网址：http://m.1010jiajiao.com/timu_id_4470064[举报]
Ask most people how they define the American Dream and chances are they’ll say, “Success.” The dream of individual opportunity has been present in America since Europeans discovered “The New World” in the Western Hemisphere. Early immigrants like Hector St. Jean de Crevecoeur highly praised the freedom and opportunity to be found in this new land. His enthusiastic descriptions of a classless society where anyone could attain success through honesty and hard work fired the imaginations of many European readers. In Letters from an American Farmer (1782) he wrote, “We are all excited at the spirit of an industry which is unfettered （无拘无束的） and unrestrained, because each person works for himself … We have no princes, for whom we toil （干苦力活）, starve, and bleed. We are the most perfect society now existing in the world.” The promise of a land where “the rewards of a man’s industry follow with equal steps the progress of his labor” drew poor immigrants from Europe and fueled national expansion into the western lands.
Our national historical story is full of illustration of the American success story. For instance, Benjamin Franklin was the very model of the self-educated, self-made man, who rose from modest origins to become a well-known scientist, philosopher, and statesman. In the nineteenth century, Horatio Alger, a writer of fiction for young boys, became American’s best-selling author with his rags-to-riches tales. The idea of success impressed us: we spend millions every year reading about the rich and famous, learning how to “make a fortune in real estate（房地产） with no money down,” and “dressing for success.” The story of success has even affected our personal relationships: today it’s as important to be “successful” in marriage or parenthoods as it is to come out on top in business.
But dreams easily turn into nightmares. Every American who hopes to “make it” also knows the fear of failure, because the story of success implies comparison between the haves and the have-nots, the stars and the unknown crowd. Under pressure of the story, we become lost in status symbols: we try to live in the “right” neighborhoods, wear the “right” clothes, and eat the “right” foods. These symbols of distinction assure us and others that we believe strongly in the fundamental equality of all, yet try as hard as we can to separate ourselves from our fellow citizens.
1. What is the nature of the American Dream according to Crevecoeur?
A. People are free to develop their power of imagination.
B. People who are honest and work hard can succeed.
C. People are free from being used and treated badly.
D. People can fully enjoy individual freedom.
2. By saying “the rewards of a man’s industry follow with equal steps the progress of his
labor”, the author means __________ .
A. the more hard-working one is, the bigger his returns are
B. hard work ensures the growth of an industry
C. a man’s business should be developed step by step
D. a company’s success depends on its employees’ hard work
3. It can be inferred from the last sentence of Paragraph 2 that _________.
A. business success often contributes to a successful marriage
B. Americans wish to succeed in every aspect of life
C. good personal relationships lead to business success
D. successful business people provide good care for their children
4. What is the paradox（矛盾）of American culture according to the author of the passage?
A. The American road to success is full of nightmares.
B. Status symbols are not a real symbol of a person’s wealth.
C. The American Dream is nothing but an empty dream.
D. What Americans fight for often disagrees with their beliefs.
查看习题详情和答案>>（天津市蓟县下营中学2010届高三第一次模拟）
A
Pete Rose, the famous baseball player, whom I have never met, taught me something so valuable that changed my life. Pete was being interviewed in spring training the year he was about to break Ty Cobb’s all-time hits record. One reporter asked, “Pete, you only need 78 hits to break the record. How many at-bats（轮到击球）do you think you’ll need to get the 78 hits?” Without hesitation, Pete said, “78.” The reporter yelled back, “Ah, come on, Pete. You don’t expect to get 78 hits in 78 at-bats, do you?”
Mr. Rose calmly shared his rule in life with all the reporters who were anxiously awaiting his reply. “Every time I step up to the plate, I expect to get a hit! If I don’t expect to get a hit, I have no right to step in the batter’s box in the first place! If I go up hoping to get a hit, then I probably don’t have a prayer of getting a hit. It is the positive expectation that has gotten me all of the hits in the first place.”
When I thought about Pete Rose’s rule and how it was applied to everyday life, I felt a little embarrassed. As a business person, I was hoping to make my sales meet the quotas（定额）. As a father, I was hoping to be a good dad. As a married man, I was hoping to be a good husband.
The truth was that I was an adequate salesperson, I was not so bad as a father, and I was an okay husband. I immediately decided that being okay was not enough! I wanted to be a great salesperson, a great father and a great husband. I changed my attitude to one of positive expectations, and the results were amazing. I was fortunate enough to in a few sales trips, I won Coach of the Year in my son’s baseball league, and I share a loving relationship with my wife! Thanks, Mr. Rose!
36. Which of the following sayings can most appropriately be used to describe Mr. Rose’s rule?
A. He who doesn’t want to be a general can’t be a good soldier.
B. Before everything else, getting ready is the secret of success.
C. If you work hard enough, your dreams will come true.
D. Rome was not built in one day.
37. What can be inferred about Pete Rose from the passage?
A. He was generous to share all his rules with everyone.
B. He got all the hits he wanted because of good luck.
C. He set himself a goal of being the best.
D. He liked to dream of something impossible.
38. By saying “I was an adequate salesperson”（Para. 3）the writer probably means “______”.
A. he could make adequate money as a salesperson
B. he didn’t do an excellent job as a salesperson
C. he was good enough to be a salesperson
D. he knew how to sell goods in a proper way
39. Which of the following is NOT a role of the writer?
A. A teammate of Rose. B. A salesman.
C. A father. D. A baseball coach.
40. Why does the writer thank Mr. Rose at the end of the passage?
A. Because Mr. Rose showed him how to be a successful salesperson.
B. Because Mr. Rose taught him to face life with positive expectation.
C. Because Mr. Rose trained him to win Coach of the Year for his son.
D. Because Mr. Rose gave him advice on managing a happy family.
查看习题详情和答案>>完形填空（共20小题，每小题1.5分,满分30分）
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从36—55题各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。
As the train approached the seaside town where I was going to spend my holidays, I went into the corridor to __36__ my legs. I stayed there a short while, breathing in the fresh sea air and __37__ a few words with one of the passengers, whom I had met earlier on the __38__.
When I turned to go back to __39__, I happened to glance into the compartment (车厢) next to mine. Sitting there was a man who many years before had been my neighbor. He was a great __40__, I remembered; it used to take hours to __41__ him once he began a conversation. I was not at all __42__ when he went to live in another part of London. We had not met since then, __43__ did I wish to meet him now, when __44__ was about to begin.
Luckily at that moment he was __45__ busy talking to the man opposite him to catch sight of me. I slipped back into my compartment, took down my two suitcases and carried them to the far end of the corridor so as to be ready to __46__ the train as soon as it stopped． The moment the train came to a halt (停止), I called a porter, who in no time at all had carried my luggage out of the station and __47__ me a taxi. As I drove towards my small hotel on the outskirts of the town, I breathed a deep sigh of relief at my__48__. There was little chance that I should __49__ my boring ex-neighbor again.
When I reached the hotel, I went __50__ to my room and rested there until it was time for dinner. Then I went down to the dining room and __51__ a drink. I had barely raised the glass to my lips __52__ an all too familiar voice greeted me. I had not escaped from the tiresome neighbor __53__! He grasped me warmly by the hand and insisted that we __54__ a table in the dinning-room. “This is a pleasant __55__,” he said． “I never expected to see you again after all these years.”
36．A．reach B．extend C．stretch D．loosen
37．A．exchanging B．changing C．talking through D．talking about
38．A．fruit stand B．department store C．bus stop D．station platform
39．A．the station B．my seat C．the waiting room D．the office
40．A．talker B．poet C．speaker D．hero
41．A．get rid of B．take care of C．get away from D．pay attention to
42．A．happy B．afraid C．sorry D．content
43．A．so B．no C．not D．nor
44．A．holiday B．school day C．work day D．conversation
45．A．very B．too C．so D．much
46．A．get on B．stay on C．catch D．get off
47．A．found B．gave C．offered D．stopped
48．A．good luck B．nice choice C．narrow escape D．bad fortune
49．A．keep in touch with B． run into
C．knock down D． catch up with
50．A．carelessly B．aimlessly C．idly D．straight
51．A．ordered B．requested C．fetched D．asked
52．A．while B．before C．when D．after
53．A．above all B．after all C．first of all D．in all
54．A．spare B．rent C．reserve D．share
55．A．surprise B．interview C．appointment D．party
查看习题详情和答案>>阅读理解
Right in the middle of Japan, high in the mountain, an old man lived in his little house. He found in one corner of the room an old iron kettle(水壶). He decided to use it to boil water. To his surprise, the kettle became a strange creature when it was on fire. And then it changed back into kettle again. The old man decided to sell it. So a merchant came and went away with the kettle.
At night, the merchant was awakened(唤醒) by a big noise. The kettle became a strange creature again and was running about in his room. But early next morning he found the kettle still quietly lying in the corner. One of his neighbors, after hearing what he had seen in the night, advised him to travel in the country to display it.
Now the kettle could be asked to change and perform by the merchant. The performances drew big audiences and the merchant earned a lot of money. But he was an honest man. Though he was rich now, he thought that he owed some of his wealth to the man from whom he had bought the kettle.
One morning, he put a hundred gold pieces into the kettle and, hanging it on his arm, he returned to the old man who had sold it to him. The old man thanked the merchant, saying that few people would have been so honest.
The kettle brought them both luck. Everything went well with them till they died.
1．why did the old man want to sell the kettle?
[ ]
A．The kettle couldn't be used to boil water.
B．The kettle was too old to use.
C．When the kettle was used to boil water, it changed into a strange creature.
D．The kettle had magic power.
2．Which of the following statements is NOT true about the description of the merchant?
[ ]
A．He was a mean person.
B．He was lucky.
C．He was very clever.
D．He was kind to the old man.
3．Why did the merchant get a lot of money since he bought the kettle?
[ ]
A．The kettle is made of gold.
B．The kettle has some magic power.
C．The kettle can produce gold.
D．The merchant has some magic power.
4．Which description is NOT suitable to the text?
[ ]
A．If you are honest you will get good result.
B．Good luck belongs to honest man.
C．Everyone should be kind to others.
D．Money can be got by anyway including some evil ways.
查看习题详情和答案>>