Little George Adamson ran to the window, hoping to find a white word. But once he drew the curtains, disappointment set in. It was another year without snow on Christmas.
In the UK, where he grew up, December is not a particularly snowy month, yet shops sell cards with white Christmas illustrations and restaurants are decorated with fake snow. This has always intrigued people like Adamson. Where are people taking on these expectations if they haven't lived them? Now, as a college teacher, Adamson knows who to blame for his misplaced expectations Charles Dickens, who populated his stories with snowy Christmas holiday.
Dickens “grew up during the coldest decade England has seen and his short stories and A Christmas Carol seem to owe we much to his impressionable years” , writes anthropologist Brian Fagan in his book .It was so icy during Dickens's early years that the River Thames froze in February of 1814 . For Dickens, who was born in 1812 . Christmas must have been a bitterly cold experience. Years later, when Dickens sat down to write his novels and short stories, the author populated them with his memories of what Christmas looked like back then.
But that doesn't mean a white Christmas' has been common in the decades since. Our program asked the Met Office for more information about Christmas snow in the UK, as tracked by their more than 200 stations across the country. Most years, no more than 20 stations report snow. In the UK, the Met Office explains, it is far more likely to see snow between January and March than in December.
Then how can one man's writing change our collective understanding of a climatic phenomenon?
Dickens is credited, particularly in Britain, as the man who made Christmas fashionable again. As the Industrial Age set in and people moved around the country, traditions and customs were lost. In the first decades of the 1800s, both Sir Walter Scott and Washington Irving felt sorry for the loss of former festivities. When Dickens published A Christmas Carol in 1843, Britons were attached to the holiday season, as many Britons missed the Christmas of their youth.
1.The underlined word “intrigued" in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to .
A.bored B.interested
C.upset D.delighted
2.Adamson's expectation of a white Christmas comes from .
A.literary works B.climatic records
C.Christmas cards D.childhood experience
3.Why is Christmas white in Dickens's writing?
A.He was influenced by other writers of his time,
B.He intended to meet readers' expectation
C.The River Thames froze when he wrote the stories.
D.The snowy Christmas in his childhood impressed him .
4.What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A.Sir Walter Scout was not in favor of Charles Dickens
B.Christmas was not fashionable before Charles Dickens was born
C.Dickens' literary work brought out the Christmas memories of Britons
D.The Industrial Age accounted for the passion for traditions and customs
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题
Little George Adamson ran to the window, hoping to find a white word. But once he drew the curtains, disappointment set in. It was another year without snow on Christmas.
In the UK, where he grew up, December is not a particularly snowy month, yet shops sell cards with white Christmas illustrations and restaurants are decorated with fake snow. This has always intrigued people like Adamson. Where are people taking on these expectations if they haven't lived them? Now, as a college teacher, Adamson knows who to blame for his misplaced expectations Charles Dickens, who populated his stories with snowy Christmas holiday.
Dickens “grew up during the coldest decade England has seen and his short stories and A Christmas Carol seem to owe we much to his impressionable years” , writes anthropologist Brian Fagan in his book .It was so icy during Dickens's early years that the River Thames froze in February of 1814 . For Dickens, who was born in 1812 . Christmas must have been a bitterly cold experience. Years later, when Dickens sat down to write his novels and short stories, the author populated them with his memories of what Christmas looked like back then.
But that doesn't mean a white Christmas' has been common in the decades since. Our program asked the Met Office for more information about Christmas snow in the UK, as tracked by their more than 200 stations across the country. Most years, no more than 20 stations report snow. In the UK, the Met Office explains, it is far more likely to see snow between January and March than in December.
Then how can one man's writing change our collective understanding of a climatic phenomenon?
Dickens is credited, particularly in Britain, as the man who made Christmas fashionable again. As the Industrial Age set in and people moved around the country, traditions and customs were lost. In the first decades of the 1800s, both Sir Walter Scott and Washington Irving felt sorry for the loss of former festivities. When Dickens published A Christmas Carol in 1843, Britons were attached to the holiday season, as many Britons missed the Christmas of their youth.
1.The underlined word “intrigued" in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to .
A.bored B.interested
C.upset D.delighted
2.Adamson's expectation of a white Christmas comes from .
A.literary works B.climatic records
C.Christmas cards D.childhood experience
3.Why is Christmas white in Dickens's writing?
A.He was influenced by other writers of his time,
B.He intended to meet readers' expectation
C.The River Thames froze when he wrote the stories.
D.The snowy Christmas in his childhood impressed him .
4.What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A.Sir Walter Scout was not in favor of Charles Dickens
B.Christmas was not fashionable before Charles Dickens was born
C.Dickens' literary work brought out the Christmas memories of Britons
D.The Industrial Age accounted for the passion for traditions and customs
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
_______ in the jungle, the explorer had little hope to find his way out.
A．Leaving B．To be left
C．Having left D．Having been left
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
He ran as fast as he could _____ to catch the early bus.
A. to hope B. hope C. hoping D. hoped
高二英语选择题简单题查看答案及解析
I ran all the way to the post office, only ___ that it had closed.
A.finding B.having found C.to find D.to be found
高二英语单项填空困难题查看答案及解析
I was scared _______ when I saw the tiger jumped out of the cage and ran to the little child.
A．to the death B．of death C．into the death D．to death
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
George, you are no longer a “little boy”. You should have the_________to tell right from wrong.
| A．prejudice | B．relationship | C．ability | D．advantage |
高二英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
Seeing her father, the little girl ran to him, her schoolbag ______ behind her.
A. was flying B. flew C. to fly D. flying
高二英语单项选择题中等难度题查看答案及解析
One British school is finding that allowing children to listen to music or even to have the TV on while studying is helping improve grades.______ your teenager starts a family quarrel by sitting in an armchair listening to music while doing his homework, why not ______ a simple experiment? ______ taking the heavy handed(严厉的)line of ______ him to his bedroom to get on with it ______, let him do the homework the ______ he wants. You might well find that his essay is more sparkling than ______ he’s done before.
According to the research of Millfield preschool, around 20% of youngsters ______ best with background music, 10% excel(突出) when allowed to ______ their work with short walks around the room while up to 80% can concentrate ______ if allowed to fiddle(用手拨弄)with a small object.
The research has advised the school to adopt a complete ______ approach, analyzing pupils to discover which learning style _____ them best-then letting them do their work listening to music or______ lying down.______ parents at first regarded the ______ as a layabout’s(懒散闲荡的人) deed but many are now applying it at______ where children are also allowed to do their work ______ the television on.
”I ______ to work on the floor with music on low,” admits Susan, 13, a day girl.”At first my parents thought I was skiving (逃避),but my ______ persuaded them to look at my homework and when they saw it was okay, they ______.”
1.A.Then B.Next time C.Before long D.In case
2.A.take B.allow C.form D.try
3.A.Rather than B.Except for C.In place of D.In spite of
4.A.causing B.advising C.ordering D.permitting
5.A.quickly B.carefully C.quietly D.attentively
6.A.way B.atmosphere C.method D.means
7.A.everything B.anything C.nothing D.something
8.A.progress B.relax C.think D.work
9.A.break out B.break down C.break up D.break in
10.A.faster B.better C.deeper D.worse
11.A.new B.special C.common D.interesting
12.A.interests B.affects C.suits D.improves
13.A.still B.perhaps C.almost D.even
14.A.Puzzled B.Doubtful C.Angry D.Unpleased
15.A.move B.suggestion C.research D.problem
16.A.school B.class C.home D.last
17.A.while B.when C.as D.with
18.A.continue B.hope C.hate D.prefer
19.A.teacher B.classmate C.friend D.neighbor
20.A.refused B.agreed C.stopped D.blamed
高二英语完形填空困难题查看答案及解析
Zigfried, a little mouse, blew his breath on the frosty window of the farmhouse and rubbed it to see the outside. Still nobody came. Maybe today, he thought _______ It was only a few days before Christmas and he was watching for a miracle (奇迹).
This farmhouse had been _______ too long. It needed a family. Zigfried’s _______ made a noise. He realized that he hadn’t eaten anything since yesterday. He jumped from the windowsill (窗沿), grabbed a ______ from his home, and went next door to Farmer Mike’s.
Farmer Mike’s house had been a great place for the little mouse ________the farmer married a wife who had a cat. Zigfried ________when he thought of it. He looked around cautiously as he _________ into the room where grain was stored and was quite _______as he filled his bag with wheat. He was turning to leave when suddenly he ________a hot breath about his ear. His heart beat _______, and without thinking he started to run and luckily ________ the cat’s paws (爪子).
The next afternoon Zigfried heard some good news: a _______family would be moving into the farmhouse soon. Zigfried’s granny would arrive on Christmas Eve to ________ with him. He hoped that the family would come before his granny came. Before long, a car came ______ the road leading to the house, with butter sandwiches, cheese and chocolate.
Zigfried’s Christmas miracle did arrive!
The house came ________ the next few days. Zigfried ________ every single hour of them. ______, the day before Christmas when he was drinking hot chocolate with a ______ smile at the door of his home, he heard the ______ of the children of the family about what they might get for Christmas. What? A cat? The _______froze on his face； his mouth fell wide open. After a long while, he at last found his voice: “Hey! Whose Christmas miracle is this?”
1.A. carefully B. excitedly C. hopefully D. proudly
2.A. shabby B. noisy C. messy D. empty
3.A. mouth B. nose C. stomach D. throat
4.A. bag B. stick C. bowl D. coat
5.A. although B. until C. whereas D. unless
6.A. beat B. removed C. trembled D. wandered
7.A. broke B. advanced C. jumped D. stole
8.A. curious B. nervous C. pitiful D. sensible
9.A. took B. released C. felt D. drew
10.A. strongly B. irregularly C. slowly D. wildly
11.A. escaped B. seized C. rubbed D. scratched
12.A. close B. happy C. new D. young
13.A. celebrate B. communicate C. compete D. compromise
14.A. across B. from C. off D. up
15.A. alive B. loose C. open D. still
16.A. counted B. enjoyed C. missed D. wasted
17.A. However B. Instead C. Moreover D. Therefore
18.A. bitter B. forced C. polite D. satisfied
19.A. introduction B. discussion C. comment D. debate
20.A. blood B. smile C. tear D. sweat
高二英语七选五困难题查看答案及解析
Jane opened the window to _____ a little air and sunshine.
A. admit B. admire C. adapt D. adopt
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析