高中英语日常生活类阅读试题

It’s no secret that doing good makes others happy – but did you know it can make you happy as well?
According to a study, people participating in meaningful activities were happier and felt that their lives had more purpose than people who only engaged in pleasure-seeking behaviors.
Try giving these four things to others to start your journey to a happier and healthier lifestyle.
1. Your Time
With a busy life, it can be hard to find any time to give away. However, volunteering your time has great benefits, including making new friends and connections, learning new skills and even advancing your career.
According to a paper about the link between health and volunteering, volunteering is connected with lower instances of depression and reduces the risk of dying by 22 percent.
2. Your Attention
Most of us think we’re good listeners, but according to psychologist Paul Donoghue, most people are aware that others don’t listen as well as they could. In addition, they’re not fully aware that they themselves aren’t listening.
When practicing mindfulness meditation(正念禅修), you focus on what you experience in the moment and let your thoughts and emotions pass through without judgment. Did you know that giving someone your undivided attention helps you also? When done well, active listening strengthens your focus－which is a major part of good meditation.
3. Your Compassion
The psychological meaning of compassion is the ability to understand another person’s emotional state. Compassion differs from empathy(移情) in that those who experience compassion not only put themselves in another person’s shoes, but also want to reduce that person’s suffering.
A brain-imaging study showed that the brain’s pleasure centers are equally active when we give money to the poor as when we receive money ourselves.
4. Your Money
According to an experiment, those who spend money on other people are significantly happier than those who spend the same quantity of money on themselves.
Whether or not you can offer other gifts, donating money helps make real change happen. It represents time spent, compassion and careful attention to the needs of others.
Who is the happiest according to the study mentioned in Paragraph 2?

A．Bill, who is often invited to play golf by his wealthy uncle.

B．Tom, who is on the way to be the richest man in the world.

C．Mike, who is not well-off but often does what he can to those in need.

D．John, who is a disabled young man but has married a very beautiful girl.

What does the underlined word “depression” in Paragraph 5 mean?

A．pleasure	B．unhappiness
C．connection	D．misunderstanding

Which of the four gifts matters most according to the author?

A．Time.

B．Money.

C．Attention.

D．Compassion.

What is the purpose of the passage?

A．To encourage people to help others.

B．To give the meaning of “happiness”.

C．To offer a practical way of life.

D．To show his kindness.

How the Americans view love
An old song says that " love makes the world go around" If you watch Americans on Valentine's Day, you can believe it. The whole country breaks out with little red hearts. Lovestruck people give cards, flowers and candy to their sweethearts.
The American concept of love and romance begins with dating. Young people date in several ways. At first they might have group dates with several boys and girls together. Later, they start going on single date - just one boy and one girl.
When two couples go out together, it's called double dating. A friend might even arrange a blind date for you with someone you don't know who your partner will be until the time of the date.
American young people see a date as a time just to have fun. They don't always have a romantic interest in mind. Someone may go out with one person this week, and another the next. After a while, a boy and a girl may decide they want to go steady. This means they think of each other as boyfriend and girlfriend. It also means they don't want to date anyone else. Romance is beginning to bloom.
Romance love is very much a part of American culture. Movies, TV shows and books in America all picture people falling in love. Actually, people all over the world search for happiness in a loving relationship. Maybe love does make the world go around.
How do you understand the understand sentence in the first paragraph?

A．Many young people's hearts break in America that day.

B．You can see many pictures of little red hearts all over America that day.

C．People all over the world show their hearts to each other that day.

D．people go out with their warm hearts that day

How many kinds of dates are mentioned in the passage?

A．2

B．3

C．4

D．5

What does blind date mean?

A．You can not see who is your partner during the date.

B．The partner of your date is a stranger.

C．Your date is arranged secretly.

D．You will not know your partner until the date begins.

Which of the following statement is true about American's view of romantic?

A．Romance love is the most important thing in the world

B．People all over the world search for romance love

C．Date is one thing, romantic is another.

D．They can find their ideal love in movies, TV shows and books

One day a few years ago a very funny thing happened to a neighbor of mine. He is a teacher at one of London’s big medical schools, He had finished his teaching for the summer term and was at the airport on his way to Russia to give a lecture.
He had put a few clothes and his lecture notes in his shoulder bag, but he had put Rupert, the skeleton (人体骨骼) to be used in his lecture, in a large brown suitcase (箱子). At the airport desk, he suddenly thought that he had forgotten to buy a newspaper. He left his suitcase near the desk and went over to the shop.
When he got back he discovered that someone had taken his suitcase by mistake. He often wonders what they said when they got home and found Rupert.
Who wrote the story?

A．Rupert’s teacher.	B．The neighbour’s teacher.
C．A medical school teacher.	D．The teacher’s neighbour.

Why did the teacher put a skeleton in his suitcase?

A．He needed it for the summer term in London.

B．He needed it for the lecture he was going to give.

C．He wanted to take it to Russia for medical research.

D．He wanted to take it home as he had finished his teaching.

What happened at the airport?

A．The skeleton went missing .	B．The skeleton was stolen .
C．The teacher forgot his suitcase.	D．The teacher took the wrong suitcase .

Which of the following best tells the teacher’s feeling about the incident?

A．He is very angry .	B．He thinks it rather funny .
C．He feels helpless without Rupert.	D．He feels good without Rupert .

You are walking down the street, minding your own business when you see a snowball. No big deal, right? Except the snowball is as tall as you are. And weighs about a ton. Did we mention that it is June?
That’s the experience thousand of Londoners had when they crossed paths with “ Snowball in Summer,” Goldsworthy makes sculpture （雕塑）from all sorts of things he finds outside – leaves, earth, and rocks, as well as ice and snow. He wanted to find out how busy people would react to an unexpected snowball melting in their midst.
During the winter of 2008, he rolled 13 giant snowballs near his home in Scotland. He filled each one with a surprise in the center – such as berries, feathers, little stones or sheep’s wool – which would appear as the snow melted. The finished snowballs were stored in a deep freeze until summer, then transported to London in refrigerated trucks. At midnight on June 21, 2008, while the city slept, Goldsworthy and his helpers rolled their snowballs into place.
People walking to work or school must have thought the sky was falling when they stumbled across snowballs the size of baby elephants. Some of them had never even seen snow in real life, and they couldn’t help touching them in great surprise. As the snow started to melt, things got even more interesting. The perfectly round snowballs took on different shapes as the stuff inside began to poke through. Two days later, most of Goldsworthy’s snowballs were gone, and their fillings scattered. But Londoners were left with a really good story about that odd summer day when the snowball came.
What is really special about the snowballs is that ______________________.

A．they lie in the street

B．they are in the shape of baby elephants.

C．they have berries, feathers, little stones and feathers in them.

D．they appear in June.

What was the purpose of Goldsworthy in making the snowballs?

A．To find out people’s reactions to them

B．To call up people’s memory of the cold winter.

C．To show off his skills in sculpture.

D．To let people experience the cold winter.

Why did Goldsworthy and his helpers roll their snowballs into place at mid-night?
A. They didn’t want to disturb other people.
B. It was quite at that time.
C. They wanted to avoid the traffic jam.
D, They wanted to give people a surprise.

I'm seventeen. I had worked as a box boy at a supermarket in Los Angeles. People came to the counter and you put things in their bags for them and carried things to their cars. It was hard work.
While working, you wear a plate with your name on it. I once met someone I knew years ago. I remembered his name and said, "Mr Castle, how are you?" We talked about this and that. As he left, he said, "It was nice talking to you, Brett." I felt great, he remembered me. Then I looked down at my name plate. Oh, no. He didn't remember me at all, he just read the name plate. I wish I had put "Irving" down on my name plate. If he'd have said, "Oh yes, Irving, how could I forget you?" I'd have been ready for him. There's nothing personal here.
The manager and everyone else who were a step above the box boys often shouted orders. One of these was: you couldn't accept tips. Okay, I'm outside and I put the bags in the car. For a lot of people, the natural reaction is to take a quarter and give it to me. I'd say, "I'm sorry, I can't." They'd get angry. When you give someone a tip, you're sort of being polite. You take a quarter and you put it in their hand and you expect them to say, "Oh, thanks a lot." When you say, "I'm sorry, I can't." They feel a little put down. They say, "No one will know." And they put it in your pocket. You say, "I really can't." It gets to a point where you almost have to hurt a person physically to prevent him from tipping you. It was not in agreement with the store's belief in being friendly. Accepting tips was a friendlything and made the customer feel good. I just couldn't understand the strangeness of some people's ideas.
One lady actually put it in my pocket, got in the car, and drove away. I would have had to throw the quarter at her or eaten it or something.
I had decided that one year was enough. Some people needed the job to stay alive and fed. I guess I had the means and could afford to hate it and give it up.
What can be the best title for this text?

A．How Hard Life Is for Box Boys	B．Getting along with Customers
C．Why I Gave up My Job	D．The Art of Taking Tips

From the second paragraph, we can infer that ________.

A．the writer didn't like the impersonal part of his job

B．with a name plate, people can easily start talking

C．Mr Castle mistook Irving for Brett

D．Irving was the writer's real name

The box boy refused to accept tips because ________.

A．customers only gave small tips

B．some customers had strange ideas about tipping

C．the store didn't allow the box boys to take tips

D．he didn't want to fight with the customers

The underlined phrase "put down" in the third paragraph probably means_______.

A．misunderstood	B．defeated
C．hateful	D．hurt

阅读理解E
Do you have a sore throat, a running nose and a headache? Do you keep coughing and sneezing? If you do, the chances are that you have a cold or perhaps flu---but which one? Although both colds and flu are caused by viruses, they are very different illnesses.
Colds, which usually last about a week, affect the nose most. They commonly cause a running nose and sneezing. Sometimes, they cause a headache, a cough and slightly aching muscles.
Flu is a much more serious illness and is caused by different groups of viruses. People with flu usually get all the symptoms(症状) described above. However, they also get a high fever, a dry cough and much worse aching. Fever is one of the characteristic symptoms of the flu for all ages. The symptoms also last much longer. Sometimes they don’t disappear for at least two weeks.
Flu can be a deadly disease. The elderly(年长的), who are weaker and less healthy than most younger people, can die from flu. This is one reason why old people are advised to have a flu injection(预防针) before the start of winter when flu is most common. This injection is inexpensive and definitely（明显地）worth it.
If you have a cold or flu, you must always deal with used tissues(手巾纸) carefully. Don’t leave dirty tissues on your desk or on the floor. Someone else has to pick these up and viruses could be passed on. And finally, remember to cover your nose and mouth when you sneeze! You don’t want to see the small drops of liquids blown(喷) out of your nose and mouth when you sneeze, do you? Disgusting(令人作呕), eh? Now you can understand why it’s a good idea to cover your nose and mouth when you sneeze!
In paragraph 4, we learn that ________.

A．flu injection can cause death

B．most old people die from flu

C．flu can kill old people easily

D．flu is most common in summer

Dealing with used tissues properly(正确地) is important because ________.

A．it helps keep your classroom tidy

B．it prevents the spread of colds and flu

C．people hate picking up dirty tissues

D．picking up lots of tissues is hard work

Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Both colds and flu last the same time.

B．Both colds and flu can be prevented by injection.

C．Both colds and flu are caused by the same viruses.

D．Both colds and flu have an aching symptom.

Which is probably the best title for the passage?

A．Colds and Flu

B．The Different Symptoms of a Cold and Flu

C．Prevention Is Better Than Cure

D．Cover Your Nose and Mouth When Sneezing

Today almost everyone knows computers and the Internet. If I ask you “What is the most important in your life ?” maybe you will say “Computers and the Internet.”
The first computer was made in 1946. It was very big but it worked slowly . Today computers are getting smaller and smaller. But they work faster and faster. What can computers do?
A writer has said, “people can’t live without computers today.”
The Internet came a little later than computers. It is about twenty-five years later than computers. But now it can be found almost everywhere. We can use it to read books, write letters, do shopping, play games or make friends.
Many students like the Internet very much. They often go into the Internet as soon as they are free. They make friends on the Internet and maybe they have never seen these friends. They don’t know their real names, ages, and even sex (性别). They are so interested in making the “unreal friends” that they can’t put their hearts into study. Many of them can’t catch up with others on many subjects because of that.
We can use computers and the Internet to learn more about the world. But at the same time, we should remember that not all the things can be done by computers and the Internet.
The Internet can not be used for ______.

A．studying

B．shopping

C．thinking

D．playing

When the computer was invented, it was ______.

A．large and worked quickly1

B．small and worked

C．large but worked slowly.

D．small but worked quickly .

The Internet was born in about _____.

A．1960

B．1970

C．1980

D．1985

Which of the following is true?

A．Few students like going into the Internet.

B．students use the Internet to make “unreal friends.”

C．These “unreal friends” often meet each other.

D．Students know the friends on the Internet very well.

What does the writer think of the Internet?

A．It is wonderful.

B．It can make students study harder.

C．It is not good for students.

D．It is helpful, but we can’t do everything on it.

The film stars out as a normal day at a typical American high school. Friends chat in the dining room and boys play football. But there's big surprise when the movie ends with two students going crazy in the school-shooting and killing people.
This is Elephant. It stars real school kids. American director Gus Van Sant had no ready-made lines. The student actors made up their own dialogue, with Van Sant asking them to base their characters on their own lives.
Although it may not sound very high quality, the film won the Palme d'Or (金棕奖) for Best Film and the award for Best Director at the Cannes film festival.
The film is based on the shootings at a high school in the US, where two boys killed 13 people and then themselves in 1999.
The title of the movie refers to the old expression about a problem that's as hard to ignore as an elephant in the house.
The film takes a close look at a few hours in the lives of the victims and the killers. It shows how high school is a different experience for everyone---fun and friendly, or hard and lonely.
In many ways, the two boys, who carry out the shooting, act like ordinary kids. They joke around with one boy's mother as she serves them cakes and play the piano.
But there're hints of the anger they feel inside. One of the boys is bullied (欺负) at school. The other plays violent video games. But Van Sant isn't blaming their killings on either bullying or violent games. In fact, the film doesn't offer any reason for why school violence happens.
"I didn't want to explain anything. It's up to the audience to draw its own conclusions," said the 51-year-old director.
The lines of the film were ________.

A．given by the director

B．created by student actors

C．thought out by the director during the acting

D．carefully designed by professional people

The film doesn't tell why school shootings happen________.

A．so as to leave room for the audience to think and judge

B．because life itself is the problem maker

C．because the mental problems of students are hard to explain

D．but there are some hints of the reasons

The film is named Elephant because ________.

A．an elephant is always gentle and never causes trouble

B．an elephant is a symbol of big problems in American schools

C．elephant is used to suggest that the school crime is a big problem

D．the two boys liked elephants when alive

What’s the passage mainly about？

A．It shows American school life.

B．It introduces the film Elephant.

C．It tells people to be careful while in peace.

D．It reports a school killing in a US school.

As you grow older，you’ll be faced with some challenging decisions--like whether to cut class or try cigarettes．Making decisions on your own is hard enough，but when other people get involved and try to pressure you one way or another it can be even harder．People who are your age，like your classmates，are called peers．When they try to influence how you act，to get you to do something，it’s called peer pressure．
Peers can have a positive influence on each other．Maybe another student in your science class taught you an easy way to remember the planets in the solar system．Maybe you got others excited about your new favorite book，and now everyone’s reading it．These are examples of how peers positively influence each other．
Sometimes peers influence each other in negative ways．For example，a few kids in school might try to get you to cut class with them; your soccer friend might try to convince you to be mean to another player and never pass him the ball．
It is tough to be the only one who says “no” to peer pressure，but you can do it．Paying attention to your own feelings and beliefs about what is right and wrong can help you know the right thing to do．
You’ve probably had a parent or teacher advising you to “choose your friends wisely．” Peer pressure is a big reason why they say this．If you choose friends who don’t cut class，smoke cigarettes，or lie to their parents，then you probably won’t do these things either，even if other kids do．
If you continue to face peer pressure and you’re finding it difficult to handle，talk to someone you trust．Don’t feel guilty if you’ve made a mistake or two．
For whom is the passage most probably written?

A．Students

B．Parents

C．Teachers

D．Doctors

In the last three paragraphs，the author mainly_____．

A．explains why friendship is so important

B．gives advice on how to deal with peer pressure

C．discusses how peers influence us

D．shows how to make more good friends

Which of following may help handle peer pressure?

A．Spending more time with classmates．

B．Taking up more relaxing hobbies．

C．Choosing friends with no bad habits．

D．Helping others who are in trouble．

What is the topic of the passage?

A．Friendship

B．Making decisions

C．Self-confidence

D．Peer pressure

阅读下列短文,选出最佳选项。 Three-year-old Teddy Lasry was sleeping in his cowboy outfit (套装) yesterday at his family’s Fifth Ave．apartment when he shot up in bed screaming．A 3-foot-long black-and-white snake twisted around his left arm and had just bitten his little finger．
“The babysitter (a person taking care of children while their parents are away for a short time) was frightened to death,” said Teddy’s father, David Lasry, who, along with his wife, Evelyn, was at work when the snake appeared about 4:00 pm．
The horrified babysitter called 911 and the building’s doorman．The doorman and two cable TV workers helped take the snake off the boy’s arm and put it in a garbage bag．Police rushed Teddy to Mount Sinai Medical Center, where he spent two hours attached to a heart monitor as a precaution in case the snake was poisonous．It wasn’t．Experts at the snakebite treatment center at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx, where policemen took the snake, found out it was a non-poisonous California king snake．
But how did it end up in Teddy’s bed?
A little detective work determined that the snake had escaped two weeks ago from its cage in the apartment of a doctor whose family lives four floors below the Lasrys．The apologetic owner said his son’s pet snake likely traveled up the water pipes and into his neighbor’s apartment．“It’s a very gentle, very harmless snake,” he said．“It’s handled by our family all the time．”
David Lasry believed the pet was simply hungry after two weeks of wandering．Evelyn said her son seems to have overcome his fright by thinking of himself as a hero cowboy as he rode in the back of the police car to the hospital．
“I told Teddy he’s a pretty snake, a nice pet snake who got out of his cage,” Evelyn said．“But he asked, ‘Why did he bite my finger, Mamma?’ And I said, ‘Because he saw that you are a big boy, Teddy, in your cowboy outfit and he got scared．’”
What did the babysitter do after Teddy was bitten by a snake?

A．She ran out of the apartment．

B．She called the TV company．

C．She made an emergency call．

D．She took the snake off Teddy’s arm．

We can learn from the passage that the snake _______．

A．was poisonous

B．was kept in a cage by its owner

C．was deserted by its owner

D．escaped to the apartment

From the passage, we know _______．

A．Teddy needed a heart machine to stay alive for two hours

B．Teddy was awake when the snake arrived

C．Teddy’s mother was at home when the snake turned up

D．the snake was used to being touched

Teddy probably believed he was attacked because _______．

A．his parents weren’t at home

B．he was asleep the snake

C．was scared of him

D．the snake was hungry

B

Populations and Land (1987)
	Area in	Percent	Population	Percent
	Square miles	Cultivated	In millions	forested
United States	3615104	20	243.8	28
Canada	3851792	5	25.9	33
United Kingdom	94525	29	56.8	9
Australia	2967896	6	16.2	14
India	1269340	51	800.3	21
China	3705390	11	1062.0	14

Which two countries are the closest to each other in area?

A．The US and Canada	B．The US and China
C．China and Canada	D．India and China

_____ has the highest population density(密度), and _____ has the second highest.

A．China, India	B．India, China
C．India, the US	D．China, the US

Which two countries have the closest percentage of cultivated land?

A．The US and the United Kingdom.

B．The US and China

C．Australia and Canada．

D．Australia and China

There are _____ countries whose cultivated land percentage is larger than the forest percentage.

A．2

B．3

C．4

D．5

For those who make journeys across the world, the speed of travel today has turned the countries into a series of villages. Distances between them appear no greater to a modern traveler than those which once faced men as they walked from village to village. Jet plane fly people from one end of the earth to the other, allowing them a freedom of movement undreamt of a hundred years ago.
Yet some people wonder if the revolution in travel has gone too far. A price has been paid, they say, for the conquest (征服) of time and distance. Travel is something to be enjoyed, not endured . The boat offers leisure and time enough to appreciate the ever-changing sights and sounds of a journey. A journey by train also has a special charm about it. Lakes and forests and wild, open plains sweeping past your carriage window create a grand view in which time and distance mean nothing. On board a plane, however, there is just the blank blue of the sky filling the narrow window of the airplane. The soft lighting, in-flight films and gentle music make up the only world you know, and the hours progress slowly.
Then there is the time spent being “processed” at a modern airport. People are conveyed like robots along walkways; baggage is weighed, tickets produced, examined and produced yet again before the passengers move again to another waiting area. Journeys by rail and sea take longer, yes, but the hours devoted to being “processed” at departure and arrival in airports are luckily absent. No wonder, then, that the modern high-speed trains are winning back passengers from the airlines.
Man, however, is now a world traveler and can not turn his back on the airplane. The working lives of too many people depend upon it; whole new industries have been built around its design and operation. The holiday maker, too, with limited time to spend, patiently endures the busy airports and limited space of the flight to gain those extra hours and even days, relaxing in the sun. Speed controls people’s lives; time saved, in work or play, is the important thing—or so we are told. Perhaps those first horsemen, riding free across the wild, open plains, were enjoying a better world than the one we know today. They could travel at will, and the clock was not their master.
What does the writer try to express in Paragraph1?

A．Travel by plane has speeded up the growth of villages．

B．The speed of modern travel has made distances relatively short．

C．The freedom of movement has helped people realize their dreams．

D．Man has been fond of travelling rather than staying in one place．

How does the writer support the underlined statement in Paragraph2?

A．By giving instructions.

B．By analyzing cause and effect.

C．By following the order of time.

D．By giving examples.

According to Paragraph 3, passengers are turning back to modern high-speed trains because______．

A．they pay less for the tickets

B．they feel safer during the travel

C．they can enjoy higher speed of travel

D．they don’t have to be “processed”

What is the main idea of the passage?

A．Air travel benefits people and industries．

B．Train Travel has some advantages over air travel．

C．Great changes have taken place in modern travel.

D．The high speed of air travel is gained at a cost.

When I was a child, I often dreamed of the time when I could leave home and escape to the city. We lived on a farm and, in the winter especially, we were quite cut off from the outside world. As soon as I left school, I packed my bags and moved to the capital. However, I soon discovered that city life has its problems too.
One big disadvantage is money---it costs so much to go out, not to mention basics like food and housing. Another disadvantage is pollution. I suffer from asthma(哮喘), and at times the air is so bad that I am afraid to go outside. Then there is the problem of travelling round. Although I have a car, I seldom use it because of the traffic jams. One choice is to go by bicycle, but that can be quite dangerous.
Of course there are advantages. First, there is so much to do in the city, whatever your tastes in culture or entertainment. Besides, there are wonderful jobs and greater chances of moving to a more important job or position. Finally, if you like shopping, the variety of goods is very surprising---and, what is more, shops are often only a short walk away.
Is life better then, in the city? Perhaps it is, when you are in your teens(十几岁) or twenties. However, as you get older, and especially if you have small children, the peace of the countryside may seem preferable. I certainly hope to move back there soon.
What was the writer always thinking about when he was a child?

A．Staying on the farm

B．Moving to the countryside

C．Leaving home for the city

D．Running away from the school

Which of the following is true about the writer?

A．He is very old now.

B．He is in good health.

C．He prefers driving a car.

D．He lives in the city now.

In the passage, the writer tries to _______.

A．express his opinions about way of life

B．describe his life in the countryside

C．show an interest in the outside world

D．persuade the reader to live in the city

How is the passage mainly developed?

A．By inferring	B．By comparing
C．By listing examples	D．By giving explanations

根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项. 选项中有两项为多余选项. 请将答案涂在答题卡上.
 71  Because, from what I could see, it seemed that grown-ups often forgot. I never wanted to forget --- I wanted to be able to remind other adults and myself when the time came. I began consciously(有意识地) thinking this at quite an early age.
As soon as I was fully aware (意识到) of myself, I regarded me as a little person and liked adults who thought of and treated me the same way. I didn’t have a doll and I didn’t want one. I wanted animal toys, even a single animal. Why wouldn’t my parents give me the one thing I wanted?  72  
Instead, my dad somehow managed to buy me a full set of encyclopedia(百科全书) and books with maps and color pictures long before I could read. Well, guess what? I learned to read without realizing it! Later, I found out when I started school and it all came so easy especially geography.  73  Because of all the books my father bought me, I knew a lot of words that other children didn’t know at my age.
I love words. They opened up new worlds for me.  74  Parents, please make sure your kids have a computer. Let them explore　— as safely as possible— let them do their own things and discover the world.
Now, most kids lead a happy life. They can get what they want from their parents. But children should learn to be independent.  75  Be independent to do your own things.

A．Because of them, I read and thought, and today, I write.

B．When I was a child, I promised myself to try to remember as much as I could.

C．I listened and heard everything, even if I didn’t understand everything.

D．I nearly knew every place on the map like the teacher.

E. But more than anything, it made me feel uncomfortable and I knew it wasn’t nice.
F. Later, I knew we didn’t have much money, but how expensive could a toy be?
G. Be independent to learn some useful knowledge.

Why does night fall but never break and day break but never fall?
Why are people who ride motorcycles called bikers and people who ride bikes called cyclists?
In what other language do people drive in a parkway and park in a driveway?
In what other language do they call the third hand on the clock the second hand?
Let’s face it: English is a crazy language. There is no egg in an eggplant, neither pine nor apple in a pineapple and no ham in a hamburger. Sweet-meats are candy, while sweetbreads, which aren’t sweet, are meat.
We take English for granted. But when we explore its paradoxes (探讨它的矛盾), we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square, public bathrooms have no baths in them.
And why is it that a writer writes, but fingers don’t fing, grocers don’t groce, and hammers don’t ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, shouldn’t the plural of booth be beeth? One goose, two geese — so one moose, two meese?
How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? How can overlook and oversee be opposites, while quite a lot and quite a few are alike? How can the weather be hot as hell one day and cold as hell the next?
English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of human beings. That’s why, when stars are out, they are visible; but when the lights are out, they are invisible. And why, when I wind up my watch, I start it; but when I wind up this essay, I end it.
According to the passage ______.

A．sweet-meats and sweetbreads are different things

B．there should be egg in an eggplant

C．pineapples are the apples on the pine tree

D．boxing rings should be round

Which of the following includes two items which have the similar meaning?

A．A wise man and a wise guy.

B．Overlook and oversee.

C．Quite a lot and quite a few.

D．Hot as hell and cold as hell.

The underlined words “wind up” in the last paragraph probably mean “______”.

A．blow

B．roll up

C．get hurt

D．finish

Through the many paradoxes in the English language, the writer wants to show that human beings are ______.

A．clever

B．crazy

C．lazy

D．dull