If you ever have the desire to break out into...

If you ever have the desire to break out into song—in the shower, in the car, maybe at your neighbor's karaoke night—you should embrace it whole-heartedly. This ancient art not only makes you feel good, it can also improve your well-being, reduce your feelings of pain, and even extend your life.

Using your voice to sing, rather than simply carryout a conversation, offers unique benefits because singing affects our bodies. Also, studies link singing with a lower heart rate，decreased blood pressure and reduced stress according to Patricia Preston-Roberts, a music therapist. She uses song to help patients who suffer from a variety of problems.

Singing, particularly in a group, seems to benefit the elderly particularly well. As part of a three-year study examining how singing affects the health of those fifty-five and older, a Senior Singers Chorus was formed by the Levine School of Music in Washington, D. C. The seniors involved in the chorus, as well as seniors in two separate arts groups about writing and painting, showed significant health improvements compared to those in the control groups (控制组).Obviously, the arts groups reported thirty fewer doctors' visits, fewer eyesight problems, less depression, and less need for medication.

Even lead researcher Dr. Gene D. Cohen, director of the Center on Aging at George Washington University, was surprised at how big an effect the seniors' arts participation had on their health. Cohen said, “The average age of all the subjects was eighty. This is higher than life expectancy. So, if an effect were to be achieved, one would ordinarily expect to see less decline (下降) compared to the control group. The fact that there was so much improvement in many areas was the surprising factor." The seniors also noticed health improvements and they reported feeling better both in daily life and while singing.

The part of the brain that works with speech is different from the part that processes music. “People seem to enjoy doing something jointly with other people. There are a lot of facts that being socially involved is good for people with dementia (老年痴呆).”Ballard said.

The arts are showing up as a treatment tool in hospitals across the country. If you are thinking of volunteering, singing at a hospital may be a good choice—not only for the patients, but also for yourself.

1.In the first paragraph, the author ________.

A. expresses a desire for singing

B. offers some advice on singing

C. puts forward his point of view

D. states the importance of health

2.Why was Cohen surprised at the results of the study?

A. The study was not expensive as expected.

B. Arts acted as a treatment tool in hospitals.

C. People's health in the arts group improved greatly.

D. The seniors themselves noticed health improvements.

3.What is the author's attitude towards arts?

A. Doubtful.　　 B. Positive.

C. Negative.　　 D. Worried.

4.What would be the best title for the passage?

A. How to Avoid Getting Dementia

B. How Seniors Live a Healthy Life

C. How to Keep Our Brains Healthy

D. How Singing Improves Your Health

高一英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Have you ever felt the desire to move and experience another beautiful part of the country? This could be the perfect career change for you.

The National Trust in England is looking for someone to work as a ranger on the Fame Islmds, one of Britain’s oldest nature reserves located just off the Northumberland coast.

For $22,668 a year, the successful applicant will be required to look after the local wildlife, including the 200 seal pups which are born on the islands each year and 37,000 pairs of puffins.

The ranger will get the chance to work in some of the nation’s most attractive places and spaces — impressive sunrises a one-minute ride and one of England’s largest seal colonies on his doorstep. But like every job, it doesn’t come without a downside. Apart from avoiding the dive-bombing Arctic terns, there is no running water on the island and there will be severe storms to fight with during the spring.

Along with a love of nature and the outdoors, the National Trust is looking for “an excellent team player” who has experience in conservation work. This job isn’t the normal 9 to 5, so being good at PowerPoint isn’t a must. With 50,000 annual visitors every year, you really need to be able to get on with people and show them how they can participate to help nature.

Could you see yourself in this role? Applications for the job close on June 7.Want to apply? Click here.

1.“Downside” in the 4th paragraph can be replaced by____________.

A.pay drop B.disadvantage

C.bright future D.bad environment

2.If you’d like to apply for the job as a ranger, you should_____________.

A.live a regular life B.come to terms with being lonely

C.be expert at working with PowerPoint D.have experience in conservation work

3.The passage is probably taken from_______________.

A.a newspaper B.a textbook

C.the Internet D.a news report

高一英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Everyone dreams. If you’ve ever tried to figure out the meaning of a strange dream, you’re not alone. Humans have been trying to make sense of dreams since recorded history. 1. Here are some of the findings.

2. People with great creativity are more likely to dream about unusual settings and about blocks in the natural world, such as a log or a rock they can’t get around.

You’ve got a heart problem. People who have frequent nightmares may be significantly more likely to suffer from an irregular heartbeat or chest pain. If you have those problems, it’s more difficult for you to breathe at night. 3.

You’re avoiding something. Do you dream about being followed by a stranger, a monster, or a giant tidal wave? This could indicate that you’re afraid to deal with something in your daily life. 4.

You’ll have a good result in a test. Students whose performance improved were those who had dreamed about the maze (迷宫) during the sleep. 5. This improves learning and problem-solving skills.

Despite the fact that technology has vastly expanded our understanding of dreaming, much of what occurs when we’re asleep remains as it has always been: a mystery.

A. How creative you are.

B. Dreaming may strengthen memories.

C. What kind of problem solver you are.

D. What can our dreams tell about ourselves?

E. How can we understand better about ourselves?

F. That explains why you cannot have a sound sleep.

G. Ask yourself what issue or emotion you’re faced with.

高一英语七选五中等难度题查看答案及解析

Have you ever wanted to travel back in time? What about traveling into the future? There’s an easy way to do it. One way you can make a time travel journey is by writing a letter to your future self to be opened in the future. To your future self, the letter will be a visit from the past.　

What can be gained by writing a letter to yourself? Depends on how good your letter is. You have the chance to say something to your future self. What would you want to say? You’ll be able to talk to yourself 5,10,15 years down the road. There may be instructions for your future self, or you may have goals that you will want to reach.

There are a lot of things you could include in your letter or letters to yourself. The more you include, the better the letter will be to you. Be creative with what you put in your letter. Include a picture of yourself or family to show the period from which the letter came.

You can store your letter in many different ways. You can give your letter to a friend or family member to keep and mail to you. If you can get others to take part, have them write letters to themselves as well and ask someone to be the letter holder until it’s time to send the letters. You can also use a service online to store your letter and e-mail it to you. Ready to write to yourself two and a half years down the road?

1.How can you travel into the future?

A．By traveling back in time.　

B．By paying a visit to the future

C．By opening a letter from the past.

D．By writing a letter to your future self.

2.If you want to gain more in the future, you should_________.

A．have the chance to say something to your future self

B．talk to yourself 5, 10, 15 years down the road

C．write more about instructions for your future self

D．include as many things as possible in your letter

3.Why do you put a picture in your letter?

A．To check up on your goals.　

B．To share your feelings with your family.

C．To show the time when the letter was written.

D．To find out your thoughts and feelings now.

高一英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Do you have a place you’ve always wanted to visit? If the answer is yes, have you ever considered taking a trip alone there just for a few days?

1. Although seeing the world on their own has always been a dream in their hearts since childhood, most people have repeatedly been told that the outside world is dangerous. The thought of going on a trip alone excites and terrifies them at the same time. Few end up stepping out of their comfort zone and going on meaningful adventures.

It is normal to have some trouble traveling alone. 2. For example, being alone on the road, you might have to ask strangers to take your photo wherever you go. If you join a tour halfway, you may be asked why you don’t have friends or family around. 3.

First, traveling alone gives you a good opportunity to do everything you wish to do without worrying about others’ needs and wants. If you want, you can read on a bench beside a river for the whole afternoon without being disturbed (打扰). You are free to walk around on different streets. 4. You can also remove that dull daily routine (常规) that always makes you feel tired.

If you make good use of it, traveling alone can also be a wonderful journey of self-discovery, as you’ll finally have time to think about your life.

5. All you need to do is pack your bags, take your passport, gather up your courage and go somewhere. Go out and enjoy being alone, explore the unknown, make some friends, read a book, and get to know more about yourself and the world.

A. Traveling by yourself is also quite easy.

B. You can go to shopping malls and explore the city.

C. For many people, traveling alone can be frightening.

D. There are also some unpleasant moments one might run into.

E. It is important to take some time off and think about the methods.

F. But anyhow, I still suggest that you travel alone at least once in your life.

G. Traveling alone helps us figure out what we really want to fight for in this big world.

高一英语七选五中等难度题查看答案及解析

If you are living in the city, have you ever thought of going to live in the country for a change?

Many people want to move from the country to the city because they think life in the city is more exciting and better than that in rural (农村的) areas, especially young people who like new and modern things.

Often people feel that they can find the latest styles only in the city. Other people are interested in technological (科技的) things and high-tech jobs and think they can find them only in a big city. If they want to find a job, especially a good position in a company, they feel they have to live in a city. To get these jobs, they are willing to put up with many of the disadvantages (不利因素) of city life such as heavy traffic and pollution.

However, it is now possible to enjoy a higher quality of life in the countryside and still enjoy some of the advantages (好处) of living in the city.

Nowadays, travel is fast and information is available (可获得的) on the Internet, so many people are able to do their work in home offices.

Because they have e-mail and personal computers, they don't have to be in big cities to do their business. It is not important where they actually work because the results of their work can be sent everywhere with technology. Now they can enjoy life in the countryside and still be able to do good business and successful careers.

1.The underlined phrase “put up with” (in Para. 3) probably means “_____”.

A. change    　　 　　　　　　 B. stand    　　　

C. be angry with        D. be pleased with

2.Now people can enjoy life in the countryside and still be able to do good business and　　 successful careers _____.

A. because of the Internet and fast travel

B. because of e-mail and personal computers

C. because travel is fast

D. because the rural areas are developing faster than cities

3.What is the author's opinion?

A. She / he prefers to live in the countryside rather than live in the city.

B. She / he prefers to live in the city rather than live in the countryside.

C. She / he likes both city life and countryside life.

D. It is not clear which life she / he prefers.

4.What would be the best title for this passage?

A. Life in the city　　         　　 B. Life in the country

C. Go and live in the city    　　 D. Go and live in the country

高一英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

If you are ever lucky to be invited to a formal dinner party in Paris，remember that the French have their own way of doing things, and that even your finest manners may not be “correct” by French custom．For example，if you think showing up promptly（迅速地）at the time given on the invitation，armed with gifts of wine and roses，complimenting（称赞）your hostess on her cooking，laughing heartily at the host’s jokes and then leaping up to help the hostess will make you the perfect guest，think again．

Here Madame Nora Chabal，the marketing director of the Ritz Hotel in Paris，explained how it works．

The first duty of the guest is to respond to the invitation within 48 hours．And，the guest may not ask to bring a guest because the hostess has chosen her own．

Flowers sent ahead of schedule are the preferred gift．They may also be sent afterwards with a thank–you note．It is considered a very bad form to arrive with a gift of flowers vase when she is too busy to do with that．

See，that’s the logic！The type of flowers sent has a code of its own，too．One must never send chrysanthemums(菊花)because they are considered too humble(谦卑)for occasion．Carnations（康乃馨）are considered bad luck，and calla（马蹄莲）are too reminiscent（令人联想）of funerals（葬礼）．A bouquet of red roses is a declaration of romantic intent．Don’t send those unless you mean it，and never to a married hostess．And though the French love wine，you must never bring a bottle to a dinner party．Why？It’s as if you feared your hosts would not have enough wine on hand，and that’s an insult（侮辱）．You may，however，offer a box of chocolates which the hostess will pass after dinner with coffee．

If an invitation is for eight o’clock，the considerate guest arrives at a quarter past eight．Guests who arrive exactly on time or early are mere thoughtless ones who are not giving the hostess those last few minutes she needs to deal with details and crises．

1.Which of the following is right about sending gifts？

2.What does the word “considerate” in the last paragraph mean？

3.If you are invited to a French dinner, the correct custom is to ______.

4.What is the passage mainly about？

高一英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

Germans have a word wanderlust which translated into English would be ‘the desire to wander'． Nowadays the chance to travel is endless． Thanks to cheap air tickets， travelling abroad is very easy and sometimes it's even cheaper to fly out of the country than to travel within your own． So， yes， travelling is cheap but there have to be other reasons to travel and you've right， there are plenty!

I have always had this feeling of wanderlust． It started from me wanting to explore my local woods at the back of my garden as a young girl and as I have grown， so has my sense of adventure． And I found my local woods being replaced with the Brazil wetland， Pantanal， where I went last summer in search of jaguars， snakes and crocodiles． The thing with travelling is it's always different． Even if you went to the same country， to the same town and stayed in the exact same hotel it would be a completely different experience． The people you meet will be different， and they will tell you their own travelling stories： stories of holiday romance， holiday worries and stories that seem so outrageous that you can hardly believe them until something similar happens to you．

Or maybe the difference is you？ Maybe you have changed since last time you were there？ And that's the thing with travelling - it changes you． When you travel you are forced to experience a new culture． Whether it's eating guinea pig， or staying with a family where neither of you speak a common language and you have to communicate through hand actions and smiles， the experience gives me itchy feet to do it all again． And although wanderlust is a German word， the English idiom "to have itchy feet" has a similar idea． Someone who has itchy feet needs to leave or travel． This desire to explore is found not only in language but in us．

1.According to Paragraph 2， what is the most important part of travelling？ ______

A. You can have different experiences．

B. You can hear many travelling stories．

C. You will experience holiday romance．

D. You are able to take more adventures．

2.The underlined word "outrageous" in Paragraph 2 probably means ______ ．

A. interesting B. surprising

C. moving D. disappointing

3.What does the underlined word "it" in Paragraph 3 refer to？ ______

A. Staying with a family without common languages．

B. Communicating through hand actions and smiles．

C. Eating guinea pig with a family．

D. Experiencing a different culture．

4.The writer wrote the passage in order to ______ ．

A. give various reasons for travelling

B. encourage people to travel abroad

C. explain the German word "wanderlust"

D. share the writer's travelling experiences

高一英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

You have been reading to me __________ James went out.

A．the moment       B．before            C．when             D．ever since

高一英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

_____ you have worked out the first problem, you may go on to work on the second.

A．Even if            B．Unless            C．Now that          D．Though

高一英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析