Barack Obama, Lady Gaga and Steve Jobs—what do they have in common? They are, of course, all Americans. And according to a survey by social networking site badoo. com, they all best illustrate(舉例說明) the word “cool”.

But just what does it mean to say someone is “cool”? Most would answer that it is something to do with being independent-minded and not following the crowd.
Yale University art professor Robert Farris Thompson says that the term “cool” goes back to 15th century West African philosophy(哲學(xué)).  “Cool” relates to ideas of grace(優(yōu)雅) under pressure.
“In Africa, ” he writes, “coolness is a positive quality which combines calmness, silence, and life.”
The modern idea of “cool” developed largely in the US in the period after World War II. “Post-war ‘cool’ was in part an expression of war-weariness (n. 厭戰(zhàn)情緒)
. . . it went against the strict social rules of the time,” write sociologists Dick Pountain and David Robins in Cool Rules:Anatomy of an Attitude.
But it was the American actor James Dean who became the symbol for “cool” in the hugely successful 1955 movie Rebel without a Cause.  Dean plays a tough guy who disobeys his parents and the authorities. He always gets the girl, smokes cigarettes, wears a leather jacket and beats up bullies(欺凌弱小者). In the movie, Dean showed what “cool” would mean to American young people for the next 60 years.
Today the focus of “cool” has changed to athletics (體育運(yùn)動(dòng)) stars. Often in movies about schools, students gain popularity on the athletics field more than in the classroom. This can be seen quite clearly in movies like Varsity Blues and John Tucker Must Die.
But many teenagers also think being smart is cool. Chess and other thinking games have been becoming more popular in schools.
“Call it the Harry Potterization of America—a time when being smart is the new cool,” writes journalist Joe Sunnen.
小題1:Barack Obama, Lady Gaga and Steve Jobs are mentioned in the first paragraph to ________.
A．introduce the topicB．draw our attention
C．tell us what they have in commonD．tell us what is “cool”
小題2:If you were considered “cool” in Africa in the 15th century, you ________.
A．thought and acted differently from the majority
B．had a calm and quiet attitude towards life
C．didn’t observe rules and authorities
D．had all kinds of “bad” manners
小題3:The heroes in Varsity Blues and John Tucker Must Die are likely to be those who ________.
A．do very well in their studies
B．a(chǎn)re very skilled at sports
C．a(chǎn)re good at chess and other thinking games.
D．have supernatural powers like Harry Potter
小題4:Which of the following is NOT true according to the article?
A．It is generally considered “cool” to be independent-minded and not to follow the crowd.
B．“Cool” was used as early as the 15th century.
C．Disobeying one’s parents and the authorities is considered “cool” among American young people nowadays.
D．Getting the first place in an exam can also be considered “cool”.
小題5:What does the article mainly talk about?
A．The origin of the word “cool”.
B．The kinds of people who are “cool”.
C．The changing meaning of the word “cool”.
D．How to be a “ cool” person.

小題1:A
小題2:B
小題3:B
小題4:D
小題5:C

試題分析：文章主要講的是“cool”一詞的含義。我們通常說一個(gè)人很酷，那么，酷的意思是什么呢？“cool”一詞可以追溯到15世紀(jì)的西非。當(dāng)時(shí)，“cool”一詞與冷靜、安靜的生活態(tài)度有關(guān)。
小題1:根據(jù)第二段“But just what does it mean to say someone is “cool”? Most would answer that it is something to do with being independent-minded and not following the crowd.”可知，作者提到Barack Obama, Lady Gaga和Steve Jobs是為了引出話題--cool。故選A。
小題2:根據(jù)第四段“coolness is a positive quality which combines calmness, silence, and life.”可知，在15世紀(jì)的非洲，cool代表冷靜、安靜的生活態(tài)度，故選B。
小題3:根據(jù)倒數(shù)第三段“Often in movies about schools, students gain popularity on the athletics field more than in the classroom. This can be seen quite clearly in movies like Varsity Blues and John Tucker Must Die.”可知，熱愛運(yùn)動(dòng)的人更容易成為受歡迎的人，故選B。
小題4:根據(jù)倒數(shù)第三段“Often in movies about schools, students gain popularity on the athletics field more than in the classroom.”和倒數(shù)第二段“But many teenagers also think being smart is cool.”可知，學(xué)習(xí)成績好的人沒有熱愛運(yùn)動(dòng)的人受歡迎，故選D。
小題5:根據(jù)第一段“they all best illustrate(舉例說明) the word “cool”.”和第二段“But just what does it mean to say someone is “cool”?”可知，文章講的是，cool指的是什么樣的人，故選C。
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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Pessimistic，anxious and depressed people may have a higher risk of dementia (癡呆)，US researchers reported on Thursday.
A study of a group of 3,500 people showed that those who scored high for pessimism on a standardized personality test had a 30 percent increased risk of developing dementia 30 to 40 years later.
Those scoring very high on both anxiety and pessimism scales had a 40 percent higher risk，the study showed.
“There appears to be a dose­response pattern.That is，the higher the scores，the higher the risk of dementia，”Dr Yonas Geda，a neuropsychiatrist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester，Minnesota who led the study，said in a statement.
Geda and his colleagues looked at the medical records of 3,500 men and women who lived near the clinic between 1962 and 1965.
They all took the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory，a standard personality and life experience test，Geda’s team told a meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in Miami.
In 2004，the team interviewed the participants or family members.
Those who scored higher for anxiety and pessimism on the test were more likely，as a group，to have developed dementia by 2004，including Alzheimer’s disease and vascular (血管的) dementia.
This did not mean a person who is pessimistic could assume he or she has a higher risk of developing dementia.
“One has to be cautious in interpreting a study like this，”Geda said.
“One cannot make a leap from group level data to the individual.Certainly the last thing you want to do is to say，‘Well，I am a pessimist；thus，I am doomed to develop dementia 20 or 30 years later，’because this may end up becoming a self­fulfilling prophecy (預(yù)言)．”
And there is NOT any specific way to prevent dementia，although many studies have shown that a healthy diet，exercise，keeping active in other ways，doing puzzles and other activities lower the risk.
小題1:What is the passage mainly about?
A．It is impossible for people to avoid dementia.
B．People who always have negative feelings may have a higher risk of getting dementia.
C．If we have a healthy diet，we would have no chance of getting dementia.
D．A person who is pessimistic has a higher risk of developing dementia.
小題2:According to the passage，which of the following is TRUE?
A．There are many ways to prevent dementia effectively.
B．A person who is pessimistic is sure to get dementia.
C．Those who lead a happy life will not get dementia when they are old.
D．Those who scored high for pessimism might have a higher risk of dementia.
小題3:Which of the following does NOT help reduce the risk of getting dementia according to the passage?
A．A healthy diet.B．Proper exercises.
C．Doing puzzles.D．Getting up early.
小題4:Which of the following words is not close to the meaning of the word “pessimistic”？
A．Cheerless.B．Optimistic.
C．Unhappy.D．Upset.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

(2013·高考四川卷，E)Fear may be felt in the heart as well as in the head，according to a study that has found a link between the cycles of a beating heart and the chance of someone feeling fear.
Tests on healthy volunteers found that they were more likely to feel a sense of fear at the moment when their hearts are contracting(收縮) and pumping blood around their bodies，compared with the point when the heartbeat is relaxed.Scientists say the results suggest that the heart is able to influence how the brain responds to a fearful event，depending on which point it is at in its regular cycle of contraction and relaxation.
Sarah Garfinkel at the Brighton and Sussex Medical School said：“Our study shows for the first time that the way in which we deal with fear is different depending on when we see fearful pictures in relation to our heart.”
The study tested 20 healthy volunteers on their reactions to fear as they were shown pictures of fearful faces.Dr Garfinkel said，“The study showed that fearful faces are better noticed when the heart is pumping than when it is relaxed.Thus our hearts can also affect what we see and what we don’t see－and guide whether we see fear.”
To further understand this relationship，the scientists also used a brain scanner(掃描儀) to show how the brain influences the way the heart changes a person’s feeling of fear.
“We have found an important mechanism by which the heart and brain ‘speak’to each other to change our feelings and reduce fear，”Dr Garfinkel said.
“We hope that by increasing our understanding about how fear is dealt with and ways that it could be reduced，we may be able to develop more successful treatments for anxiety disorders，and also for those who may be suffering from serious stress disorder.”
小題1:What is the finding of the study?
A．One’s heart affects how he feels fear.
B．Fear is a result of one’s relaxed heartbeat.
C．Fear has something to do with one’s health.
D．One’s fast heartbeats are likely to cause fear.
小題2:The study was carried out by analyzing________.
A．volunteers’ heartbeats when they saw terrible pictures
B．the time volunteers saw fearful pictures and their health conditions
C．volunteers’ reactions to horrible pictures and data from their brain scans
D．different pictures shown to volunteers and their heart­brain communication
小題3:Which of the following is closest in meaning to“mechanism” in Paragraph 6?
A．Order. B．System.
C．Machine. D．Treatment.
小題4:This study may contribute to________.
A．treating anxiety and stress better
B．explaining the cycle of fear and anxiety
C．finding the key to the heart­brain communication
D．understanding different fears in our hearts and heads

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Each new school year brings fresh reminders of what educators call the summer learning gap. Some call it the summer learning setback（退步）. Simply speaking, it means the longer kids are out of school, the more they forget. The only thing they might gain is weight.
Most American schools follow a traditional nine-month calendar. Students get winter and spring breaks and about ten weeks of summer vacation. Some schools follow a year-round calendar. They hold classes for about eight weeks at a time, with a few weeks off in between. The National Association for Year-Round Education says there were fewer than three thousand such schools at last count. They were spread among forty-six of the fifty states.
But many experts point out that the number of class days in a year-round school is generally the same as in a traditional school. Lead researcher Paul von Hippel said, “Year-round schools don't really solve the problem of the summer learning setback. They simply spread it out across the year.”
Across the country, research shows that students from poor families fall farther behind over the summer than other students. Experts say this can be prevented. They note that many schools and local governments offer programs that can help.
But calling them “summer school” could be a problem. The director of the summer learning center at Johns Hopkins, Ron Fairchild, said research with groups of different parents in Chicago and Baltimore found that almost all strongly disliked the term “summer school”. In American culture, the idea of summer vacation is connected to beliefs about freedom and the joys of childhood. The parents welcomed other terms like “summer camp”, “enrichment”, “extra time” and “hands-on learning”.
小題1:According to the first paragraph the summer learning gap          .
A．helps children to gain weight
B．leads children to work harder
C．improves children’s memories
D．a(chǎn)ffects children’s regular studies
小題2:Compared to traditional schools, students in the year-round ones           .
A．perform better and have more learning gains
B．have much less time for relaxation every year
C．have generally the same number of class days
D．hold more classes with more free weeks off
小題3:Which of the following statements is true?
A．Students from poor families often fall behind after the vacation.
B．Year-round schools can solve the problem of the learning gap.
C．There are schools in each state following a year-round calendar.
D．Nothing can help the students who fall behind after the vacation.
小題4:Why did almost all parents dislike the term “summer school”?
A．They cherish the children’s rights of freedom very much.
B．They are worried about the quality of the “summer school”.
C．They want their children to be forced to make up the gap.
D．They can’t afford the further study during vacation.
小題5:What would be the best title of this passage?
A．Opening Summer Camps
B．Forbidding Summer Schools
C．Spreading Year-Round Education
D．Minding the Summer Learning Gap

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Many people believe that teaching children music makes them smarter, better able to learn new things. But the organizers of a new study say there's no scientific evidence that early musical training affects the intelligence of young people.
An estimated 80 percent of American adults think music lessons improve children's abilily to learn or their performance in school. They say that the satisfaction for learning to play a new song helps a child express creativity.
Researchers at Harvard University, however, have found that there's one thing musi­cal training does not do. They say it does not make children more intelligent. Samuel Mehr is a graduate student at Harvard's School of Education. He said it is wrong to think that learning to play a musical instrument improves a child's intellectual development. He says the evidence comes from studies that measured the mental ability of two groups of 4-year-olds and their parents. One group attended music class, the other went to a class that places importance on the visual arts—arts that can be seen.
"The evidence there is 'no'. We found no evidence for any advantage on any of these tests for the kids participating in these music clases," said Mehr.Samuel Mehr says researchers have carried out many studies in an effort to learn whether musical training can make children smarter. He says the results have been mixed. He says only one study seems to show a small percentage increase in IQ, intellectual scores among students after one year of music lessons. He does not believe that IQ is a good measure of child's intelligence. He says researchers in his study compared how well children in the musical training group did on mental processing tasks or projects, then the results were compared to those of children who did not take lessons. There was no evidence that the musical training group did much better on the mental tasks than the other group.
The researchers comfirmed the results with a larger group of children and their par­ents.Mr Mehr says music lessons may not offer children a fast easy way to gain entry to the best schools later of their life. But he says the training is still important for cultural reasons. In his words, "We teach music because music is important for us."
小題1:According to the new study, musical training______.
A．makes children smarter
B．helps a child express creativity
C．does not make children more intelligent
D．improve children's ability to learn in school
小題2:Samuel Mehr may agree that______.
A．the children who attended music class are smarter than those who attended arts class
B．IQ is a good measure of a child's intelligence
C．we needn't to teach children music
D．music training is still important for cultural reasons
小題3:In order to confirm his view, Samuel Mehr______.
A．conducted more than one research
B．interviewed many American adults
C．taught two groups of 4-yetr-olds music and arts
D．offered children a fast way to be admitted to the best schools
小題4:The artical may be taken from a report about _____.
A．healthB．educationC．cultureD．economy

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Growing strawberries in pots

·The best way to start growing strawberries is to buy pot-grown strawberry plants m spring：5plants are plenty for a hanging basket and 10 for the average 13 inch-sized pot．
·Plant them immediately in soil-based compost(混合肥料) and they will produce a modest crop in their first year．The second year should see a bumper(特大的)crop，followed by a slightly lower yield(產(chǎn)量)the third summer .Then start again with fresh stock
·Careful watering and feeding are essential Ifyou are to harvest a good crop，you must never
let the compost dry out,particularly when the fruit is forming and ripening；if you do．most of your
crop will drop off血e bush almost immediately．
·Water well then leave the pots for up to 3 weeks，until they reach the point of drying out Be
Careful not to overwater them during the winter months．
Pruning apple trees
·A one-year-old tree is known as a “maiden”. It has a single stem when purchased. Immediately after planting, cut it back by about half to leave 4 good buds at the base of the stem.. This will force growth from the base or the plant during the summer.

·In the second year ,prune in winter by cutting all side branches back by about one-third, Make sure each cut is made cleanly just above an outward-facing bud. In the third and fourth years, new side branches will have emerged from the previous year’s growth. Cut back all these new side branches by a third, pruning to an outward-facing bud.
·By the fifth year the tree should have a well-balanced shape. From then on ,cut back all new branches by one-third in winter .Remove any diseased wood and broken branches, and ensure the centre is open to air circulation
小題1:The two pieces of advice probably appear in          
A．a(chǎn) scientific repotB．a(chǎn) gardening guideC．a(chǎn) book reviewD．a(chǎn) fashion column
小題2:A good crop of strawberries mainly depends on             
A．the size of a potB．the season of harvesting
C．the number of plants in a potD．careful watering and feeding
小題3:Cutting back all  side branches by a third is to        
A．remove the diseased and broken branches
B．keep the whole tree open to air circulation
C．force the apple tree to grow from the base in winter
D．help the apple tree to form a well-balanced shape
小題4:The two pieces of advice suggest that planting is closely related  to               
A．seasonB．waterC．compostD．cutting

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Last year, over 206,000 students from the United States studied abroad. Does that number surprise you? These students already know the benefits of studying abroad. You may be wondering why you should study abroad. Here are some answers for you.
◆ Timing
The absolutely best time in your life to study abroad is when you are in college. If you miss this opportunity, it’s almost impossible for you to do it later in life.
◆ To gain cross-cultural experience
Life overseas makes you see your everyday world in a whole new light. You don’t even realize it, but our culture shapes the way we view the world and affects us every minute of the day. Differences in culture are more than just differences in language, food, clothing and art.
◆ To improve your communication skills and your self-confidence
People who study abroad tend to be willing to take risks, willing to put themselves in unusual situations, and able to solve problems.
◆ To become more fluent in a language or to learn a new language
The world market is becoming smaller, and many companies require a second language. Foreign languages are not only valuable in the job market but also valuable in the real world.
◆ For the adventure
Travel to other cities within your host country and around neighboring countries. As you get to know your new classmates, roommates, and host family, you will gain a unique view on the host culture. Discover the differences and, more importantly, the many similarities between your worlds. The friendships you make will last long after the program.
◆ To learn more about yourself
Find out who you really are. What are your limits? How do you overcome the difficulties you’ve never encountered before? How independent are you? These questions are hard to answer until you are removed from your usual surroundings. After solving difficult problems on your own overseas, you’ll find that almost nothing will confuse you at home. Students who study abroad commonly report that their study abroad experience actually changed their lives.
小題1:The passage mainly talks about _______.
A．the benefits of studying abroad
B．the time for studying abroad
C．the difficulty you come across when you're abroad
D．some tips on how to get used to a new environment
小題2:What is the best time in your life to study abroad according to the passage?
A．When you're at work.B．When you are free.
C．At any time you like.D．When you are in college.
小題3:What does the underlined word“encountered” here mean?
A．Opposed.B．Experienced.C．Solved.D．Explained.
小題4:All of the following are mentioned in the passage as reasons for studying abroad EXCEPT _______.
A．getting cross-cultural experience
B．improving communication skills and self-confidence
C．improving your foreign language
D．learning how to get along with people

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

It is generally believed that we are getting cleaned when we step under a shower. We are, but we’re also giving a home to lots of tiny little creatures we didn’t even know about. A showerhead carries thousands of bacteria called Mycobacterium．These can cause problems like coughs and tiredness, and a general feeling of poorliness (身體不舒服). When you turn on the water, the bacteria go from the showerhead onto and into your body.
This is a finding of Norman R. Pace and his team at the University of Colorado, in the US. The scientists investigated bacteria in all kinds of human environment, including showers．Pace's team looked at 45 showerheads in nine American cities. They discovered that 30 percent of them had large amounts of flying Mycobacterium.
But Pace said that they pose few threats to the health．Only those with a weak immune system might need to worry．He told the New York Times that the bacteria are not as unpleasant as might be thought．He said that having a shower is no more dangerous than anything else we do in the morning．
But for those who feel sick about the idea of all those microorganisms (微生物), he had some advice. Let the water run for 30 seconds before getting into the shower. Why? The number of bacteria is smaller than that when the water is just turned on. If that seems like a waste of water, he added that you could also change your showerhead every few months.
However, Pace had good news too. He has also been testing the air in US subways. Apart from iron particles (粒子), which are ground off the track by the wheels of trains, subway air is fresh. The reason is that a train’s movement pumps fresh outdoor air into the tunnels.
Pace explained that he wanted to understand the natural microbial environments of public places. This kind of knowledge might help discover the microbes to be used in a bioterrorist (生物恐怖分子) attack.
小題1:From the finding of Norman R. Pace, after taking a shower, we might cough or feel tired because      .
A．it’s easy to get a cold when taking a bath
B．the showerhead carries many bacteria causing illness
C．we don’t get cleaned while showering
D．we don’t get a weak immune system
小題2:According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
A．Hot water could kill most of bacteria in showerheads.
B．Of 45 showerheads surveyed in nine cities, 30 carried large amounts of Mycobacterium.
C．Changing showerheads is the only way to avoid microorganisms.
D．Shower water contains much less bacteria after being left to run for 30 seconds.
小題3:We can learn from the third paragraph that       .
A．having a shower in the morning is more dangerous than at other time
B．the bacteria always threat people’s health
C．there is no reason to fear microorganisms for people with strong immune system
D．it is better to do some exercise in the morning than have a shower
小題4:The underlined word “pose” in the third paragraph probably means “______”．
A．cause B．a(chǎn)void C．describeD．promise
小題5:What contributes to fresh air in US subways?
A．The train’s movement.B．Iron particles．
C．Train wheels.D．Air conditioners on the trains．

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Around the world coral reefs(珊瑚礁) are facing threats(威脅) brought by climate change and great changes in sea temperatures. While ocean warming has been the primary focus for scientists and ocean policy managers, cold events can also whiten corals. A new study by scientists compared damaged to corals exposed to heat as well as cold stress. The results show that cool temperatures can cause more damage in the short term, but heat is more destructive(破壞性的) in the long run.
Climate change is widely known to produce warming conditions in the oceans, but extreme cold-water events have become more frequent and serious as well. In 2010, for example, coral reefs around the world faced on of the coldest winters and one of the hottest summers on record.
During a unique experiment, corals under cold temperatures suffered greater damage in just days compared with heat treated corals. Yet the researchers found that corals were eventually able to adjust to the cold conditions, make their health stable and continue to grow. However, over the long term corals subjected to heat suffered more greatly than those in cold, with evidence of severe whitening and growth stoppage, which leads to death.
The coral’s ability to adjust to cool temperatures surprised the researchers, who say the study’s results show the complexities(復(fù)雜性) of monitoring coral health in response to different environmental factors(因素).
“Global warming is associated with increases but also decreases of temperatures,” said Deheyn, one of the researchers. “Not much has been known about the comparative effects of temperature decrease on corals. These results are important because they show that corals react differently to temperature differences, which is important for future management of coral reefs in the field of climate change.”
小題1:Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A．Corals are unable to adjust to temperature changes.
B．Cold temperature causes greater damage to corals.
C．Hot temperature helps coral reefs to grow quickly.
D．Heat and cold damage corals in their own ways.
小題2:We can learn from the passage that         .
A．scientists used to pay no attention to the effect of cold events on corals
B．2010 witnessed one of the greatest temperature differences on record
C．corals prefer warmer conditions to cold temperatures in the long run
D．global warming has nothing to do with the decrease of temperature
小題3:According to the research,            .
A．corals may continue to grow in cold events after a few days
B．cold events help corals grow more quickly in a short time
C．corals show no response to hot temperatures in the first days
D．corals are whitened mainly because of warm temperatures
小題4:Scientists reached the conclusion through              .
A．news reportB．scientific studyC．great imaginationD．natural conditions

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