精英家教网 > 高中英语 > 题目详情
“I Went Skydiving at 84!”
As a young girl growing up in the 1930s, I always wanted to fly a plane, but back then it was almost unheard of for a woman to do that. I got a taste of that dream in 2001,when my husband arranged for me to ride in a hot air balloon for my birthday. But the experience turned out to be very dull. Around that time, I told my husband that I wanted to skydive. So when our retirement community(社区)announced that they were having an essay competition and the topic was an experience of a lifetime that you wanted to have, I decided to write about my dream.
In the essay, I wrote about my desire to skydive, stating George Brush Sr. did it at age 80. Why not me? I was just 84 and in pretty good health. A year went by and I heard nothing. But then at a community party in late April 2009, they announced that I was one of the winners. I just couldn’t believe it. Inspired by this, I decided to realize my dream, even though some of my family members and my doctor were against it.
On June 11, 2009, nearly 40 of my family and friends gathered in the area close to where I would land while I headed up in the airplane. My instructor, Jay, guided me through the experience. The plane was the noisiest one I had ever been in, but I wasn’t frightened—I was really just looking forward to the experience. When we reached 13,000 feet, Jay instructed me to throw myself out of the plane. When we first hit the air, the wind was so strong that I could hardly breathe. For a second I thought, “What have I gotten myself into?” But then everything got calmer. We were in a free fall for about a minute before Jay opened the parachute(降落伞), then we just floated downward for about five minutes. Being up in the clouds and looking at the view below was unlike anything I have ever felt—much better than the hot air balloon. I was just enjoying it.
Skydiving was really one of the greatest experiences of my life. I hope other people will look at me and realize that you don’t stop living just because you are 84 years old. If there’s something you want to experience, look into it. If it’s something that is possible, make it happen.
小题1:What happened to the author in 2001?
A.She flew an airplaneB.She entered a competition
C.She went on a hot air balloon rideD.She moved into a retirement community
小题2:The author mentioned George Bush Sr. in her essay to       .
A.build up her own reputationB.show her admiration for him
C.compare their health conditionD.make her argument persuasive
小题3:How did the author feel immediately after she jumped out of the plane?
A.ExcitedB.ScaredC.Nervous D.Regretful
小题4:What did the author enjoy most when she was skydiving?
A.The beautiful cloudsB.The wonderful view
C.The company of JayD.The one-minute free fall
小题5:Which word could be used to replace the word “instructor,” in Paragraph 3?
A.doctorB.conductorC.pilotD.trainer

小题1:C
小题1:D
小题1:D
小题1:B
小题1:D
练习册系列答案
相关习题

科目:高中英语 来源:不详 题型:阅读理解

Ellen Parker was worried about her health. She could not walk very quickly and it was difficult for her to climb stairs. She was soon out of breath.
“I suppose I had better go to the doctor.” she thought.
She went to the doctor and told him her problem.
“I’m not at all surprised.” he said, “I know what your problem is.”
He examined her and then gave her some advice.
“If you don’t do what I say, Mrs Parker,” he said, “You will have a heart attack (心脏病发作). It could kill you.”
Ellen was very worried as she left the doctor’s. She knew that she had to take his advice but that it would not be easy and it would take time.
The next day she went shopping. The first shop she went into was a butcher shop (肉铺).
“I’d like ten pounds of steak (牛排), please.” she said.
“Certainly, madam.” the butcher replied and went into the cold room and found a large piece of steak. He brought the huge piece of meat back into the shop and placed it on the scale (称).
“That’s just ten pounds.” he said.
“That’s big enough.” Mrs Parker said.
The butcher worked out the price.
“At S|4.99 a pound that will be S|49.90, please. Would you like me to cut it up into smaller pieces for you?”
“Oh, I don’t want to buy the meat.” Mrs Parker said.
“If you don’t want to buy it,” the butcher replied angrily, “Why did you ask me to get it for you?”
“My doctor told me that I am too heavy and have to lose ten pounds. I wanted to see what ten pounds of meat looked like.”
小题1:Why did Ellen Parker visit the doctor?
A.She had a heart attack.B.She had a problem with her health.
C.She was unhappy about her weight. D.She could not sleep well.
小题2:Why did Ellen Parker ask for ten pounds of steak?
A.She wanted to buy some for dinner.
B.She wanted to lose weight.
C.Her doctor had told her to eat steak.
D.She wanted to see what ten pounds of meat looked like.
小题3:What was Ellen Parker’s real problem?
A.She ate too much steak.B.She weighed too much.
C.She was often out of breath.D.She could not walk very quickly.

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英语 来源:不详 题型:阅读理解

For a small town, Mantattan, Kansas has some big surprises. And one of them is the Holiday Inn Hotel, with rooms built around a swimming pool and a friendly atmosphere.
The Holiday Inn is where Manhattan people often go for a special party, or a night out. A lot of them choose to eat in the bright?lit restaurant near the pool, And many of them will be served by Ellen Logan, who has worked as a waitress here for more than two years.
Ellen, like most of the waitresses, is also a student. She comes from Nebraska, but she’s planning one day to be a veterinary surgeon, and to care for small animals. But in order to support herself at college, she works twenty hours a week at the Holiday Inn.
Ellen soon learned what every waitress finds out. Your best friend has a good pair of shoes. She paid forty?five dollars for hers, much more than she would usually spend. She’s discovered something else too. You don’t have to know much about food to be a good waitress, but you do have to know a lot about people.
“A lot of business people always stay here when they come to Manhattan”, she explains. “They like you to recognize them and remember their favorite dishes. But some couples come for a night out together. They just want to be left alone. Then there are people who can’t make up their minds. They look down the menu and say,‘What do you suggest?’So I ask them how hungry they are. If they say,‘Not very.’I suggest the salad bar, with soup, salad, bread, and a fruit plate. But if they say they’re very hungry, I suggest a Kansas Strip Steak, with potatoes or rice. You get salad and bread as well. It’s very nice. Real good value”.
Ellen may get tired sometimes, but at least she’s learning too much about people. She’s learning too much about people. She’ll probably make a good animal doctor, but if she finds she doesn’t like it after all, she can become a psychiatrist(心理医生)instead.
小题1:What does the underlined phrase “a veterinary surgeon” mean?
A.An animal doctorB.A hotel managerC.A food expertD.A restaurant waitress
小题2:According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?
A.Businessmen like to be suggested what to eat.
B.Many couples often want you to recognize them.
C.Why people like to eat in the hotel is that it is full of a friendly atmosphere.
D.If you know a lot about people,you’ll be a good veterinary surgeon.
小题3:From the passage we can infer that       .
A.waitresses in the Holiday Inn are all students.
B.waitresses are required to buy a good pair of shoes before they go to work.
C.waitresses should be familiar with the food there.
D.it is more important for the waitresses to know much about people than food.
小题4:Choose the best title for the passage.
A.How to Deal with PeopleB.A Special Holiday Inn Hotel in Manhattan
C.American Holiday InnD.Ellen Logan at the Holiday Inn

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英语 来源:不详 题型:阅读理解

To us it seems so natural to put up an umbrella to keep the water off when it rains, But actually the umbrella was not invented as protection against the rain, Its first use was as a shade against the sun!
Nobody knows who first invented it, but the umbrella was used in very ancient times . Probably the first to use it were the Chinese in the 11th century B C.
We know that the umbrella was used in ancient Egypt and Babylon as a sunshade. And there was a strange thing connected with its use: it became a symbol of honor. In the Far East in ancient times, the umbrella was allowed to be used only by those in high office.
In Europe, the Greeks were the first to use the umbrella as a sunshade. And the umbrella was in commonly used in ancient Greece. But it is believed that the first persons in Europe to use the umbrella as protection against the rain were the ancient Romans.
During the Middle Ages, the use of the umbrella practically disappeared. Then it appeared again in Italy in the late sixteenth century. And again it was considered as a symbol of power. By 1680, the umbrella appeared in France and later in England.
By the eighteenth century, the umbrella was used against rain throughout most of Europe.
Umbrellas have hot changed much in style during all this time, though they have become much lighter in weight. It wasn’t until the twentieth century that women’s umbrellas began to be made , in a whole variety of colors.
小题1:According to this passage, the umbrella was probably first invented in ancient_______.
A.ChinaB.EgyptC.GreeceD.Rome
小题2:Which of the following statements is not true about the umbrella?
A.No one exactly knows who the inventor of the umbrella was
B.The umbrella was first invented to be used as protection against the sun.
C.The umbrella changed much in style in the eighteenth century
D.In Europe, the Greeks were the first to use the umbrella as a sunshade.
小题3:A strange feature of the umbrella’s use is that it was used as__________.
A.protection against rainB.a shade against the sun
C.a symbol of honor and powerD.women’s decoration (装饰)
小题4:In Europe, the umbrella was first used against the rain_______________.
A.during the Middle Ages B.by the 18thC.in RomeD.in Greece
小题5:This passage talks mainly about_______________.
A.when and how the umbrella was invented
B.why the umbrella was so popular in Europe
C.the development of the umbrella
D.The history and use of the umbrella

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英语 来源:不详 题型:阅读理解

One of the most famous nursery rhymes(摇篮曲) in the English language is Mary Had a Little Lamb(羔羊). It has touched many children who have read it. It is about the deep love between a young girl and her pet lamb. The poem is from a true story that happened in the early part of the 19th century in the town of Sterling, Massachusetts, in the USA.
Mary Sawyer (1806-1889) lived on a farm with her family. One day, when she was about nine years old, she saw a little lamb that had just been born and left behind by its mother. It was very weak and looked as if it would die at very moment. Mary took pity on the lamb and spent the whole night looking after it. Eventually, it grew strong and became a very close friend with Mary, following her everywhere she went.
One day, the lamb even followed Mary to school. At first she wanted to turn it back but her brother suggested that it would be fun to take the lamb to school. During the class, she hid the lamb under her desk. But when she was called to go to the front of the class, to her surprise, the lamb followed her. Though the students and the teacher thought it was funny to see a lamb at school, the teacher had to ask Mary to keep the lamb outside of the school.
That very day, a young man called John Roulstone was visiting Mary’s school. He was so moved by the love between the child and her little pet lamb that he wrote a poem which he handed to Mary the next day. His poem contained twelve lines.
Later, Sara Josepha Hale added another twelve lines to the poem and published it in 1930 under the title “Mary Had a Little Lamb”. The poem has become a classic, loved by children all over the world. The appeal (吸引力) of the poem lies not only in the funny idea of a sheep going to school but also in the true love between the little girl and her pet. The town of Sterling has honoured Mary’s lamb by building a statue (雕像) of the lamb with Mr Roulstone’s poem below the statue.
小题1:What is the best title for the passage?
A.Mary Had a Little LambB.The Life of Mary Sawyer
C.The Origin of a PoemD.An Animal Friend
小题2:The underlined word “eventually” in the second paragraph most probably means         .
A.fortunatelyB.graduallyC.finallyD.kindly
小题3: Why did the poem become a classic?
A.It had another twelve lines added.
B.It was written by a young man.
C.It describes the true love between a little girl and her pet lamb.
D.A statue of lamb was built in the town of Sterling.
小题4:Which could be the right order of the following events according to the passage?
a. The poem “Mary Had a Little Lamb”became popular.
b. Mary’s brother suggested that she take the lamb to school.
c. People built a statue to honor the lamb.
d. Mary found a little lamb.
e. A young man was moved by the story and wrote a poem.
A. d. b. e. c. aB. d. b. e. a. c
C. d. e. b. c. a D. d. e. b. a. c
小题5:Which of the following statements can be inferred from the passage?
A.Mary’s mother was also fond of the little lamb.
B.Mary and the little lamb developed a very close friendship.
C.Mary wrote to John Roulstone and asked him to write the poem.
D.All children were allowed to take their pets to school in America.

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英语 来源:不详 题型:阅读理解

To help the environment, many Americans have made the change from paper and plastic bags to reusable grocery bags. But a report by a Florida newspaper says that reusable grocery bags sold by some supermarkets contain high levels of lead(铅). Lead is a metal that can be harmful to humans, especially young children, Now, Senator Charles Schumer is asking the US government to investigate(调查) the use of lead in reusable shopping bags.
“When our families go to the grocery store looking for safe and healthy foods to feed their kids, the last thing they should have to worry about is poisonous bags.” Schumer said, “A quick investigation will allow everyone to make informed, timely decisions.”  Schumer added.
Lead in the bags is not likely to rub off (因摩擦而粘在……上面)on food. But over time, paint on the bags can chip and the bags can wear out. When this happens, lead can be released(释放).
The Tampa Tribune newspaper said certain bags sold at Publix and Winn-Dixie supermarkets had lead levels that were a concern to health officials. The affected bags were found in Florida. But Publix has more than 1,000 stores in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Sough Carolina and Tennessee. Publix says that all of its bags are under current laws about lead content, but that they have asked the makers of the bags to reduce the lead levels in the product.
The bags with the highest levels of lead had fancy designs and many pictures. Plain reusable bags without decoration were found to contain little lead. Consumers worried about lead levels in reusable bags can change to cloth or string bags. Paper bags are also a good choice, since paper can be recycled(回收).
Since 2007, Publix supermarkets have sold more than 13 million reusable bags. The store says because shoppers have made the change to reusable bags, it has saved more than 1 billion paper and plastics bags.
小题1: The shopping bags containing high levels of lead ______.
A.have been reported by a newspaper
B.have been stopped by the government
C.have stopped people from using reusable bags
D.have caused serious health damage to customers
小题2:From Schumer’s words we can learn that ______.
A.reusable bags do little harm to kids’ health
B.people have shown much concern for the reusable bags
C.people will be informed of the facts about the reusable bags
D.people should refuse to buy things from supermarkets
小题3:It can be inferred from the text that Publix might believe that the bags they sold are ______.
A.dependableB.convenientC.harmfulD.popular
小题4:Customers are advised to choose bags ______.
A.with colorful designsB.with fancy pictures
C.made of plasticD.made of paper
小题5:From the last paragraph we know that the use of reusable bags has ______.
A.caused Publix a lot of troubleB.saved Publix much money
C.cost Publix plenty of moneyD.been proved a wrong decision

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英语 来源:不详 题型:阅读理解

There is no other five-year –old like him. He has a potato-shaped head , thick eyebrows and a voice that is not easily forgotten. He is not evil, but trouble follows him wherever he goes.
Crayon Shinchan(蜡笔小新)enjoys great popularity in China. He has many fans in Hong Kong , Taiwan and on the mainland. And he is one of the hottest cartoon characters in his home country, Japan.
But, the trouble-maker’s show was ranked the No. 1 most unwanted cartoon program by Japan’s Parents’ Association on April 18.
More than half the parents who took part in the study thought Shinchan was a negative role model for children. They believed his actions and speech were adult in nature and not suitable for kids.
Many parents and education experts in China agree with them. Shinchan, they say, is really offensive. He looks out for pretty ladies on the street; at the bookstore he reads magazines full of sexy women; he pretends to be kidnapped by his teacher when he sees a police car; and he raises his mum’s skirt and shouts out the color of her underpants if she doesn’t buy him what he wants.
“Crayon Shimchan is full of dirty humor. The boy shows some terrible adult mentality(心态),which doesn’t match his age,” said Pang Lijuan, professor of the Education Department at Beijing Normal University. Pang further pointed out that Shinchan destroys the traditional image of a polite, hard-working boy. She fears that some teens may copy his behavior and harm their psychological development. Pang and many others in China think that Shinchan is a cartoon for adults-----not for children.
But some kids disagree. Jiangxin, a senior 2 student in Luhe Middle School in Beijing, became a fan of Shinchan after he first saw the cartoon two years ago. He said it is Shinchan’s humor , courage, and cleverness that makes him and his friends love the little cartoon character . “Shinchan looks at the adults’ world with kid’s eyes. He uncovers the hypocrisy(虚伪) and selfishness in a childish way,” explained Jiang. “We watch it just for fun.” But Jiang also admitted that Shinchan is not good for all ages. “It may not be suitable for primary school kids. They may try to blindly copy him.”
Shinchan’s “father ”, Japan’s popular cartoonist, Yoshito Ushi, never thought Shinchan would cause such a heated discussion. He argued that Shinchan is a childish copy of Japan’s middle-aged men. The boy does everything adults would like, but don’t dare to do. “People can easily forgive him because he’s only five years old,” said Yoshito.
小题1: Teachers and parents dislikes Crayon Shinchan because         .
A.he looks very ugly
B.he caused a heated discussion
C.the character was created by an adult cartoonist
D.he was regarded as a negative role model for children to follow
小题2:Many children are crazy about Shinchan mainly because       .
A.he looks very funny
B.the cartoon character is suitable for all ages
C.they think he is humorous, clever and brave
D.he is a childish copy of Japan’s middle-aged men
小题3:The underlined word “offensive” in Paragraph 5 probably means       .
A.humorousB.ugly-looking C.funnyD.unpleasant
小题4:What is Yoshito Ushi’s explanation of Shinchan’s behaviour?
A.Shinchan is such a naughty boy that he can’t behave himself.
B.Shinchan is trying to draw people’s attention by doing some offensive things.
C.Shinchan wants to set a role model in a different way.
D.Shinchan’ s behaviour is just a childish copy of Japan’s middle-aged men.

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英语 来源:不详 题型:阅读理解

When Jeanne Calment entered the world in 1875, telephones and automobiles still lay in the future. Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso were not yet born. The Eiffel Tower was 14 years from being built. As a teenager, she met Vincent Van Gogh, near her home in Arles, in the south of France. He was “very ugly, ungracious (举止粗俗的), impolite, sick—I forgive him, they called him loco (精神失常的)”, she recalled. When she died last week at age 122, she was the world’s eldest person. (There are others who claimed to the title, but only Calment had the official documents to prove her age.)
Each February 21, her birthday, she would share the secrets of long life. Some years it was “a sense of humour”, others it was “keeping busy”. “God must have forgotten me,” she once explained. The truth probably was that she had good genes: her mother reportedly lived to be 86 and her father 94.
Her life had its sadness: she outlived her husband, her only daughter and her grandson. According to a friend, she was imperturbable. “If you can’t do anything about it,” she reportedly said, “don’t worry about it.”
In her last years she was nearly blind and deaf, but her health remained good. She ate a few bars of chocolate each week and continued smoking until a few years ago, when she could no longer light her own cigarettes. She never lost her sense of humour. On her 110th birthday, she commented, “I’ve only ever had one wrinkle, and I’m sitting on it. “Her longevity made her famous; her spirit made her eternal (永恒的).
小题1:Why does the author mention Albert Einstein, Pablo Picasso and the Eiffel Tower?
A.To show that Calment had seen famous people and things.
B.To emphasize that Calment was born a long time ago.
C.To indicate that Calment is just as famous.
D.To admire the knowledge that Calment had.
小题2:The author believed that Calment’s longevity is mainly due to ______.
A.a sense of humorB.being kept busy
C.belief in GodD.good genes
小题3:The underlined word “imperturbable” means ________.
A.calmB.humorousC.friendlyD.healthy
小题4:Toward the end of the story, the author seems to be impressed by Callment ’s _________.
A.spiritB.religious beliefC.knowledgeD.longevity

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英语 来源:不详 题型:阅读理解

When Callie Rogers won almost 1.9 million pounds on the lottery(彩票) at 16, she hoped it would help her put her troubles behind her. The teenager came from a broken home, had dropped out of school and was living in local authority care.
Rogers, from Cumbria, England, won the National Lottery in 2003. Then she began spending her money wildlly, buying four homes for her family, flash cars and designer clothes, partying and having some cosmetic (整容的) surgery. Two weeks after her win, she married and had two children. But then she spent 250, 000 pounds on cocaine (可卡因) and suffered depression. Earlier this year she lost the right to take care of her children because of her mental state.
She became addicted to drugs and attempted suicide three times as her life unraveled. She says the money brought her only misery. Now she is down to her last 100 000 pounds, but she has never been happier.
Now 22, she said:“Just a few months ago I was taking too many drugs and hated myself. I simply did not want to live any more. But now I have a new man and am finally becoming the woman I want to be. And it's only after I've spent most of my fortune that this has finally happened.”
“I need to get my act together and make my kids proud, and for the first time I really do think that's possible.” She credits her new boyfriend with giving her the stable home life she has always longed for and she now hopes to go to college and eventually become a counselor. “After all I've experienced, I think I have a lot of advice to offer,” she said.
小题1:Why was Rogers not allowed to look after her children?
A.She was in a bad mental state.B.She was addicted to using drugs.
C.She was not responsible for them. D.She was too poor to support them.
小题2:What can we learn about Rogers from Paragraph 3?
A.Being addicted to drugs cost her everything.
B.Money didn't bring her happiness as expected.
C.Rogers felt much happier with her money gone.
D.Too much money allowed her to do what she wanted.
小题3:What caused Rogers to change and start a new life?
A.The loss of money.B.Her bitter past.
C.Her husband and children.D.Her new boyfriend.
小题4:Why does Rogers hope to go to college?
A.She intends to find a good job.B.She expects to become a professor.
C.She longs to improve her situation.D.She wants to offer advice for others.

查看答案和解析>>

同步练习册答案