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题型:阅读理解 题类:真题 难易度:普通

2014年高考英语真题试卷(江苏卷)

阅读理解

    However wealthy we may be, we can never find enough hours in the day to do everything we want. Economics deals with this problem through the concept of opportunity cost, which simply refers to whether someone's time or money could be better spent on something else.

    Every hour of our time has a value. For every hour we work at one job we could quite easily be doing another, or be sleeping or watching a film. Each of these options has a different opportunity cost—namely, what they cost us in missed opportunities.

    Say you intend to watch a football match but the tickets are expensive and it will take you a couple of hours to get to and from the stadium. Why not, you might reason, watch the game from home and use the leftover money and time to have dinner with friends? This—the alternative use of your cash and time—is the opportunity cost.

    For economists, every decision is made by knowledge of what one must forgo—in terms of money and enjoyment—in order to take it up. By knowing precisely what you are receiving and what you are missing out on, you ought to be able to make better-informed, more reasonable decisions. Consider that most famous economic rule of all: there's no such thing as a free lunch. Even if someone offers to take you out to lunch for free, the time you will spend in the restaurant still costs you something in terms of forgone opportunities.

    Some people find the idea of opportunity cost extremely discouraging: imagine spending your entire life calculating whether your time would be better spent elsewhere doing something more profitable or enjoyable. Yet, in a sense it's human nature to do precisely that—we assess the advantages and disadvantages of decisions all the time.

    In the business world, a popular phrase is “value for money.” People want their cash to go as far as possible. However, another is fast obtaining an advantage: “value for time.” The biggest restriction on our resources is the number of hours we can devote to something, so we look to maximize the return we get on our investment of time. By reading this passage you are giving over a bit of your time which could be spent doing other activities, such as sleeping and eating. In return, however, this passage will help you to think like an economist, closely considering the opportunity cost of each of your decisions.

(1)、According to the passage, the concept of “opportunity cost” is applied to ________.
A、making more money B、taking more opportunities C、reducing missed opportunities D、weighing the choice of opportunities
(2)、The “leftover ... time” in Paragraph 3 probably refers to the time ________.
A、spared for watching the match at home B、taken to have dinner with friends C、spent on the way to and from the match D、saved from not going to watch the match
(3)、What are forgone opportunities?
A、Opportunities you forget in decision-making. B、Opportunities you give up for better ones. C、Opportunities you miss accidentally. D、Opportunities you make up for.
举一反三
阅读理解

    About 70 scientists were working on a very busy project. All of them felt really desperate due to the pressure of work and the demands of their boss but everyone was loyal to him and did not think of quitting their job.

    One day, one scientist came to his boss and told him, “Sir, I've promised to take my children to the exhibition going on in our township so I want to leave at 5:30 p. m.” His boss replied, “OK. You're permitted to leave the office early today.”

    The scientist started working. He continued his work after lunch. As usual, he got involved to such an extent that he looked at his watch only when he felt he was close to completion. The time was 8:30 p. m. suddenly he remembered his promise to the children. He looked for his boss but he was not there. Having told him in the morning himself, he closed everything and left for home. Deep within himself, he was feeling guilty for having disappointed his children. He reached home. The children were not there. His wife alone was sitting in the hall and reading magazines. The situation was explosive; any talk would boomerang on him. His wife asked him, “Would you like to have coffee or shall I straight away serve dinner if you are hungry?” The man replied, “If you would like to have coffee, I too will have but what about the children?” His wife replied, “You don't know? Your boss came here at 5:15 p. m. and has taken them to the exhibition.”

    What had really happened was the boss who gave him permission was observing him working seriously at 5:00 p. m. He thought to himself: this person will not leave the work, but he's promised to take his children to the exhibition. So he took the lead in taking them there. The boss does not have to do it every time. But once it's done, loyalty is established.

    That is why all the scientists at Thumba continued to work under their boss even though the stress was extraordinarily huge. By the way, can you boldly guess who the boss was? He was none other than the mastermind behind India's successful nuclear weapons program, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, former president of India.

阅读理解

    A wonderful Cornish self catering holiday cottage Cider Cottage is the perfect place to escape and unwind.

    It is ideally located to explore and enjoy all that Cornwall has to offer.

 

    Cider Cottage sleeps five in a lovely countryside setting, with all home comforts. Recently fully renovated to a high standard, the Cottage was awarded a 4 Star rating by Visit England.

    It is a detached property full of character, with exposed feature stone walls and ceiling beams.

    In the past the building was used to store and crush apples to produce local Cornish cider.

    One step inside the door and you will know you have found somewhere special to spend your holiday.

 

    Cider Cottage has three comfortable bedrooms, of which the Master bedroom has a king size bed and an en-suite bathroom.

 

    A spacious fully equipped Kitchen and Dining room fitted with a ceramic hob and oven, microwave, washing machine, dishwasher and tumble dryer. We also supply all those kitchen essentials that you won't want to pack.

 

    Down a flight of steps is the large cosy Lounge, with exposed feature stone walling and beams that date back hundreds of years.

 

    Set between the south Cornwall coast and enigmatic Bodmin Moor, in lovely countryside, Cider Cottage is just 1 mile from the historic town of Liskeard and a short drive from the lovely fishing village of Looe with its wonderful sandy beach.

    The cottage is ideal for families and couples alike, whether you just want to relax or enjoy the wide variety of activities and attractions or nearby outdoor pursuits such as cycling and horseriding.

    The ancient market town of Liskeard has a choice of cafes, restaurants, takeaways, pubs & supermarkets. A main line Railway Station also serves the town, giving the opportunity for car free days out.

阅读理解

    One morning while Officer Vogel was on his coffee break in a restaurant, a man ran in a yelled. “Officer! A little kid is driving a car down the street!"

    He ran out at once and saw a cargoing slowly--about 25 miles an hour--but it wasn't going very straight. He jumped into his police car and followed it. When the car was stopped, Officer Vogel looked inside. The driver was a little boy. His name was Rocco Morabiro and he was 5. In the back seat was his two-year-old sister. Both children were crying.

    "I want my mummy!" the boy cried. "But she can't get here. I have the car.” Then he had an idea. "Just a minute." he told Officer Vogel. "I can drive. I'll go to get her.”

    “No!" Officer Vogel said. “You stay with me!" Then he drove them to the police station and he called their mother. They had many questions for Rocco. The first question was: "Where did you get the car keys?"

    Rocco said. “From the top of the refrigerator." At seven that morning Rocco's father was at work and his mother was sleeping, Rocco saw the keys on top of the refrigerator. He climbed up on a chair, and took the keys.

    Rocco got into the car and started the engine. When Rocco's sister heard the engine, she ran to the car and cried. She wanted to go with him.

It was 7 a. m.—rush hour—so there was much traffic. Rocco drove one mile in heavy traffic. Then Officer Vogel stopped him.

    Newspapers and TV stations heard about Rocco, and a lot of reporters went to his house. One reporter asked Rocco, “What do you want to be when you grow up?"

    “A truck driver," he said, smiling.

阅读理解

    Move over millennials(千禧一代), here comes Generation Z, today's youngest group.

    Born in 1995 or later, a lot of Gen Z-ers are entering into adulthood and will soon join the workforce. People of Generation Z have grown up with the internet. Policy makers, sociologists, as well as employers and marketers, are trying their best to understand these young people. So, how should we pin down the Gen Z-ers?

    Most people will agree that the single biggest difference between Gen Z and other generations is how connected they are. This is a group of people who were hooked up to social media as soon as they were born. A recent Guardian article says that the average teenager in the UK has at least 150 followers on Instagram and spends around half an hour a day on Snapchat, an image messaging app. “We are the first true digital natives,” Hannah Payne, an 18-year-old UCLA student and lifestyle blogger. “I can almost create a document, edit it, post a photo on Instagram and talk on the phone at the same time, all from the user-friendly interface(界面) of my iPhone.

    The Guardian also notes that young people in the UK are becoming more active in politics. Voting is just one way of making one's voice heard. Most of Generation Z are still too young to vote, says the Guardian. Instead of party politics, they focus more on single-topic issues such as feminism(男女平等)or climate change. And “much of the civil engagement and organizing they do takes place on social media rather than through traditional political structures,” according to the newspaper.

阅读理解

    So often I hear people justify(为……辩解)their lack of family trips because their children are not old enough to remember them. This reason is so confusing to me. Who would travel based on another person's memory?

    Of course the kids aren't going to remember anything in infancy(婴儿期), but you will. You will remember all the sweet memories you had with them.

    My parents would take me to Guatemala as a child. I don't remember a lot of the trip, but I do know that when I went back as a young adult, I felt comfortable in my surroundings. I didn't spend my time there discovering a new way of life. I spent the time having fun with my family. I love looking at pictures that we took together when I was my son's age. I don't remember them, but that's not the point. The point is, I was there with my family, and I know I was happy.

    Now that I'm a parent, I can't help but do the same. Last year, we took our 2-year-old son to Disney alongside his great-grandmother. His great-grandmother had recently begun to suffer from Alzheimer's. That trip was timed in the most magical way — right before my son was old enough to remember it and right before his great-grandmother began to forget. This makes me want to cry for them both. How did we get so lucky to have this moment to share with each other before big changes influenced our family forever?

    Realistically speaking, many families do not have the opportunity to travel internationally or visit pricey theme parks. I understand this more than you know, but I'm talking beyond that. They are young but these forgettable moments are still changing them. They will shape your child into who they will be tomorrow. The memories we absorb as their parents are also as influential as we have not finished learning our truths either.

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