Answers to life can be found in everyday events. Watching nature, watching people and watching animals communicate with each other provide some of the simplest ways to life’s biggest problems.
This became clearer to me yesterday. It caused me to ask myself, “How do I respond (反应) to the storms in life?”
People usually run when it starts to rain. I love to walk in it, stand on my front door and feel it. I grew up doing it and have never really felt the fear many people do.
The animal world senses changes in the weather far earlier than humans. My dog, Ricky, begins to shake long before the storm is close enough to be noticed. I was about to feed my three dogs yesterday and as usual, I let them out in the yard first. They didn’t move when thunder came across the skies. So I placed their food in their bowls and called Ricky into the kitchen.
Ricky was just standing there in place next to his bowl. The thunder became louder, which forced him to stop eating his meal. Then I watched Phil. He made his way across the kitchen floor and stood over Ricky’s bowl. He ate all the remaining food. Generally, if Ricky was standing there, he wouldn’t dare (敢) come close. But today, he took advantage (优势) of the storm and got what he wanted. His hope for the prize outweighed (胜过) his fear of the storm.
That’s when it hit me. As men, we face all kinds of storms. They come in unannounced. Sometimes we stay in a corner or under the blankets, hoping it will all pass. However, if you dare put your head out, you’ll discover there’re people doing what they must to get what they must have out of life. Isn’t it time you decided to take advantage of the storm? According to the writer, answers to life ______.
| A．are difficult to find |
| B．lie around us |
| C．are simple to understand |
| D．make people become fearless |
From the passage we can learn that the writer ______.
| A．enjoys the rain | B．fears thunder |
| C．hates the storm | D．cares little about the weather |
According to the passage, what hit the writer most?
| A．Phil wasn’t afraid of the storm. |
| B．Ricky stopped eating food. |
| C．Phil ate the rest of Ricky’s food. |
| D．Ricky sensed the storm earlier than he. |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Find out Answers to Life |
| B．Take Advantage of the Storm |
| C．Stop Storms in our Daily Life |
| D．Pay Attention to Everyday Events |
【北京市2015年中考英语试题】阅读下列短文，根据短文内容，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选择最佳选项。（共30分，每小题2分）
A
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| My favourite season…. |
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 Matt/UK: |
My favourite season is spring, because everything is getting new and fresh again. I like having picnics and taking photos with my friends. I don’t like autumn, because I know that it’s going to be getting cold soon. |
 Anna/Germany: |
Autumn is my favourite season. I love the changing of leaves. I like the colours. I love the autumn wind that blows the leaves around. And I often take a walk in that autumn air with a warm cup of coffee. My least favourite season is summer, because it’s too hot. |
 Neil/Canada: |
I like summer best. It’s very cool in my hometown, and it’s nice to have a long and sunny summer. There are a lot of outdoor activities you can take part in, such as going camping. My least favourite is winter, because it’s pretty cold, and you don’t want to go outside. |
 Kat/US: |
My favourite season is winter, because there’s a lot of snow, and it’s very beautiful. When the countryside is covered with snow, it’s perfectly white. Also, I love building snowmen with my friends. So I like winter. |
Matt’s favourite season is _____
| A．spring | B．summer | C．autumn | D．winter |
Where is Anna from?
| A．The US. | B．Canada | C．The UK | D．Germany |
What’s the weather like in Neil’s hometown in summer?
| A．Wet | B．Cool | C．Windy | D．Cloudy |
In winter, Kat loves _____.
| A．going camping | B．taking a walk |
| C．building snowmen | D．having picnics |
【浙江省台州市2015年中考英语试题】阅读理解（本题有15小题，每小题2分，共计30分）
阅读下面材料，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳选项。
Roald Dahl was one of the most successful writers of children’s books. He sold millions of books all over the world. Many of his books have been made into films and videos. He is so famous that there is even a Roald Dahl Museum you can visit.
Roald Dahl was born in 1916 in Wales, Britain. His father was rich but he died when Roald was very young. Roald and his mother lived a hard life. He had to leave school and went to Africa where he worked for an oil company.
In 1939 Roald became a pilot, but he had a bad accident. It made him limp(瘸的) for the rest of his life. After this, Roald went to America where he wrote a story about his experience as a pilot. It was so good that it was put in a magazine.
Roald married an American film star. They bought a house in England and had five children. From 1960 to 1965, : Theo, one of his children, was hit by a taxi and was seriously hurt. Olivia, one of Roald’s daughters, died of a strange illness. Soon after this, his wife also had a serious illness. It took her years to get completely better.
Gradually Roald became more and more successful. He always did his writing in an old shed(棚) at the back of his house. He always sat in the same old armchair with a wooden board on his lap.
“One of the nice things about being a writer,” he once said, “is that all you need is what you’ve got in your head and a pencil and a bit of paper.”
In 1983 Roald won a big prize for his book The BFG. During his life, Roald wrote many famous books, such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, Fantastic Mr. Fox.
After he died in 1990, Roald left money to help people with serious illnesses and those with problems with reading and writing.Roald Dahl was famous as a (an) .
| A．doctor | B．teacher | C．actor | D．writer |
After Roald went to America, he .
| A．lost his parents in a plane accident |
| B．wrote a story about his pilot experience |
| C．got married with an English film star |
| D．won a big prize for his book Matilda |
Which of the following is the best for the blank in Paragraph 4?
| A．they lived a happy life |
| B．three terrible things happened |
| C．he went on writing books |
| D．he created some unlucky characters |
What Roald said in Paragraph 6 mainly shows that .
| A．being a writer was a popular job at that time |
| B．one needs to practice a lot if he wants to be a writer |
| C．Roald loved writing very much and was talented in it |
| D．though he was successful, Roald lived a simple life |
【山东省烟台市2015年中考英语试】阅读理解
A
Who is the greatest teacher in Chinese history? Many people would think of Confucius, whose birthday was September 28. Although he lived over 2,000 years ago, people still remember and respect him for his contribution to the education today.
Confucius lived in the Kingdom of Lu, which lies in Shandong Province. He lived during the Spring and Autumn Period. He had a hard childhood. His father died when he was only 3. His mother brought him up. As a child, he had to work to help his mother, but young Confucius didn’t give up studying. He visited many famous teachers and learned music, history, poetry and sports.
Later, he became a teacher and started the first public school in Chinese history. At that time only children from noble families could go to school, but Confucius believed everyone should go to school if they wanted to learn. He had about 3,000 students in his lifetime.
Today, people still follow Confucius’ lessons. He told us that we all have something worthy to be learned. “When I am with three people, one of them must be better than me in some areas. I choose their good qualities and follow them.”
He also taught us that thinking is very important in study. “All study but no thinking makes people puzzled (困惑的). All thinking but no study makes people lazy.”
Confucius is not only a great teacher, but also a famous thinker with wise thoughts about the world and society. His most important teachings are about kindness and good manners. “A person should be strict with himself, but be kind to others.” he said.
请根据短文内容，选择最佳选项。(每小题1分)Today we still remember Confucius mainly because___________.
| A．he lived a poor life in his childhood |
| B．he had wise thoughts and great views about education |
| C．he traveled with his students from state to state |
| D．he lived during the Spring and Autumn Period |
Confucius learned music, history, poetry and sports __________as a child.
| A．by teaching himself at home |
| B．with the help of his mother |
| C．by going to school |
| D．by visiting many famous teachers |
The underlined word “noble” in Paragraph 3 has the closest meaning to __________.
| A．poor | B．bright | C．wealthy | D．cute |
he correct order of the following statements is __________.
①Confucius worked to help his mother as a child.
② Confucius educated about 3,000 students in his lifetime.
③ Confucius’ father died.
④ Confucius started the first public school in Chinese history.
| A．③①④② | B．②③④① |
| C．①③②④ | D．④③①② |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?
| A．All study but no thinking makes people puzzled. |
| B．No one has something worthy to be learned. |
| C．All thinking but no study makes people lazy. |
| D．A person should be strict with himself, but be kind to others. |
【山东省青岛市2015年中考英语试题】阅读理解 阅读下面短文，做出正误判断或选出最佳答案。A篇为判断正（A）误（B）题，B、C篇为选择题(共15道小题，每小题1分，共20分)
C
When he was a teenager, Hunter Adam was very unhappy and he spent many years in a special hospital for people with mental health problems.
When he left the hospital, Adam decided to become a doctor, so he went to a medical school in Virginia, USA. But when he was there, he did things in a different way. For example, he didn’t like the doctor’s white coats, so he wore shirts with flowers on them when he visited his patients and he tried to make them laugh. The doctors at the medical school didn’t like Adams because he was too different.
But Adams believed that people in hospital need more than medicine. He saw unhappy and lonely people, and he tried to help them as patients, but as people too. He spent a lot of time with children in the hospital and often dressed up like a clown to make the children laugh
When he finished medical school and become a doctor, Adams opened his own hospital, called “the Gusundheit Institute”，together with some other doctors. They wanted it to be a place with a different way of working with sick people.
Hunter Adams became famous during the 1980s, and in 1988, Universal Pictures made a film about his life. It was very successful. In the film, Robin Williams played Adams. Williams said,:”hunter is a really warm person, who believes that patients need a doctor who is a friend. I enjoyed playing him.”When did Adams have mental health problems?
| A．after he left medical school |
| B．during the 1980s |
| C．When he was a teenager boy |
| D．after the film came out |
Why did the doctors at the medical school dislike Adams?
| A．because he was a warm person |
| B．because he had mental health problem |
| C．because he was a clown |
| D．because he wasn’t the same as others |
The Gusundheit Institute
| A．was a hospital |
| B．belonged to Universal Pictures |
| C．could make films |
| D．was a medical school |
According to the passage, which statement is NOT true?
| A．Adams wore shirts instead of white uniforms when visiting patients |
| B．Robin Williams believed that patients need a doctor who is a friend. |
| C．In Adams’ opinion, not only medicine was needed for patients |
| D．Robin Williams was an actor |
The passage mainly tells us about
| A．how to cheer up patients |
| B．people with mental health problems |
| C．a film about Adams |
| D．a doctor named Hunter Adams |
【山东省菏泽市2015年中考英语试题】阅读理解（共两节，满分40分）
第一节（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
Grandmother’s Favourite Doll (玩具娃娃)
A little girl had a doll. She loved it so much that she would treat it with great care, even though her friends would laugh at her for being so careful.
As time passed, the girl grew up, moved houses, became an adult, married, had children, and finally became a lovely little old woman with many grandchildren.
One day, she returned to her hometown, found her original house, and went in. Among hundreds of old things, the now-old little girl found her doll. It was as well looked after as before. She took it home with her and gave it to her granddaughter. Her granddaughter loved it.
Each time the old woman saw her granddaughter playing with the doll, tears (眼泪) of joy would roll down her cheeks (脸颊). She was so glad to see now it was in the hands of her granddaughter.The little girl had a ________and she loved it so much.
| A．dog | B．doll | C．toy car | D．ball |
The little girl’s friends laughed at her because she ________.
| A．looked so thin and ugly |
| B．didn’t get on well with her friends |
| C．treated her doll so carefully |
| D．didn’t like to play games with them |
What does the underlined word “original” mean in the third paragraph?
| A．豪华的 | B．原来的 | C．新建的 | D．木质的 |
When the old woman found her doll, ________.
| A．it looked old and terrible |
| B．she threw it away |
| C．it was as well looked after as before |
| D．she took it home and kept it herself |
Whenever she saw her granddaughter playing with the doll, she would ________.
| A．feel very excited and joyful |
| B．think of her old friends |
| C．want to buy her granddaughter a new doll |
| D．wish to go back to her hometown again |