However wealthy we may be, we can never find enough hours in the day to do everything we want. Economics deals with this problem through the concept of opportunity cost, which simply refers to whether someone’s time or money could be better spent on something else.
Every hour of our time has a value. For every hour we work at one job we could quite easily be doing another, or be sleeping or watching a film. Each of these options has a different opportunity cost—namely, what they cost us in missed opportunities.
Say you intend to watch a football match but the tickets are expensive and it will take you a couple of hours to get to and from the stadium. Why not, you might reason, watch the game from home and use the leftover money and time to have dinner with friends? This—the alternative use of your cash and time—is the opportunity cost.
For economists, every decision is made by knowledge of what one must forgo—in terms of money and enjoyment—in order to take it up. By knowing precisely what you are receiving and what you are missing out on, you ought to be able to make better-informed, more reasonable decisions. Consider that most famous economic rule of all: there’s no such thing as a free lunch. Even if someone offers to take you out to lunch for free, the time you will spend in the restaurant still costs you something in terms of forgone opportunities.
Some people find the idea of opportunity cost extremely discouraging: imagine spending your entire life calculating whether your time would be better spent elsewhere doing something more profitable or enjoyable. Yet, in a sense it’s human nature to do precisely that—we assess the advantages and disadvantages of decisions all the time.
In the business world, a popular phrase is “value for money.” People want their cash to go as far as possible. However, another is fast obtaining an advantage: “value for time.” The biggest restriction on our resources is the number of hours we can devote to something, so we look to maximize the return we get on our investment of time. By reading this passage you are giving over a bit of your time which could be spent doing other activities, such as sleeping and eating. In return, however, this passage will help you to think like an economist, closely considering the opportunity cost of each of your decisions.
【小题1】According to the passage, the concept of “opportunity cost” is applied to ________.
| A．making more money |
| B．taking more opportunities |
| C．reducing missed opportunities |
| D．weighing the choice of opportunities |
| A．spared for watching the match at home |
| B．taken to have dinner with friends |
| C．spent on the way to and from the match |
| D．saved from not going to watch the match |
| A．Opportunities you forget in decision-making. |
| B．Opportunities you give up for better ones. |
| C．Opportunities you miss accidentally. |
| D．Opportunities you make up for. |
【小题1】D
【小题2】C
【小题3】B
解析试题分析：文章大意：本文是一篇议论文。文章论述了不管我们多么的富有，在一天里我们不可能找到足够的时间做我们想要做的一切。因此，我们要放弃一些事情选择做更好的事情。
【小题1】D考查推理判断。根据文章第二、三段，尤其第三段最后一句This—the alternative use of your cash and time—is the opportunity cost可知“机会成本”这个概念应用于衡量机会的选择方面。故D正确。
【小题2】C考查词义推测。题中“leftover money and time”是指“剩下来的钱和时间”。根据文章第三段第一句Say you intend to watch a football match but the tickets are expensive and it will take you a couple of hours to get to and from the stadium.可知leftover … time所指的是“花在观看比赛（路上）来去的时间”。故C正确。
【小题3】B考查推理判断。根据文章第四段，尤其最后一句Even if someone offers to take you out to lunch for free, the time you will spend in the restaurant still costs you something in terms of forgone opportunities.可以推测出forgone opportunities是指“所放弃用于更好的机会”。故B正确。
考点：考查议论文阅读
科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Homelessness is a huge problem all over the world. It’s said that each day there are about 1 million people living on the streets in the US. It is a serious problem which should be dealt with effectively.
There are two main reasons for people leaving their homes: poverty and less affordable houses due to bad economic conditions. Other reasons include: domestic violence, divorce, and mental illness. Living without a home makes people main targets of violence activities and besides, these homeless people have to face the following difficulties on a daily basis.
They have to move about, carrying their belongings, which makes it difficult for the charity and the government to help them. They have limited access to bathrooms and restrooms and are forced to live in dirty conditions, making them easy to be attacked by diseases. They have limited access to health-care facilities in case of emergency, and almost no access to education as they have no money. They are often ill-treated by society, which makes them unfriendly, often ending up being involved in activities connected with crime like selling drugs or guns.
Homelessness is not something that happened overnight --- it has been in the country for decades. The society usually believes those living on the street to be mentally unstable. This belief is partially true. Most of them are normal people just like you and me.
The federal government is doing all it can to help but it is not enough, so the ordinary citizens have to stand up and try to help whenever it’s possible. There are various organizations, such as charity organizations that are working constantly to make sure that homeless people find a shelter to live in. the united efforts have helped millions of people return to their normal lifestyle. However, there is still a long way to go before a better situation is created for all the homeless.
【小题1】How many reasons are mentioned for people having no home to live in?
| A．Five | B．Four | C．Three | D．Two |
| A．a danger to society |
| B．having mental problems |
| C．physically disabled people |
| D．being too lazy to do anything |
| A．①②③ | B．①②④ | C．①③④ | D．②③④ |
| A．Most homeless people died of hunger and cold. |
| B．The homeless should work hard to change their own situation. |
| C．The homeless people have nothing to take when they move about. |
| D．The homeless problem is a serious problem that need solving effectively. |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
In my experience, one of the greatest reasons of unhappiness is the difficulty we have in accepting things as they are．When we see something we don’t like, we wish it could be different–we cry out for something better．That may be human nature, or perhaps it’s something that has been grown in our culture．
The root of the unhappiness isn’t that we want things to be different, however, it’s that we decided we didn’t like it in the first place．We’ve judged it as bad, rather than saying, “It’s not bad or good, but it just is．”
Here is an example．I have written a paper, A Beautiful Method to Find Peace of Mind．Quite a few people think it bad after reading it because I think people should expect things to go differently than you planned, and that you should accept that, instead of encouraging people to change themselves or the environment as much as possible．You could accept it as the way the world works–as the way things actually are．And try to understand why that is, and follow it, as it is．
This can be useful to whatever you do: whether it be how other people act at work, how politics works and how depressing the news media can be．Accept these things as they are, and try to understand why they’re that way．
It’ll save you a lot of sadness because you’ll no longer say, “Oh, I wish things didn’t go bad!”
If you really understand what I mean, you can try a different way to live in this world:accept, and understand．It might lead to some interesting results．
【小题1】What is the major reason why we feel unhappy in the writer’s opinion?
| A．We are never satisfied with ourselves and the environment around us． |
| B．When we see something that makes us unhappy, we don’t know what to do． |
| C．We feel hard to accept the way things happen themselves． |
| D．No matter how happy we are, we never want to be happy． |
| A．How could I have made such a stupid mistake? |
| B．I should have done better．It’s all my fault． |
| C．Why is it all against my plan? It can’t be so bad． |
| D．Well, I know all is what it is meant to be．Take it easy． |
| A．The writer hasn’t shown an encouraging attitude in his paper． |
| B．The writer asks people to try to make things better． |
| C．The writer reminds the people that things will go exactly as you’ve planned． |
| D．The writer doesn’t think it a good idea to accept the things go naturally． |
| A．Unhappiness may be caused by human nature that we always want things to be better． |
| B．Why we don’t like the thing is that we have regard it as bad in the beginning． |
| C．The news media shouldn’t be so depressing if the reporters worked harder． |
| D．The best way to avoid feeling unhappy is to accept the things as they are． |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Old-Fashioned Play-For Pay
Kids! Come to have a ball! Or 60,000 of them! There’s a new type of business franchise（特许经销权）that is appearing in shopping malls and neighborhood across America offering pay-per-use indoor playgrounds, which feature toys, games, guided fun and a workout that doesn’t break the family bank.
As public playgrounds grow increasingly worn and dirty, the for-profit centers offer clean, safe guided activity as well as a variety of challenging exercises to develop kids’ physical fitness, usually for a fee of around $ 5 an hour. “Playgrounds are dirty, not guided,” says Dick Guggenheimer, owner of the two-month-old Discovery Zone in Yonkers, N. Y., part of Kansas City-based chain, “We are indoors; we are padded; parents can feel their child is safe”.
In order to satisfy the need of two-earner families, the new franchise stays open in the evenings, long after traditional public playgrounds have grown dark and unusable. However, these new playgrounds are not meant to be day-care centers. Parents are expected to go stay and play with their kids rather than drop them off. But several also provide high-tech baby-sitting services. At some of the Discovery Zones, parents can register their children in special guided programs, then leave them and slip away for a couple of hours to enjoy a movie or dinner. If there is a problem, Mom and Dad are called.
The most fun of all, though, is getting to do what parents used to do in the days before two-earner families and two-hour commutes（两小时上下班往返）, play with their kids. That, at least, is old-fashioned, even at per-hour rates.
【小题1】What is this article mainly talking about?
| A．Children can play without parent’s care. |
| B．The fast development of Discovery Zone. |
| C．A new type of business franchise of kids. |
| D．The disadvantages of outdoor playgrounds. |
| A．The cost is high for a family. |
| B．It doesn't allow parents to leave their kids. |
| C．It stays open in the evening just as traditional playgrounds. |
| D．It's a place where parents can play together with their kids. |
| A．The so-called new playground is out of date. |
| B．The new playground is actually enjoyed by parents. |
| C．The new playground is also enjoyed by old people. |
| D．The new playground offers a fashion which is popular in the past. |
| A．agreeable | B．negative |
| C．doubtful | D．unknown |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
“Avoid the rush hour” must be the slogan of large cities all over the world. Wherever you look, there are people, people, people. The trains which leave or arrive every few minutes are packed. The streets are so crowded; there is hardly room to move on the pavements. It takes ages for a bus to get to you because the traffic on the roads has almost come to a standstill. Even when a bus does at last arrive, it’s so full, and it can’t take any more passengers. The smallest unexpected event can bring about conditions of complete chaos. The strange thing is not that people stand these conditions, but that they actually choose them in preference to anything else. 
Large modern cites are too big to control. People living there are forced by their environment to take a wholly unnatural way of life. They lost touch with the land and rhythm of nature. It is possible to live in such an air-conditioned existence in a large city that you can hardly tell the season. A few flowers in a public park may remind you that it is spring or summer. All the simple, good things of life like sunshine and fresh air are hard to find. Even the distinction between days and nights is lost.
The funny thing about it all is that you pay dearly to live in a city. The demand for accommodation is so great that it is often impossible for ordinary people to buy a house of their own. The cost of living is also very high. Just about everything you buy is likely to be more expensive than it would be in the country. Besides, the crime rate in most cities is very high. If you think about it, they’re not really fit to live in at all. Can anyone really doubt that the country is what man was born for and where he truly belongs?
【小题1】 According to the writer, .
| A．there is a slogan in every large city all over the world |
| B．the rush hour traffic is terrible in large cities of the world |
| C．one should try to avoid the traffic wherever he is |
| D．rush hour exists in large cities but not in small ones |
| A．people can stand the conditions in the city |
| B．people are used to living in a city |
| C．people know little about the problems of a city |
| D．people still choose to live in a city |
| A．there in no such thing as changes of seasons |
| B．seasons change only in public parks now |
| C．they live unnaturally without contact with nature |
| D．the temperature changes little between seasons |
| A．city people have to pay higher to live in a city |
| B．there is a greater demand for things in a city |
| C．things are better in a city than elsewhere |
| D．people in a city are much more wealthy |
| A．It’s crazy to choose to live in a large city. |
| B．City life can be very disagreeable. |
| C．Country life is better than city life. |
| D．Conditions of cities should be changed. |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
You have the ability to decide if you are happy or not. Happiness is a choice.
You can't depend on someone else to make you happy. That is a lesson I learned early on in my marriage. I realized that I couldn't rely on my husband as my source of happiness. I learned that my happiness depended on me and not my husband's actions. I learned that you have to choose to be happy.
You can choose your emotions. True happiness comes from within; it can't be forced by outside forces. So how do you choose happiness? The same way you choose to smile or choose to wear a certain outfit. You choose it because that's what you want to experience in your life.
You want to buy a new pair of shoes so you choose a pair that you like and feel good. You wouldn't buy a pair of shoes that you don't like or that don't fit well, right? So why do we keep choosing emotions and feelings that don't make us feel good?
Choosing to be happy after you realize your anger has shown up (or even choosing to be calm) can be beneficial. We choose our feelings; no one can do that for us. If we let others get to us, influence our emotions ---we are giving them power over us. When others cause us anger or pain, we are giving them our power.
We need to keep our feelings in check and not react automatically to what is thrown at us. We need to think our actions out instead of just reacting to what someone says or does.
Remember that we can always choose happiness. At first it will be difficult to just switch your thoughts and feelings from anger, self-doubt, or fear to joy and happiness. But it is only a thought away. Don't dwell on what happens to you unnecessarily but realize what is causing you to feel that way. Realize that thoughts, feelings and emotions can change. Then move on and choose to be happy.
【小题1】What’s the best title of this passage?
| A．Choose to Be Happy | B．Pretend to Be Happ |
| C．Choose Your Emotions | D．Find Happiness |
| A．balancing the relationship between the husband and wife is an art |
| B．one can’t rely on someone else to make himself or herself happy |
| C．she can depend on her husband to find happiness |
| D．happiness can be influenced by outside forces |
| A．To offer advice on how to choose comfortable shoes. |
| B．To compare choosing shoes and choosing an outfit. |
| C．To help to move to the next paragraph easily. |
| D．To use it as an example to show the importance of choosing to be happy. |
| A．hold back our feelings properly |
| B．let others control our feelings |
| C．respond immediately to others’ words |
| D．pay more attention to words than actions |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
This is my world now; it’s all I have left. You see, I’m old. And, I’m not as healthy as I used to be. I’m not necessarily happy with it, but I accept it. Occasionally, a member of my family will stop in to see me. He or she will bring me some flowers or a little present, maybe a set of slippers—I’ve got eight pairs. And then they will return to the outside world and I’ll be alone again. Oh, there are other people here in the nursing home. Residents, we’re called. The majority are about my age. I’m 84. Many are in wheelchairs. The lucky ones are passing through—a broken hip, a diseased heart, something has brought them here for rehabilitation(康复). When they’re well they’ll be going home.
The help here is basically pretty good, although there’s a large turnover of staff. Just when I get comfortable with someone he or she moves on to another job. I understand that. This is not the best job to have. I don’t much like some of the physical things that happen to us. I don’t care much for a diaper(尿布). I seem to have lost the control acquired so diligently as a child. The difference is that I’m aware and embarrassed, but I can’t do anything about it. I’ve had three children, and I know it isn’t pleasant to clean another’s diaper. My husband used to wear a gas mask when he changed the kids. I wish I had one now.
Why do you think the staff insists on talking baby talk when speaking to me? I understand English. I have a degree in music and am a certified teacher. Now I hear a lot of words that end in “y”. There is little need for anyone to position their face directly in front of mine and raise their voice with those “y” words. Sometimes it takes longer for a meaning to sink in; sometimes my mind wanders when I am bored. But there’s no need to shout.
I’d love to go out for a meal or travel again. I’d love to go to my own church, sing with my own choir. I’d love to visit my friends. Most of them are gone now or else they are in different “homes” of their children’s choosing. I’d love to play a good game of bridge, but no one here seems to concentrate very well. My children put me here for my own good. They said they would be able to visit me frequently. But they have their own lives to lead. That sounds normal. I don’t want to be a burden. They know that. But I would like to see them more. One of them is here in town. He visits as much as he can.
Something else I’ve learned to accept is loss of privacy. Quite often I’ll close my door when my roommate—imagine having a roommate at my age—is in the TV room. I do appreciate some time to myself and believe that I have earned at least that courtesy(礼貌). As I sit thinking or writing, one of the aides invariably opens the door unannounced and walks in as if I’m not there. Sometimes she even opens my drawers and begins searching around. Am I invisible? Have I lost my right to respect and dignity? I am still a human being. I would like to be treated as one.
Back to my semiprivate room for a little semi-privacy or a nap(午睡). I do need my beauty rest; company may come today. What is today, again? The afternoon drags into early evening. This used to be my favorite time of the day. Things would wind down. I would kick off my shoes. Put my feet up on the coffee table. Pop open a bottle of Chablis and enjoy the fruits of my day’s labor with my husband. He’s gone. So is my health. This is my world.
【小题1】Which of the following statements can be inferred from the passage?
| A．The staff at the nursing home mistreated the elderly people. |
| B．Nursing home workers sometimes stole items from her drawers. |
| C．Her children did not often visit because they felt guilty for having put her in the nursing home. |
| D．The staff used baby talk with her because they assumed her mind had aged as her body had. |
| A．dignity | B．sadness | C．disappointment | D．confusion |
| A．Sympathetic. | B．Regretful. | C．Angry. | D．Relieved. |
| A．The Disadvantages of Growing Old |
| B．If Only I could be getting better |
| C．The Elderly: A Forgotten Generation |
| D．The Place That Changed My Life |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
When I was a kid, my Mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then. And I remember one night in particular when she had made breakfast after a long, hard day at hospital.
On that evening so long ago, my Mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage and extremely burned toast in front of my dad. I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed! Yet all my dad did was reach for his toast, smile at my Mom and ask me how my day was at school. I don't remember what I told him that night, but I do remember watching him spread butter and jelly on that toast and eat every bite!
When I got up from the table that evening, I remember hearing my Mom apologize to my dad for burning the toast. And I'll never forget what he said: "Honey, I love burned toast."
Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if he really liked his toast burned. He took me in his arms and said, "Your Momma put in a hard day at work today and she's really tired. And besides – a little burned toast never hurt anyone!"
You know, life is full of imperfect things and imperfect people. What I’ve learned over the years is that learning to accept each other’s faults is one of the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and lasting relationship. This good quality is the base of any relationship --- husband-wife or parent-child or friendship! As far as I’m concerned, I’m not the best engineer as expected. However, I have made my efforts. That’s enough.
So learn to take the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of your life. Burnt toast isn’t a deal-breaker! Don’t put the key to your happiness in someone else’s pocket but into your own.
【小题1】When his mother put the burnt biscuit on the table, the author _____.
| A．wanted to see how his father reacted |
| B．pretended not to notice it |
| C．pretended to enjoy the burnt food |
| D．stopped his father eating the burnt toast |
| A．She was not good at cooking. |
| B．She hardly had time to cook at home. |
| C．She felt sorry for the burnt food. |
| D．She spent more time on breakfast than dinner. |
| A．Moved. | B．Puzzled | C．Surprised. | D．Disappointed. |
| A．give help to people in need | B．try to be a perfect person |
| C．learn from one’s mistakes | D．learn to be understanding |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
There is a problem each of us faces in following advice on emotional healing: apologizing is difficult. We are trapped in what we think of ourselves by holding onto our pride. We can be selfish and not willing to admit our most obvious mistakes. Pride eats away at us as we argue or ignore the mistake.
It's happened to me. I have had too much pride and selfishness to apologize to a loved one I hurt. When I did want to apologize, I couldn't bring myself to face the other person. This is the pride I'm talking about. Maybe apologies come difficult for men because they're expected to be dominant. It's like the joke that a man never asks for directions when lost. Ladies are more emotionally open than guys and are willing to express it. Still, both genders wonder how to correctly apologize.
In shifting the focus on apologizing away from you, what does not apologizing do to other people? They feel hurt that you are not willing to communicate your mistake. They lose trust in you as you hide behind your mistake avoiding reality. They become angry with you, wondering why you do not tell them the truth. They may begin to counter your lack of apologies by not apologizing themselves and from this the relationship goes downhill as the two of you get caught in a power struggle.
You need to communicate your mistakes. A mistake you made is like a scratch and by not apologizing you are making the scratch a deeper wound and rubbing salt into it. You need to stop hurting the other person and yourself by learning to apologize. There is real power in apologizing and emotional healing.
【小题1】Why are men more unwilling to make apologies?
| A．They don't intend to hurt other people. |
| B．They expect others to forgive them. |
| C．They don't want to be considered weak. |
| D．They aren't good at expressing themselves. |
| A．Other people won't pay attention to you. |
| B．You will lose confidence in yourself. |
| C．You won't be forgiven even if you tell the truth. |
| D．The friendship will get hurt and go worse. |
| A．communication can stop you making mistakes |
| B．mistakes would turn into deeper scratches |
| C．apologizing is good for you and other people |
| D．apologizing is the most powerful in emotional healing |
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