DearMr.Barton,Iamwritingforthe-优题课

As we all know, it was Thomas Jefferson who wrote the Declaration of Independence (《独立宣言》). He wrote it in two weeks, and after a few changes, it was accepted by the Congress (国会). As a result, he became famous.
Born in Virginia, Thomas Jefferson, a brilliant student at school and almost talented lawyer later, was much interested in politics.
Jefferson was elected the Governor of Virginia in 1779, and he was sent to France as the representative of the American government in 1784. Sixteen years later, at the age of 57, he was elected president after Washington and Adams.
Far from a handsome man, he was tall with long arms and big hands. Jefferson, who was an amusing talker in conversation but a poor speaker, was generally good-natured.
Jefferson was regarded as a defender of freedom in America. As a president, he protected the right of free speech. Interestingly enough, in his eight years as president, Jefferson never vetoed (否决) a bill which the Congress had passed. He did a lot in organizing the new University of Virginia.
Thomas Jefferson died on July the fourth, 1826, the fiftieth anniversary of American Independence.
5. From the passage we can infer that America won its independence in _______.
A. 1786 B. 1800 C. 1842 D. 1776
6. How old was Thomas Jefferson when he became the Governor of Virgina?
A. He was 26. B. He was in his forties.
C. He was 36. D. We don’t know.
7. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. Jefferson wan an amusing talker, but not good at speaking in public.
B. Jefferson was not an easy person to get along with.
C. Jefferson was not only very talented but also very handsome.
D. Not being politically minded, Jefferson never vetoed a bill passed by the Congress.
4. Jefferson died when he was ________.
A. 72B. 83 C. 73 D. 92
8. Jefferson’s greatest contribution in American history should be that ________.
A. he did a lot in organizing the new University of Virginia.
B. he was strongly against the slavery
C. he wrote the Declaration of Independence
D. he was for the right of free speech

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It was a very foggy day in London. The fog was so thick that it was impossible to see more than a foot or so. Buses, cars and taxis were not able to run and were standing by the side of the road. People were trying to find their way about on foot but were losing their way in the fog. Mr. Smith had a very important meeting at the House of Commons and had to get there but no one could take him. He tried to walk there but found he was quite lost. Suddenly he bumped into a stranger. The stranger asked if he could help him. Mr. Smith said he wanted to get to the Houses of Parliament. The stranger told him he would take him there. Mr. Smith thanked him and they started to walk there. The fog was getting thicker every minute but the stranger had no difficulty in finding the way. He went along one street, turned down another, crossed a square and at last after about half an hour’s walk they arrived at the Houses of Parliament. Mr. Smith couldn’t understand how the stranger found his way. “It is wonderful,” he said. “How do you find the way in the fog?”
“It is no trouble at all to me,” said the stranger, “I am blind.”
1. According to the passage, we can infer that bump into means _______.
A. knock off B. meet by chance
C. strike D. traffic accident
2. Which of the following statements are NOT true?
A. The stranger has a better sight than Mr. Smith.
B. Heavy fog can cause traffic accidents.
C. It’s easy to get lost in a foggy day.
D. The fog was getting thicker and thicker.
3. Why is it no trouble at all to the stranger to find the way in the fog?
A. Because he is a local inhabitant of London.
B. Because he lives next to the Houses of Parliament.
C. Because he is familiar with the route.
D. Because he finds the way not by sight but by heart.
4. This article mainly tells us that ________.
A. London is a foggy city.
B. Mr. Smith works for the government.
C. A blind stranger led the way for Mr. Smith in a foggy day.
D. Mr. Smith had a very important meeting and lost his way in the fog.

Daniel Defoe (about 1660～1731) was an important novelist in the English literature(文学). When he was young, he served as a soldier and had been to Spain, Italy, France and Germany. At the same time, he went in for politics. He cared much about the development of capitalism(资本主义). He had written a lot of articles against it and he was put into prison twice for that. It was not until that he was nearly sixty that he began to write the famous novel “Robinson Crusoe”, which was published in May, 1709. It spread so rapidly that the story was known to every hosehold very soon.
“Robinson Crusoe” can be divided into three parts. The first part is about Crusoe’s three voyages, the second part about his hunting, hiding in caves farming and his hard struggles against nature on a small island, the third about the things which happened after his return from the island. The second part is the body of the novel, in which Robinson’s characters are clearly shown.
Defoe wrote his novel in a simple style and his language is easy to understand. His novel writing set a milestone of the modern English novel. In his later part of life, He was in poor health and lived very poorly. He died on April 24, 1731.
6. Deniel Defoe was ______ and the writer of ______.
A.an Englishman, “A Tale of Two Cities” B.an American, “A Million Pound Note”
C.a French, “The Lost Necklace” D.an English, “Robinson Crusoe”
7. How old was he when he began to write his famous novel Robinson Crusoe?
A.He was in his sixties. B.He was in his fifties.
C.He was over 60. D.He was sixty.
8. Robinson Crusoe can be divided into ______ parts and the first is about _______.
A.two, his lonely life B.three, his characters
C.three, his journeys by sea D.four, his fame
9. “Every household” in this passage means ______.
A.all members of a family B.all people
C.every building D.persons living in the same house
10. What was Defoe’s contribution to the English literature?
A.He wrote a very interesting story.
B.He made people happy while reading his story.
C.He set a milestone of the modern English novel.
D.He was active in politics and was against capitalism.

Mark Twain tells a boy’s story in The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn. Huck is a poor child, without a mother or home. His father drinks too much alcohol and always beats him.
Huck’s situation has freed him from the restriction of society. He explores in the woods and goes fishing. He stays out all night and does not go to school. He smokes.
Huck runs away from home. He meets Jim, a black man who has escaped from slavery(奴隶制). They travel together on a raft(木筏) made of wood down the Mississippi River.
Mark twain started writing “Huckleberry Finn” as a children’s story. But it soon became serious. The story tells about the social evil of slavery, seen through the eyes of an innocent child. Huck’s ideas about people were formed by the white society in which he lived. So, at first, he does not question slavery.Huck knows that important people believe slavery is natural, the law of God. So, he thinks it is his duty to tell Jim’s owners where to find him.
Later, Huck comes to understand that Jim is a good man. He finds he cannot carry out his plan to inform Jim’s owners of his whereabouts(下落). Instead, he decides to help Jim escape. He decides to do this, even if God punished him.
1. What is the passage mainly about?
A. The outline (概要) of The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn.
B. The childhood of Huckleberry.
C. The reason why Mark Twain wrote the story.
D. The effect of slavery.
The underlined word “restriction” probably means _________.
A. something that you are expected to do.
B. something that you are not allowed to do.
C. something that you are able to do.
D. something that you look forward to.
3. The underlined expression “he does not question slavery” means that ________.
A. he is sure about everything of slavery.
B. he has no question to ask the owner of the slaves.
C. he thinks that slavery is reasonable.
D. he believes that slavery is wrong.
4. What can he inferred from the text?
A. Huck is a white boy.
B. Huck’s childhood is a reflection(反映) of that of Mark Twain’s.
C. It ’s Huck’s situation that makes him decide to travel with Jim.
D. Huck will be punished by God for what he does.
5. Why does Huck change his mind at last?
A. He has made friends with Jim.
B. He finds out the weakness of slavery.
C. God tells him to do so.
D. He finds that Jim is a good man

The US navy boarded an apparent pirate (海盗) ship in the Indian Ocean and kept 26 men for questioning, the navy said Sunday.
The 16 Indians and 10 Somali men were aboard a traditional dhow (单桅三角帆船) that was chased and seized Saturday by the US guided missile destroyer (驱逐舰) USS Winston Churchill, said Lieut I.eslie Hull-Ryde of US Naval Forces Central Command in Bahrain.
The dhow stopped fleeing after the Churchill twice fired warning shots during the chase, which continued no more than 87 kilometers off the coast of Somalia, the navy said. US sailors boarded the dhow and seized a cache (暗窖) of small arms.
The dhow's crew and passengers were being questioned Sunday aboard tim Churchill to determine which were pirates and which were lawful crew members, Hull-Ryde said.
Sailors aboard the dhow told navy investigators that pirates hijacked (抢劫) the ship six days ago near Mogadishu and afterwards used it to stage pirate attacks on merchant ships.
The Churchill is part of a muhinational task force patrolling (巡逻) the western Indian Ocean and Horn of Africa region to thwart (阻止) terrorist activity and other lawlessness during the US-led war in Iraq.
The Navy said it captured the dhow in response to a report from the International Maritime (海事的) Bureau in Kuala Lumpur on Friday that said pirates had fired on the MV Delta Ranger, a Bahamian-flagged bulk carrier (货轮) that was passing some 320 kilometres off the central eastern coast of Somalia.
Hull-Ryde said the navy was still investigating the incident and would discuss with international authorities what to do with the men kept aboard the Churchill.
72. Which of the following statements about the dhow's crew is right?
A. Among them were both lawful and lawless members.
B. Their ship was stopped by the police in the African region.
C. They are all from India.
D. They are pirates attacking merchant ships.
73. "Churchill" in the text is _______.
A. a late UK prime minister B. an official of the US navy
C. a military ship D. the title of a military action
74. Which of the following correctly describes how the dhow was captured?
a.Warning shots were fired b. Merchant ships were attacked by pirates.
c. The dhow was hijacked, d. US sailors boarded the dhow.
A. d-a-b-c B. c-b-a-d C. b-a-d-c D. a-b-d-c
75. How did the US navy find the dhow?
A. They found the dhow by accident when patrolling the sea.
B. They found the dhow after receiving reports from some merchants.
C. They found the dhow after being informed about it.
D. They found the dhow after receiving messages from the sailors on the dhow