We were five minutes into a severe winter storm — approaching Boston’s Logan International Airport — when I turned to the woman next to me and said, “Hey, would you mind chatting with me for a few minutes?” My seatmate seemed friendly and I suddenly felt desperate for a human connection.
“Sure. My name is Sue,” the woman replied, smiling warmly. “What brings you to Boston?” I started to explain that I was on a business trip. Then the plane trembled violently, and I blurted out, “I might need to hold your hand too.” Sue took my hand in both of hers, patted it, and held on tight.
Sometimes a stranger can significantly improve our day. ① A pleasant meeting with someone we don’t know, even an unspoken exchange, can calm us when no one else is around. It may get us out of our own heads — a proven mood lifter — and help broaden our vision. Sandstrom, a psychologist and senior lecturer at the University of Essex, has found that people’s moods improve after they have a conversation with a stranger. And yet most of us resist talking to people we don’t know or barely know. We worry about how to start, maintain, or stop it. We think we will keep talking and disclose too much, or not talk enough. We are afraid we will bore the other person. We’re typically wrong.
② In a study in which Sandstrom asked participants to talk to at least one stranger a day for five days, 99 percent said they had found at least one of the exchanges pleasantly surprising, 82 percent said they’d learned something from one of the strangers, 43 percent had exchanged contact information, and 40 percent had communicated with one of the strangers again.
③ Multiple studies show that people who interact regularly with passing acquaintances or who engage with others through community groups, religious gatherings, or volunteer opportunities have better emotional and physical health and live longer than those who do not. One person took up the cello after chatting with a woman on the subway who was carrying one. Another recalled how the smile of a fruit salesman from whom he regularly bought bananas made him feel less lonely after he’d first arrived in a new city.
④ When Sue took my hand on that scary flight to Boston, I almost wept with relief. “Hey, this is a little bumpy, but we will be on the ground safely soon,” she told me. She looked so encouraging, and confident. I asked her what she did for a living. “I’m a retired physical education teacher, and I coached women’s volleyball,” she said. Immediately, I could see what an awesome coach she must have been.
When we said goodbye, I gave Sue a big hug and my card. A few days later, I received an e-mail with the subject line “Broken hand on Jet Blue.” “I have to admit that I was just as scared as you were but did not say it,” Sue wrote. “I just squeezed your hand as hard as I could. Thank you for helping me through this very scary situation.” She added that when she’d told her friends about our conversation, they teased her because they know she loves to talk. I told my friends about Sue too. I explained how kind she was to me, and what I learned: It’s OK to ask for help from a stranger if you need it. Now if I mention to my friends that I am stressed or worried, they respond, “Just think of Sue!”
1.The writer struck up a conversation with her seatmate because ________.
A.they were heading for the same city on business
B.she was in urgent need of emotional comfort
C.the plane’s abrupt movement was unbearable
D.the woman was friendlier than other passengers
2.What benefit does a pleasant exchange with strangers bring us?
A.It lights up our otherwise unsuccessful life.
B.It saves us the trouble of talking too much.
C.It improves our ability to think and understand
D.It guarantees us a lasting feeling of happiness.
3.Why does the writer mention the study conducted by Sandstrom?
A.To present the benefits of interacting with acquaintances.
B.To show it lifts mood to make and meet with new friends.
C.To stress it is necessary to associate with unknown people.
D.To relieve anxiety about communicating with strangers.
4.The sentence “You don’t even have to talk to complete strangers to obtain the benefit” can be put in ________.
A.① B.② C.③ D.④
5.What does the underlined sentence imply?
A.The writer was impressed with Sue’s ability to inspire others.
B.The writer herself could have been a volleyball player.
C.Sue possessed obvious characters of a qualified PE teacher.
D.Sue became the coach of the writer as a consequence.
6.How did the writer probably feel while reading Sue’s email?
A.Regretful. B.Surprised. C.Disappointed. D.Satisfied.
高三英语阅读理解困难题
We were five minutes into a severe winter storm — approaching Boston’s Logan International Airport — when I turned to the woman next to me and said, “Hey, would you mind chatting with me for a few minutes?” My seatmate seemed friendly and I suddenly felt desperate for a human connection.
“Sure. My name is Sue,” the woman replied, smiling warmly. “What brings you to Boston?” I started to explain that I was on a business trip. Then the plane trembled violently, and I blurted out, “I might need to hold your hand too.” Sue took my hand in both of hers, patted it, and held on tight.
Sometimes a stranger can significantly improve our day. ① A pleasant meeting with someone we don’t know, even an unspoken exchange, can calm us when no one else is around. It may get us out of our own heads — a proven mood lifter — and help broaden our vision. Sandstrom, a psychologist and senior lecturer at the University of Essex, has found that people’s moods improve after they have a conversation with a stranger. And yet most of us resist talking to people we don’t know or barely know. We worry about how to start, maintain, or stop it. We think we will keep talking and disclose too much, or not talk enough. We are afraid we will bore the other person. We’re typically wrong.
② In a study in which Sandstrom asked participants to talk to at least one stranger a day for five days, 99 percent said they had found at least one of the exchanges pleasantly surprising, 82 percent said they’d learned something from one of the strangers, 43 percent had exchanged contact information, and 40 percent had communicated with one of the strangers again.
③ Multiple studies show that people who interact regularly with passing acquaintances or who engage with others through community groups, religious gatherings, or volunteer opportunities have better emotional and physical health and live longer than those who do not. One person took up the cello after chatting with a woman on the subway who was carrying one. Another recalled how the smile of a fruit salesman from whom he regularly bought bananas made him feel less lonely after he’d first arrived in a new city.
④ When Sue took my hand on that scary flight to Boston, I almost wept with relief. “Hey, this is a little bumpy, but we will be on the ground safely soon,” she told me. She looked so encouraging, and confident. I asked her what she did for a living. “I’m a retired physical education teacher, and I coached women’s volleyball,” she said. Immediately, I could see what an awesome coach she must have been.
When we said goodbye, I gave Sue a big hug and my card. A few days later, I received an e-mail with the subject line “Broken hand on Jet Blue.” “I have to admit that I was just as scared as you were but did not say it,” Sue wrote. “I just squeezed your hand as hard as I could. Thank you for helping me through this very scary situation.” She added that when she’d told her friends about our conversation, they teased her because they know she loves to talk. I told my friends about Sue too. I explained how kind she was to me, and what I learned: It’s OK to ask for help from a stranger if you need it. Now if I mention to my friends that I am stressed or worried, they respond, “Just think of Sue!”
1.The writer struck up a conversation with her seatmate because ________.
A.they were heading for the same city on business
B.she was in urgent need of emotional comfort
C.the plane’s abrupt movement was unbearable
D.the woman was friendlier than other passengers
2.What benefit does a pleasant exchange with strangers bring us?
A.It lights up our otherwise unsuccessful life.
B.It saves us the trouble of talking too much.
C.It improves our ability to think and understand
D.It guarantees us a lasting feeling of happiness.
3.Why does the writer mention the study conducted by Sandstrom?
A.To present the benefits of interacting with acquaintances.
B.To show it lifts mood to make and meet with new friends.
C.To stress it is necessary to associate with unknown people.
D.To relieve anxiety about communicating with strangers.
4.The sentence “You don’t even have to talk to complete strangers to obtain the benefit” can be put in ________.
A.① B.② C.③ D.④
5.What does the underlined sentence imply?
A.The writer was impressed with Sue’s ability to inspire others.
B.The writer herself could have been a volleyball player.
C.Sue possessed obvious characters of a qualified PE teacher.
D.Sue became the coach of the writer as a consequence.
6.How did the writer probably feel while reading Sue’s email?
A.Regretful. B.Surprised. C.Disappointed. D.Satisfied.
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
Our plane delayed taking off as we ran into a storm. We were ________ for several hours at the airport, waiting for the storm to clear up.
A. figured out B. built up C. held up D. taken off
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
We were five minutes into the worst disorder. That was the worst experience — approaching Boston Airport in a severe winter _______. I turned to the woman next to me and said, ''Hey, would you mind _______ with me for a few minutes? I'm really nervous."
''Sure. My name is Sue；the woman replied, _______ warmly. ''What brings you to Boston? '' I started to explain that I was on a business trip. Then the plane shook violently, and _______ slipped of my tongue. ''I might need to hold your hand too.'' Sue took my hand in both of hers, _______ it, and held tight. When Sue took my hand on that scary flight to Boston, I almost wept with relief. She was so calm, effective, and _______ —''Yep, this is a little bumpy(颠簸的), but we'll be on the ground safely soon,'' she told me — that I asked her what she did for a living. ''I'm a retired physical education teacher, and I _______ women's volleyball, '' she said. _______, I could see what an awesome coach she must have been.
Sue and I talked about our families, our vacations, our love of the ocean until the plane finally _______. Then the businessman sitting on the other side of her, who'd been silent the entire ________, remarked that he'd ________ our conversation. ''It ________ me and I was not scared any more.'' he said.
When we said goodbye, I gave Sue a big ________ and my card. A few days later, I received a/an ________with the subject line "Broken Hand on Jet Blue."
''I have to admit that I was just as ________ as you were but did not say it,'' Sue wrote. ''I just ________ your hand as hard as I could. Thank you for helping me through this very scary ________'' She added that when she'd told her friends about our conversation, they ________ her because they knew she loved to talk.
I told my friends about Sue too. I explained how kind she was to me, and what I learned: It's OK to ask for help from a________ if you need it. Now if I mention to my friends that I am ________ or worried, they respond, ''Just think of Sue''
1.A.night B.storm C.flood D.rain
2.A.singing B.running C.drawing D.chatting
3.A.embracing B.cheering C.smiling D.praising
4.A.words B.songs C.comments D.ideas
5.A.patted B.beat C.washed D.scratched
6.A.creative B.knowledgeable C.reliable D.brilliant
7.A.played B.made C.studied D.coached
8.A.Unfortunately B.Immediately C.Gradually D.Generally
9.A.crashed B.worked C.returned D.landed
10.A.activity B.adventure C.flight D.ceremony
11.A.hated B.enjoyed C.understood D.missed
12.A.disappointed B.distracted C.upset D.frightened
13.A.present B.deal C.hug D.hand
14.A.e-mail B.greeting C.service D.hand
15.A.energetic B.enthusiastic C.talkative D.nervous
16.A.shook B.seized C.kissed D.warmed
17.A.situation B.decision C.comment D.behavior
18.A.worried about B.took care of C.laughed at D.looked up to
19.A.friend B.passerby C.passenger D.stranger
20.A.stressed B.ashamed C.bored D.moved
高三英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
His injuries were severe. Five minutes late, _______he would have died.
A. but B. or C. so D. and
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
______ five minutes ______ before the last bus left, we arrived at the station.
A．There were; go B．With; to go
C．It was; left D．It had; left
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
An early morning winter storm had brought several inches of snow on my small town in the mountains. Schools were canceled, roads were dangerous and all I wanted to do was to stay in bed. Still, I knew I had to get the day started so I put on warm clothes and walked outside. The snow got all over my shoes. The cold wind dried my lips and my eyes. My 47 year-old back ached in anticipation（预想）of the shoveling（铲雪）I would have to do if the snow didn't stop soon.
Yet, when I looked out on the white blanket that covered the ground, I couldn't help but smile a bit. It was so beautiful. It softened the bare trees and hid the dead grass. In the distance I could hear the sound of the snowplow(雪犁) on the road, the barking of a happy dog and the laughter of children playing outside, enjoying their way off from school.
The sweet music of that laughter brought back a hundred memories of winters past. I remembered catching snowflakes (雪花) on my tongue, building snowmen, making snow angles, running down hills and always losing snowball fights with first my brothers and then my own children. Standing there in that warm coat of memories made the wind a little less cold and my back a little less sore(疼痛的). I turned up my head, stuck out my tongue and for the first time in years caught a snowflake on it. It tasted so fresh and clean. It tasted like youth, like joy and like love.
May you always feel young in spirit, no matter how old or achy your body may be. May you always delight in the simple joys of life. May you always share your happiness with the hearts of children. And may you always give your love, your light, your laughter and your warmth to others even on the coldest days.
1.What was the author's first reaction when he knew it snowed heavily?
A. He was upset. B. He was happy.
C. He was thankful. D. He was moved.
2.From which senses did the author describe the joy of having snow?
A. Taste and smell.
B. Sight and smell.
C. Smell, hearing and taste.
D. Sight, hearing and taste.
3.What does the author mainly want to tell us with this article?
A. Appreciate every snowstorm you spend with your family.
B. Snow brings both fun and trouble.
C. Memories can change our opinion.
D. We should stay young at heart.
4.From the underlined sentence in Paragraph l, we can know that “________".
A. my back ached because of the cold weather
B. I didn't want to start my day on such a snowy day
C. my back would ache upon thinking of cleaning up the snow
D. the snow didn't stop and I felt too cold
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
He was born on _____ winter morning in 2006, when _____ most severe storm struck the city and caused hundreds of deaths.
A. a; the B. the; the C. a; a; D. the: a
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
He was born on _____ winter morning in 2006, when _____ most severe storm struck the city and caused hundreds of deaths.
A. a; the B. the; the C. a; a; D. the: a
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
He was born on ______ winter morning in 2010, when ______most severe storm struck the city and caused hundreds of deaths.
A．a; the B．the; the C．a; a D．the; a
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
They were ahead during the first half of the match, but they ________ in the last five minutes．
A．were beating B．beat
C．were beaten D．had been beaten
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析