Last Sunday I made a visit to some new neighbors down the block. No specific in mind, just an opportunity to sit at the kitchen table, have some tea and chat. As I did so, it occurred to me how rare the Sunday visit has become.
When I was a kid in New Jersey of the 1960s, Sunday visits were routine. Most stores were closed, almost nobody worked, and the highways, as a result, were not desperate steeplechases(障碍赛跑) they have become today. My family normally traveled eight city blocks to the home of my grandmother, where adults would sit on the front porch and chat while we children played hide-and-seek.
The Sunday visit was something to desire strongly. It was the repetition to church, our reward for an hour of devotion, an opportunity to take advantage of the fact that Dad was not at work, we were not in school, and there was no housework that couldn’t wait until Monday. Sunday was, indeed, different from the other days of the week, because everyone seemed to be on the same schedule, which means that there was one day when everyone seemed to have time for everybody else.
Sunday as a day of rest is, or was, so deeply rooted in the culture that it’s surprising to find that, in a short span of time, it has almost entirely lost this association. In my childhood, it was assumed that everyone would either be home or visiting someone else’s home on Sunday. But now the question is, “What do you plan to DO this Sunday?” The answer can range from going to the mall, to participating in a road race, to Montreal for lunch. If one were to respond, “I’m making a Sunday visit to family,” such an answer would feel strange, which sounds like an echo from another era.
I suppose I should be grateful to live in Maine, a state of small towns, abundant land and tight relationships. Even though folks work as hard here as they do anywhere else, the state’s powerfully rural feature still keeps at least remnants(残余部分) of the moral of yesterday’s America, where people had to depend on one another in the face of economic vagaries(反复无常的情况) and a challenging environment.
【小题1】The writer’s general impression of the Sunday in the past was a day when＿＿.
| A．everyone was paying a visit to some relatives far away |
| B．everyone seemed to be free for others |
| C．Dad was not at work while Mom was busy cleaning the house |
| D．nearly every adult would go to church and children weren’t at school |
| A．people nowadays prefer staying at home on Sunday |
| B．such answers are rarely heard in our modern society |
| C．people in the city dislike being disturbed on Sunday |
| D．visiting someone on Sunday was routine in the past |
| A．people in Maine suffer more from economic depression and the changed environment |
| B．people in Maine have abandoned their tradition and lived an absolutely new life |
| C．land in Maine is short, thus the relationship between people is tense |
| D．people in Maine tend to help each other out of necessity |
| A．Doing many activities on Sunday is beneficial. |
| B．We should often travel a long distance to visit some friends and relatives. |
| C．Nowadays, Sunday has almost lost its association as a day of rest. |
| D．We should abandon some old tradition. |
【小题1】B
【小题2】B
【小题3】D
【小题4】C
解析试题分析：本文讲述了在以前Sunday visit是非常流行的，人们在星期天都去看望家人朋友，放松娱乐自己，而在现代社会里，这样的机会是很少的，人们在周末都忙着别的事情，似乎星期天和放松休息没有什么关系了。
【小题1】B推理题。根据文章第二段描述尤其是1,2行When I was a kid in New Jersey of the 1960s, Sunday visits were routine. Most stores were closed, almost nobody worked,以及第三段最后2行Sunday was, indeed, different from the other days of the week, because everyone seemed to be on the same schedule, which means that there was one day when everyone seemed to have time for everybody else. 可知过去在星期天每个人似乎都很自由。故B正确。
【小题2】 B细节题。根据文章第4段最后2行If one were to respond, “I’m making a Sunday visit to family,” such an answer would feel strange, which sounds like an echo from another era.人们惊讶的原因也许就是这样的回到在现代社会已经很少出现了。人们都去做别的事情了。故B正确。
【小题3】D推理题。根据文章最后4行Even though folks work as hard here as they do anywhere else, the state’s powerfully rural feature still keeps at least remnants(残余部分) of the moral of yesterday’s America, where people had to depend on one another in the face of economic vagaries(反复无常的情况) and a challenging environment.可知在Maine人们总是在相互帮助。故D正确。
【小题4】 C主旨大意题。作者在本文中讲述了在过去Sunday visit是非常流行的，人们在星期天都去看望家人朋友，放松娱乐自己，而在现代社会里，这样的机会是很少的，人们在周末都忙着别的事情，似乎星期天和放松休息没有什么关系了。故C正确。
考点：考察人生百态类短文阅读
名校课堂系列答案科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
My father was a foreman of a sugar-cane plantation(甘蔗种植园) in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. My first job was to drive the oxen that ploughed(耕) the cane fields. I would walk behind an ox(牛), guiding him with a broomstick. For $ 1 a day, I worked eight hours straight, with no food breaks.
It was very tedious work, but it prepared me for life and taught me many lasting lessons. Because the plantation owners were always watching us, I had to be on time every day and work as hard as I could. I’ve never been late for any job since. I also learned about being respectful and faithful to the people you work for. More important, I earned my pay; it never entered my mind to say I was sick just because I didn’t want to work.
I was only six years old, but I was doing a man’s job. Our family needed every dollar we could make because my father never earned more than $ 18 a week. Our home was a three-room wood shack with a dirty floor and no toilet. Nothing made me prouder than bringing home money to help my mother, father, two brothers and three sisters. This gave me self-esteem(自尊心), one of the most important things a person can have.
When I was seven, I got work at a golf course(高尔夫球场) near our house. My job was to stand down the fairway and spot the balls as they landed, so the golfers could find them. Losing a ball meant you were fired, so I never missed one. Some nights I would lie in bed and dreamt of making thousands of dollars by playing golf and being able to buy a bicycle.
The more I dreamed, the more I thought. Why not? I made my first golf club out of guava limb(番石榴树枝) and a piece of pipe. Then I hammered an empty tin can into the shape of a ball. And finally I dug two small holes in the ground and hit the ball back and forth. I practiced with the same devotion and intensity. I learned working in the field — except now I was driving golf balls with club, not oxen with a broomstick.
【小题1】The word “tedious” in Paragraph 2 most probably means _______.
| A．easy | B．boring | C．interesting | D．unusual |
| A．he should work for those who he liked most |
| B．he should work longer than what he was expected |
| C．he should never fail to say hello to his owner |
| D．he should be respectful and faithful to the people he worked for |
| A．Having a family of eight people |
| B．Owning his own golf course |
| C．Bringing money back home to help the family |
| D．Helping his father with the work on the plantation |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
I moved from Chicago to Brooklyn in July of 2010，just in time to watch my mother die. Our parents were both gone now； I took with me as many things they had left behind as I could.
I was out walking one Saturday later that summer when something caught my eye - a pale green dress. Laid out on the pavement was stuff like earrings, glass candle-holders, books. Hanging on the fence behind were a few pairs of jeans and a green cotton dress.
The woman, the host o£ the stoop (门廊）sale, looked like she was getting rid of a past she didn’t need or want. A dress that was too big for her. A chest of drawers that took up too much space, space she needed, maybe, to heal ，recover, or grow.
I wasn’t planning on buying anything really, but now I needed to show her that I appreciated her things and I would give them a safe home. Then I had my first stoop sale —I paid her 20 dollars for her green cotton dress and her blue candle-holder,
From that day on, I became interested in stoop sales. Some of my favorite things are from someone else’s life. I find no joy in shopping at regular stores any more. I love trying to sniff out a memory from a bud vase or a drawer. It is comforting to know that someone has breathed and laughed inside a sweater before me.
A few weeks ago, I carried my mother’s dresses to a friend’s stoop. These were her best items ，which were once worn by the most important person in my life. For many hours, I watched from across the path people advancing the stoop, some leaving with Mom1S dress. I used to think that her stuff was as forever sacred (神圣的）as my memory of her, I know now that once I love a scarf or shirt too dearly，it needs to find a new home. Even that green dress is long gone by now.
【小题1】The author took her mother*s dresses after her death because ______
| A．she valued the things used by her mom |
| B．she didn’t want to throw them, away |
| C． she could sell them later |
| D． they were her mom’s best items |
| A． the things the author bought from the woman are too big |
| B． the author is fond of imagining others’ life experiences |
| C． the author will never shop at regular stores any more |
| D． the author still keeps most of her mom’s things |
| A． not sell her own things at stoop sales |
| B．keep her mom in her mind in another way |
| C． be sad about all the memory of her mom |
| D． move to another city for a new life |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
In one way of thinking, failure is a part of life. In another way, failure may be a way towards success. The “spider story” is often told. Robert Bruce, leader of the Scots in the 13th century, was hiding in a cave from the English. He watched a spider spinning a web. The spider tried to reach across a rough place in the rock. He tried six times without success. On the seventh time he made it and went on to spin his web. Bruce is said to have taken heart and to have gone on to defeat the English. Edison, the inventor of the light bulb, made hundreds of models that failed before he found the right way to make one.
So what? First, always think about your failure. What caused it? Were conditions right? Were you in top from yourself? What can you change so things will go right next time?
Second, is the goal you’re trying to reach the right one? Try to do some thinking about what your real goals may be. Think about this question, “If I do succeed in this, where will it get me?” This may help you prevent failure in things you shouldn’t be doing anyway.
The third thing to bear in mind about failure is that it’s a part of life. Learn to “live with yourself” even though you may have failed. Remember, “You can’t win them all.”
【小题1】This passage deals with two sides of failure. In paragraph 1, the author talks mainly about ___ .
| A．the value of failure | B．how people would fail |
| C．famous failures | D．the cause of failure |
| A．failed | B．succeeded | C．gave | D．got |
| A．interesting | B．difficult | C．deep | D．sorrowful |
| A．to think about the cause of your failure |
| B．to check out whether your goals are right for you |
| C．to consider failure as a part of life |
| D．to bear in mind that you will never fail in your life |
| A．Bruce and Edison were successful examples. |
| B．Failure may be regarded as a way toward success. |
| C．Edison learned a lot from the lesson the spider taught Robert Bruce. |
| D．One may often raise a question whether his goals are worth attempting. |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
John Smith，an office worker，lives in Washington．He inherited (继承) a million dollars when he was 23，but he wasn’t happy at all．When his college friends were looking for their jobs，he didn’t have to．Jack decided to living a simple life like everyone else．He gave $l0,000 of his money to a charity (慈善机构) to help poor children live a better life．Today he is 36．He still wears cheap shoes and clothes and drives a small car only，but he is very happy．
Up to now John has helped some children from poor countries all over the world，by sending them each $200 a month．The money was used for the children’s study, food, medicine and clothing．John receives a report each year on the children’s progress．They can write to each other, but usually the children do not speak English．
When John first heard about these children，he wanted to help them．“It was nothing special,” he said．“Until I went to these countries and met the children I was helping，I didn’t know anything about their life．” Once John went to meet a little girl in Africa．He said that the meeting was very exciting．“When I met her．I felt very ,very happy．"he said．“And I saw that the money was used for a good cause．It brought me happiness．I want to do everything I can to go on helping those children.”
【小题1】John didn’t need to look for a job ___________.
| A．before he went to college | B．after he went to Africa |
| C．because he got a lot of money | D．before he received a report |
| A．near Washington | B．in European countries |
| C．only in Africa | D．throughout the world |
| A．visiting them each year | B．getting a report every year |
| C．staying with them | D．talking to them in English |
| A．施舍 | B．行善 | C．优惠 | D．赏赐 |
| A．Help others，and you will feel happy． |
| B．It’s necessary to write letters to poor children． |
| C．Live a simple life，and you can give others help． |
| D．It’s the most important to help the children in Africa |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
There’s a body of water in Israel that is actually below sea level. Water constantly runs into it, but, because of the law of gravity (万有引力定律)，nothing can flow out of it. Do you know the name of this famous lake? It’s called the Dead Sea. It’s called this because no living thing could live there. The water is almost dead, compared to what happens with “living water”.
When you think of the term “living water”, the image that comes to mind is a rushing river that is flowing. It’s filled with life and movement. It doesn’t just “receive”, but is also “giving” simultaneously.
Many of us believe that we need to receive more of something in order to be happy. Whether what we desire is money or something else, we think we need more of it in order to be fulfilled.
As a result, we begin to operate in fear and therefore don’t give anything because we’re afraid that we won’t have enough. The result? Like the Dead Sea, we become lifeless. Life is meant to flow. when a pool stops flowing, it becomes stagnant(停滞的). Stagnant water breeds disease and death. It can’t breathe. It can’t receive any more. If nothing is flowing out, there’s no room for anything else to come in.
The solution? Give. As you give, you’ll receive. It’s a universal law. You see it at work everywhere. we’ve somehow been deceived （ 欺骗 ）into believing that if we don’t give, we’ll have more. Or we’re afraid that if we do give, we won’t have anything left. On one hand, this seems to make sense. But it doesn’t work. Because when we don’t give, we shut off the flow of what’s coming in.
【小题1】What is the first paragraph mainly about?
| A．The development of the Dead Sea |
| B．The special character of the Dead Sea |
| C．The position of the Dead Sea |
| D．The present situation of the Dead Sea |
| A．they are really poor in fact | B．they don’t know how to give |
| C．they don’t know who to give | D．they are still not satisfied |
| A．be like a pool with stagnant water |
| B．have enough space for what you’ll receive |
| C．need something more to be satisfied |
| D．do everything according to the law |
| A．Give and you’ll receive | B．The secret of the Dead sea |
| C．A universal law | D．come in and come out |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
One day when I was driving on the freeway, I noticed all the way there were large dividing walls, which had been built between it and the road running parallel to it, for noise reduction (减少) and a sense of separation. The purpose was to create a sense of privacy (隐私) for people on the other side.
This got me thinking: How often do we put up mental barriers that keep us distant from others? Lifting the artificial barriers that keep us apart can offer opportunities to express our goodwill and create better relationships. If we can do like this, maybe our life will be a little different.
There is a little post office in a nearby town, and since it is closer to me than the post office in my own town, I go there. One day, with many people jammed into the little building, a man came hurrying in to mail a letter, and the girl at the counter saw he had too little postage on it. She told him he needed 2 more cents. Obviously he was a little at a loss. He had hurried over from his office, and didn’t have any money on him or time to stand in line. He was going to run back to get the needed money and wait in line again, but he hurried to get the letter mailed in the first place.
As we were watching him, one woman volunteered a two-cent stamp, and the whole line became very quiet. It was a beautiful moment. The man hesitated for a little while and asked her if she was sure, and she assured him she was fine with giving him the stamp. He offered to go back to his office to get the two cents, and she told him not to bother.
It was a small thing, but it meant something to both of the people involved, and to the rest of us. We aren’t a yard that needs defining or a freeway that needs barriers. We are human beings who can contribute to each other’s wellbeing by taking time to pay attention and interact. After all, we are all parts of a whole living in society.
【小题1】The purpose of the first paragraph is to __________.
| A．summarize the main idea |
| B．give detailed information |
| C．tell readers the author’s opinion |
| D．introduce the topic |
| A．The man went back to his office immediately. |
| B．The man turned to a lady for help. |
| C．A woman offered a stamp to the man. |
| D．The man waited in line patiently. |
| A．She pays too much attention to privacy. |
| B．She believes people should participate in the world around them. |
| C．She confuses real barriers with false ones. |
| D．She insists all small things always have the greatest meaning. |
| A．Artificial Barriers | B．Unnecessary Separation |
| C．An Unforgettable Experience | D．The Kindness of People |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Once again, I had run away and really did not know why. I walked out of the gate to go to school and then kept walking, and walking, and walking. I was 11years old. It was almost dark; I was tired, cold, and all alone. I had not eaten all day and was afraid to turn myself over the police. I knew I would receive another beating once I returned to the Children’s Home Society. There was nothing for me to do, except keep on walking.
As darkness fell, I entered the darkened area in a city park sat down on a wooden bench hoping to avoid the police cars. It was cold and I began to tremble uncontrollably. All was quiet except for the passing cars in the distance.
“Well, hello young man.” A voice came from behind me. I jumped, almost falling off the park bench. My heart was beating ninety miles per hour. I gasped and I could hardly catch my breath. I looked up and saw a woman standing behind me in the shadows.
“You look cold and hungry,” she said. She took off her scarf, wrapped it around my shoulders and asked me to follow her. We walked about twenty feet, and then stopped under one of the park streetlights.
She held out her hand and said, “Here, you take this letter.” Seeing nothing in her hand., I stood still.
“Reach out and take the letter from my hand,” she insisted. Slowly I reached out, acting as though I was taking something from her hand. “Now hold the paper tightly and take it to any store owner,” she instructed.
I closed my thumb and finger as though I were grasping the letter and began walking toward Five Points. Several blocks down the road, I came to a store with a woman sitting behind a counter. I opened the door, walked in, and stopped directly in front of her. Very slowly I held out my hand toward her. I watched her face to see if she might think I was crazy or something.
She reached out and as her hand touched mine, I opened my tightly closed fingers and stood there waiting. She pulled back, smiled, and looked down at her hands.
She immediately turned and walked to the back of the store. After a while, the woman returned holding a paper plate.
“Here is something for you to eat.” She smiled and signaled to me to eat. Within two or three minutes, I downed the entire plate of food and several Coca Colas.
Before I left, she held out her hand and asked me to take the letter. Again seeing nothing, I held out my hand and closed my thumb and finger as though I were taking something from her. Tightly grasping nothing more than air, I walked out into the street and headed back to the park. The old woman was still there.
“It is really magic. Can I have the letter so I can be magic too?” I asked her.
She reached out, took my hand, and opened my tightly closed fingers. Whatever was being held between my fingers, she took and placed into her apron pocket. “Would you help someone if they were hungry?” she asked me.
“Yes Ma’am.”
“Would you help someone if they were hurt, cold or scared?”
“Yes Ma’am. I would be their friend.”
“You are a very lucky little boy. You will never need the magic letter,” she responded.
【小题1】What can we learn about the boy?
| A．Though lost in the city, he didn’t feel worried or lonely. |
| B．He had nowhere to go and wandered aimlessly in the street. |
| C．He avoided the police for the fear that he would be sent to prison. |
| D．He had to run away because of his bad performance at school. |
| A．The boy was out of breath as he did some exercises. |
| B．The boy felt excited at the appearance of the woman. |
| C．The boy was scared by the sudden voice of the woman. |
| D．The boy held his breath, waiting for the woman to come. |
| A．Because she had great sympathy for him. |
| B．Because she knew the boy and his parents. |
| C．Because he was a kind boy who deserved it. |
| D．Because the woman in the park had paid for it. |
| A．It's better to give than to take. |
| B．Kindness is a universal language. |
| C．Don't cry even if life cheats you. |
| D．Life is full of the getting over of suffering. |
| A．A Kind Woman. | B．A Sleepless Night. | C．A Magic Letter. | D．A Lucky Boy. |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Nobody likes home economics (家政学). But restoring the program could help us in the fight against obesity and chronic (慢性的) diseases today.
The home economics movement was founded on the belief that housework and food preparation were important subjects that should be studied scientifically. The first classes occurred in the agricultural and technical colleges that were built in the 1860s. When most departments of universities rejected women, home economics was a back door into higher education.
Indeed, in the early 20th century, home economics was a serious subject When few people understood germ (微生物) theory and almost no one had heard of vitamins, home economics classes offered vital information about washing hands regularly, eating fruits and vegetables and not feeding coffee to babies.
However, today we remember only the fixed ideas about home economics, forgetting the movement’s most important lessons on healthy eating and cooking. Too many Americans simply don’t know how to cook. Our diets, consisting of highly processed foods made cheaply outside the home, have contributed to many serious health problems. In the last decade, many cities and states have tried to tax junk food heavily or to ban the use of food stamps (食品券) to buy soda. Clearly, many people are doubtful about any governmental steps to promote healthy eating. But what if the government put the tools of obesity prevention in the hands of children themselves by teaching them how to cook?
My first experience with home economics happened two decades ago when I was a seventh grader in a North Carolina public school. A year later, my father’s job took our family to Wales, where I attended a large school for a few months. It was the first time I had ever really cooked anything. I remember that it was fun, and with an instructor standing by, it wasn’t hard. Those lessons stuck with me when I first started cooking for my husband and myself after college and they still do. Teaching cooking in public schools can help solve some problems facing Americans today. The history of home economics shows it’s possible.
【小题1】Home economics______.
| A．is a subject becoming more and more popular with Americans |
| B．is often used to help fight against obesity and chronic diseases |
| C．once offered women a. special approach to university education |
| D．was first taught in the agricultural and technical colleges in the early 1900s |
| A．the importance of regular hand washing |
| B．the health benefits of fruits and vegetables |
| C．the contents of home economics classes in the early 20th century |
| D．the significance of teaching home economics in the early 20th century |
| A．Children should be taught how to cook. |
| B．A heavy tax should be put on junk food |
| C．Healthy eating should be promoted at school |
| D．Using food stamps to buy soda should be banned |
| A．Her family moved frequently in her childhood. |
| B．Cooking classes have a far-reaching influence on her later life. |
| C．To receive a better education, she went to a large school in Wales. |
| D．Teaching cooking is the key to solving Americans’ health problems. |
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