The Touchstone
When the great library of Alexandria burned, the story goes, one book was saved. But it was not a valuable book; and so a poor man, who could read a little, bought it for very little money.
The book wasn’t very interesting, but between its pages there was something very interesting indeed. It was a thin strip of vellum on which was written the secret of the “Touchstone”! The touchstone was a small pebble that could turn any common metal into pure gold.
The writing explained that it was lying among thousands and thousands of other pebbles that looked exactly like it. But the secret was this: The real stone would feel warm, while ordinary pebbles are cold.
So the man sold his few belongings, bought some simple supplies, camped on the seashore, and began testing pebbles. He knew that if he picked up ordinary pebbles and threw them down again because they were cold, he might pick up the same pebble hundreds of times. So, when he felt one that was cold, he threw it into the sea. He spent a whole day doing this but none of them was the touchstone. Yet he went on and on this way. Pick up a pebble. Cold - throw it into the sea. Pick up another. Throw it into the sea. Pick up another. Throw it into the sea.
The days stretched into weeks and the weeks into months. One day, however, about mid-afternoon, he picked up a pebble and it was warm. He threw it into the sea before he realized what he had done. He had formed such a strong habit of throwing each pebble into the sea that when the one he wanted came along he still threw it away.
So it is with opportunity. Unless we are careful, it’s easy to fail to recognize an opportunity when it is in hand, and it’s just as easy to throw it away.
小題1:The man bought the book because _____________.
A．he wanted to read itB．it was very interesting
C．there was a secret in the book D．he wanted to find the touchstone
小題2:We can learn from the passage that the touchstone is _________.
A．pureB．coldC．magicD．big
小題3:Why did the man throw the pebbles into the sea?
A．Because he didn’t want to get the same pebbles.
B．Because he didn’t want others to pick them up.
C．Because he didn’t like their ordinary looks.
D．Because he didn’t like the cold feelings.
小題4:What does the author want to tell us in the passage?
A．We should offer opportunities in our life.
B．We should seek for opportunities in the world.
C．We may seize opportunities when we are watchful.
D．We may discover opportunities when forming habits.
小題1:A小題1:C小題1:A小題1:C
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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：完形填空

完形填空 （共20小題；每小題l分，滿分20分）
When Andra Rush started her trucking company, all she had was an old van，two used pick-up trucks and the simple certainty of a 23-year-old girl. But she planned to make her fortune in about four years to   36  her true goal: dealing with poverty on Native American reservations across North America. "I thought I could retire by the time I was 27," says Rush, "At that age, you don't know  37  you don't know."
Rush is 49 now and  38  working hard. Her tiny start-up just outside Detroit has  39  to a $400 million North American business. Today Rush is a(an)  40  not only for Native Americans but also for women in the male-controlled world of trucking.
Rush was  41 30 miles outside Detroit. When the teenage Rush visited the reservation for the first time, she was  42  by the poverty and lack of hope. "I really wanted to  43  " she says.
She graduated from the University of Michigan in 1982. She took a nursing job with a 44 pay and then practiced at an air goods company, 45 the speed of package pickups and deliveries made a little more a little more profits. "I thought I could do that 46 ," Rush says.
Within six months, Rush had ten employees, and clients(客戶)  47 Ford and GM were paying her to 48 small packages from the airport. Ford was the first to offer her a job trucking parts between its plants and supplier.
By 2001, many of Rush's 1,000 employees were Native Americans, working alongside people of every    49  But she felt she hadn't done enough. 50  she joined forces with a Canadian parts maker to design and gather auto components.
She located the plants near reservations, 51 opportunities where they were needed most. By 2009, her auto parts business was earning $370 million   52  .
She's come a long way from the  53   23-year-old who thought "the cash would just roll in." But Rush wouldn't change a thing: "I love my job," she says. "I 54 the fact that you can start to get some motivation and keep   55  yourself—and then suddenly you lift your head and it's been 25 years"
小題1:
A．makeB．a(chǎn)ccomplishC． receiveD．a(chǎn)rrive
小題2:
A．whatB．whichC．whyD．who
小題3:
A．soB．somehowC．stillD．a(chǎn)nyhow
小題4:
A． grownB．becomeC．gotD．gone
小題5:
A．a(chǎn)ble housewifeB．ordinary womanC．role modelD．truck driver
小題6:
A．broughtB．livedC．risen D．raised
小題7:
A．movedB．interestedC．struckD．encouraged
小題8: A have an influence           B．make a difference  C．set an example   D．make a decision
小題9:
A．lowB．highC．cheapD．expensive
小題10:
A．whichB．thatC．whenD．where
小題11:
A．wellB．badlyC．worseD．better
小題12:
A．likeB．besidesC．forD．except
小題13:
A．takeB．fetchC．bringD．lift
小題14:
A．educationB．familyC．backgroundD．city
小題15:
A．BecauseB．ForC．ButD．So
小題16:
A．seizingB．creatingC．graspingD．losing
小題17:.
A．in caseB．in turnC．in returnD．in need
小題18:
A．inexperiencedB．experiencedC．expertD．skilled
小題19:
A．enjoyB．hateC．doubtD．refuse
小題20:
A．fightingB．forcingC．challengingD．a(chǎn)musing

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：完形填空

完形填空 (共15小題，每小題2分，滿分30分)
閱讀下面短文，從短文后所給各題的A、B、C、D四個選項(xiàng)中，選出最佳選項(xiàng)。
Every year on my birthday, a white gardenia (梔子花) was     1    to my house. But no card or note came with it. Calls to the flower shop were always     2    -- it was a cash purchase. After a while I stopped trying to discover the sender’s identity and just     3    in the beauty and heady perfume of that one magical, perfect white flower lying in soft pink paper.
But I never stopped     4    who the giver might be. My mother     5     to these imaginations. She asked me if there was someone for whom I had done a special kindness who might be showing     6    . I had more fun imagining that it might be a boy I fell in love with or one who had     7    me even though I didn’t know him.
One month before my high-school graduation, my father died. My feelings     8     from sorrow to fear and     9   : my dad was missing some of the most important events in my life. I became completely     10    in my coming graduation, the senior-class play and the ball. But my mother would not hear of my losing any of those things. Mother and I had gone shopping and found an impressive dress, but it was the     11    size. When my father died, I forgot about the dress.
The day before my ball, I found that dress-- in the right size—hanging over the living room sofa. It was     12     to me so lovingly. I didn’t     13    if I had a new dress or not. But my mother did. She wanted her children to feel     14   , filled with a sense that there was a beauty even in the face of     15  .
My mother died ten days after I was married. The following year the gardenia stopped coming.
1. A. given         B. delivered            C. taken            D. brought
2. A. useful            B. helpful          C. in vain      D. hopeful
3. A. delighted     B. pleasant         C. pleasing     D. satisfied
4. A. considering       B. remembering      C. imagining        D. recalling
5. A. referred      B. led              C. preferred        D. contributed
6. A. appreciation  B. honor            C. grateful     D. respect
7. A. observed      B. watched          C. noticed      D. hated
8. A. ranged            B. differed         C. suffered     D. judged
9. A. shock         B. happiness            C. depressing   D. anger
10. A. uninterested B. interested           C. unhappy      D. disappointing
11. A. wrong            B. false                C. proper       D. right
12. A. provided     B. presented            C. introduced   D. awarded
13. A. doubt            B. wonder           C. desire       D. care
14. A. loving           B. loved                C. respected        D. honored
15. A. trouble      B. despair          C. problem      D. sorrow

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Vans, Keds, Dollies—they sound like the names of rock bands, but if you have teenagers, you'll know they're actually the latest in teenage footwear.
But experts are now warning that the current shoe fashions will be causing teenagers discomfort in the short term and storing up years of foot, knee and back pain in the future.
Here, the experts identify the problems caused by teenagers' shoe choice.
KEDS/VANS
Slip-on shoes with elastic (彈性的）sides are particularly popular among teenage boys - with Keds and Vans the most sought-after brands.
The main problem is that they are just too flat—so flat that the heel, which strikes the ground first, also becomes damaged and painful.
BALLET PUMPS
The worst shoes of all are such light and thin dolly shoes. The problem is partly their flatness, as with Keds and Vans. However ballet pumps, which have no string or heel, have other specific problems.
“As the shoe has no fastening device, it relies on the toes to keep the shoe on, causing an awkward gait（步法）, this leads to short- and long-term problems such as calluses（繭子）, heel and knee pain.”
WEDGES AND STILETTOS
These shoes can also cause problems with gait. They may look good, but the heels on these are so high they can force the wearer's body weight forward, making them very unstable.
Teens who wear these shoes regularly are also in danger of joining those millions of women with constant back pain.
SCHOOL SHOES
So what do podiatrists（足科醫(yī)生）have on their wish list, especially for everyday wear?
Something in a natural, breathable fabric, with a string to hold it on, with a small heel and a deep toe-box that does not press the toes, such as Clark's, Marks & Spencer or Rhino.
If your teen insists on wearing 'bad' shoes, get them some simple foot orthotics(矯形器) in the shoes. These support and correct the movement of the foot and, properly fitted by a podiatrist, can often transform their walk and halt the damage.
小題1: Of all the shoes mentioned in the passage, which can cause the worst problems?
A．Marks & Spencer.B．Wedges & Stilettos.
C．Keds and Vans.D．Ballet Pumps.
小題2: Which pair of shoes may not be found on the podiatrists’ wish list?

小題3: The underlined word “halt” in the last paragraph probably means _______.
A．increaseB．worsenC．stopD．cure
小題4: From this passage we can infer _______.
A．trendy shoes may ruin teenagers’ health
B．fashionable shoes all have orthotics in them
C．experts are strongly against wearing popular shoes
D．podiatrists are expert at producing branded shoes
小題5: In which column of Mail Online can you find this passage?
A．Sports.B．Science.C．Health.D．Shopping.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Tobacco is the second major cause of death in the world. It is responsible for the death of one in ten adults worldwide (about 5 million deaths each year). If current smoking patterns continue, it will cause some 10 million deaths each year by 2020. Half the people that smoke today, that is about 650 million people, will eventually be killed by tobacco.
Tobacco is the fourth most common risk factor for disease worldwide. The economic costs of tobacco use are equally devastating (破壞性的). In addition to the high public health costs of treating tobacco-caused diseases, tobacco kills people at the height of their productivity, depriving (剝奪) families of breadwinners(養(yǎng)家糊口的人) and nations of a healthy workforce. Tobacco users are also less productive while they are alive due to increased sickness. A 1994 report estimated that the use of tobacco resulted in an annual global net loss of 200 thousand million US dollars, a third of this loss being in developing countries.
Tobacco and poverty are closely linked. Many studies have shown that in the poorest households in some low-income countries as much as 10% of total household expenditure is on tobacco. This means that these families have less money to spend on basic items such as food, education and health care. It contributes to a higher illiteracy rate, since money that could have been used for education is spent on tobacco instead.
小題1:
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the first paragraph?
A．Smoking causes 10 percent of the deaths worldwide.
B．About 10 million people will die from smoking each year by 2020.
C．Half the people in the world will be killed by smoking.
D．Roughly there are 1,300 million smokers nowadays.
小題2:
According to the passage, tobacco affects a family in the following aspects EXCEPT _______.
A．relationshipB．education
C．healthD．economy
小題3:
The text uses a lot of figures to _____.
A．show we shouldn’t smoke too much
B．tell people exactly the number
C．warn people of the harm of smoking
D．indicate the writer had a careful investigation
小題4:
The underlined word “illiteracy” in the last paragraph means ____.
A．great intelligenceB．good education
C．bad behaviorsD．inability to read or write
小題5:
What is the best title of the passage?
A．Tobacco Should Be Banned.
B．Why Is Tobacco a Major Threat to Public Health.
C．Tobacco and Poverty Go Hand in Hand.
D．Tobacco May Cause Death.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

A single night of taking the drug Ecstasy (搖頭丸) can cause serious brain damage and speed up the start of Parkinson’s disease, scientists say. Just two or three Ecstasy tablets can permanently destroy brain cells that affect movement and reasoning, according to American research that links the drug to Parkinson’s for the first time.
A study by a team at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, involving squirrel monkeys and baboons (狒狒) found that both species suffered permanent damage to key cells, which are lost in Parkinson’s, after receiving three low doses（劑量）of Ecstasy at three-hour periods.
The study is particularly important because baboons are one of the best animal models for the human brain. George Ricaurte, who led the research, said that the widespread abuse of drug might have caused severe damage. “The most troubling result is that young adults using Ecstasy may be increasing their risk of developing Parkinsonism as they get older.”
Alan Leshner, a former director of the US National Institute on Drug Abuse, said, “This study emphasizes the multi-aspect damage that Ecstasy causes to users. We’ve long known that repeated use damages brain cells. But this study shows that even very occasional use can have long-lasting effects on many different brain systems. It sends an important message to young people: don’t experiment with your own brain.”
Janet Betts, a mother whose teenage daughter Leah died after a single Ecstasy tablet in 1995, said, “This comes as no surprise. But people can’t see the effects at first, and they say it won’t happen to them. We’ll see the symptoms later, just as we have with smoking.”
小題1: The article is intended to ______.
A．explain the bad effects of drugs on people’s health
B．warn young people of the risk of taking the drug Ecstasy
C．persuade people out of such bad habits as smoking and using drugs
D．tell us the links between the drug Ecstasy and Parkinson’s disease
小題2: We know from the passage that a low dose of Ecstasy ______.
A．won’t cause serious brain damage
B．can permanently destroy one’s brain cells
C．will result in immediate symptoms
D．may bring on Parkinson’s at once
小題3:Why are squirrel monkeys and baboons involved in the experiments?
A．Because their brain is similar to human being’s.
B．Because these animals usually take drugs.
C．Because these animals will soon get well after the experiment.
D．Because there is a model in the animals’ brains.
小題4: The underlined word “This” in the last paragraph probably means that ______.
A．Leah died after a single Ecstasy tablet in 1995
B．taking drug has the same symptoms as smoking
C．occasional use of the drug can have long-lasting effects on the brain systems
D．people have long known that repeated use of the drug damages brain cells

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

How many people have I met who have told me about the book that they have been planning to write but have never yet found the time? Far too many．
This is Life, all right, but we do treat it like a rehearsal （排演) and, unhappily, we do miss so many of its best moments．
We take jobs to stay alive and provide homes for our families, always making ourselves believe that this style of life is merely a temporary state of affairs along the road to what we really want to do． Then, at 60 or 65, we are suddenly presented with a clock and several grandchildren and we look back and realize that all those years waiting for Real Life to come along were in fact real life．
In America they have a saying much laughed at by the English：“Have a nice day!” They speak slowly and seriously in their shops, hotels and sandwich bars． I think it is a wonderful phrase, reminding us, in effect, to enjoy the moment: to value this very day．
How often do we say to ourselves, "I'll take up horse-riding （or golf, or sailing) as soon as I get a higher position," only to do none of those things when I do get the higher position．
When I first became a reporter, I knew a man who gave up a very well paid respectable job at the Daily Telegraph to go and edit a small weekly newspaper． At the time I was astonished by what appeared to me to be his completely abnormal （反常的) mental state． How could anyone turn his back on Fleet Street in central London for a small local area？I wanted to know．
Now I am a little older and possibly wiser, I see the sense in it． In Fleet Street the man was under continual pressure． He lived in an unattractive London suburb and he spent much of his life sitting on Southern Region trains．
小題1:The first paragraph of the passage tells us that           ．
A．we always try to find some time to write a book
B．we always make plans but seldom fulfill them
C．we always enjoy many of life's best moments
D．we always do what we really want to do
小題2:The underlined phrase "turn his back on" （paragraph 6) most probably means       ．
A．leave for B．return toC．give upD．rely on
小題3:The man （ paragraph 6) left his first job partly because he was           ．
A．in an abnormal stateB．under too much pressure
C．not well paidD．not respected
小題4:What is probably the best title for the passage?
A．Provide Homes For Our FamilyB．Take Up Horse-riding
C．Value This Very DayD．Stay Alive

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

How can you find out what is going on inside a person’s body without opening the patient’s body up? Regular X rays can show a lot. CAT scans can show even more. They can give a complete view of body organs.
What is a CAT scan? CAT stands for a kind of machine. It is a special X-ray machine that gets a 360-degree picture of a small area of a patient’s body.
Doctors use X rays to study and determine diseases and injuries within the body, X rays can find a foreign object inside the body or take pictures of some inside organs to be X-rayed.
A CAT scanner, however, uses a group of X rays to give a cross-sectional（橫截面）view of a specific part of the body. A fine group of X rays is scanned across the body and around the patient from many different directions. A computer studies the information from each direction and produces a clear cross-sectional picture on a screen. This picture is then photographed for later use. Several cross sections, taken one after another, can give clear “photos” of the entire body or of any body organs. The latest CAT scanners can even give clear pictures of active, moving organs, just as a fast-action camera can “stop the action”, giving clear pictures of what appears unclear to the eye. And because of the 360-degree pictures, CAT scans show clear and complete views of organs in a manner that was once only shown during operation or examination of a dead patient.
Frequent appearance before X rays can cause skin burns, cancer or other damage to the body. Yet CAT scans actually don’t cause the patient to more radiation than regular X rays do. CAT scans can also be done without getting something harmful into the patient, so they are less risky than regular X rays.
CAT scans provide exact, detailed information. They can quickly find such a thing as bleeding inside the brain. They are helping to save lives.
小題1:What is NOT true of a CAT scan?
A．It is safer than regular X rays.
B．It makes use of computer techniques.
C．It can stop the action of an organ for a short time.
D．It gives clear pictures of active, moving body parts.
小題2:The underlined words “a foreign object”（Para 3）most probably refer to     .
A．a(chǎn) badly injured part inside the body
B．a(chǎn) new thing that is unknown to the doctor
C．a(chǎn) strange organ that has grown in the body
D．a(chǎn)n object that gets inside the body by chance
小題3:What is the special use of the latest CAT scanners?
A．It provides clear photos of moving organs.
B．It can take 3-dimension（三維）pictures of inside organs.
C．It won’t cause serious skin burns, cancer or other damage to the body.
D．It helps to find out what is going on inside a person’s body without opening it up.
小題4:We can infer from this passage that     .
A．patients in front of CAT may suffer from a bit of radiation
B．doctors need no opening-up of the body with CAT scanners
C．CAT scanners are more expensive than regular X-ray machines
D．CAT scanners can take photos of either the whole body or a part of it
小題5:The best title of this passage might be        .
A．the Newest Medical Invention
B．New X-ray Machine to Save Lives
C．How to Avoid the Damage of X Rays
D．Advantages and Disadvantages of CAT Scanners

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：完形填空

完形填空（共15小題；每小題2分，滿分30分）
閱讀下面短文，掌握其大意，然后從1-15各題所給的A、B、C和D項(xiàng)中，選出最佳選項(xiàng)，并在答題卡上將該項(xiàng)涂黑。
Is it difficult for you to get up in the morning? Do you sometimes oversleep？ Are you often late for work or school? Yes? Then  Hiroyuki Sugiyama of Japan has a(an)    1  bed for you. Hiroyuki's bed will get you up in the morning! Here is how it      2   .
The bed    3  an alarm clock. First, the alarm clock rings. You have a few minutes to wake up. Next, a tape recorder in the bed plays   4  music or other pleasant sounds.The tape recorder in Hiroyuki's bed plays a recording of his girlfriend. She whispers in a sweet   5 , "Wake up, darling, please." A few minutes later, a second recording    6  . The sound recording can be loud music or   7  sounds. Hiroyuki hears a recording of his boss shouts, "Wake up immediately,   8 you'll be late!"
If you don't get up  9 the second recording, you will be sorry! A mechanical
"foot" is in the bed. The mechanical foot kicks you in the head. Then the bed waits a few  10 minutes. What! You're still in bed! Slowly the   11 of the bed rises higher and higher. The foot of the bed goes lower and lower. 12 the bed is vertical(垂直的). You slide off the bed and onto the floor. You are out of bed and  13 
Hiroyuki made his bed because he wanted to   14  a contest. He works for Honda
Motor Company. Once every two years Honda has a contest for its 200,000 employees
---"All-Honda Idea Contest", The employees think of new ideas. If their ideas win, the employees win   15  . Hiroyuki Sugiyama won a lot of money for his bed.
1. A. expensive      B. special       C. valuable      D. comfortable
2. A. works          B. runs          C. happens       D. moves
3. A. is separated from                B. is made up of
C. is attached to                   D. is made into
4. A. loud           B. classical      C. pop          D. soft
5. A. sound          B. voice          C. noise        D. way
6. A. sends         B. turns          C. plays        D. appears
7. A. pleasant       B. interesting    C. unpleasant   D. funny
8. A. and            B. but            C. so           D. or
9. A. after          B. until          C. since        D. before
10. A. other        B. another        C. more         D. one
11. A. end           B. middle         C. body         D. top
12. A. However       B. Finally        C. Therefore    D. Otherwise
13. A. angry         B. work           C. happy        D. awake
14. A. win          B. achieve        C. gain         D. defeat
15. A. praises        B. contents       C. prizes        D. medals

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