The world is filled with smart, talented, educated and gifted people. We meet them every day. A few days ago, my car was not running well. I pulled it into a garage and the young mechanic had it fixed in just a few minutes. He knew what was wrong by simply listening to the engine. I was amazed. The sad truth is, great talent is not enough.
I am shocked at how little talented people earn. I heard the other day that less than 5 percent of American earn more than $100,000 a year. A business consultant (顾问) who specializes in the medical trade was telling me how many doctors, dentists and people like them struggle financially. All this time, I thought that when those students studying medicine graduated, the dollars would pour in. It was this business consultant who gave me the phrase “They are one skill away from great wealth.” When I ask the classes I teach “How many of you can cook a better hamburger than McDonald’s ?”, almost all the students raise their hands. I then ask, “So if most of you can cook a better hamburger, how come McDonald’s makes more money than you?” The answer is obvious---McDonald’s is excellent at business systems. The reason why so many talented people are poor is that they focus on building a better hamburger and know little or nothing about business systems. The world is filled with talented poor people. All too often, they’re poor or struggle financially or earn less than they are capable of , not because of what they know but because of what they do not know.
【小题1】The example mentioned in the first paragraph is to show ______.
| A．how little talented people earn |
| B．the world is filled with talented people |
| C．he is not good at repairing cars |
| D．the mechanic is good at repairing cars |
| A．about 0.15 million | B．about 1.5 million |
| C．about 15 million | D．about 150 million |
| A．all talented people are not rich |
| B．a person with a talent is sure to become rich |
| C．a talented person is poor just because he knows too much |
| D．many talented people earn little because of something they don’t know |
【小题1】B
【小题2】C
【小题3】D
解析试题分析：文章讲解的是作者通过一次修车的经历，联想到有天赋的人在实际生活中的经济收入其实是很低的，并分析了原因。
【小题1】推理判断题。 根据第一段可知，作者认为修车的人很厉害，就是一个天才，有天赋的人，选B
【小题2】事实细节题。 根据第二段I am shocked at how little talented people earn. I heard the other day that less than 5 percent of American earn more than $100,000 a year.可知只有5%的美国人挣得钱超过100，000美元， 所以300 million 里面只有15million的人，选C
【小题3】细节题：从最后一句话：The world is filled with talented poor people. All too often, they’re poor or struggle financially or earn less than they are capable of , not because of what they know but because of what they do not know. 我们有天赋的人收入却很低，是因为他们不知道的事情，选D。
考点：考查社会现象类短文
科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
In China, people usually set off firecrackers to celebrate Spring Festival. But this year seemed very quiet. It was really different. A man called Zhang Wei was asked by a reporter in an interview. He said that his friends and he hadn’t set off a single firecracker.
“We all suffered from last month’s smog(雾霾). If we don’t call an end to the firecracker, the environment will get worse and worse during the holiday.” Said Zhang Wei. He put up a notice in his community in Jinan, the capital of Shandong Province. In the notice, he called on more people to set off fewer firecrackers during this year’s Spring Festival holiday.
Lots of parents agreed with Zhang Wei’s idea. They said that they hated the noise of firecrackers. The noise used to wake up their babies too early. The babies really needed quiet mornings,
More Chinese looked forward to celebrating the holiday in a greener way. They decided not to set off firecrackers. They also decided not to waste food. They said that the new celebrations sounded fashionable.
“My family didn’t buy any fireworks this year. Instead, we donated the money to charity. It’s good for the environment and charity as well.” Internet user “Fighter” wrote on Sina Weibo.
【小题1】How do people usually celebrate Spring Festival in China?
| A．By setting off firecrackers. |
| B．By donating the money to charity. |
| C．By not wasting food. |
| D．By putting up a notice. |
| A．they couldn’t afford to buy them. |
| B．firecrackers were too expensive. |
| C．the noise might wake up their babies. |
| D．firecrackers might cause fire |
| A．not to get together |
| B．not to set off firecrackers |
| C．not to throw away more food |
| D．to call an end to all the celebrations |
| A．Don’t Waste Food | B．Spring Festival Celebrations |
| C．Spring Festival Goes Green | D．Firecrackers and Noise |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
It is not unusual for people to speak two or three languages; they’re known as bilinguals or trilinguals. Speakers of more than three languages are known as polyglots. And when we refer to people who speak many languages, perhaps a dozen or more, we use the term hyper-polyglot.
The most famous hyper-polyglot was Giuseppe Mezzofanti, a 19th century Italian cardinal, who was said to speak 72 languages. This claim sounds absurd. If you assume each language had 20,000 words, Mezzofanti would have to learn a word a minute, six hours a day, for eleven years—an impossible task. But Mezzofanti was tested by critics, and they were all impressed.
Did Mezzofanti have an extraordinary brain? Or are hyper-polyglots just ordinary people with ordinary brains who manage to do something extraordinary through hard work?
U.S. linguist Stephen Drashen believes that outstanding language learners just work harder at it and then they acquire unusually strong language ability. As an example, he mentions a Hungarian woman who worked as an interpreter during the 20th century. When she was 86, she could speak 16 languages and was still working on learning new languages. She said she learned them mostly on her own, reading fiction or working through dictionaries or textbooks.
Some researchers argue to the contrary. They believe that there is such a thing as a talent for learning languages. In the 1930s, a German scientist examined parts of the preserved brain of a hyper-polyglot named Emil Krebs, who could speak 60 languages fluently. The scientist found that the area of Krebs’s brain called Broca’s area, which is associated with language, looked different from the Broca’s area in the brains of men who speak only one language. However, we still don’t know if Krebs was born with a brain ready to learn dozens of languages or if his brain adapted to the demands he put on it.
Although it is still not clear whether the ability to learn many languages is in born, there’s no doubt that just about all of us can acquire skills in a second, third, or even fourth language by putting our mind to it.
【小题1】What does the underlined sentence imply?
| A．Mezzofanti could remember 360 words a day. |
| B．Mezzofanti had a special way to learn languages. |
| C．Mezzofanti’s achievement was ridiculous. |
| D．Mezzofanti language ability was astonishing. |
| A．good memory | B．unique brain | C．hard work | D．learning methods |
| A．had an unusual brain |
| B．was born with great talent |
| C．had worked hard at languages |
| D．expected too much of himself |
| A．it is not hard to learn foreign languages |
| B．hard work plays a part in language learning |
| C．there is no such thing as a talent for languages |
| D．hyper-polyglots have an inborn talent for language |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
They once seemed more at home on the busy streets of Asia like Delhi, Calcutta and Bangkok but cycle powered rickshaws (人力车) can now be seen taking people across town in many European cities. Many people believe that rickshaws are a good way of experiencing a city close-up, while also cutting down on traffic jams and pollution. In Berlin, one of the first cities to introduce this new model of transport, more than 200 bike-taxis go along at 15km per hour, past many tourist attractions and city parks.
“It is completely environmentally friendly; we have new models with an engine to help the driver up the hills but they use renewable energy.” said a spokesman for VELOTAXI, the leading rickshaw company which has carried a quarter of a million people this year.
While the city still has 7,000 motor-taxis, rickshaw company officials say their taxis’ green ideas, speed and safety make them more than just a tourist attraction. While now increasingly out of fashion in Delhi, Berlin people have eagerly accepted the new fleet since their launch in 1997.
“It’s better than a taxi, better than a bus, better than the train,” said ULF Lehman, 36, as he leapt out of a rickshaw near the world famous Brandenburg gate. “It feels so free.”
“This is something out of the ordinary, you feel you are on holiday in Bangkok instead of Berlin,” said another traveler.
In Amsterdam, driver Peter Jancso said people like to be driven around in his bright yellow rickshaw and pretend to be a queen in a golden carriage. “I like my passengers to feel important,” he said as he dropped off another passenger. Another visitor noted how cheap it was compared with a normal taxi.
Although increasingly popular in Europe, it is the opposite in India, where hand-pulled rickshaws are considered inhuman and a symbol of India’s backward past.
Nearly 500 bike-rickshaws are running in London and are not required to pay the city’s road tax but things may change as other taxi drivers complain of unfair treatment.
【小题1】Where are rickshaws becoming more popular?
| A．Delhi, Berlin, Paris. | B．Berlin, Amsterdam, London. |
| C．Athens, London, Berlin. | D．Amsterdam, Bangkok, Delhi. |
| A．They have been banned because they are inefficient. |
| B．They are a reminder of a bad period in India’s history. |
| C．The streets of India are too crowded for them to move through easily. |
| D．Indians now prefer to travel by car because they are richer. |
| A．The passenger didn’t like taking a rickshaw as it reminded him of Bangkok. |
| B．The passenger was impressed when taking a rickshaw and considered it unusual. |
| C．The passenger enjoyed being on holiday in Berlin more than in Bangkok. |
| D．The passenger disapproved of rickshaws because they were not original to |
| A．He thinks they will reduce pollution |
| B．He believes they will be of no use. |
| C．He gives no personal opinion. |
| D．He thinks they are old-fashioned. |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Cause and effect is one way to explain things that happen around us. Many things happen because something caused or influenced them to happen. Sometimes it is hard to look at a cause and find out what causes the effect. It may help you to start with the effect and use your reasoning(推理的) skills. Think about all the things you know that could be reasons for the effect you can see.
For example, you may see someone putting on a heavy jacket. This is the effect. To look for a cause, think to yourself, “What would make someone put on a heavy jacket?” Maybe the person works in the penguin pen(企鹅圈养地) at a Sea World. Maybe the person is going to visit an ice skating rink where the air is kept very cold. All of these things could be a cause for putting on a heavy jacket.
Now, think about a second example. The effect is a boy named Abi has to go to the head teacher’s office. What are the possible causes? Maybe he bullied(欺负)another student. Maybe he is just being picked up early. Maybe he is being given a prize!
Here is another example for you to think about its cause and effect. Cait, 13, was trying to fall asleep when her 8-year-old brother,Doug, came into her room. He looked around a bit, but seemed really out of it. Then Doug went back into the hallway and stood there looking straight up at the hall light for quite a while. Little brothers can be very strange, this was really much too strange. Cait didn’t know what to do. Just then, Cait’s father appeared and explained that Doug was sleepwalking. What’s the cause and effect, could you tell?
【小题1】According to the second paragraph, which of the following is an effect?
| A．Someone will go outside into cold weather. |
| B．Someone works in the penguin pen. |
| C．Someone puts on a heavy jacket. |
| D．Someone will go to visit an ice skating rink. |
| A．He bullied another student. | B．He is going shopping. |
| C．He is being picked up early. | D．He is being given a prize. |
| A．He was going outside | B．He was reading a story. |
| C．He was leep walking. | D．He was looking for his dad. |
| A．Tony got up and had a glass of water. |
| B．We came home and found him sleeping. |
| C．The ball was lost and a window was broken. |
| D．Tim was late again and his teacher got angry. |
| A．Truth and lies | B．Work and sleep |
| C．Cause and effect | D．Life and dreams |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Long working hours,the fewest holidays and the high cost of living mean the big salaries on offer（可使用的）in the UK do not go as far as those earned in other countries,making Britain and Ireland the worst places to live in Europe．
France and Spain are the two countries topping the European Quality of Life Index（指数）out today,according to the place comparison website Switch．com．
The French enjoy longer lives,better healthcare,more holidays and cheaper prices．In contrast Britons work three years longer and die two years younger after paying above the European average for fuel,food,alcohol and cigarettes．The amount we spend on healthcare and education is below the European average．
Only Ireland and Poland spend less,but Ireland has more doctors and hospital beds and Poland has more beds than the UK．People in Germany,Spain,France,Italy,the Netherlands and Sweden all enjoy longer life expectancy than Britons．And while we may be giving up work earlier,the average age at which we retire is still the fourth highest in Europe——and the UK state retirement age is set to rise．
Ann Robinson,of Switch．com,said:“There’s more to good living than money and this report shows why so many Britons are giving up on （对……不再抱希望）the UK and heading to France and Spain．We earn substantially more than our European neighbors,but this level of income is needed just to keep a roof over our heads,food on the table and our homes warm” ． “It’s giving us a decent standard of living,but it’s not helping us achieve the quality of life that people in other countries enjoy．For too long the focus in the UK had been on standard of living rather than quality of life．”
【小题1】In Europe,to enjoy the best quality of life,you’d better live in _______．
| A．Britian and Ireland | B．Spain and France |
| C．Ireland and Poland | D．Britian and Italy |
| A．People in the UK pay more than the European average for fuel,food,alcohol and cigarettes． |
| B．People in the UK enjoy the highest quality of life． |
| C．People in the UK spend most on the healthcare and education． |
| D．People in the UK die two years older than in France． |
| A．good enough | B．bad enough | C．ordinary | D．neither bad nor good |
| A．Money is a must to make you live a good life． |
| B．High standard of living means good quality of life． |
| C．High standard of living is one thing and good quality of life is another． |
| D．To live a good life,go to Britian． |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
In the 19th century, there used to be a model of how to be a good person. There are all these torrents of passion flowing through you. Your job, as captain of your soul, is to erect dams to keep these passions in check. Your job is to just say no to laziness, lust, greed, drug use and the other sins.
These days that model is out of fashion. You usually can’t change your behavior by simply resolving to do something. Knowing what to do is not the same as being able to do it. Your willpower is not like a dam that can block the torrent of self-indulgence. It's more like a muscle, which tires easily. Moreover, you're a social being. If everybody around you is overeating, you’ll probably do so, too.
The 19th-century character model was based on an understanding of free will. Today, we know that free will is bounded. People can change their lives, but ordering change is not simple because many things, even within ourselves, are beyond our direct control.
Much of our behavior, for example, is guided by unconscious habits. Researchers at Duke University calculated that more than 40 percent of the actions we take are governed by habit, not actual decisions. Researchers have also come to understand the structure of habits—cue, routine, reward.
You can change your own personal habits. If you leave running shorts on the floor at night, that'll be a cue to go running in the morning. Don’t try to ignore your afternoon snack craving. Every time you feel the cue for a snack, insert another routine. Take a walk.
Their research thus implies a different character model, which is supposed to manipulate the neuralnetworks inside.
To be an effective person, under this model, you are supposed to coolly examine your own unconscious habits, and the habits of those under your care. You are supposed to devise strategies to alter the cues and routines. Every relationship becomes slightly manipulative, including your relationship with yourself. You're trying to arouse certain responses by implanting certain cues.
This is a bit disturbing, because the important habitual neural networks are not formed by mere routine, nor can they be reversed by clever cues. They are burned in by emotion and strengthened by strong yearnings, like the yearnings for admiration and righteousness.
If you think you can change your life in a clever way, the way an advertiser can get you to buy an air freshener, you’re probably wrong. As the Victorians understood, if you want to change your life, don’t just look for a clever cue. Commit to some larger global belief.
【小题1】Which of the following is the first-to-none element in the 19th-century character model?
| A．Action. | B．Capacity. | C．Resolution. | D．Enthusiasm. |
| A．one’s wished should be pondered before acting. |
| B．the comparison of free will to a dam is groundless. |
| C．it has been proved impractical and cannot hold true. |
| D．there were many other factors beyond one's control. |
| A．One’s behavior is tough to change. |
| B．Habit has an unidentified structure. |
| C．Habit plays a vital role in one's behavior. |
| D．Both habit and will power are of significance. |
| A．techniques to break old routines. |
| B．techniques to provide different physical cues. |
| C．cues to change all the former unconscious habits. |
| D．cues to manipulate the habitual neural responses. |
| A．can generate changes in one's life like what advertisers do. |
| B．highlights the neural and psychological aspects of habit change. |
| C．has been identified a new method of changing behavior perfectly. |
| D．has an advantage over others in dealing with emotional aspects of behavior. |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Nobody Benefits
NEW YORK—America has been experiencing the longest economic increase in its history．Incomes have risen, unemployment has fallen, and cities such as New York are bursting with new office buildings．
But just a short walk from Manhattan's skyscrapers, George Brown sits on the side-walk, cooking a lunch of rice and bits of fish over a can of cooking fuel．
Brown is homeless — one of the 2.3 million people in the US who end up on the street．
During the day, Brown collects aluminium cans and sells them for five cents a piece．At night, he sleeps on the street．
"I have been on the street about eight or nine years, something like that," said the 62-year-old former construction worker．
Brown admits he's had problems with alcohol and has smoked cocaine．But he said he still wants a more stable housing arrangement．He could afford it just with the money he earns by collecting cans and small pieces of metal, if only truly low-income housing were available．
However, he sees no hope of finding affordable housing in New York．
With the strong economy and unemployment down, beautiful housing is being built to meet demand．
A US report shows rents in New York city rose more than 27 percent between 1984 and 1999, from US $549 to US $700 a month．
One of the side effects of the strong economy is that rents have been going up．
The majority of people who experience homelessness really just need some affordable housing help．
But few housing companies have been built for the poor．Many small apartments in the city now rent for US $1,500 a month or more．
Brown, the homeless New Yorker, said he has a daughter who lives in the city but he rarely sees her．She is angry about his drinking and won't allow it in her house．
Smiling, he said he also has seven grandchildren whom he'd like to see more often．
"All I've got to do is clean up my act," he said．
【小题1】What kind of life does George Brown lead?
| A．Homeless and dangerous |
| B．Homeless and childish |
| C．Homeless and miserable （痛苦的） |
| D．Homeless and sleepless |
| A．old Americans lead a hard life |
| B．old Americans want to live alone |
| C．American cities are crowded with poor people |
| D．bad habits play a role in some poor people's Life |
| A．America is short of housing companies |
| B．the poor can't benefit from the increasing economy |
| C．poor people in America will become rich |
| D．housing companies will build more houses for the poor |
| A．Society． | B．Science． | C．Economy． | D．Business |
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