanded. In times of peace, when business was bad, Hawkwood and his men would march into a city-state and, after burning down a few farms, would offer to go away if protection money was paid to them. Hawkwood made large sums of money with this method. In spite of this, the Italians regarded him as a sort of hero .When he died at eighty, the Florentines gave him a state funeral and had his picture painted, which was in memory of “this bravest man”.
【小题1】What protection did Chicago gangsters give to those who paid them?
| A．They saved those people’s businesses from destruction. |
| B．They left those people’s business unharmed much. |
| C．They sent soldiers to serve them no matter what help they needed willingly. |
| D．They didn’t take those people’s lives |
| A．he gave himself in order to become better known to the Italians |
| B．he earned through his sharp practice of selling his ‘protection’ |
| C．he needed so as to hire his soldiers to Italians |
| D．was given him in telling his services to the others’ |
| A．because they couldn’t help admiring his bravery and boldness(胆大) |
| B．as he aided the citizens in peacetime when business was bad for them |
| C．he had played an important role in their daily life |
| D．for he lived so long and was given a state funeral by the Florentines |
| A．who were of great importance to the poor |
| B．who made the businessmen do whatever they were in need of |
| C．who were always ready to be sent abroad |
| D．who did harm to others |
| A．a sort of national hero | B．an experienced leader | C．a brave soldier | D．a noble gangster |
【小题1】A
【小题2】B
【小题3】A
【小题4】D
【小题5】D
解析试题分析:曾经一度在芝加哥的商人要付给匪徒“保护费”，如果不付给“保护费”的话，他们会立即打砸店铺，这种强行收取“保护费”的事情其实早在14世纪就已经存在了，而且在意大利人们甚至对大匪徒Giovanni Acuto特别的敬佩，在他死的时候竟然为他举行了国葬。
【小题1】A。推理判断题。根据文章第一段可知芝加哥的商人要付个匪徒“保护费”，如果不立即付给“保护费”的话，他们会立即打砸店铺，由此推断他们所谓的保护就是不给店铺搞破坏，故答案选A。
【小题2】B。细节理解题。从文章第二段的讲述可知John Hawkwook'靠他强硬的举动而使他的意大利名字在全国闻名，故答案选B。
【小题3】A。推理判断题。根据文章末段对他的评价which was in memory of “this bravest man”可知人们把他视为英雄是因为他的勇敢，勇气，故答案选A。
【小题4】D。细节理解题。从文章第一段对gangstes行为的描述：如果不交保护费则对店铺进行打砸抢，由此推断他们是一些危害社会的人们，故答案选D。
【小题5】D。推理判断题。文章第一段提到匪徒收保护费的行为，然后以Hawkwood,为例来说明收保护费的行为自古就有，由此判断Hawkwood是一个著名的匪徒，答案选D。
考点：考查社会生活类短文阅读。
科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
“Eat local. ” It’s one way to reduce human effect on the planet. Eating local means to try to buy and consume foods that are grown in places close to home. However, most of the food sold at supermarkets is not locally grown or produced. Trucks and planes deliver these foods from hundreds or thousands of miles away. During the transportation, greenhouse(温室)gases are produced, causing global warming. So the shorter the distance your foods must travel, the less the harm is done to the environment.
But how do you get local food if you live in a large city, hundreds of miles away from farms？Environmental health scientist Dickson Despommier and his students came up with the idea of a “vertical(垂直的) farm”. 
A vertical farm is a glass-walled structure that could be built as tall as a skyscraper(摩天大楼). Since the garden is built upwards, rather than outwards, it requires much less space than an ordinary farm. The world is quickly running out of room for ordinary farming. Vertical farms could be a key to this situation. Despommier imagines a 30-story building with a greenhouse on every floor. The walls of the building would be clear, to allow crops to get as much sunlight as possible. Depending on a city’s water resources, Despommier thinks hydroponic(水培的) farming is another method for the vertical farm which needs no soil to grow plants.
Despommier says the hydroponic greenhouses would use a system that would use a city’s waste water and fill it with nutritions to make the crops grow. If this method works, it would provide food to a city and save millions of tons of water.
The idea of a vertical farm has attracted the attention of government officials around the world. Scott Stringer, a government official from New York City, thinks the city is suitable for the vertical farming. “Obviously we don’t have much land left for us,” Stringer said. “But the sky is the limit in Manhattan. ”
Despommier admits that there is still a lot of work to do to make vertical farms a reality. “But I think vertical farming is an idea that can work in a big way,” he says.
【小题1】Why are people advised to eat local?
| A．Because it means convenience(方便) to people. |
| B．Because it can help people save a lot of money. |
| C．Because local food has more nutrition. |
| D．Because it is environmentally friendly. |
| A．It produces healthier food. |
| B．It does less harm to the cities. |
| C．It needs less space of the city. |
| D．It requires less transport costs. |
| A．people can make full use of vertical space of Manhattan |
| B．there is a limit for using empty land in Manhattan |
| C．the height of buildings in Manhattan is limited |
| D．Manhattan can spread as far as possible |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
It was a comfortable sunny Sunday. I was going to meet an old university friend I hadn't seen for years, and was really excited to hear all his news.
My train was running a little late, but that was no big problem - I could text him to say I would be delayed. He would understand. But… where was my mobile phone? I had that familiar sinking feeling. Yes, I'd forgotten it at home.
No mobile phone. I'm sure I'm not alone in feeling anxious, on edge and worried when I don't have my phone with me. In fact, I know I'm not alone: two-thirds of us experience ‘nomophobia’, the fear of being out of mobile phone contact. That's according to a study from 2012 which surveyed 1,000 people in the UK about their relationship with mobile phones.
It says we check our mobile phones 34 times a day, that women are more ‘nomophobic’ than men, and that 18-24 year-olds are the most likely to suffer fear of being without their mobiles: 77% of them say they are unable to be apart from their phones for more than a few minutes.
Do you have nomophobia ?
· You never turn your phone off
· You obsessively check for texts, missed calls and emails
· You always take your phone to the bathroom with you
· You never let the battery run out
It's funny to think that around 20 years ago the only people with mobile phones would be businessperson carrying their large, plastic ‘bricks’. Of course, these days, mobile phones are everywhere. A UN study from this year said mobile phone subscriptions would outnumber people across the world by the end of 2014.
And when there are more phones than people in the world, maybe it's time to ask who really is in charge? Are you in control of your phone, or does your phone control you?
So, what happened with my university friend? When I arrived a few minutes late he just laughed and said: "You haven't changed at all – still always late!" And we had a great afternoon catching up, full of jokes and stories, with no interruptions and no nagging(唠叨的) desire to check my phone.
Not having it with me felt strangely liberating. Maybe I'll leave it at home on purpose next time.
【小题1】What does the passage talk about ?
| A．The history of mobiles. |
| B．The story of meeting an old university friend. |
| C．The addiction of playing mobile phone. |
| D．The terrible feeling of being without their mobiles. |
| A．nervous | B．energetic | C．crazy | D．surprised |
| A．digital phone | B．cell phone | C．bricks | D．smart phone |
| A．Worried | B．Favorable | C．Neutral | D．Critical |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
While income worry is a rather common problem of the aged, loneliness is another problem that aged parents may face. Of all the reasons that explain their loneliness, a large geographical distance between parents and their children is the major one. This phenomenon is commonly known as “Empty Nest syndrome”.
In order to find better chances outside their countries, many young people have gone abroad, leaving their parents behind with no clear idea of when they will return home. Their parents spend countless lonely days and nights, taking care of themselves, in the hope that someday their children will come back to stay with them. The fact that most of these young people have gone to Europeanized or Americanized societies makes it unlikely that they will hold as tightly to the value of duty as they would have if they had not left their countries. Whatever the case, it has been noted that the values they hold do not necessarily match what they actually do. This geographical and cultural distance also prevents the grown-up children from providing response in time for their aged parents living by themselves.
The situation in which grown-up children live far away from their aged parents has been described as “distant parent phenomenon”, which is common both in developed countries and in developing countries. Our society has not yet been well prepared for “Empty Nest Syndrome”.
【小题1】According to the passage, the loneliness of aged parents is mainly caused by ________.
| A．their earlier experience of living alone |
| B．the poor living conditions in their native countries |
| C．the common worry that they have not saved much money |
| D．the distance between where parents live and where their children live |
| A．realize their dreams in foreign countries |
| B．seek a better place for their aged parents |
| C．live in the countries with more money |
| D．continue their studies abroad |
| A．they do not hold to the value of duty at all |
| B．they can give some help to their parents back home |
| C．they cannot do what they should for their parents |
| D．they believe what they actually do is right |
| A．the situations in the developed and developing countries are different |
| B．“Empty Nest Syndrome” has arrived unexpectedly in our society |
| C．children will become independent as soon as they go abroad |
| D．the aged parents are not fully prepared for “Empty Nest Syndrome” |
| A．France | B．America | C．China | D．Britain |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
In the past ten years, America’s National Basketball Association (NBA) has grown increasingly dependent on the rest of the world to supply players.
When Michael Jordan and Larry Bird won gold in Barcelona in 1992, the Americans were praised for teaching the world how to play basketball. This season, however, 20 percent of NBA rosters（花名册） will be filled by non-Americans. NBA commissioner David Stem happily embraces the trend. On a visit to Paris in October, Stern outlined his vision for the future, which is likely to see Europe hosting NBA games by 2010.
The NBA is now planning to take China by storm.
“Our experience in China has been that it is going to be explosive in its growth,” said Stern. The strategy（战略，策略） in China is television. “We’ve made 14 deals in China with local and national networks on cable and satellite.” The success of Chinese centre Yao Ming has paved the way for the NBA marketing blitz in China. The NBA, which is broadcasted in more than 200 countries in 42 languages, will put that to the test in October 2004 when the Houston Rockets play two pre-season games against the Sacramento Kings in Beijing and Shanghai. The NBA knows that it needs a global market to compensate for tough times on home soil.
“It doesn’t matter where the players come from, all the NBA teams now know that they have to scout（寻找，觅得） internationally,” said Terry Lyons, the NBA’s vice-president of international public relations. “It has increased the level of competition here.” As Frenchman Tony Parker and Argentine Emanuel Ginobili showed in winning championship rings with the San Antonio Spurs last season, many people can earn the respect of their American peers. Others, such as the Houston Rockets’ Chinese centre Yao Ming — number one draft pick in 2002 — and the Detroit Pistons’ 18-year-old Serb Darko Milicic — number two overall in this year’s draft — are icons（偶像）in-waiting. It is the ultimate（最后的，根本的） revolution — the rest of the world teaching the US how to play basketball.
【小题1】According to the report, .
| A．Michael Jordan is still playing a very important role in NBA |
| B．the part played by the foreign players in NBA will be great |
| C．Yao Ming is to play two pre-season games in NBA |
| D．European countries will host the 2004 NBA games |
| A．NBA intends to make China its “marketing center” |
| B．NBA is planning to set up some training centers in China |
| C．there’ll be a big storm when NBA comes to China to play against the Sacramento Kings |
| D．the NBA’s live basket games will be broadcasted on all the TVs in China |
| A．farms in the States |
| B．native Americans |
| C．the NBA training center |
| D．the USA |
| A．The Non-American Basketball Players |
| B．NBA Is Coming to China |
| C．The Foreign Ties That Bind the NBA |
| D．NBA Is Making Big Progress |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Usually, when your teacher asks a question, there is only one correct answer. But there is one question that has millions of current answers. That question is “What’s your name?” Everyone gives a different answer, but everyone is correct.
Have you ever wondered about people’s names? Where do they come from? What do they mean?
People’s first names, or given names, are chosen by their parents. Sometimes the name of a grandparent or other member of the family is used. Some parents choose the name of a well-known person. A boy could be named George Washington Smith; a girl could be named Helen Keller Jones.
Some people give their children names that mean good things. Clara means “bright”; Beatrice means “one who gives happiness”; Donald means “world ruler”; Leonard means “as brave as a lion”.
The earliest last names, or surnames, were taken from place names. A family with the name Brook or Brooks probably lived near brook(小溪)；someone who was called Longstreet probably lived on a long, paved road. The Greenwood family lived in or near a leafy forest.
Other early surnames came from people’s occupations. The most common occupational name is Smith, which means a person who makes things with iron or other metals. In the past, smiths were very important workers in every town and village. Some other occupational names are: Carter — a person who owned or drove a cart; Potter —a person who made pots and pans.
The ancestors of the Baker family probably baked bread for their neighbors in their native village. The Carpenter’s great-great-great-grandfather probably built houses and furniture.
Sometimes people were known for the color of their hair or skin, or their size, or their special abilities. When there were two men who were named John in the same village, the John with the gray hair probably became John Gray. Or the John was very tall could call himself John Tallman. John Fish was probably an excellent swimmer and John Lightfoot was probably a fast runner or a good dancer.
Some family names were made by adding something to the father’s name. English-speaking people added –s or –son. The Johnsons are descendants of John; the Roberts family’s ancestor was Robert. Irish and Scottish people added Mac or Mc or O. Perhaps all of the MacDonnells and the MacDonnells and the O’Donnells are descendants of the same Donnell.
【小题1】Which of the following aspects do the surnames in the passage NOT cover?
| A．Places where people lived. | B．People’s characters. |
| C．Talents that people possessed. | D．People’s occupations. |
| A．owned or drove a cart | B．made things with metals |
| C．made kitchen tools or contains | D．built houses and furniture |
| A．Beatrice Smith | B．Leonard Carter |
| C．George Longstreet | D．Donald Greenwood |
| A．later generations | B．friends and relatives |
| C．colleagues and partners | D．later sponsors |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
A professor I have worked pretty closely with has been diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer.It has been devastating for his family and heartbreaking for his students.
What made him extraordinary was not only that he was a rising star.He had only recently collected the highest honors for young researchers at the White House.We truly admired him—as someone put it, “He always has a smile and a kind word for everyone.” It is very hard to find someone who is extremely intelligent should be so nice a human being.
I decided that we needed him to know our_attitude and also how we are all praying for his recovery.I bought him a simple card which read, “Healing thoughts and wishes coming your way.” I met all the students he worked closely with and got them to sign on it.Each student in his laboratory signed and also added a message.“We love you so much”， “We miss you！We need you back here—get well soon”， “Please come back”， “Thank you for being such an inspiring teacher”， “I hope you recover soon”．..These were some of the messages that were written.Most of the students were really glad we were doing this and said it was a very good idea to give it to him.
He is still undergoing(经历) intense treatment，and along with his family is trying his best to stay optimistic and hopeful.I didn’t see a trace of selfpity or sadness when I met him last week.Instead，he paid attention to every word of my presentation and asked me several questions related to my work.I was amazed at how much he gave his 100% on that day in spite of being in pain because of chemotherapy(化疗)．He did not know if he even had another month to live.“I am trying to focus on staying positive，hoping to be back this summer，”he said.
Needless to say，I saw an expression of joy and hope on his face as he opened the card.He said he was truly touched to see the messages from the students he worked closely with.
There is one thing I learnt from last week：It is so important to tell people how much they mean to us and what an inspiration they are before it becomes too late.My professor，in spite of being too sick to teach classes，has managed to continue being a great teacher，introducing his last valuable message to us.
【小题1】The professor was admired because ________.
| A．he was very intelligent |
| B．he had won many honors |
| C．he had noble personalities |
| D．he was very determined |
| A．Our worry about his health. |
| B．Our pray for his health. |
| C．Our admiration for him. |
| D．Our pity for him. |
| A．was suffering from great pain |
| B．was still very confident |
| C．didn’t know he would die soon |
| D．still cared for others |
| A．the professor loves his job very much |
| B．few students supported the writer’s decision at first |
| C．the professor will go back to teach this summer |
| D．the professor often feels sorry for himself |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
A woman from Japan was telling a friend about her trip to the United States.The woman had visited major businesses and investment companies in New York City and Chicago.
“I studied English before I left home，”she said.“But I still was not sure that people were speaking English.”
Her problem is easy to understand.Americans in business are like people who are in business anywhere.They have a language of their own.Some of the words and expressions deal with the special areas of their work.Other expressions are borrowed from different kinds of work such as the theater and movie industry.
One such saying is “get your act together”．
When things go wrong in a business，an employer may get angry.He may shout，“Stop making mistakes.Get your act together.”
Or，if the employer is calmer，he may say，“Let us get our act together.”
Either way，the meaning is the same.Getting your act together is getting organized.In business，it usually means to develop a calm and orderly plan of action.
It is difficult to tell exactly where the saying began.But，it is probable that it was in the theater or movie industry.Perhaps one of the actors was nervous and made a lot of mistakes.The director may have said，“Calm down，now.Get your act together.”
Word expert James Rogers says the expression was common by the late 1970s.Mister Rogers says the Manchester Guardian newspaper used it in 1978.The newspaper said a reform policy required that the British government get its act together.
Now，this expression is heard often when officials of a company meet.One company even called its yearly report，“Getting Our Act Together.”
The Japanese visitor was confused by another expression used by American business people.It is cut to the chase.
She heard that expression when she attended an important meeting of one company.One official was giving a very long report.It was not very interesting.In fact，some people at the meeting were falling asleep.
Finally，the president of the company said，“Cut to the chase.”
Cut to the chase means to stop spending so much time on details or unimportant material.Hurry and get to the good part.
Naturally，this saying was started by people who make movies.Hollywood movie producers believe that most Americans want to see action movies.Many of their movies show scenes in which the actors chase each other in cars，or in airplanes or on foot.
Cut is the director’s word for stop.The director means to stop filming，leave out some material，and get to the chase scene now.
So，if your employer tells you to cut to the chase，be sure to get to the main point of your story quickly.
【小题1】After the woman visited the United States she might feel that ________.
| A．her English was poor |
| B．it’s easy to master English |
| C．it’s difficult to make money |
| D．people there weren’t very friendly |
| A．A task is completed successfully. |
| B．Players perform badly in a match. |
| C．Audience is satisfied with the actor’s performance in a movie. |
| D．Visitors make a tiresome and unpleasant trip to someplace. |
| A．was first used by a Japanese businesswoman |
| B．was forbidden to be used in the government policy |
| C．originally came from a yearly report of a company |
| D．was commonly read by readers in a newspaper in 1978 |
| A．Their use. | B．Their meaning. |
| C．Their origin. | D．Their popularity. |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Habits，whether good or bad，are gradually formed when a person does a certain thing again.He is driven by some unseen force to do the same thing repeatedly, and then a habit is formed．Once a habit is formed，it is difficult，and sometimes impossible，to get rid of．It is therefore very important that we should pay great attention to the formation of habits．Children often form bad habits, some of which remain with them as long as they live older. Persons also form bad habits lasting as long as they live，and sometimes become ruined by them．
There are other habits which，when formed in early life，are of great help．Many successful men say that much of their success has something to do with certain habits in early life，such as early rising，honesty and so on．
Among the habits which children should not form are laziness，lying，stealing and so on．These habits are all easily formed．Unfortunately older persons often form habits which could have been avoided．
We should keep away from all these bad habits，and try to form such habits as will be good for ourselves and others.
【小题1】 are formed little by little.
| A．Good habits | B．Bad habits |
| C．Both good habits and bad habits | D．Neither good habits nor bad habits |
| A．bad habits | B．good habits | C．children | D．other persons |
| A．to form bad habits；to form good habits |
| B．to form good habits；to form bad habits |
| C．to form such habits as wilI be good；to get rid of bad habits |
| D．to get rid of bad habits；to form good habits |
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