When I left home for college, I sought to escape the limited world of farmers, small towns, and country life. I long for the excitement of the city, for the fast pace that rural life lacked, for adventure beyond the horizon. I dreamed of exploring the city, living within a new culture and landscape, and becoming part of the pulse of an urban jungle.
Yet some of my best times were driving home, leaving the city behind and slipping back into the valley. As city life disappeared and traffic thinned, I could see the faces of the other drivers relax. Then, around a bend in the highway, the grassland of the valley would come into being, offering a view of gentle rolling hills. The land seemed permanent. I felt as if I had stepped back in time.
I took comfort in the stability of the valley. Driving through small farm communities, I imagined the founding families still rooted in their grand homes, generations working the same lands, neighbors remaining neighbors for generations. I allowed familiar farmhouse landmarks to guide me.
Close to home, I often turned off the main highway and took a different, getting familiar farms again and testing my memory. Friends lived in those houses. I had eaten meals and spent time there; I had worked on some of these farms, lending a hand during a peak harvest, helping a family friend for a day or two. The houses and lands looked the same, and I could picture the gentle faces and hear familiar voices as if little had been changed. As I eased into our driveway I’d returned to old ways, becoming a son once again, a child on the family farm. My feelings were honest and real. How I longed for a land where life stood still and my memories could be relived. When I left the farm for college, I could only return as visitor to the valley, a traveler looking for home.
Now the farm is once again my true home. I live in that farmhouse and work the permanent lands. My world may seem unchanged to casual observers, but they are wrong. I know this: if there’s a constant on these farms, it’s the constant of change.
The good observer will recognize the differences. A farmer replants an orchard (果园) with a new variety of peaches. Irrigation is added to block of old grapes, so I imagine the vineyard has a new owner. Occasionally the changes are clearly evident, like a FOR SALE sign. But I need to read the small print in order to make sure that a bank has taken possession of the farm. Most of the changes contain two stories. One is the physical change of the farm, the other involves the people on that land, the human story behind the change.
I’ve been back on the farm for a decade and still haven’t heard all the stories behind the changes around me. But once I add my stories to the landscape, I can call this place my home, a home that continues to evolve and changes as I add more and more of my stories.
A poet returns to the valley and says, “Little has changed in the valley, and how closed–minded you all are!” He comments about the lack of interest in sports, social and environmental issues in the poverty and inequality of our life. He was born and raised here, so he might have the right to criticize and lecture us. Yet he speaks for many who think they know the valley. How differently would others think of us if they knew the stories of a grape harvest in a wet year or a peach without a home?
1.The most important reason why the writer wanted to move to the city is that_________.
A. he did not want to work on the farm
B. he wanted to make new friends
C. he was eager for a different life there
D. there were more things to do there
2.What made the writer relax as he drove from the city to the country?
A. He could see for miles and miles.
B. The traffic moved more slowly.
C. The people he passed seemed to be calmer.
D. The land seemed familiar to him.
3.When driving through the valley the writer was guided home by________ .
A. familiar farmhouses which left him a good memory
B. houses that had sheltered generations of the same family
C. land that had been worked by a family for generations
D. large farms which stretched out right before him.
4.When he was in college, why was the writer sad when he returned to his family home?
A. He remembered how hard he used to work.
B. He realized that he was only a visitor.
C. He recognized the old housed and land.
D. He remembered his next door neighbors.
5.Which of the following most likely indicates that there is a sad human story behind a physical change on the farm?
A. A new variety of peach is being planted.
B. Irrigation is being added to a grape operation.
C. A piece of land is being sold by a bank.
D. A farm is being sold to a large corporation.
6.The fact that most upsets the writer with the poet is that________.
A. the poet prefers to live in the urban area
B. the poet thinks that the folk people are backward
C. the poet says that little has changed in the valley
D. the poet’s criticism and comments are not objective
科目:高中英语 来源:2014-2015学年宁夏银川市高三4月教学质量检测三模英语试卷(解析版) 题型:阅读理解
Tang Zhou and his wife are planning to have their second child,a test—tube baby.His wife had a natural delivery when she was 34 and their first child,a boy, is now 7.The couple are now hoping to have a daughter through a surrogate mother(代孕)in the US.“My wife couldn’t bear another delivery because of her heart condition and her age.Surrogacy helps avoid the risks to older mothers,”Tang said,“Moreover, our second child will be born in the US and become a citizen there.That is not a bad choice.”
The couple spent weeks researching their move,looking for a reliable agency that provides surrogacy services overseas.Surrogacy is still illegal in many countries,including China.“We will be taking much higher risks by relying on a surrogate mother in China because we are not protected by any regulation or law.You pay a lot of money but may meet with many problems,”Tang said.“You might not even get your baby back.
Tang and his wife are part of an increasing number of Chinese couples who are turning to surrogacy services.Tang also considered surrogacy in Thailand but dropped the idea after recent reports about a baby with Down Syndrome(唐氏综合症)who was delivered through surrogacy and said to have been deserted in Thailand by the biological parents from Australia.Instead,Tang chose the California Surrogacy Center agency as his first option after reading the detailed introduction on its website.Compared with many other agencies that he could contact only via e.mail.the center has a consulting office in Beijing,Tang said.
The center is in San Diego,California,and has satellite offices in Los Angeles and Beijing.According to Liu,the center has been operating for more than eight years,and about 100 surrogate mothers live in California.
1.Which of the following is True according to the passage?
A.Chinese couples prefer to have a test—tube baby.
B.Couples face no risks in surrogacy services.
C.Unhealthy test—tube babies can be legally abandoned.
D.A sick test—tube baby was deserted in Thailand.
2.Tang and his wife turned to overseas surrogacy services because .
A.it is more convenient to contact them by email
B.they call for less money
C.surrogacy remains illegal in China
D.most of them are experienced
3.The passage mainly tells us that .
A.Chinese couples are turning to surrogacy
B.an old woman can take a risk of delivering a baby more
C.it’s not a bad choice to have a baby born overseas
D.biological couples may fail to get their babies back
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科目:高中英语 来源:2014-2015学年浙江浙江大学附属中学高三下学期高考模拟英语试卷(解析版) 题型:信息匹配
根据短文内容,从下框的A~F选项中选出能概括每一段主题的最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该选项涂黑。选项中有一项为多余项。
A. Be well-organised. B. Close with a Q & A. C. Don’t be contradictory. D. Bring it to a specific end. E. Speak slowly and pause. F. Drop unnecessary words |
Speaking to a group can be difficult, but listening to a bad speech is truly a tiresome task—especially when the speaker is confusing. Don’t want to confuse your audience? Follow these suggestions:
1. ______
When it comes to understanding new information, the human brain needs a little time. First, we hear the words; then, we compare the new information to what we already know. If the two are different, we need to pause and think. But a breathless speaker never stops to let us think about what he or she is saying and risks confusing us. Slow it.
2. ______
Sometimes we all start a sentence one way and then switch directions, which is very difficult to follow. When you confuse your listeners with opposing information, you leave the audience wondering what part of the information is right and what part they should remember. Instead of relying and keeping correcting yourself, work to get the facts clear and straight.
3.______
Jumping from point to point as it comes to your mind puts the onus (责任)on your listeners to make up for your lack of organisation. And it’s confusing for them to listen, reorganise, and figure out what you’re saying all at once. But going smoothly from one point to the next helps them understand information more easily. You can arrange things from beginning to end, small to large, top to bottom or by some other order. Just be sure to organise.
4.______
Repeated use of um, ah, like, you know and some other useless noises can drive an audience crazy. It makes the speaker sound uncertain and unprepared, and it can leave listeners so annoyed that they can’t pay attention. Recently I attended a speech that was marked by so many ums that audience members were rolling their eyes. Was anybody grasping the intended message? Um, probably not.
5.______
Many speakers finish up their speeches with question-and-answer (Q & A) sessions, but some let the Q & A go on without a clear end. The audience is often left confused about whether the meeting is over and when they can get up and leave. Do your listeners a favour by setting a time limit on questions, and close your speech with a specific signal—even if it’s something simple like, “If you have any more questions, you know where to reach me.” Or even more to the point, conclude your speech with “Thanks for your time. ”
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科目:高中英语 来源:2014-2015学年浙江浙江大学附属中学高三下学期高考模拟英语试卷(解析版) 题型:单项填空
—You didn’t invite Mary to the ball?
—___ her, too?
A. Must I invite B. Would I have invited
C. Must I have invited D. Should I have invited
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科目:高中英语 来源:2014-2015学年浙江浙江大学附属中学高三下学期高考模拟英语试卷(解析版) 题型:单项填空
Scientists say it may be five or six years _____ it is possible to test this medicine on human patients.
A. since B. after C. before D. When
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科目:高中英语 来源:2014-2015学年浙江省高三上学期元月阶段测英语试卷(解析版) 题型:单项填空
— I’d like to buy the new style of computer here, would you please tell me something more about your product?
---_______________.
A. Thank you B. At your service
C. You are welcome D. It’s a pleasure
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科目:高中英语 来源:2014-2015学年浙江省高三上学期元月阶段测英语试卷(解析版) 题型:单项填空
An expert says, “ I think it is unpredictable for nature. You don’t know what will happen but _________we are preparing.”
A. somehow B. somewhat C. anyhow D. someway
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科目:高中英语 来源:2014-2015学年浙江杭州地区七校联考高三上期末模拟英语试卷(解析版) 题型:阅读理解
It’s 5pm on a Friday and I'm standing in a coffee shop above Shibuya crossing - one of the most busiest place in Japan where more than a thousand of Tokyo’s smartly dressed people gather at eight points, ready to cross - then rush straight for each other. It looks like they must bump into each other, but It’s amazing that they all manage to reach the other side safely.
But the real reason I'm here is that I want to see people crash. I want businessmen to knock into each other, their umbrellas flying off their arms, and uniformed schoolchildren hitting grannies. Why may I see this now, but wouldn't have had the chance even a year ago? It’s very simple - smartphones.
Smartphone use is booming in Japan. In 2012, only about a quarter of Japanese used them, most being perfectly happy with their everyday mobiles. But now more than half of all Japanese now own a smartphone and the number is rising fast. But with that rise has grown another phenomenon - the smartphone walk. Those people who're staring at a phone screen adopt this kind of pace- their head down, arms outreached, looking like zombies(僵尸)trying to find human prey(猎食).
Surprisingly, an American named Michael Cucek who has lived here for more than 20 years told me smartphone walk probably wouldn’t be a long-term problem. Japanese phone manner is in fact better than anywhere else in the world - hardly anyone speaks on their phones on trains, and teenagers wouldn't dare broadcast music out of one. If things got truly bad at Shibuya, the police would just start shouting at people to look up.
But really, is the smartphone walk such an annoying problem? There's only one way to find out. So I leave the coffee shop, head down to the crossing and start typing an email, promising myself I won't look up until I get to the other side. When they start walking past me, it's my time to cross. As I step forward, the experience quickly becomes nervous - legs jump in and out of my vision without warning, while shopping bags fly towards my face before being pulled away at the last moment. I'm sure I'm going to get hit, but after a few seconds I relax. It’s OK. Everyone's reacting for me.
I expect to see two smartphone walkers just like me. But instead I find a young couple, very much in love and very much refusing to let each other’s hands go just to give way to a fool on his smartphone. The girl gives me such a look of dislike that I quickly apologize and rush round them. That look was enough to ensure I'll never be smartphone walking again.
1. From paragraph 1, we can know _____________.
A. people at Shibuya crossing always bump into each other.
B. more than a thousand of people gather at Shibuya crossing every day.
C. more than a thousand of people are ready to rush in a competition every day.
D. more than a thousand of people at Shibuya crossing make it a busy one in Japan.
2.Why does the author stand in a coffee shop above Shibuya crossing?
A. Because he is waiting for somebody.
B. Because he can have a good view from there.
C. Because he wants to see what would happen because of smartphones.
D. Because it’s interesting to see businessmen’s umbrellas flying off their arms
3. How does Michael Cucek find smartphone walk in Japan?
A. He found it by accident when he lives here.
B. Japanese pay much attention to their phone manner in public.
C. The police in Shibuya are too strict with people’s phone manner.
D. Smartphone walk in Japan has a deep root.
4. How does the author confirm whether smartphone walk is annoying or not?
A. By personal experimenting
B. By comparing with other way of walk
C. By giving example.
D. By explaining the traffic rules patiently
5.After smartphone walking himself, the author thinks___________.
A. it’s exciting to walk while sending emails
B. it’s really dangerous to walk while sending emails
C. there are some others smartphone walking like him
D. other passers-by give way to him although they dislike.
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科目:高中英语 来源:2014-2015学年陕西西安市高三下5月模拟英语试卷(解析版) 题型:单项填空
– You left your umbrella.
– ______. I’m becoming so forgetful these days.
A. So did I B. So I did
C. So was I D. So I was
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