Barack Obama, ________ African America, was e...

Barack Obama, ________ African America, was elected as ________ 56^th President of the United states.

A、/，the           B、 /， /       C、an ， the             D、 an ， /

高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

You might say that Barack Obama was elected President of the US because he knows how to give a good speech. In 2004, the little-known Obama gave a speech at the Democratic national Convention(民主党全国会议). It was a great speech---poetic, and inspiring. The people who heard it would remember it for a long time.

Since 2004, Obama has written and delivered thousands of speeches. These are usually praised for two reasons: he treats the audiences like intelligent adults, and he is able to express difficult ideas in a straightforward, natural way.

Before becoming President, Obama was a lawyer, a college professor, and a successful writer---his two memoirs have become best-sellers. The skills he needed to succeed in his previous jobs have also contributed to his success as a speechmaker.

As a lawyer, Obama learned how to make strong, convincing arguments. As a professor, he learned how to explain complex subjects in ways that helped students understand without boring them. As a writer, he learned how to use language to have a powerful influence on his audience.

Secret weapons of Obama 

Writing team: Obama has a team of people who write his speeches. The writers chat with Obama for hours about what he wants to say. They listen to recordings of past presidential addresses and seek advice from advisers. Obama usually edits and rewrites the drafts several times.

Make fun of the guests: Obama starts his speech by gently making fun of his guests. His opening lines attract the audiences’ attention while giving them an opportunity to relax and laugh at themselves and each other.

Making fun of himself: Obama laughs at his past mistakes and is never afraid of showing them to the public.

Obama delivers speeches to audiences large and small. He can make his audiences laugh or cry. His speeches are always thoughtful, well written, and just right for each occasion.

1... The third and fourth paragraphs mainly talk about _____.

A. why Obama’s speeches are praised       B. how Obama acquired his speaking ability     C. what subjects Obama’s speeches about    D. Obama’s success as a writer and a lawyer

2.. When delivering a speech, Obama ______.

A. usually starts with some famous sayings    B. sometimes turns his speech into a song

C. sometimes shares a joke with the audience  D. is very strict most of the time

3.. What is the main idea of the passage?

A. Obama won the election campaign.       B. Obama is a brilliant speechmaker

C. Obama had taken a couple of jobs.        D. Obama is good at writing.

高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

Barack Obama was born on August 4, 1961 in Honolulu, Hawaii. His father came to America from Kenya, which is a country in Africa. His parents, Ann and Barack, met when they were students at the University of Hawaii. Since Barack had the same name as his father, young Barack went by the nickname “Barry”.

In 1979, after he finished high school, Barry went to Occidental College in Los Angeles, California. There, he started to learn about his African roots and decided to use his African name, Barack. After two years in L.A., he went to Columbia University in New York City to study politics.

After college, he moved to Chicago, Illinois, where he worked to help poor people in his city. He traveled to Africa to meet his grandmother and cousins for the first time. He went back many times over the years to visit with his family and learn about where he came from. At work, he met a lawyer named Michelle Robinson. They worked together in a big law firm. Then he left Chicago to go to Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He did very well in law school.

After he was done with school, Barack moved back to Chicago and in 1992 he married Michelle. He worked as a lawyer, devoted to helping poor people for free who had been treated unfairly. He worked hard to get the people he helped to vote(投票).

He made many people believe that their votes were important, and helped them feel like they could make a difference.

1. Barack Obama’s father was probably born in _________.

A. Hawaii. B. California. C. Illinois. D. Kenya.

2.Which of the following is the right order according to the text?

①Getting married to Michelle.

②Travelling to Africa to meet his grandmother.

③Going to Harvard Law School.

④Going to Columbia University.

⑤Working in a big law firm.

A. ④②⑤③①　 B. ④③②⑤①　　 C. ③④①⑤② D. ②①⑤④③

3. How did Obama get people to vote?

A. By cheating them to do so.

B. By making a difference to people.

C. By showing them the importance of their votes.

D. By helping poor people who treat others unfairly

4.According to the text, which of the following words can best describe Barack Obama?

A. Humorous B. Polite C. Brave D. Kind-hearted

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

The campaign is over. The celebrations have ended. And the work for US president-elect Barack Obama has begun.

The 47-year-old politician rose to the highest post because of his stand against the war in Iraq and his plans to fix a weak economy. But what will the first 47-year-old African-American president do for race relations?

Obama’s victory appears to have given blacks and other minorities a true national role model. For years, many looked to athletes and musicians for inspiration. As Darius Turner, an African-American high school student in Los Angeles, told the Los Angeles Times, “Kobe doesn’t have to be everybody’s role model anymore.”

Recent polls（民意测验）also suggest that Obama’s victory has given Americans new optimism about race relations. For example, a USA Today poll found that two-thirds of Americans believe relations between blacks and whites “will finally be worked out”. This is the most hopeful response since the question was first asked during the civil rights revolution in 1963.

However, it’s still too early to tell whether Obama’s presidency will begin to solve many of the social problems facing low-income black communities.

Although blacks make up only 13 percent of the US population, 55 percent of all prisoners are African-American. Such numbers can be blamed on any number of factors on America’s racist past, a failure of government policy and the collapse(瓦解)of the family unit in black communities.

It is unlikely that Obama will be able to reverse (扭转) such trends overnight. However, Bill Bank, an expert of African-American Studies, says that eventually young blacks need to find role models in their own communities. “That’s not Martin Luther King, and not Barack Obama,” he told the Los Angeles Times. “It’s actually the people closest to them. Barack only has so much influence.”

In the opinion of black British politician Trevor Phillips, Obama’s rise will contribute more to multiculturalism than to race relations in the US.

“When the G8 meets, the four most important people in the room will be the president of China, the prime minister of India, the prime minister of Japan and Barak Obama,” he told London’s The Times newspaper. “It will be the first time we’ve seen that on our television screens. That will be a huge psychological shift (心理转变) for both the white people and the colored ones in the world.”

1.For years, before Obama was elected president of the US, __________.

2.According to Bill Bank, ____________.

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

4.What will be the huge psychological shift Trevor mentioned at the end of the passage?

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

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(举例说明) 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(哲学).　 “Cool” relates to ideas of grace(优雅) 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 (厌战情绪) . . . 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(权威). 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 (体育运动) 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.

1.Barack Obama, Lady Gaga and Steve Jobs are mentioned in the first paragraph to ________.

A. introduce the topic

B. draw our attention

C. tell us what they have in common

D. tell us what is “cool”

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

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. are very skilled at sports

C. are good at chess and other thinking games.

D. have supernatural powers like Harry Potter

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”.

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.

高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

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(举例说明) 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(哲学).　 “Cool” relates to ideas of grace(优雅) 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. 厌战情绪)

. . . 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 (体育运动) 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.

1.Barack Obama, Lady Gaga and Steve Jobs are mentioned in the first paragraph to ________.

A. introduce the topic　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. draw our attention

C. tell us what they have in common　　　　 D. tell us what is “cool”

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

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. are very skilled at sports

C. are good at chess and other thinking games.

D. have supernatural powers like Harry Potter

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”.

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.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

短文填词（满分10分）

Barack Obama, who is the son of a black father from Kenya                          and a white mother from America, was ________in Hunolulu,    1.________         Hawaii on August 4^th ,1961. He dreamed o______ becoming        2.________          the President of the United States _________ he was only a small  3.________          boy. In 1988, he was __________(录取) into Harvard Law School,    4.________         gained his doctor’s degree in 1991. After ____ from the university 5.________          he worked as a lawyer, lecturer and then took u_______ politics.   6.________          On November 4, 2008,  Barack Obama’s dream came t______.    7.________             The _________(成功) of Obama shows that the black people     8.________                who have a dream can reach their g________ and inspired those     9.________          who want to cheer the __________（成就）of African Americans.     10.________

高二英语其他题中等难度题查看答案及解析

As US President Barack Obama _____London, fresh figures showed US house prices were falling at their fastest pace on record.

A. set up for　　 B. set in to

C. set off for　 D. set down to

高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Barack Obama’s first speech as president left a strong impression 　　 his audience.

A. on　　 B. in　 C. at　　　 D. by

高二英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析

It happened to me recently that I was telling someone how much I had enjoyed reading Barack Obama’s Dreams from My Father and how it had changed my views of the current US president. The person I was talking to agreed with me that it was, in his words, “a wonderfully written book”. However, he then proceeded to talk about Mr. Obama in a way that suggested he had no idea of his background at all. I sensed that I was talking to a book liar.

And it seems that he is not the only one. Clearly two thirds of people have lied about reading a book which they haven’t. In the World Book Day survey, Dreams from My Father is at number 9. The survey lists top ten books, and various authors, which people have lied about reading. As I’m not one to lie too often, I’ll admit here and now that I haven’t read the entire ten books. But I am pleased to say that I have read the book at number one, George Orwell’s 1984. I think it’s absolutely outstanding.

Asked why they lied, the most common reason was to impress someone they were speaking to. This could be difficult if the conversation became more in depth!

The World Book Day survey also has some other interesting information in it. It shows that many people lie about having read classical works by Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters, Charles Dickens and so on. But when asked which authors they actually enjoy, they named J.K. Rowling, Jilly Cooper, and Stephen King (ah, the big sellers, in other words). Forty-one percent of people asked admitted they turned to the back of the book to read the end before finishing the story.

So which books have you lied about reading — if any — and which is your favourite?

1．The main reason why people lie about reading is to _________.

A. make fun of the listener                 B. impress the listener

C. please the listener                      D. interest the listener

2．The underlined word “proceeded” in the passage probably means “_________”.

A. wanted           B. happened         C. continued            D. stopped

3．What does the World Book Day survey show?

A. Nearly half of the people surveyed didn’t read through a whole classical book.

B. People don’t like Dreams from My Father and George Orwell’s 1984.

C. Few people lie about having read classical works by Jane Austen.

D. People usually enjoy reading books by Charles Dickens.

4．What is the best title for the passage?

A. Are You a Book Liar?                 B. Readers Are All Liars

C. World Book Day                       D. Dreams from My Father

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析