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.
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
2.Datta Phuge bought a shirt made of gold because________.
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
3.According to the passage, in Europe,gold could be________per ounce in 2010.
A. $1,550 B. $1,500 C. $1,450 D. $1,600
4.The gold bracelet is the heirloom for the author’s family mainly because______.
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
5.In the author’s opinion, the real reason why people love gold is that________.
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
1.D
2.A
3.C
4.D
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。
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。
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。
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。
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。
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
备战中考寒假系列答案科目：高中英语 来源：2011届浙江省杭州市高级中学高三上学期第三次月考英语试卷 题型：阅读理解
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。
C
China’s economic growth “hard to predict”
The worsening global economic situation makes it difficult for China to predict its growth for next year, a senior official said on Friday.
“How fast China’s economy will grow next year is uncertain,” Liu He, deputy director of the Office of the Central Leading Group on Finance and Economy Work, told China Daily.
“To a large extent, the rate will be decided by the external(外部) situation,” Liu said during a discussion with Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt and other economists in Beijing.
“This year, GDP is estimated to grow at 9.4 or 9.5 percent, down from 10.6 percent last year,” he said. “However, the impact of the current financial turbulence on our economy is much less than on the rest of the world.”
Nicholas Stern, a former UK government advisor, also told China Daily it will take at least one or two years for the world to recover from the recession, which is now spreading from the US and the UK to the rest of the world.
“We don’t know how long the recession will last, but it is unlikely to be short,” he said.
Liu said China can use the downturn(衰退) as an opportunity to restructure its economy, which has relied heavily on government investment, foreign trade and low-cost technology over the past years.
“When the economy is experiencing fast growth, companies are unwilling to upgrade their technologies,” Liu said.
“The slowdown gives such firms the opportunity to enhance(提高) their competitive edge through better technologies.”
(From China Daily 2009-01-11)
【小题1】How many people are mentioned in this passage?
| A．Only 2. | B．No more than 3. | C．Not more than 4. | D．At least 5. |
| A．more | B．less | C．the most | D．the least |
| A．sense | B．degree | C．size | D．depth |
| A．China’s economy will not depend on government investment in the future |
| B．Foreign trade will grow in the future |
| C．The downturn will force China’s companies to upgrade their technologies |
| D．Low-cost technologies will not exist in China |
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科目：高中英语 来源：2010年上海市上海交大附中高二下学期期中考试英语 题型：阅读理解
As we have seen, the 
focus of medical care in our society has been shifting from curing disease to preventing disease – especially in terms of changing our many unhealthy behaviors, such as poor eating habits, smoking, and failure to exercise. The line of thought involved in this shift can be pursued further. Imagine a person who is about the right weight, but does not eat very nutritious foods, who feels OK but exercises only occasionally, who goes to work every day, but is not an outstanding worker, who drinks a few beers at home most ni
ghts but does not drive while drunk, and who has no chest pains or abnormal blood counts, but sleeps a lot and often feels tired. This person is not ill. He may not even be at risk for any particular disease. But we can imagine that this person could be a lot healthier.
The field of medicine 
has not traditionally distinguished between someone who is merely “ not ill” and someone who is in excellent health and pays attention to the body’s special needs. Both types have simply been called “well”. In recent years, however, some health specialists have begun to apply the terms “well” and “wellness” only to those who are actively striving to maintain and improve their health. People who are well are concerned with nutrition and exercise and they make a point of monitoring their body's condition. Most important, perhaps, people who are well take active responsibility for all matters related to their health. Even people who have a physical disease or handicap may be "well," in this new sense, if they make an effort to maintain the best possible health they can in the face of their physical limitations. "Wellness" may perhaps best be viewed not as a state that people can achieve, but as an ideal that people can strive for. People who are well are likely to be better able to resist disease and to fight disease when it strikes. And by focusing attention on healthy ways of living, the concept of wellness can have a beneficial impact on the ways in which people face the challenges of daily life.
【小题1】Today medical care is placing more stress on______.
a. keeping people in a healthy physical condition
b. monitoring patients' body functions
c. removing people's bad living habits
d. ensuring people's psychological well-being
【小题2】In the first paragraph, people are reminded that_____.
a. good health is more than not being ill
b. drinking, even if not to excess, could be harmful
c. regular health checks are essential to keeping fit
d. prevention is more difficult than cure
【小题3】 Traditionally, a person is considered "well" if he ______.
a. does not have any unhealthy living habits
b. does not have any physical handicaps
c. is able to handle his daily routines
d. is free from any kind of disease
【小题4】According to what the author advocates, which of the following groups of people would be considered healthy?
a. People who have strong muscles as well as slim figures.
b. People who are not presently experiencing any symptoms of disease
c. People who try to be as possible, regardless of their limitations.
d. People who can recover from illness even without seeking medical care.
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科目：高中英语 来源：2010年河北省正定中学高二下学期期中考试英语 题型：阅读理解
As the economy begins to recover, salary increases should do the same.
In the past few years, employers have raised workers’ salaries by about 4 percent per year--except for 2009, when the figure dropped to a historically low 2.1 percent, according to a survey of World at Word. About one-third of companies froze raises altogether.
For 2010, World at Work’s survey projects an average salary increase budget of 2.7 percent, a figure that shows the situation has improved but the job market is still weak. Between 10 percent and 15 percent of companies said they would freeze raises--far fewer than in 2009, but still more than in most years.
How can you get a raise? Avalos and others offer the following tips:
* Do your job well. This means producing high-quality work, of course, but also keeping the big picture in mind.
“It really comes down to positioning yourself as a high performer, somebody who is aware of business goals and helps the company meet their goals as an organization”, Avalos said
* Be visible. When times are tough, some workers think. “I’m going to hunker down and hope that nobody notices me, because I don’t want to be on a layoff list,” said Richard Phillips, owner of Advantage Career Solutions. This is a mistake, because you’re unlikely to get a raise if no one knows what you have accomplished. “If anything, what you want to do is be more visible.”
* Make your boss’s life easier. This means everything from having a good attitude to taking on extra tasks. If you don’t know how you can help your boss, ask.
* Ask for a raise. Talk to your boss and present your case: Here’s what I’ve done, here’s how it fits with the company’s goals, and here is why I think it’s worth a salary increase. In some cases, even if your company has an official raise freeze, you can get a raise if you make good case.
If the answer is no -- or if you’re not ready to ask directly -- Phillips suggests asking, “What would you like to see from me that would put me in line for a raise?”
A question like this can improve your standing. “Just asking the question says to the boss, ‘I’m thinking about where I fit in here, what I can do,” Phillips said, “That in and of itself has value.”
【小题1】The passage is mostly from a\an________.
| A．novel | B．science fiction |
| C．magazine | D．biography |
| A．4 | B．2.1 | C．2.7 | D．10 |
| A．have your job done well | B．be visible everywhere as possible as you can |
| C．ask your boss for a raise directly | D．change your job |
| A．the situation has improved but the job market is still weak |
| B．salary increases should recover as the economy does |
| C．producing high-quality work will surely help you get a raise |
| D．that in and off an employee makes no difference |
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科目：高中英语 来源：2011年陕西省师大附中高一下学期期末考试英语卷 题型：阅读理解
When Omega was born in Uganda, she did two things: Smile and then sing. When Omega was 4 years old, her talent(天赋) for music was recognized, so she became one of the youngest members of the first African Children’s Choir(合唱团). She traveled the world with the choir, and it was f
rom this experience that she grew into a singer today. 
Although having a beautiful voice, she had to find other ways besides music to earn a living at first. When she was 16, her parents sent her to the USA to study. Like her mother, Omega wanted to become a doctor and do something meaningful in her country of Uganda.
Howeve
r, like many artists, music was so much a part of her that she had to choose. With encouragement from her family and friends, she opened her own production company(制作公司) after graduation. Since then, she has been working as an artist. Her songs make people feel good about life. Apart from that, she is also i
nterested in health care and education. Omega is one of those Ugandan females who are showing the world their valuable talents.
【小题1】Her experiences in the Choir helped Omega to ____.
| A．burst into song | B．recognize her music talent |
| C．travel the world | D．become a singer |
ed sentence in paragraph three?| A．music was very important to her |
| B．music took her a lot of time |
| C．music cost her so much money |
| D．music was the last thing she would choose |
| A．a good teacher | B．a famous African artist |
| C．a kind politician | D．a warm-hearted doctor |
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科目：高中英语 来源：湖北省宜昌市2010届高三下学期第二次调研考试 题型：阅读理解
B
Wild Blue is a none-of-a-kind, geography-oriented exploration and adventure center for children aged 3 through 10．Our mission is to immerse(使沉浸于)children and their families in experiences that relate to the people，places and natural elements of the wonderful planet we live on．All our programs are developed and led by our own world-class team of explorers and educators．The following is a brief introduction to some of our classes：
Global Kitchen
All over the world，people gather together to share meals．In this class, children will learn about the cuisine of a foreign country or region while they create a delicious snack． Recipes will be kid-friendly, and use ingredients(原料)from the country of origin．Your child will learn healthy，easy-to-create recipes he can bring home to share!
Documentary Filmmaking
This 50-minute video documentary film class is specially designed for our 6and 7 years old explorers．Classes will concentrate on the basics of visual storytelling and include subject discovery, story development, storyboard, filming，editing and presenting．Participants will work as a team to produce their own documentary, which will then be screened for friends and family at the course’s conclusion．
Exploring the Wonders of Earth
Designed specifically with our youngest explorers in mind, this semester-long program will expose your child to a wide variety of exciting scientific events that occur on our planet，from chocolate melting，to volcanoes erupting，to seeds sprouting．Through this course children will begin to develop an awareness of the science that makes the earth a marvelous place．
A World of Arts and Crafts
Whether you are seeking to simply extend your child’s time at Wild Blue or looking for a favorite pastime，we offer our own unique version of arts and crafts．Focusing on using found objects，this course encourages children to draw creative inspiration from cultures around the world．This course is available，upon request, as an additional class in your child’s schedule．
55. The passage is mainly about ______.
A. an interesting exploration to the outer space
B. various tips on how to explore
C. an exploration program designed for children
D. a vivid description to an exploring experience
56. In the “Global Kitchen” class, children will _____.
A. learn to create a delicious snack of his own country or region
B. focus on learning complex recipes
C. enjoy the food over the process of making
D. mainly use ingredients that are unpolluted and good to children’s health
57. Those who sign up for thedocumentary filmmaking class ．
A. should be children with advanced filmmaking ability
B. can do filmmaking with his partner as wellas his families
C. can work both individually or as a pair
D. will present their works in the end
58. If one parent intends to develop his child’s love for science, which course can he take?
A. Global Kitchen B. Documentary Filmmaking
C. Exploring the Wonders of Earth D. A World of Arts and Crafts
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