山西省××市和诚高中2018-2019学年高二英语上学期周练8
时间：60分钟总分100分出题人： 2018年10月21日
一、完形填空（每题2分，共40分）
A cactus(仙人掌)stood all alone in the desert, wondering why it was stuck in the middle of nowhere．
“I do nothing but 1 here all day,” it sighed．“What 2 am I ? I'm the ugliest plant in the desert. I can't 3 any passing traveler with shade or juicy fruit．I don't see what I can do 4 ．”All it did was stand in the sun day after day, growing taller and fatter．Its spines grew longer and its leaves tougher…It truly was st range-looking．
“I wish I could do something useful,” it 5 ．By day, eagles circled high overhead．“What can I do with my life?” the cactus called．Whether they heard or not, the eagles sailed 6 ．At night, the moon floated into the sky and 7 its pale light on the desert．“What good can I do with my life?” the cactus called．The moon only stared coldly as it went on its way．
A lizard（蜥蜴）moved by, 8 a little trail （痕迹）in the sand with its tail．“What worthy thing can I do?” the cactus called．“You?” the lizard laughed, pausing a moment．“Worthy deed? Why, you can't do 9 ! You do nothing but get uglier every day．”
And so it 10 year after year．At last the cactus grew 11 , and it knew its time was short．“Oh, God” it cried out, “I've 12 so long, and I've tried so hard． 13 me if I've failed to find something worthy to do．I am afraid that now it is too 14 .”
But just then the cactus felt a strange stirring and unfolding．A flow of joy drove away all 15 . At its very tip, like a sudden crown, a beautiful 16 suddenly opened. 17 had the desert known such a blossom. Its fragrance went through the air far and wide and brought 18 to all passing by．In the desert, a voice was sounding．“You have waited long, and the heart which seeks（寻求）to do good will always bring something 19 to the world, something for which all can be happy ---- 20 for only a moment.”
1. A. lie B. sit C. sleep D. stand
2. A. good B. advantage C. use D. help
3. A. provide B. lend C. offer D. make
4. A. after all B. at last C. at all D. in all
5. A. smiled B. stated C. announced D. sighed
6. A. away B. out C. up D. down
7. A. turned B. threw C. lit D. burnt
8. A. sweeping B. running C. leaving D. passing
9. A. anything B. nothing C. something D. everything
10. A. went back B. went down C. went off D. went on
11. A. strong B. big C. old D. ugly
12. A. grown B. missed C. moved D. wondered
13. A. Tell B. Forgive C. Promise D. Kill
14. A. late B. long C. early D. young
15. A. hope B. depression C. content D. optimism
16. A. flower B. fruit C. seed D. weed
17. A. Never B. Ever C. Even D. Always
18. A. sadness B. enjoyment C. laughter D. freedom
19. A. considerate B. modest C. subjective D. worthwhile
20. A. as if B. now that C. even though D. only if
二、阅读理解（每题3分，共9分）
As a little child，I was always plump (胖的)．In college I started blowing up. It got out of control when I went to law school.
I’d made a deci sion a thousand times：I’m going to lose weight now. But what motivated （激发）me to get serious about it was turning 30. I weighed 414 pounds. I was always tired. Some of my family members have suffered from heart disease, and I was frightened. I also wanted to look better. So after my birthday, I walked into the office of a weight loss doctor.
She was very understanding. Her focus was on balanced meals and she wanted me to exercise.
Walking was all I could do at first. I started by walking a few blocks and gradually increased the distance, until one weekend，I heard myself saying，“Wow，this seems pretty easy.” So I started to run.
I was losing nine or ten pounds a month，and I had more energy. I started to think about the New York City Marathon. For years，I watched the runners and thought，“This looks like fun，but I could never do that.” But now I realized that maybe I could. I joined the New York Road Runners. I ran a 10km，then a half marathon. I still wasn’t confident I could run a full 26 miles. But I told mys elf I was going to do it，no matter what.
By my 33rd birthday，I was down to 180 pounds. I started formally training for the marathon. And on the morning of November 1，I stood on the Verrazano Bridge in Staten Island with more than 40,000 other runners，waiting for the event to start.
It was unbelievable to have the audience cheering me on，handing me cups of water. And I crossed the finish line. My friends sprayed (向……喷射) me with beer，as if I’d won the Super Bowl. And at that moment，I knew：If I set my mind to something，nothing is impossible.
21. The underlined phrase “blowing up” in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to________.
A. going weaker
B. growing high
C. becoming healthier
D. becoming fatter
22. From the passage we can know that the author _____________.
A. controlled his weight at college
B. may have a family history of heart attack
C. was satisfied with his figure as a kid
D. began to consider losing weight at 30
23. Which of the following sayings can best summarize the passage?
A．A good beginning is half done.
B．Pride comes before a fall.
C．Where there is a will，there is a way.
D．Practice makes perfect.
三、七选五（每题3分，共15分）
No fight can end, and no friendship can move on, until everyone says these little words: I’m sorry. Sometimes, though, they can be difficult to say. ____24
●It’s not about winning.
Friendships are not like the Super Bowl, and there should never be a winner and a loser. When you start fighting with a friend, it may feel important that you “win” the fight by proving you’re right and he is wrong, or by making him be the first to apologize.
In reality, you’ll BOTH LOSE if you let your fight ruin your friendship, and you will BOTH WIN if you find a way to heal it.
● 25
You may have heard th e expression “His pride stood in the way.” It is usually used to describe a person who is so determined to be “right” that he lets an opportunity for happiness pass him by forever.
26 Remember: as time goes on, we usually forget who was right and who was wrong in a disagreement, and only remember: the sadness of losing a friend.
● Take the first step.
Are you sick of fighting? Do you think this fight is just not important enough to ruin your friendship?
27 You don’t have to take full responsibility for starting the fight, or even say that your feelings were wrong. But you should find something you did or said that’s worth apologizing for. Maybe you’re sorry that you let the fight goes for so long, or that you overreacted to something your friend did. If you say you’re sorry, it’s like an invitation for your friend to do the same. 28
A.Then try to be the first to apologize.
B.Stop thinking about your pride.
C.It’s about taking some responsibility for the argument.
D.Don’t let this happen to a friendship you care about.
E.Here are some things to keep in mind.
F.There are some special cases when you should not be the one to apologize first.
G.Once you have both said it, you’ll both feel a million times better.
四、语法填空（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）
John Snow was a famous doctor in London- so expert, indeed,_1_ he attended Queen Victoria as her personal __2__(physics). But he became inspired when he thought about helping ordinary people __3___ (expose) to cholera. This was the __4__(die) disease of its day. __5__ its cause nor its cure was understood. So many thousands of terrified people died every time there was an outbreak. John Snow wanted to face __6__ challenge and solve this problem. He knew that cholera would never be controlled ___7__ its cause was found.
He __8_(interest) in two theories that possibly explained how cholera killed people. The first suggested that cholera __9__ (multiply) in the air. A cloud of dangerous gas floated around until it found its victims. The second suggested that people absorbed this disease into their bodies _10__ their meals. From the stomach the disease quickly attacked the body and soon the affected person died.
答题卡
四：填入适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式（每题1分，共10分）
1、 2、 3、4、5、
6、7、8、9、10
五：单词填空（每题1分，共25分）
1、有相同的特点（词组）
2、显然的adj.
3、令人困惑的adj.
4、与…..相似（词组）
5、做某事有困难（词组）
6、深刻的；极大地
7、平均 8、尤其、特别
9、感谢的；感激的 10、可获得的
11、导致，引起（词组） 12、称…为…..（词组）13、传统的 14、健康
15、幸亏，多亏（词组） 16、（主动）提出（愿意做某事）17、经过 18、任务
19、参考，查阅n. 20、标准n.
21、加倍 22、外向的
23、个性、性格 24、讯速地 adv.
25、声明，宣告 n. 26、必不可少的adj.
和诚中学2018-2019学年高二英语知识清单
易错题目定时训练
一、完型填空
1——5、DCACD 6——10、ABCAD 11——15、CDBAB
16——20、AABDC
二、阅读理解
21——23、DBC
三、七选五
24——28、EBDAG
四、语法填空
1、that;
2、physician;
3、exposed;
4、deadly;
5、Neither;
6、the;
7、until;
8、became\was interested;
9、multiplied; 10 with
五、单词填空
1、have….in common
2、obvious
3、confusing
4、be similar to
5、have difficulty (in) doing sth
6、profound
7、on average
8、in particular
9、grateful 10、available 11、lead to 12、refer to…as…. 13、traditional 14、fitness 15、thanks to 16、offer to do sth 17、pass by 18、mission 19、reference 20、standard 21、double 22、outgoing 23、personality
24、rapidly 25、announcement 26、essential
高二英语周练 第一节完形填空(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。然后从各题所给的四个选项中，选出最佳选项Nowadays many people enjoy 1 activities—walking, cycling or mountaineering. People often 2 the act of climbing high and difficult mountains to be astonishing. Why are men and women 3 to suffer cold and hardship, and to 4 on high mountains? This astonishment may be caused by the difference between mountaineering and other forms of activities to which men 5 their leisure time. There are no man-made rules, as there are for 6 sports as golf and football. There are, of course, principles of different kinds. It would be dangerous if you 7 them. But it is this freedom from man-made rules 8 makes mountaineering attractive to many people. Those who climb mountains are free to choose their own 9 . If we 10 mountaineering with other more familiar sports, we might think that one big difference is that mountaineering is not a kind of 11 work at all. 12 , it is only our misunderstanding. There are n o “matches” 13 “teams” of climbers, but when climbers are on a rock face linked by a rope which their lives may 14 , there is obviously teamwork. A mountain climber knows that he may have to fight with natural 15 that are stronger and more powerful than man. A mountain climber 16 to improve his skill year after year. A skier has probably passed his best by the age of thirty, and most tennis champions 17 in their early twenties. But it is not 18 for men of fifty or sixty to climb the highest mountains in the Alps. They may take more 19 to do that than younger men, but they probably climb more skillfully and with less effort, and they certainly experience equal 20 . 1. A. physical B. easy C. difficult D. mental 2. A. find B. respect C. treat D. consider 3. A. scared B. willing C. afraid D. suitable 4. A. have a break B. make sense C. take a risk D. lose weight 5. A. give B. hope C. discover D. receive 6. A. so B. various C. different D. such 7. A. applied B. worried C. ignored D. noticed 8. A. which B. that C. how D. why 9. A. methods B. tradition C. styles D. activities 10. A. contact B. relate C. replace D. compare 11. A. pair B. complex C. team D. simple 12. A. Otherwise B. Therefore C. Furthermore D. However 13. A. between B. within C. from D. beyond 14. A. keep on B. go on C. depend on D. focus on 15. A. storms B. forces C. energies D. strengths 16. A. tries B. wants C. continues D. decides 17. A. will be B. are C. appear D. is 18. A. unusual B. normal C. common D. frequent 19. A. gifts B. means C. brains D. time 20. A. astonishment B. ambition C. concern D. enjoyment 第二部分阅读理解阅读下面短文，从每题所给的A, B, C, D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。(共20小题, 每小题2分, 满分40分) A
江西省安义中学2017-2018学年度上学期高二英语第二次周练试卷 第一节阅读理解 Life is not easy in senior high school. You’ve got the pressure of studies and exams. From time to time, you may feel depressed and frustrated. When depression strikes, you have to take measures to fight it. One of the strangest ways to fight depression is to eat salt, scientists have found. Salt acts as a natural anti—depressant (抗抑郁剂), researchers say. While too much can lead to high blood pressure and heart disease, not enough can cause “psychological(心理的) d epressions”, a study has reported. The study, by researchers at the University of Iowa in the US, discovered that when rats are deficient in salt, they don’t do activities they normally enjoy. The recommended daily salt intake for an adult is four grams, although experts say the body needs only half as much. However, most adults in the developed world consume（消耗）around ten grams a day, mainly because their diets contain high salt amounts. Today, 77 percent of US salt intake comes from processed and restaurant foods, like frozen dinners and fast food. The minerals in salt are required by the body—in small quantities—to help move liquid in and out of cells. But too much can cause diseases, for example high blood pressure. Today scientists are finding that salt is an addictive substance—almost like a drug. One s ign of addiction is using a substance even when it’s known to be harmful. Many people are told to eat less salt due to health concerns, but they have trouble doing so because they like the taste and find low-salt foods tasteless. Humans have a long histor y of eating salt. In the Stone Age, people didn’t need to find salt, because they hunted most of their food, and ate a lot of red meat, which has plenty of salt in it. But when people began to farm, about 10,000 BC, they started to eat mainly grains like rice and wheat, and very little meat. Then they had to find another way to get salt. 1. What does the underlined word "deficient" in the third paragraph mean? A. enough B. far from enough C. more than enough D. plenty 2. The major role of salt is to ____________. A. help the body work well B. help fight against depression C. help people get rid of an addiction to drugs D. help people enjoy sugary substances 3. Which of the following statements is true? A. People have trouble reducing salt because they don't know it is harmful to eat too much of it. B. Before 10,000 BC, human beings did not need salt. C. The richer the country is, the more salt is eaten there. D. Taking more than 4 grams of salt a day can be harmful for an adult's health. 4. What kind of food should people eat more of? A. Frozen food B. Fast food C. Red meat D Low--salt food 第二节：七选五 Everyone knows that the Frenchmen are romantic, the Italians are fashionable and the Germans are serious. Are these just stereotypes(刻板印象) or is there really such a thing as national character? And if there is, can it affect how a nation succeed or fail? At least one group of people is certain that it can. A recent survey of the top 500 entrepreneurs (企业家) in the UK found that 70% felt that their efforts were not appreciated by the British public. Britain is hostile (敌意的) to success, they said. It has a culture of jealousy(嫉妒)．__5__ Jealousy is sometimes known as the “green－eyed monster” and the UK is its home. Scientists at Warwich University in the UK recently tested this idea. They gathered a group of people together and gave each an imaginary amount of money.__6__ Those given a little were given the chance to destroy the large amount of money given to others— but at the cost of losing their own. Two thirds of the people tested agreed to do this. __7__. But there is also opposite evidence. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development recently reported that the UK is now the world's fourth largest economy. That is not bad for people who are supposed to hate success. People in the UK also work longer hours than anyone else in Europe. So the British people are not lazy, either. “It is not really success that the British dislike,” says Carey Cooper, a professor of management at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology. “It’s people using their success in a way that seems proud or unfair or which separates them from their roots.” _8__ They set out to do things in their way. They work long hours. By their own efforts they become millionaires.__9__ It hardly seems worth following their example. If they were more friendly, people would like them more. And more people want to be like them. A. This seems to prove that the entrepreneurs were right to complain. B. The one who owns most money in the end is the winner.
高二英语周练二十六（含答案） 一、重点单词20’ 1. 撕，扯vt. __________ 2. 幽默n. _________ 幽默的adj._________ 3. 使愉快, 使高兴vt. __________ 4. 娱乐n. __________ 5. 杰出的，显著的 adj. __________ 6. 值得的 adj. __________ 7. 使不交叉 vt. __________ 8. 至关重要的adj. __________ 9. 看不见的 adj. __________ 10. 拥挤的adj. __________ 11. 重新进入 vt. __________ 12. 出去 v. __________ 13. 紧急情况 n. __________ 14. 空手的adj.__________ 15. 舒适的，安逸的adj. __________ 16. 恼怒的，气恼的adj. __________ 17. 最初的，初始的adj. __________ 18. 鲜为人知的 adj. __________ 19. 视觉的 adj. ______ ___ 20. 热情的adj.________ 热情n. __________ 二、重点短语 20’ 1. 嘲笑 ________________ 2. 对某事做出反应 ________________ 3. 编造，杜撰 ________________ 4. 遵循某人的足迹 ________________ 5. 排队 ____________________ 6. 后来，过些时候 ________________ 7. 电视现场直播 ____________________ 8. 怒目而视 ________________ 9. 被椅子绊倒 ___________________ 10. 招收，雇用，呈现________________ 11. 维持，保持，拿出 ________________ 12. 指向 ________________ 13. 突然闯入________________ 14. 绞尽脑汁 ________________ 15. 减轻体重________________ 16. 腾出地方，让出地方 ________________ 17. 撞到某人 _______________ 18. 每次，一次 ________________ 19. 照镜子 ________________ 20. 卫生纸 ________________ 三、完形填空 15’(每空1.5分) Billy Crystal is a well-known American stand-up comedian. He has been praised 1_______ his ability to observe the people and events around him and make appropriate funny comments. Only a few comedians become famous and get jobs 2________ television and film actors later on in life. Billy Crystal first started doing stand-up comedy in New York and 3_______ in California in the 1970s. Soon after, he got a job in television. He made 4________advertisement for Pepsi in the 1980s 5________ became very popular. Billy Crystal also acts in films. Other actors say that often he does not read the script. 6________, he will improvise and say something 7________. Somehow, the new things he thinks of are always funnier than 8_________ he was supposed to say! Billy Crystal is also famous for 9________ the host of the Academy Awards. He enjoys this job, and every year 10__________ many months preparing his jokes and thinking of funny things to say. 四、单项选择15’ 1. The concert had so _______ audience that the organizer could hardly make enough money to cover his cost. A. few B. little C. many D. much
丰城中学xx学年下学期高二英语周练试卷 2021年高二下学期英语周练试卷（尖子班重点班5.25）含答案 一、完形填空（共20小题，每小题2分，满分40分） Before my year abroad, everyone advised me to say “yes” to everything. They weren’t 1 . However, here in Germany, “I don’t mind” doesn’t seem to be an acceptable 2 . Neither does “I’ll do whatever you want to do” nor “Really, either way is fine by me”. It really is 3 yes or no. Despite having a huge smile on your face, most Germans will look at you 4 you’re unable to make a 5 , which of course isn’t true; we’re just bei ng really typically British. My first encounter (遭遇) of this was when I 6 the hotel for my first two nights in Germany. The 7 asked when I would like my breakfast in the morning. Being typically British, I replied saying whenever was 8 for her. She gave me a(n) 9 look and asked again. “No, when do you want to have 10 ? Er, OK ... err .... 8 am?” she smiled and I 11 quickly, “Only if that is12 for you though.” I knew about the British stereotype (模式化的形象) of 13 before I came abroad. However, I didn’t 14 how much truth there was to it until
2019-2020学年度第一学期高二英语周练试卷 第二部分：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，从每题所给的四个选项中，选出最佳选项。 A Well, parents, surprise! Lots of us are using Twitter and Facebook to find rides, and not just to school. It’s awkward to call a friend and ask for a ride, and half the time they’ll say, “Sorry, my car is full.” But with Twitter, you just tweet #Ashleys Pool Party and look for other people heading the same way. It may sound risky, but many teens stay within their own social circles to find rides, and don’t branch out beyond friends when asking on Twitter. For me, I only rideshare with people I know, but to some young people, especially those taking longer trips, stranger danger is less of a concern. The sharing economy got big during the recession（经济衰退）. It allows people to access more goods and services using technology, while also allowing them to share cost. And that technology, for me, is what the car was for my mom, a gateway to more freedom. According to the researchers at the University of Michigan, 30 years ago, eight in ten American 18-year-olds had a driver’s license. Today it’s six in ten. So it’s not that surprising that on my 16th birthday I wasn’t rushing to get a license. All I wanted was an iPhone. Juliet Schor (Sociology professor at Boston College) knows people of my age love being connected and for young people driving means they have to disconnect from their technology, and that’s a negative. So if they could sit in the passenger side and still be connected, that’s going to be a plus. To me, another plus is ridesharing represents something more than trying to save money. I see it as evidence that people still depend on each other. My generation shares their cars and apartments the way neighbors used to share cups of sugar. For the system to work, some of us still need our own cars. But until I get my own version of the silver Super Beetle, you can find me on Twitter. 21 The writer usually rideshares with _____. A. anyone heading the same way B. people he knows
西南位育初三2016学年第二学期英语周练（五）
III. Complete the following passage with the words or phrases in the box. Each
novels, plays, travel books, and so on. And in reading books of this kind the important thing is to get on with the reading; to try to grasp (领会) __50__ the writer is going to tell you in the book as a whole (整体而言). This is __51__ if you stop and think over the meaning of every single word which happens to be unfamiliar (不熟悉). You can not enjoy a story if you stop lots of times on every page for __52__ words in the dictionary. You may even prevent __53__ from understanding the story as a whole by doing this. V. Complete the following sentence as required. 64. Tell Jerry the news when you see him, please. （否定句） Please ______ ______ Jerry the news when you see him. 65. I was born on June 4, 1992. （对划线部分提问） ______ ______ you born? 66. The detective discovered some important clues for the case. （改为被动语态） Some important clues for the case ______ ______ by the detective. 67. The poor child was so lucky that she received many books from the charity. (改为简单句) The poor child was ______ ______ to receive many books from the charity. 68. To stop wild animals getting close to us, we lit a fire in the forest. (保持句意不变) To ______ ______ wild animals, we lit a fire in the forest. 69. Did they forget to turn off the lights before leaving? I don’t know.(改为宾语从句) I don’t know ______ they ______ to turn off the lights before leaving. 70. Brush your teeth at least twice every day. （改为反义疑问句）
山西省××市和诚高中2018-2019学年高二英语上学期周练8 时间：60分钟总分100分出题人： 2018年10月21日 一、完形填空（每题2分，共40分） A cactus(仙人掌)stood all alone in the desert, wondering why it was stuck in the middle of nowhere． “I do nothing but 1 here all day,” it sighed．“What 2 am I ? I'm the ugliest plant in the desert. I can't 3 any passing traveler with shade or juicy fruit．I don't see what I can do 4 ．”All it did was stand in the sun day after day, growing taller and fatter．Its spines grew longer and its leaves tougher…It truly was st range-looking． “I wish I could do something useful,” it 5 ．By day, eagles circled high overhead．“What can I do with my life?” the cactus called．Whether they heard or not, the eagles sailed 6 ． At night, the moon floated into the sky and 7 its pale light on the desert．“What good can I do with my life?” the cactus called．The moon only stared coldly as it went on its way． A lizard（蜥蜴）moved by, 8 a little trail （痕迹）in the sand with its tail．“What worthy thing can I do?” the cactus called．“You?” the lizard laughed, pausing a moment．“Worthy deed? Why, you can't do 9 ! You do nothing but get uglier every day．” And so it 10 year after year．At last the cactus grew 11 , and it knew its time was short．“Oh, God” it cried out, “I've 12 so long, and I've tried so hard． 13 me if I've failed to find something worthy to do．I am afraid that now it is too 14 .” But just then the cactus felt a strange stirring and unfolding．A flow of joy drove away all 15 . At its very tip, like a sudden crown, a beautiful 16 suddenly opened. 17 had the desert known such a blossom. Its fragrance went through the air far and wide and brought 18 to all passing by． In the desert, a voice was sounding．“You have waited long, and the heart which seeks（寻求）to do good will always bring something 19 to the world, something for which all can be happy ---- 20 for only a moment.” 1. A. lie B. sit C. sleep D. stand 2. A. good B. advantage C. use D. help 3. A. provide B. lend C. offer D. make 4. A. after all B. at last C. at all D. in all 5. A. smiled B. stated C. announced D. sighed 6. A. away B. out C. up D. down 7. A. turned B. threw C. lit D. burnt 8. A. sweeping B. running C. leaving D. passing 9. A. anything B. nothing C. something D. everything
横峰中学2016-2017学年度上学期 高二英语第十三周周练试卷 命题人：汪佳嘉 第一节：阅读理解（每题 2.5分，共10分） What is the nature of the scientific attitude, the attitude of the man or woman who studies and applies physics, chemistry, geology, engineering, medical or any other science? We all know that science plays an important role in the societies in which we live. Many people believe, however, that our progress depends on two different aspects of science. The first of these is the application of the machines and products that scientists and technologists develop. New drugs, faster and safer means of transport, new systems of applied knowledge are some examples of this aspect of science. The second aspect is the application of the special methods of thought and action that scientists use in their work. What are these special methods of thinking and acting? First of all, it seems that a successful scientist is full of curiosity — he wants to find out how and why the universe works. He usually directs his attention towards problems which he notices have no satisfactory explanation, and his curiosity makes him look for underlying relationships even if the data available seem to be unconnected. Moreover, he thinks he can improve the existing conditions, whether of pure or applied knowledge, and enjoys trying to solve the problems which this involves. He is a good observer, accurate, patient and objective and applies persistent and logical thought to the observations he makes. He uses the facts he observes to the full extent. For example, trained observers acquire a very large amount of information about a star mainly from the accurate analysis of the simple lines that appear in a spectrum. He is skeptical —he does not accept statements which are not based on the most complete evidence available — and therefore rejects authority as the sole basis for truth. Furthermore, he is not only critical of the work of others, but also of his own, since he knows that man is the least reliable of scientific instruments and that a number of factors tend to