阅读理解。 There were red faces at one of Britain"s biggest banks recently. They

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阅读理解。

     There were red faces at one of Britain"s biggest banks recently. They had accepted a telephone
order to buy ￡100,000 worth of shares(股票) from a fifteen-year-old schoolboy (they thought he
was twenty-one). The shares fell in value and the schoolboy was unable to pay up. The bank lost
￡ 20,000 on the deal which it cannot get back because, for one thing, this young speculator(投机者)
does not have the money and, for another, being under eighteen, he is not legally liable for his debts.
If the shares had risen in value by the same amount that they fell, he would have pocketed  ￡ 20,000
profit. Not bad for a fifteen-year-old. It certainly is better than delivering the morning newspaper. In
another recent case, a boy of fourteen found, in his grandmother"s house, a suitcase full of foreign
banknotes. The clean, crisp, banknotes looked very convincing but they were now not used in their
country of origin or anywhere else. This young boy headed straight to the nearest bank with his
pockets filled with notes. The cashiers did not realise that the country in question had reduced the
value of its currency by 90%. They exchanged the notes the notes at their face value at the current
exchange rate. In three days, before he was found out, he took  ￡ 200,000 from nine different banks.
Amazingly, he had already spent more than half of this on taxi-rides, restaurant meals, concert tickets
and presents for his many new girlfriends (at least he was generous!) before the police caught up with
him. Because he is also under eighteen the banks have kissed goodbye to a lot of money, and several
cashiers(出纳员) have lost their jobs.
     Should we admire these youngsters for being enterprising(有创业精神的) and showing initiative
(主动精神) or condemn them for their dishonesty? Maybe they had managed for years with tiny
amounts of pocket money that they got from tight-fisted parents. Maybe they had done Saturday jobs
for peanuts. It is hardly surprising, given the expensive things that young people want to buy, such as
fashionable running shoes and computer games, if they sometimes think up more imaginative ways of
making money than delivering newspapers and baby-sitting. These lads saw the chance to make a lot
of money and took it.
     Another recent story which should give us food for thought is the case of the man who paid his
six-year-old daughter ￡ 300 a week pocket money. He then charged her for the food she ate and for
her share of the rent and household bills. After paying for all this, she was left with a few coins for her
piggy bank. "She will soon learn the value of money," he said. "There"s no such thing as a free lunch.
Everything has to be paid for and the sooner she learns that the better." At the other extreme there are
fond parents who provide free bed and board for their grown-up children. While even the most
hard-hearted parents might hesitate to throw their children out on the streets, we all know people in
their late twenties who still shamelessly live off their parents. Surely there comes a time when everyone
has to leave the parental nest, look after themselves and pay their own way in life. But when is it?

1. One of Britain"s biggest banks recently _________.A. received a telephone order to buy shares for a twenty-one year old
B. lost a lot of money because the shares they bought fell in value
C. bought quite a lot of shares for a customer and caused him to lose money
D. lost money as its young customer did not have the money to pay his debts2. According to the passage, the young customer would have _________.A. earned   ￡20,000, if the shares had gone up in value by the same amount they fell
B. paid his debts, if he had had the money to do so
C. continued to cheat banks, if he had not been found out
D. to go to prison, if he did not pay the money back3. The writer"s attitude to the example of the two boys who cheated the banks is ______.A. positive
B. questioning
C. neutral
D. negative4. The reason why the man paid his daughter  ￡ 300 a week pocket money and then required her to pay
for her living expenses was that he wanted her to learn _________.A. to bear the hardships of life
B. how to live comfortably on her own pocket money
C. the value of money
D. how to save money5. It can be concluded from the article that the writer believes that _______.A. parents should give more pocket money to their children
B. children should leave the parental nest as soon as possible
C. grown-up children should support themselves
D. children should learn to be economical

答案

1-5DACCC

举一反三

阅读理解。     You might say that one reason Barack Obama is the President of the US is because he knows how to
give a good speech. In 2004, when Massachusetts Senator(参议员) John Kerry was the Democratic
Party’s nominee（被提名者） for the presidency, a little-known senator from Illinois gave the keynote
speech at the Democratic National Convention. That senator was Obama. It was a remarkable speech -- poetic, and inspiring. The people who heard it would remember it for a long time.
     Since 2004, Obama has written and delivered thousands of speeches. These are usually praised for
two reasons: he treats the audiences like intelligent adults, and he is able to express complicated ideas in
an easy, natural way. Before becoming president, Obama was a lawyer, a college professor, and a
successful writer -- his two memoirs(回忆录) have become best-sellers. The skills he needed to succeed
in his previous jobs have also contributed to his success as a speechmaker.
     Writing team: Obama has a team of people who write his speeches. The writers chat with Obama for
hours about what he wants to say. They listen to recordings of past presidential addresses and seek advice from advisers. Obama usually edits and rewrites the drafts several times.
     Obama’s tricks for a lighthearted speech that stays on message:
     Make fun of the guests. Obama starts his speech by gently teasing his guests. His opening lines grab the audience’s attention while giving them an opportunity to relax and laugh at themselves and each other.
     Make fun of yourself. A good rule for speechmakers: If you’re going to make a joke about someone
else, be sure to make one about yourself, too. Obama mocks his own poor choices for filling the position
of Commerce Secretary, saying, "No President in history has ever named three Commerce Secretaries this quickly.”
1. Obama made the poetic and inspiring speech in 2004 as________.
A. president
B. a nominee for the presidency
C. a senator
D. a secretary
2. What’s the meaning of the underlined word in paragraph 2?
A. Difficult to understand.
B. Easy to understand.
C. Different from others
D. Interesting to say.
3. According to the passage, we know that before becoming president, _________.
A. Obama was once a lawyer, a doctor and a college professor.
B. Obama was a successful writer.
C. Obama’s three memoirs have become best-sellers.
D. Obama’s former jobs have nothing to do with his speech.
4. According to paragraph 3, we know that _________.
A. Obama writes his speech himself.
B. the writers chat with Obama only for minutes before writing.
C. the writers never listen to recordings of past presidential speeches.
D. Obama is serious with his speech.
5. What’s the best title of the passage?
A. Secret of Obama’s successful speeches.
B. Obama’s successful speeches.
C. Obama’s way of making speeches.
D. Problems of Obama’s speeches.

题型：四川省月考题难度：| 查看答案

阅读理解。     Language is a major problem for the European Union(EU)．The agreement or treaty(条约) which
created the organization that finally became the EU,the Treaty of Rome,stated that each country"s
language must be treated equally.The original(原来的) six countries had only three languages between
them:French,German and Dutch/Flemish.However.there are now 15 countries in the EU,with a total
of 12 languages.EU documents must be translated into all these languages,and at official meetings the
speeches must be translated into all the languages by interpreters.
     All this translating is very expensive and timeconsuming(费时的)．It is said that nearly half of all
employess of the EU are engaged in translating documents and speeches,and nearly half of the EU"s
administrative(管理方面) costs are spent on this task.In the near future it is probable that several
more countries,most of them having their own languages,will join the EU,thus making the situation
even worse.
     The problem is not just cost；there are practical difficulties as well.With 12 languages,there are
132 possible "translation situations" that might be needed.It is often difficult to find people in the right
place at the right time who can translate from(for example) Danish into Greek,or Dutch into Portuguese,
at a high professional(专业) standard.
     In practice the problem has been made less serious by the use of English in many contacts(接触)
between EU officials,since almost all of them speak some English.However,any move to reduce the
number of official languages (perhaps to four or five) would be a blow to the pride of the smaller
countries.Another commonly suggested solution is to make English the official language for all EU
business.However,this is strongly resisted by powerful member countries like France and Germany.1.The organization that finally became the EU________.A．was started by France and Germany
B．started with three countries
C．was set up by the Treaty of Rome
D．included 132 languages2．What"s the main purpose of this passage?A．To give a solution to a problem.
B．To find out a problem and show how serious it is.
C．To criticize the European Union for inefficiency(低效率)．
D．To show that the problem cannot be solved.3．According to the writer,the use of English in contacts among EU officials has________.A．angered the officials who don"t speak English
B．reduced the number of official languages
C．lessened the effect of the problem
D．been opposed by powerful member countries4．The writer mentions "Danish into Greek" as an example of________.A．a situation that might be difficult to deal with
B．a situation that occurs often
C．one of the 12 situations that requires an interpreter
D．languages easily being interpreted

题型：同步题难度：| 查看答案

Most people agree that the direct, assertive(过分自信的) American personality is a virtue, but it sometimes surprises foreigners. In many cultures, respect for older people or those in positions of authority keeps others from expressing their true feelings. But in the U.S, children often argue with their parents, students may disagree with their teachers, and citizens may express opposition to the actions of the government. If the soup has a fly in it or the meat is too tough to chew, the diner can complain to the waiter, if the boss makes a mistake, an employee will politely point it out.
Some straight talk about the American character must include the admission that Americans have their faults. The extremely competitive nature of Americans is probably their worst fault. Of course, competition isn’t always bad. As a matter of fact, it promotes excellence by encouraging individuals and businesses to try to do their best. But the desire to get ahead of others sometimes causes people to do things that are unkind and even dishonest. Also, Americans admire what is practical, fast, efficient, and fresh. Sometimes they fail to understand and appreciate practices that have greater respect for more traditional, leisurely ways of doing things. On the other hand, people from other cultures may dislike the practical, challenging American lifestyle.
Despite culture differences, most foreigners give Americans credit for their virtues. Americans are generally viewed as friendly, adaptable, energetic, and kindhearted. Most newcomers to the U.S. like Americans, and the feeling is usually mutual. Perhaps the greatest American virtue is a deep interest in new ideas and new people. In a nation of immigrants, the foreigner does not remain an outsider for long.
73．Find a word in the last paragraph closest in meaning to the underlined word immigrant?
74.Why is the extremely competitive nature considered as one of American faults?（不超过10个词）
75.What does the passage mainly talks about? （不超过2个词）

题型：不详难度：| 查看答案

For hundreds of years, artists have used cartoons to criticize bad rulers or landowners. As early as the 19th century, people produced and read books of drawings. In many ways, they were similar to modern comics（漫画）. They contained stories of naughty children and playful animals. The owl and the elephant were usually wise animals, ready to give advice. The lion and tiger were brave. The fox and wolf were cunning, greedy and dangerous.
A century ago, an American newspaper published the first-color comic strip. It was so popular that sales of the newspaper, Morning Journal, increased quickly. Since then, newspapers throughout the world have included comic strips.
In modern time, comics are popular in China, Japan, the USA and almost everywhere. Not even video games or CD-ROMs have reduced their popularity. Names such as Snoopy, Woodstock and Garfield are well known in dozens of countries. The Peanuts comic strip appears in over 2,000 newspapers and in more than 25 languages.
Perhaps one day, you may like to create your own comic strip and become a millionaire. First, you must think of a good plot. It should be funny, exciting or interesting in some way. It should have plenty of action. Moreover, the language must be realistic and simple. The words should suit the characters in your story.
Furthermore, the characters in your story must be clear to readers. They should be obviously good or bad. In many comic strips—especially those showing crime of adventure—there should also be a hero or heroine. This will attract the reader to keep on reading the story.
1. Which of the following is NOT the name of a cartoon character?
A. Snoopy             B. Garfield         C. Peanuts        D. Woodstock
2. We can know from the first paraphaph that rulers ________.
A. asked the artists to draw cartoons          B. probably did not like cartoons about them.
C. often drew cartoons many years ago.       D. used cartoons to give people advice.
3. According to the passage, what makes a popular and successful comic strip?
A. Good plot        B. suitable language      C. clear characters     D. All of above
4. The underlined word “plot” is similar in meaning to ______.
A. places             B. stories           C. events               D. characters

题型：不详难度：| 查看答案

Slang is a popular, less official and often very current form of language. It is an important part of a living language and is constantly changing as language changes. Slang is often playful, direct and sometimes less respectful than the more official and traditional version of language. So now I"m going to lay it on you! To “lay it on” is American slang for “to tell” or “to explain.”
Slang can take many forms. For example, slang can be local to one city or area. In Washington, D.C. there is a whole set of slang to describe politics and business in the city. For example, the term POTUS stands for President of the United States. POTUS can often be found with his wife, FLOTUS, the first lady of the United States. “Inside the Beltway” is a popular expression that describes the area of Washington, D.C. The beltway is the large highway that circles the city.
The Internet has helped create a whole new kind of computer-related slang. An “angry fruit salad” is an expression that describes a Web site with too many bright colors. “Netiquette” is slang for correct behavior when using the Internet.
Young people often develop the latest slang. For example, to say Special English “rocks” or is “phat” means Special English is really great. A “kegger” is a party where beer is served. If something is “wack” it is wild and crazy.
Different professions often have their own slang as well. For example, medical workers might refer to a complaining patient as a “gomer”. A "tough stick" is someone whose veins are difficult to find when he or she needs to have blood taken.
No matter how well you speak English, there are always new and interesting slang words to discover. There are entire dictionaries for describing slang. Many experts do not even agree on what is and what is not slang. Often slang words later become a part of officially accepted language. Official or not, slang is an energetic and exciting part of the American language that continues to change.
46. Which of the following is not true for slang compared with the official language?
A. Playful   B. Direct   C. Less respectful   D. More official
47. It can be inferred from the passage that______.
A. if you speak English very well, there is no problem for you to understand English speakers
B. slang words are created by people in their daily life
C. English speakers are clear whether it is a slang
D. slang words will never be accepted as official language
48.Which of the following is not mentioned to have helped create slang?
A. The internet.   B. Young people.   C. President of the United States. D. Professions
49. Where do you think is the passage adapted from?
A. A radio speech   B. A magazine.   C. A textbook.   D. A newspaper.
50. Which of the following can be the best title of this passage?
A. What is slang?   B. Slang is popular.   C. Who creates slang?   D. Slang is a language.

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