高三英语阅读初级3.doc

2014届高三英语星级阶梯阅读练习 二星级 3AHaving returned from her round trip (往返旅程), the angry woman stood outside the ticket office of the station. “The railway owes me 12,” she said to Harry Jenks, the young man working at the office. “You sold me a ticket for May 22nd, but there was no ship from Jersey that night. So my daughter and I had to stay in a hotel. It cost me 12.”Harry was worried. He remembered selling the woman a return ticket. “Come into the office, Madam,” he said politely. “Ill just check the Jersey timetable for May 22nd.”The woman and her little girl followed him inside. She was quite right, as Harry soon discovered. There was no sailing on May 22nd. How could he have made such a careless mistake? He shouldnt have sold her a ticket for that day. Wondering what to do, he smiled at the child. “You look sunburnt,” he said to her. “Did you have a nice holiday in Jersey?”“Yes,” she answered, shyly. “The beach was lovely. And I can swim too!”“Thats fine,” said Harry. “My little girl cant swim a bit yet. Of course, shes only three”“Im four,” the child said proudly. “Ill be four and a half.” Harry turned to the mother. “I remember your ticket, Madam,” he said. “But you didnt get one for your daughter, did you?”“Er, well” the woman looked at the child. “I mean.she hasnt started school yet. Shes only four.”“A four-year-old child must have a ticket, Madam. A childs return ticket to Jersey costslet me see13.50. So if the railway pays your hotel, you will owe 1.50. The law is the law, but since the fault was mine”The woman stood up, took the childs hand and left the office.36. The woman was angry because _.A. she couldnt use the ticket for her round tripB. she had to return home a day earlier than she had plannedC. she spent more money than she had expectedD. Harry had sold her a ticket to Jersey where there was no sailing37. Harry was worried because _.A. the woman was angry with himB. he had not done his work properlyC. the Jersey timetable was wrongD. the little girl didnt have a return ticket38. Harry started talking to the little girl _.A. because he was in difficulty and did not know what to doB. because he had a little girl about the same age as this girlC. because he wanted to be friendly to the little girl who looked so niceD. when he suddenly realized that he could find a way out from the little girl39. When Harry said, “The law is the law, but since the fault was mine,” he meant that _.A. they must follow it without other choice, even though the fault was hisB. he had to be strict with the woman because of the law, although he didnt want toC. the woman had to pay him 1.50 and the railway would pay for the hotelD. she should pay 1.50, but as he had made a mistake, she could go without paying40. The woman left the office without saying anything because _.A. she wanted to go home and get money for the childs ticketB. she was so angry that she didnt want to have anything more to do with the young manC. she was moved by Harrys kindnessD. she knew she would have to pay the railway if she insistedB The report came to the British on May 21, 1941. The German battleship Bismarck, the most powerful warship in the world, was moving out into the Atlantic Ocean. Her task: to destroy the ships carrying supplies from the United States to war-torn England. The British had feared such a task. No warship they had could match the Bismarck in speed or in firepower. The Bismarck had eight 15-inch guns and 81 smaller guns. She could move at 30 nautical miles (海里) an hour. She was believed to be unsinkable. However, the British had to sink her. They sent out a task force headed by their best battleship Hood to hunt down the Bismarck. On May 24, the Hood found the Bismarck. It was a meeting that the German commander Luetjens did not want to see. His orders were to destroy the British ships that were carrying supplies, but to stay away from a fight with British warships. The battle didnt last long. The Bismarcks first torpedo (鱼雷) hit the Hood, which went down taking all but three of her 1419 men with her. But in the fight, the Bismarck was slightly damaged (损坏). Her commander decided to run for repairs to France, which had at that time been taken by the Germans. The British force followed her. However, because of the Bismarcks speed and the heavy fog, they lost sight of her. For two days, every British ship in the Atlantic tried to find the Bismarck, but with no success. Finally, she was sighted by a plane from Ireland. Trying to slow the Bismarck down so that their ships could catch up with her, the British fired at her from the air. The Bismarck was hit.On the morning of May 27, the last battle was fought. Four British ships fired on the Bismarck, and she was finally sunk.41. The Bismarck sailed into the Atlantic Ocean _.A. to sink the HoodB. to gain control of France C. to cut off American supplies to Britain D. to stop British warships reaching Germany42. Many people believed that the Bismarck could not be defeated because she_.A. was fast and powerful B. had more men on board C. was under Lustjens command D. had bigger guns than other ships 43. We learn from the text that on 24 May _.A. the British won the battle against the Bismarck B. the Bismarck won the battle against the British C. the British gunfire damaged the Bismarck seriously D. the Bismarck succeeded in keeping away from the British44. Luetjens tried to sail to France in order to _.A. have the ship repairedB. join the other GermansC. get help from the FrenchE. get away from British45. Which of the following is the immediate cause of the sinking of the Bismarck?A. the British air strikes. B. the damage done by the Hood. C. Gunfire from the British warships. D. Luetjens decision to run for France.CIs it worth it to go to college? This has been questioned a lot recently in America. According to a new survey released by the Pew Research Center, only 40 percent of Americans felt that colleges provided a good value for the cost. At the same time, 86 percent of college graduates still felt it was good for them. There are a number of reasons for such dissatisfaction with college. First, there are plenty of problems with higher education poor quality and out-of-control costs are two of the biggest. Second, it is true that college is not for everyone. Plenty of rewarding and important careers do not require college. And due to the slow economy, there may in fact be more graduates than the current job market needs. Besides, anti-college feelings are nothing new. Today, Microsofts Bill Gates or Apples Steve Jobs both college dropouts is often held up as evidence of why all that time sitting in class is better spent elsewhere.However, getting a college education is still a good idea. College graduates earn more, and are more likely to have a job in the first place. According to the statistics last year, the average weekly earnings for someone with some college education but no degrees were $712, compared to $1,038 for a college graduate. That is almost $17,000 over the course of a year and there is an even bigger divide for those with less education. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate was 9.2 percent for those with only some college education and more than 10 percent for those with just a middle school degree, but it was 5.4 percent for college graduates. The economic gaps between college completers and those with less education are getting larger.Although most Americans surveyed by Pew feel doubtful about the value of a college degree, an overwhelming majority of parents Pew surveyed still expect their children to go to college. “It can be inferred that the increased doubt has not significantly influenced decision making.” Pews Taylor says, “Despite the concern about rising costs and other problems, college remains a universal desire in this country.”46. Recently many Americans question _. A. the value of receiving college education B. the ability of college graduates C. the quality of college education D. the high cost of a college degree47. According to the passage, Bill Gates was _. A. a self-taught college student B. a hardworking undergraduate C. a successful college dropout D. a unsuccessful college graduate48. The writer seems to agree that _. A. there is no need to go to collegeB. anti-college feelings are a new thingC. college cannot guarantee employmentD. college education remains a wise choice49. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?A. The slow economy might result in more unemployment. B. Most college graduates feel it necessary to receive college educationC. Peoples earnings depend on their educational background to some extent.D. As doubts about college education arise, peoples desire to go to college weakens.50. Whats the main idea of this passage? A. Poor quality and high costs make college less popular among the Americans nowadays. B. Despite the dissatisfactions with college, most Americans still favor college education C. People with a college degree earn better money in America than those who dont D. American students are getting tired of college education. DAudrey Hepburn (奥黛丽赫本) won an Academy Award as Best Actress for her first major American movie, Roman Holiday, which was released in 1953. But she is remembered as much for her aid work as for her acting.Born in Belgium in 1929, Audrey s father was British and her mother was Dutch.Audrey was sent to live at a British school for part of her childhood. During World War II, she lived and studied in the Netherlands. Her mother thought it would be safe from German attacks. Audrey studied dance as a teenager and during college when she returned to London after the war. But she realized she wasn t going to be a ballerina（芭蕾舞女演员）. So she began taking acting parts in stage shows. Later she began to get small parts in movies.But it was Audrey Hepburn s move to America that brought her true fame. In 1951 she played the character “Gigi” in the Broadway play of the same name to great critical praise. Two years later, Roman Holiday made her a star at the age of 24.Audrey made more than 25 movies. Among her most popular roles was Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffanys in 1961. Three years later she played Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady.She was married two times and had one son by each husband. In 1989, the UN Children s Fund named Audrey a goodwill ambassador. She travelled all over the world in support of UNICEF （联合国儿童基金会） projects. The UN agency said she was a tireless worker. She often gave 15 interviews a day to gain money and support for UNICEF projects.Audrey Hepburn often said her loyalty to UNICEF was the result of her experiences as a child during World War . She s