1、2012-2013 学年高三英语一轮复习 话题类阅读A small step makes a big difference. 1（2011 广东高考阅读 C 篇）A year after graduation, I was offered a position teaching a writing class. Teaching was a profession I had never seriously considered, though several of my stories had been published. I accepted the job without hesitat
2、ion, as it would allow me to wear a tie and go by the name of Mr. Davis. My father went by the same name, and I liked to imagine people getting the two of us confused. “Wait a minute,“ someone might say, “are you talking about Mr. Davis the retired man, or Mr. Davis the respectable scholar?“The posi
3、tion was offered at the last minute, and I was given two weeks to prepare, a period I spent searching for briefcase (公文包) and standing before my full-length mirror, repeating the words, “Hello, class. Im Mr. Davis.“ Sometimes I would give myself an aggressive voice. Sometimes I would sound experienc
4、ed. But when the day eventually came, my nerves kicked in and the true Mr. Davis was there. I sounded not like a thoughtful professor, but rather a 12-year-old boy.I arrived in the classroom with paper cards designed in the shape of maple leaves. I had cut them myself out of orange construction pape
5、r. I saw nine students along a long table. I handed out the cards, and the students wrote down their names and fastened them to their breast pockets as I required.“All right then,“ I said. “Okay, here we go.“ Then I opened my briefcase and realized that I had never thought beyond this moment. I had
6、been thinking that the students would be the first to talk, offering their thoughts and opinions on the events of the day. I had imagined that I would sit at the edge of the desk, overlooking a forest of hands. Every student would yell. “Calm down, youll all get your turn. One at a time, one at a ti
7、me!“A terrible silence ruled the room, and seeing no other opinions, I instructed the students to pull out their notebooks and write a brief essay related to the theme of deep disappointment. 36. The author took the job to teach writing because _.A. he wanted to be respected B. he had written some s
8、toriedC. he wanted to please his father D. he had dreamed of being a teacher37. What can we learn about the author from Paragraph 2?A. He would be aggressive in his first class.B. He was well-prepared for his first class.C. He got nervous upon the arrival of his first class.D. He waited long for the
9、 arrival of his first class.38. Before he started his class, the author asked the students to _.A. write down their suggestions on the paper cardsB. cut maple leaves out of the construction paperC. cut some cards out of the construction paperD. write down their names on the paper cards39. What did t
10、he students do when the author started his class?A. They began to talk. B. They stayed silent.C. They raised their hands. D. They shouted to be heard.40. The author chose the composition topic probably because _.A. he got disappointed with his first class B. he had prepared the topic before classC.
11、he wanted to calm down the students D. he thought it was an easy topic2012-2013 学年高三英语一轮复习 话题类阅读A small step makes a big difference. 2（2011 山东高考阅读 C 篇）Diana Jacobs thought her family had a workable plan to pay for college for her 21-year-old twin sons: a combination of savings, income, scholarships,
12、 and a modest amount of borrowing. Then her husband lost his job, and the plan fell apart.“I have two kids in college, and I want to say come home, but at the same time I want to provide them with a good education,“ says Jacobs.The Jacobs family did work out a solution: They asked and received more
13、aid from the schools, and each son increased his borrowing to the maximum amount through the federal loan (贷款) program. They will each graduate with $20,000 of debt, but at least they will be able to finish school.With unemployment rising, financial aid administrators expect to hear more families li
14、ke the Jacobs. More students are applying for aid, and more families expect to need student loans. College administrators are concerned that they will not have enough aid money to go around.At the same time, tuition (学费 ) continues to rise. A report from the National Center for Public Policy and Hig
15、her Education found that college tuition and fees increased 439% from 1982 to 2007, while average family income rose just 147%. Student borrowing has more than doubled in the last decade.“If we go on this way for another 25 years, we wont have an affordable system of higher education,“ says Patrick
16、M. Callan, president of the center. “The middle class families have been financing it through debt. They will send kids to college whatever it takes, even if that means a huge amount of debt.“Financial aid administrators have been having a hard time as many companies decide that student loans are no
17、t profitable enough and have stopped making them. The good news, however, is that federal loans account for about three quarters of student borrowing, and the government says that money will flow uninterrupted.66. According to Paragraph 1, why did the plan of Jacobs family fail?A. The twins wasted t
18、oo much money. B. The father was out of work.C. Their saving ran out. D. The family fell apart.67. How did the Jacobs manage to solve their problem?A. They asked their kids to come home.B. They borrowed $20,000 from the school.C. They encouraged their twin sons to do part-time jobs.D. They got help
19、from the school and the federal government.68. Financial aid administrators believe that _.A. more families will face the same problem as the JacobsesB. the government will receive more letters of complaintC. college tuition fees will double soonD. Americas unemployment will fall69. What can we lear
20、n about the middle class families from the text?A. They blamed the government for the tuition increase.B. Their income remained steady in the last decade.C. They will try their best to send kids to college.D. Their debts will be paid off within 25 years.70. According to the last paragraph, the gover
21、nment will _. A. provide most students will scholarshipsB. dismiss some financial aid administratorsC. stop the companies from making student loans2012-2013 学年高三英语一轮复习 话题类阅读A small step makes a big difference. 3D. go on providing financial support for college students（2011 陕西高考阅读 C 篇）In early autumn
22、 I applied for admission to college. I wanted to go nowhere but to Cornell University, but my mother fought strongly against it. When she saw me studying a photograph of my father on the sports ground of Cornell, she tore it up.“You cant say its not a great university, just because Papa went there.“
23、Thats not it at all. And it is a top university.“ She was still holding the pieces in her hand. “But we cant afford to send you to college.“I wouldnt dream of asking you for money. Do you want me to get a job to help support you and Papa? Things arent that bad, are they?“No,“ she said. “I dont expec
24、t you to help support us.“Father borrowed money from his rich cousins to start a small jewellery shop. His chief customers were his old college friends. To get new customers, my mother had to help. She picked up a long-forgotten membership in the local league of women, so that she could get to know
25、more people. Whether those people would turn into customers was another question. I knew that my parents had to wait for quite a long time before their small investment (投资) could show returns. Whats more, they had not wanted enough to be rich and successful; otherwise they could not possibly have m
26、anaged their lives so badly.I was torn between the desire to help them and change their lives, and the determination not to repeat their mistakes. I had a strong belief in my power to go what I wanted. After months of hard study I won a full college scholarship (奖学金 ). My father could hardly contain
27、 his pride in me, and my mother eventually gave in before my success.53. The author was not allowed to go to Cornell University mainly because _.A. his father graduated from the universityB. his mother did not thinks it a great universityC. his parents needed him to help support the familyD. his par
28、ents did not have enough money for him54. The father started his small shop with the money from _.A. a local league B. his universityC. his relatives D. his college friends55. Why did the mother renew her membership in the league?A. To help with her husbands businessB. To raise money for her sonC. T
29、o meet her long-forgotten friendsD. To better manage her life56. According to the text, what was the author determined to do in that autumn?A. To get a well-paid job for himselfB. To improve relations with his motherC. To go to his dream universityD. To carry on with his fathers business2012-2013 学年
30、高三英语一轮复习 话题类阅读A small step makes a big difference. 4（2011 天津高考阅读 B 篇）In the fall of 1985, I was a bright-eyed girl heading off to Howard University, aiming at a legal career and dreaming of sitting on a Supreme Court bench somewhere. Twenty-one years later, I am still a bright-eyed dreamer and one w
31、ith quite a different tale to tell. My grandma, an amazing woman, graduated from college at the age of 65. She was the first in our family to reach that goal. But one year after I started college, she developed cancer. I made the choice to withdraw from college to care for her. It meant that school
32、and my personal dream would have to wait. Then I got married with another dream: building my family with a combination of adopt and biological children. In 1999, we adopted our first son. To lay eyes on him was fantastic - and very emotional. A year later came our second adopted boy. Then followed s
33、on No. 3. In 2003, I gave birth to another boy. You can imagine how fully occupied I became, raising four boys under the age of 8! Our home was a complete zoo - a joyous zoo. Not surprising, I never did make it back to college full-time. But I never gave up on the dream either. I had only one choice
34、: to find a way. That meant taking as few as one class each semester. The hardest part was feeling guilty about the time I spent away from the boys. They often wanted me to stay home with them. There certainly were times I wanted to quit, but I knew I should set an example for them to follow through
35、 the rest of their lives. In 2007, I graduated from the University of North Carolina. It took me over 21 years to get my college degree!I am not special, just single-minded. It always struck me that when youre looking at a big challenge from the outside it looks huge, but when youre in the midst of
36、it, it just seems normal. Everything you want wont arrive in your life on one day. Its a process. Remember: little steps add up to big dreams. 41. When the author went to Howard University, her dream was to be _.A. a writer B. a teacher C. a judge D. a doctor42. Why did the author quit school in her
37、 second year of college?A. She wanted to study by herself. B. She fell in love and got married. C. She suffered from a serious illness. D. She decided to look after her grandma. 43. What can we learn about the author from Paragraphs 4 and 5?A. She was busy yet happy with her family life. B. She igno
38、red her guilty feeling for her sons. C. She wanted to remain a full-time housewife. D. She was too confused to make a correct choice. 44. What does the author mostly want to tell us in the last paragraph?A. Failure is the mother of success. B. Little by little, one goes far. C. Every coin has two si
39、des. D. Well begun, half done. 45. Which of the following can best describe the author?A. Caring and determine. B. Honest and responsible. C. Ambitious and sensitive. D. Innocent and single-minded.2012-2013 学年高三英语一轮复习 话题类阅读A small step makes a big difference. 5（2011 广东高考阅读 C 篇） 36-40 ACDBA（2011 山东高考阅读 C 篇） 66-70. BDACD（2011 陕西高考阅读 C 篇） 53-56. DCAC（2011 天津高考阅读 B 篇） 41-45. CDABA
