2023届高考英语一轮复习强化检测8

第页2023届高考英语一轮复习强化检测8第一卷第一局部：听力〔共两节，总分值30分〕第一节〔共5小题；每题1．5分，总分值7．5分〕 听下面5段对话。每段对话后有一个小题，从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最正确选项，并标在试卷的相应位置。听完每段对话后，你都有10秒钟的时间来答复有关小题和阅读下一小题。每段对话仅读一遍。1.Whyisthemanworried?A.Hemustreadalotofbooks. B.Hedoesn’tlikehistory. C.Hecan’tgetthebookshereads.2.Whatdowelearnfromtheconversation?A.ThemanwillprobablygotoCanadaforhisvacation.B.ThemanwillprobablywaituntilsummertogotoMexico.C.ThemanwillprobablynotgotoCanadaforhisvacation.3.Howfarshouldthetwospeakersneedtogo?A.Twomoremiles. B.Anothermile. C.Threemoremiles.4.Whenwillthelecturebegin?A.At8:00. B.At8:15. C.At7:45.5.Whatdoesthewomanmean?A.Shewillgotothepartytoday.B.Shewantstogotomorrowevening.C.Shewon’tgotothepartytoday.第二节〔共15小题，每题1.5分，总分值22.5分〕听下面5段对话或独白。每段对话或独白后有几个小题，从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最正确选项，并标在试卷的相应位置。听每段对话或独白前，你将有时间阅读各个小题，每题5秒钟；听完后，各小题将给出5秒钟的作答时间。每段对话或独白读两遍。听第6段材料，答复第6至7题。6.Whatwilltheydobeforetheygodowntotheseaside?A.Visitinganewpark. B.Plantingsomeflowers. C.Havingsomeseafood.7.Howdidthemangettothecity?A.Byship. B.Bytrain. C.Bybus.听第7段材料，答复第8至10题。8.Howmanytimeshadthediscussionsbeenheldwhentheconversationtookplace?A.Fourtimes. B.Sixtimes. C.Eighttimes.9.Whydidthewomaninvitethemantoattendtheirdiscussions?A.Becauseheknewalotaboutpopmusic.B.Becausehewasinterestedinpopmusic.C.Becausehewaseasytogetalongwith.10.Whenwillthemancometotheirdiscussions?A.OnlyonMondays. B.OnlyonFridays. C.OnMondaysandFridays.听第8段材料，答复第11至13题。11.Whencanyouhaveyourlettersentoutatthepostoffice?A.7:30a.m.everyday. B.10:00a.m.onSaturday. C.4:00p.m.onFriday.12.Whichserviceissuitableforthecustomerswhowanttosavemoney?A.Thefirst-classpost. B.Thesecond-classpost. C.Theparcelpost.13.Howcancustomerssendatelegram?A.Bytelephone. B.Bygoingtoapostoffice. C.Bygoingtoarailwaystation.听第9段材料，答复第14至16题。14.Howdoesthewomangotoworkatthemoment?A.Bybus. B.Bytrain. C.Bycar.15.Whatstopsthemandrivingtowork?A.Hiswifedoesn’tallowhimtodoso.B.Hecan’taffordthehighgasbill.C.Helivesnearhisworkplace.16.Whatdoweknowaboutthewoman?A.Shedoesn’tgetalongwellwithherboss.B.Shehasn’tgotmarried.C.Shelovesdrivingtowork.听第10段材料，答复第17至20题。17.InhowmanycountriesisTOEFLgiven?A.118. B.180. C.121.18.HowmanypeopletaketheIELTSeveryyear?A.Onemillionpeople. B.Twomillion. C.Only20000people.19.HowmuchwillyoupayfortheTOEFLifyouwanttotestyourselfinthefourbasicskills?A.$125. B.$150. C.$275.20.WhatcanwelearnabouttheIELTS?A.Itisopenforstudentsofallages.B.Itdoesn’tincludespeakingtest.C.Itisapapertest.第一节：单项填空〔共15小题，每题1分，总分值15分〕 从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出可以填入空白处的最正确选项。并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。例：It’ssonicetohearfromheragain．,welastmetmorethanthirtyyearsago． A．What’smore B．That’stosay C．Inotherwords D．Believeitornot答案是D。21.Mary_____aphotoofProfessorSmithwhilehewasmakingaspeech. A.takes B.took C.wouldtake D.hastaken22._____thelightinthehallwilltakemorethanmoney. A.Mending B.Mend C.Beingmended D.Tobemended23.Theyoungcouplewillhavetorentahouse,fortheirnewlyboughtone_____. A.wasdecorated B.isbeingdecorated C.willdecorate D.haddecorated24.－Whichcitydoyouexpecttolivein?－Idon’tmindwhereIlive_____thereismyfavouritejob. A.sothat B.incase C.asfaras D.solongas25.【2023山东】22.Itwas______coldwinternightandthemoonwasshiningbrightlyacross____nightsky.

A.不填；a B.a;the C.the;a D.the;不填26.Mycomputerneedstoberepaired.Howmuchdoyouthinkit_____?A.wouldcostB.cost C.willcost D.hascost27.Mydaughter,_____jobrequireshertodoalotoftravelling,isalwaysawayfromhomealot. A.which B.that C.whose D.where28.Theyoungwomanhadhercar_____inthemudfortwohoursbeforetherescueworkersarrived. A.trap B.trapping C.trapped D.tobetrapped29.【2023天津】7.WhileshewasinParis,shedevelopedaforfineart.A.wayB.relationC.tasteD.habit30.Glancing_____hisshoulder,Ericcouldseethedogwasrunningafterhim.A.over B.across C.through D.onto31.【2023新课标I卷】27.WhenIfirstmetBryanIdidn’tlikehim,butImymind. A.havechanged B.change C.hadchanged D.wouldchange32.【2023安徽】28.Itomycousin’sbirthdaypartylastnight,butIwasnotavailableA.wentB.hadgoneC.wouldgoD.wouldhavegone33.－WhenwoulditbepossibleforLucytoseethejudgeor_____itwas—thelawyer?－Nextweek. A.which B.whoever C.whose D.whatever34.【2023陕西】14.Thewitnessesbythepolicejustnowgaveverydifferentdescriptionsofthefight.A.questionedB.beingquestionedC.tobequestionedD.havingquestioned35.Howstrangeitis_____thestudentsaresoquietintheclassroom! A.where B.when C.whether D.that第二节完型填空〔共20小题；每题1．5分，总分值30分〕 阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最正确选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。〔2023江西高考卷〕DianeRaywascompletelyself-centredandveryspoilt.Herparentsgaveher36shewanted,knowingthatshewouldthrowatempertantrum(耍小孩脾气)iftheydidnot.Shewouldscreamandkickand37onthefloordrummingherheils.Herparentsalways38. Thatwaswhyshewasaloneonthe39,wearinganexpensiveswimsuit.Ithadtakenamassivetantrumto40herparentstobuyit.Theywerebackatthebeach-house,41fromthetantrumshehadthrownwhentheytoldherthatitwastoodangeroustogodiving42.“Dangerous?〞shehadsaid.“Youjustdon’twantmetohave43.I’mgoingandifyoutrytostoprne?I’llscream.〞 “Whatareyoudoing?〞avoiceasked.Dianejumped.Shedidnotknowthatthemanwasthere44hespoke. “I’mgoingdiving,〞sheanswered. “Youshouldn’tswimtoday,〞theman45.“Thereisastormcomingup.〞 “Youshouldmindyourown46!〞Dianerepliedandwalkedintothegentlewaves. “Ifyougooutthereyou’llbe47,〞themancalledafterher.Shedidnotbotherinreply.Dianeslippedintothewateranddived48untilwhitecapsbeganrollinginanditbecameharderto49againstthecurrent(水流).Saltwaterhitagainstherface,makingit50breathe.Oh,whyhadshenotlistenedtoadvice! Panicking,shebeganto51.Then,justasitseemedasifshewouldslipbeneaththesurface,shehearda52voice.“Holdon!I’mcoming.〞With53,shesawtheoldmanrowinganancient-lookingboattowardsher.“Ihopeyou’velearnedalesson.Youputusbothin54,〞heshoutedangrily,ashedraggedheroverthesideofthe55.Gratefully,Dianethankedhimandrantowardsthebeach-house.36. A.either B.neither C.nothing D.everything37. A.jump B.lie C.spin D.sleep38. A.setout B.setin C.gavein D.gaveout39. A.beach B.bed C.floor D.ship40. A.allow B.warn C.get D.prefer41. A.changing B.recovering C.appearing D.traveling42. A.alone B.away C.again D.aside43. A.time B.money C.food D.fun44. A.when B.until C.after D.once45. A.decided B.intended C.advised D.repeated46. A.business B.swimsuit C.friends D.parents 47. A.angry B.sorry C.confused D.excited48. A.nervously B.sadly C.shyly D.happily49. A.rise B.swim C.stop D.row50. A.difficult B.easy C.comfortable D.suitable51. A.speak B.sing C.sniff D.scream52. A.calm B.frightening C.beautiful D.disgusting53. A.regret B.relief C.interest D.ease54. A.power B.safety C.danger D.thought55. A.house B.wave C.beach D.boat第三局部：阅读理解〔共20小题，每题2分，总分值40分〕第一节〔共15小题；每题2分，共30分〕 阅读以下短文，从每题所给的四个选项〔A、B、C和D〕中，选出最正确选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。ATheDollandtheWhiteRoseIwaswalkingaroundinamall,whenIsawacashierhandthislittleboysomemoneyback．Thecashiersaid,"I'msorry,butyoudon'thaveenoughmoneytobuythisdoll．〞Thelittleboyseemedverydisappointed．Iwalkedtowardhimandaskedhimwhohewishedtogivethisdollto．"It'sthedollthatmysisterwantedsomuchforChristmas．ShewassurethatSantaClauswouldbringittoher:ButSantaClauscan'tbringittoherwheresheisnow．Ihavetogivethedolltomymommysothatshecangiveittomysisterwhenshegoesthere．"Hiseyesweresosad．"MysisterhasgonetobewithGod．DaddysaysthatMommyisgoingtoseeGodverysoontoo,soIthoughtthatshecouldtakethedollwithhertogiveittomysister．〞Myheartnearlystopped．Thelittleboylookedupatmeandcontinued,"ItoldDaddytotellMommynottogoyet．IneedhertowaituntilIcomebackfromthemall．"Iquicklyreachedformywalletandsaid,"Supposewecheckagain,justincaseyoudohaveenoughmoneyforthedoll．""OK,IhopeIdohaveenough,"hesaid．Iputsomeofmymoneywithhiswithouthimseeingandwestartedtocountit．Therewasenoughforthedollandevensomesparemoney．Surprisingly,thelittleboycried,"ThankyouGodforgivingmeenoughmoney!"Thenhelookedatmeandadded,"IaskedlastnightbeforeIwenttosleepforGodtomakesureIhadenoughmoneytobuythisdoll,sothatMommycouldgiveittomysister．Heheardme!Ialsowantedtohaveenoughmoneytobuyawhiteroseformymommy,butIdidn'tdaretoaskGodfortoomuch．Buthegavemeenoughtobuythedollandawhiterose!"ThenIrememberedtwodaysbeforealocalnewspaperreportedanaccidentinwhichawomanandalittlegirlwerebadlyinjured．Thelittlegirldiedrightaway,andthemotherwasleftinacriticalstate．Wasthisthefamilyofthelittleboy?TwodaysafterImetthelittleboy,Ireadinthenewspaperthatthewomanhadpassedaway．Icouldn'tstopmyselffromgoingtothefuneral．Teary-eyed,Ifeltthatmylifehadbeenchangedforever．56．Theboywantedtobuythedollbecause．A．hehadalwaysbeeneagerforsuchadoll B．SantaClausdidn'tgivehimanyChristmasgift C．hewouldgiveittohismotherasabirthdaysurprise D．hewantedtoturnhissister'sChristmaswishintoreality57．Wecanlearnfromthestorythat． A．theboy'ssisterdiedafterstayinginhospitalfortwoweeks B．theboy'sfamilywereallseriouslyinjuredinacaraccident C．theauthorgavetheboysomeextramoneywithouthisnotice D．theboy'smotheralwayswishedtoreceiveawhiteroseonChristmas58．Thestorymostprobablyconveysthemessagethat． A．akindactcanbringjoyandhopetoothers B．agiftisaperfectwaytoexpressloveforothers C．losingafamilymemberisaheavyblowtochildren D．areligiousbeliefcanhelponesolveproblemsinhislifeB"Panopticon"isaplaceinwhicheverythingisinfullviewofothers．ArecentNewYorkTimes"HouseandHome"articlefeaturedthestoryofamanwholivesinaglasshouse．Everywallinhishomeistransparent;hehasnowallstohidebehind,noteveninthebathroom．Ofcourse,helivesinaremoteareawherehedoesn'texactlyhaveneighborslookinginandwatchinghiseverymove．Buthehaschosentolivewithoutanyphysicalprivacyinahomethatallowseveryactiontobeseen．Hehascreatedhisownpanopticonofsorts．ThetermpanopticonwascoinedbyJeremyBenthaminthelateeighteenthcenturywhenhewasdescribinganideaforhowprisonsshouldbedesigned．Theprisoners'cellswouldbeplacedinacirclewithaguardtowerinthemiddle．Allwallsfacingthecenterofthecirclewouldbeglass．Inthatway,everyprisoner'scellwouldbeinfullviewoftheguards．Theprisonerscoulddonothingunobserved,buttheprisonerswouldnotbeabletoseetheguardtower．Theywouldknowtheywerebeingwatched-orrather,theywouldknowthattheycouldbebeingwatched－butbecausetheycouldnotseetheobserver,theywouldneverknowwhentheguardwasactuallymonitoringtheiractions．Similarly,itiscommonthatpeoplebehavedifferentlywhentheyknowtheyarebeingwatched．Weactdifferentlywhenweknowsomeoneislooking;weactdifferentlywhenwethinksomeoneelsemightbelooking．Inthesesituations,wearelesslikelytobeourselves;instead,wewillactthewaywethinkweshouldactwhenwearebeingobservedbyothers．Inourwiredsociety,manytalkofthepanopticonasametaphor〔隐喻〕forthefuture．Butinmanyways,thepanopticonisalreadyhere．Monitoringcamerasareeverywhere,andweoftendon'tevenknowouractionsarebeingrecorded．Inaddition,weleavearecordofeverythingwedoonline．Andmostofushavenoideajusthowmuchinformationaboutushasbeenrecordedandhowmuchdataisavailabletovarioussources．Wecandolittletostoptheinformationgatheringandexchangeandcanonlyhopetobeabletocontrolthedamageifsomethinggoeswrong．59．Accordingtothepassage,apanopticonis．A．aprisoncellB．ahousethatistransparentC．atowerthatprovidesabroadviewD．aplacewhereeverythingcanbeseenbyothers60．FromParagraph3,welearnthatpanopticon． A．isnotapplicableoutsidetheprisonB．isusedeverywhereinpublicplacesC．isaneffectivetooltocontrolprisonersD．isaneffectivetooltoshareinformation．61．Whydoestheauthorsaythatpanopticonisalreadyhere?A．Becauseourprivacyiscompletelytransparent． B．Becauseweareallprisonersmourownhomes． C．Becauseouractionsareobservedandrecordedinmanycases． D．Becausewearealwaysafraidthatsomeonemightbewatchingus62．Akeydifferencebetweenprisonpanopticonandpanopticoninourdailylifeisthat．A．prisonerscanseetheirobservers,butwecan'tB．prisonersknowthattheymaybebeingwatched,butweoftendon'tC．prisonersaremoreprotectedintheirpanopticonthanweareinoursD．prisonersarelessobservedaboutprivacyissuesthantechnologyusersCIwanttotalkabouttheeconomy．Not"theeconomy"wehearaboutendlesslyinthenewseachdayandinpoliticians'speeches．Iwanttotalkabouttherealeconomy,theoneweliveindaybyday．Mostpeoplearen'tparticularlyinterestedin"theeconomy"．"Sharepricesareflyinghigh;interestratesaresoaring;theDowJonesIndexclosedsixty-threepointsdownon8472．35．"Wehearthisandsubconsciouslyswitchoff．Noticethat"theeconomy"isnotthesameastheeconomy,"Theeconomy"iswhatmeninsuitsplaywithtomakevastpersonalwealth．Theeconomyiswheretherestofusliveonadailybasis,earningourliving,payingourtaxes,andpurchasingthenecessitiesoflife．Wearesupposedtobebenefitingfromalltheadvantagesofawell-offsociety．Sowhydowefeeltiredandstressed?Wehavenotimeforanythingotherthanwork,whichisridiculousgiventhenumberoflabor-savingdevicesinourlives．Ourtownsbecomemoreandmorecrowded．Wepoisonourairandseas,andourfoodisfullofchemicals．There'ssomethingwronghere．Iftimesweretrulygood,thenyoumaythinkwe'dallfeeloptimisticaboutthefuture．Yetthemajorityofusaredeeplyworried．Morethan90percentofusthinkwearetooconcernedaboutourselvesandnotconcernedenoughaboutfuturegenerations．Theterm"economicexpansion"suggestssomethingdesirable,butexpansionsimplymeansspendingmoremoney．Morespendingdoesn'tmeanthatlifeisgettingbetter．Weallknowitoftenmeanstheopposite-greed,crime,poverty,pollution．Morespendingmerelyfeedsourwholeeconomicsystem,whichisbasedonproductionandconsumption．Unlessmoneykeepscirculating,theeconomybreaksdown．Ifwedon'tkeepconsuming,thewholesystemgoesintostalemate〔僵局〕． Howdowebreakthecycleandmakesomechanges?Weneedtobecomefarmoreawareoftheresultsofouractions．Webuyclothesthataremadeinsweatshopsbyvirtualslavesinpoorpartsoftheworld．Wecreatemountainsofwaste．Wedemandcheapfood,mindlessofthefactthatittotallylackstasteandisproducedusingchemicalsthatpoisontheland．Theconsumptionculturemakesusunawareoftheeffectofourownbehavior．Ourmainproblemisnotthatwedon'tknowwhattodoaboutit．Itisgatheringthedesiretodoit．63．Accordingtotheauthor,whichonebelongstotherealeconomy?A．TheDowJonesIndex．B．Increasesininterestrates．C．Skyrocketingshareprices．D．Shoppinginasupermarket．64．ItcanbeconcludedfromParagraph4that．A．peoplearebenefitingfromawell-offsocietyB．thefuturegenerationisabigconcernformostpeopleC．themajorityofpeopleareoptimisticaboutthefutureD．peoplestillfeelmuchpressuredespitelabor-savingdevices65．Whatistrueabouteconomicexpansion?A．Itguaranteesabetterlifeforus．B．Itmayleadtosomesocialproblems．C．Itwillstopthecirculationofmoney．D．Ithasonlybroughtdesirableeffects．66．Theauthorwritesthepassagemainlyto．A．callonustochangeourbehavior B．suggestasolutionforover-consumption C．makeadistinctionbetweentwoeconomies D．informusoftheeffectsofeconomicexpansionDYouAreWhatYouEat Genetic〔基因的〕engineeringisthescientificchangeofthegeneticmaterialinalivingorganism．Itallowsscientiststoidentifyspecificgenes,toremovethemfromanorganism'schromosomes〔染色体〕,improvethem,analyzethem,andpossiblyclonethem,andtothenreinsertthechangedgeneintotheoriginalorganism,oracompletelydifferentorganism．Unliketraditionalbreeding〔繁殖〕,whereadesiredqualitywouldbebredwithinthesamespecies,geneticengineeringcaninsertdesiredonesintoorganismsofdifferentspecies．Wow…Didyoucatchthat? Geneticengineeringcreatesmanypositivecontributionstoagriculture．Forexample,bygeneticallyengineered〔GE〕foods,anti-canceragents,mineralsandvitaminscanbeincreased．Improvedtaste,shelflife,andbettertransportareallpossible．Also,GEplantscanincreasepestandbacterialresistance,therefore,makingthefoodsafeforconsumers．Butsomearguethatthepossiblenegativeeffectsoutweighthepositives,andcriticsarestartingtovoicetheirconcerns．UnlikeEurope,intheUnitedStateslabelingisnotrequiredongeneticallyengineeredfoodsoronfoodsthatcontaingeneticallyengineeredproducts．MostAmericansdonotrealizethattheyare,infact,eatingGEfoods．Thepublicisalsoconcernedabouttheunknownhealthrisks．Withlimitedunderstandingofgenes,scientistscannotpredictpossibleeffects．BecausemostgenesintroducedintoGEplantscomefromsourcesnotintroducedintothehumanbody,itisimpossibletoknowiftheywillcausereactions．Moreover,duetothelackoflabelingifallergiesdevelop,itwillbeextremelydifficulttofindtheoriginofthem．Thereisalsoamajormoralquestioninmanyminds．Formany,theconflictisnotifitissafeornot,butitdisturbsthembecauseitisunnaturalandunnecessary．Wearecurrentlyproducingoneandahalftimestheamountoffoodneededtofeedtheworld,yetoneinsevenpeoplearestarving．GEfoodisunnecessary,andfailstoaddresstherootofhunger．Manybelievethattheonlypeoplewhowillbenefitarethecorporationsthatproduceit．Scientistscannotforeseet．hepossibleeffectsofGEfoods,yetweeatthemeverydaywithoutevenknowingit．Wealreadyhaveenoughfood,sowhycreatemorethatcouldbepotentiallyharmfultous,totheEarthandtoallwildlife?Ithinkthatthebenefitsareamazing,butuntilweknowforsurehowthesefoodswillaffectus,theyarenotworththerisk．67．Accordingtothepassage,traditionalbreedingisdifferentfromgeneticengineeringinthat． A．traditionalbreedingchangesthegenesinthesamespecies B．traditionalbreedingchangesthegenesindifferentspecies C．traditionalbreedingtakesplacewithinthesamespecies D．traditionalbreedingismorescientific68．"Thelackoflabeling"inParagraph4indicates． A．informationconcerninggenesourcesisunavailabletocustomers B．itiscurrentlypossibletofindtheoriginsofsomeallergies C．scientiststrytohidepotentialdangersfromcustomers D．theUSgovernmentisresponsibleforGEfood69．AccordingtoParagraph5,GEfoodisunnecessarybecause．A．itwon'thelpsolvetheproblemofhungerintheworldB．therearepotentialdangersinproducingGEfoodC．we'renowproducingmorefoodthanbeforeD．customerswillbenefitfromGEfood70．Whatistheauthor'sattitudetowardsgeneticengineering? A．Welcoming． B．Disapproving． C．Unconcerned． D．Optimistic．第二节〔共5小题；每题2分，共10分〕根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填人空白处的最正确选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。SwappingHousesforVacationWhenbudgetingforavacation,usuallythemostexpensivepartofthetripistheaccommodations．Thetraditionalwaytotakeavacationistopacksomebags,lockupthehouse,andtraveltoanewplacetostayinahotel．However,hotelsareveryexpensive,andwithrentorhousingloan〔贷款〕dueeverymonth,it'sdifficultformostpeopletopayforyetanotherplacetostay．71Luckily,thereisasubstitutecalledhouseswapping,andit'ssavingtouristsagreatdealofcash．72Forexample,ifacouplefromNewYorkwanttospendaweekinParis,theywouldplaceanadofferingtotradetheirNewYorkapartmentforoneinParisforaweek．IfaParisiancouplethatwanttovacationinNewYorkreadtheadvertisement,housescanbeswapped,andbothcouplessavehundreds,ifnotthousands,ofdollarsbyavoidingbig-cityhotelfees．Ifallgoeswell,bothcouplescanpostpositivereviewsoftheother'shomeonlinesothatpotentialtravelerscanseethateverythingwasfine．73Thisbuildsacommunityofpeoplewhowanttohelpeachotherout． Thereareotheradvantagescohouseswappingaswell．74Stayingatsomeone'shomeputsyouinaneighborhoodthatcangiveyouabetterrepresentationofthelifeandcultureintheplaceyou'revisiting．75Thenexttimeyouwanttospendyourvacationinanewplace,butdon'twanttopayafortune,checkwhat'spostedonlineandfindahousetoswap．A．HouseswappingismostcommoninNewYorkandParis．B．Hotelsareoftenquitedifficulttobookwhenyouwanttoexploreanewhome．C．Alotoftimes,thisextracostpreventstravelersfromgoingveryfarfromhome．D．Toswaphouses,peoplechecktheInternetforothersplanningtotravelandtradehomes．E．Withmanyhouseswappingsitesgrowing,thisnewphenomenonisbecomingeasierthane