B
“The Lord of the Rings”, one of the best sellers in the new millennium(千年), was made up of three parts——“The Fellowship of the Ring”, “Two Towers”, and “The Return of the King”. Millions upon millions of people have read it in over 25 different languages, but fewer know about the author and the history of the composition of the creative masterwork.
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born in South Africa in 1892. His parents died when he was a child. Living in England with his aunt, Tolkien and his cousins made up play languages, a hobby that led to Tolkien’s becoming skilled in Welsh, Greek, Gothic, Old Norse and Anglo-Saxon.
After graduating from Oxford, Tolkien served in World War I. In 1917, while recovering from trench fever, he began composing the mythology for The Rings. As a professor of Anglo-Saxon in 1930s at Oxford, Tolkien was part of an informal discussion group called the Inklings, which included several writers. The group was soon listening to chapters of Tolkien’s imaginative work “The Hobbit”.
Hobbit was a name Tolkien created for a local people that could best be described as half-sized members of the English rural(乡村的)class. Hobbits live in hillside holes. One of them, Bilbo Baggins, looks for treasures with a group of dwarves(侏儒). On the way, he meets the twisted, pitiful creature Gollum, from whom he sees a golden ring that makes the holder invisible(看不见的).
One of Tolkien’s students persuaded her employer, publisher Allen & Unwin, to look at a draft(草稿). The chairman of the firm, Stanley Unwin, thought that the best judge for a children’s book would be his ten-year-old son. The boy earned a shilling for reporting back that the adventure was exciting, and “The Hobbit” was published in 1937.
It sold so well that Unwin asked for a continuation. Over a dozen years later, in 1954, Tolkien produced “The Lord of the Rings”, a series of books so creative that they hold readers—new and old —after their publication.
54. Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A. “The Lord of the Rings” didn’t sell well in the last millennium.
B. People know better about Tolkien himself than about his works.
C. Tolkien was quite familiar with Old English.
D. Tolkien knew very well about different kinds of local languages in Africa.
55. What can we learn about “Hobbit” that Tolkien created in his works?
A. Hobbit was a race living in English downtown areas.
B. Hobbit was a local people who were very tall and strong.
C. Hobbit was a social group of people who lived in old castles.
D. Hobbit was a group of people who were mostly dwarves.
56. Which of the following shows the right order of Mr J.R.R.Tolkien’s life experience?
a. He had his “The Hobbit” published. b. He became a member of the Inklings.
c. He served in World WarⅠ d. He became an undergraduate at Oxford.
e. “The Lord of the Rings” came to the world. f. He moved to England to live with his aunt.
A. f-d-b-c-a-e B. f-d-c-b-a-e C. f-c-d-b-e-a D. d-f-c-a-b-e
Early last Tuesday, six men carrying machine guns, a pistol and a hunting rifle got on a four—car electric “ milk train” at the Dutch town of Assen. Shortly after it left Beilen, ten miles away, the terrorists stopped the train and seized the passenger as hostages. As police and Dutch soldiers ringed the train, another group of terrorists stuck in Amsterdam, forcing their way into the Indonesian consulate and taking 41 more hostages, including 16 children. By week’s end the terrorists had murdered three people aboard the train, and four more had been wounded in the raid on the consulate.
The kidnapping, and the subsequent cold—blooded murders, virtually rocked the Netherlands. While the Cabinet met in emergency sessions, television and radio station paused normal programming in favor of solemn music and news bulletins.
The terrorists were Indonesians from the South Moluccan Islands in the Pacific Ocean, and they were demanding that the Dutch help them gain independence from the Jakarta regime.(雅加达政权)
The twin acts of violence were not the first signs of South Molucca anger. Just before a 1970 visit to the Netherlands by Indonesia’s President Suharto, they attacked the Indonesian embassy in the Hague, killing a Dutch policeman. Last week’s kidnappings are two days before the Dutch Appeals Court was to trial 16 South Moluccan’s who were implicated in a plot last April to kidnap Queen Juliana and other members of the Royal family. They planned to storm the palace at Soestdijk after attacking the gates with an armoured car(装甲车).
The Moluccan headache is a heritage(遗留问题) of the old days of empire. A chain of islands at the eastern of the Indonesian archipelago, the Moluccas were once known as the Spice Islands. When the Netherlands gave up its East Indies colonies in 1949, the Moluccans wanted to set up a South Moluccan Republic, some 12,000 islanders were allowed to settle to the Netherlands. Their number swollen by Dutch—born children now reached 35,000. the young Moluccans here are demanding that the Dutch help them gain independence from the Jakarta regime.Which of the following is not mentioned in the passage?
A.Dozens of people were seized by the terrorist as hostages. |
B.The Indonesian consulate was located in Amsterdam. |
C.The terrorists were Indonesians living in the Netherlands. |
D.The terrorists all surrendered(投降) to the police and soldiers. |
Why did television and radio stations pause normal programming?
A.The acts of violence shocked the whole country. |
B.The terrorists destroyed necessary equipment. |
C.the Cabinet needed to think quietly. |
D.Their men were too sad to produce good program. |
The last paragraph __________.
A.is mainly about the history of Indonesia |
B.tells us how Indonesia won its independence |
C.tell us how the Netherlands gave up its rule |
D.briefly accounts for the acts of violence |
Scotland is a well-developed tourist destination, with tourism generally being responsible for sustaining 200, 000 jobs mainly in the service sector, with tourist spending averaging at £4 bn per year. Tourists from the United Kingdom make up the bulk (主体) of visitors to Scotland. In 2002, for example, UK visitors made 18.5 million visits to Scotland, staying 64.5 million nights and spending £3.7 bn. In contrast, overseas residents made 1.58 million visits to Scotland, staying 15 million nights and spending £806 m. In terms of overseas visitors, those from the United States made up 24% of visits to Scotland, with the United States being the largest source of overseas visitors, and Germany (9%), France (8%), Canada (7%) and Australia (6%), following behind.
Scotland is generally seen as clean, unspoilt destination with beautiful scenery which has a long and complex history, combined with thousands of historic sites and attractions. These include prehistoric stone circles, standing stones and burial chambers, and various Bronze Age, Iron Age and Stone Age remains. There are also many historic castles, houses, and battlegrounds, ruins and museums. Many people are drawn by the culture of Scotland.
The cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow are increasingly being seen as a cosmopolitan(全世界的)alternative to Scotland’s countryside, with visitors year round, but the main tourist season is generally from April to October inclusive. In addition to these factors, the national tourist agency, VisitScotland, have deployed a strategy of niche (适当的) marketing, aimed at exploiting, amongst other things, Scotland’s strengths in golf, fishing and food and drink tourism. Another significant, and increasingly popular reason for tourism to Scotland — especially by those from North America— is genealogy, with many visitors coming to Scotland to explore their family and ancestral roots.People from ________ visited Scotland most.
A.the USA | B.France | C.the UK | D.Germany |
For Chinese students, the best time to visit Scotland is in ________.
A.the Spring Festival | B.the winter vocation |
C.the summer vacation | D.any time |
Scotland mainly impresses tourists with its ________.
A.food and drink |
B.beautiful scenery with cultural relics |
C.big cities like Edinburgh |
D.many North Americans’ family and ancestral roots |
In 2002, visitors from the US made about ________ visits to Scotland.
A.18.5 m | B.1.58 m | C.4.45 m | D.0.38 m |
Which of the following is true according to the text?
A.In history, many Scotlanders moved to North America. |
B.Overseas visitors do not like to stay in Scotland for the night. |
C.VisitScotland is trying to change people’s impression on Scotland. |
D.Overseas visitors come to Scotland mainly to explore their family roots. |
The English are often described as unfriendly people who don’t talk to strangers(陌生人)。 But not London taxi drivers. I once asked one cabby to describe his life to me and he didn’t stop talking until I arrived home half an hour later. He told me many interesting stories and this is one of them.“Some strange things happen late at night. The other day I was taking a woman home from a party. She had her little dog with her. When we got to her house, she found that she’d lost her key. So, I waited in the cab with her dog while she climbed in through the window.”
“I waited and waited. After half an hour of ringing the bell I decided to find out what was going on. I tied the dog to a tree and started to climb in through the window. The next thing I knew was that the police came. They thought I was to rob the house! Luckily, the woman came downstairs. She’d gone to sleep and forgotten about me and the dog. I was in such a hurry to get away that I forgot to ask her for the fare.” What does the writer think of the London taxi driver?
A.They are unfriendly. | B.They like to talk to strangers. | C.They talk too much. | D.They are not English. |
From the passage, we know_________.
A.the writer is the taxi driver’s friend | B.the writer often travels by taxi |
C.the writer is a foreigner visiting London | D.the writer lives in London |
What does “cabby” mean?
A.Taxi. | B.Stranger. | C.Taxi driver. | D.Londoner. |
Why did the taxi driver wait for the woman?
A. Because she had left her dog with him.
B. Because she had not paid him.
C. Because she wanted to go out again.
D. Both A and B. Why do you think the woman didn’t go out of the house again.
A.Because she didn’t want to pay the taxi driver. |
B.Because she was so tired that she had forgotten about the taxi driver. |
C.Because she wanted to keep the taxi driver waiting. |
D.Because she wanted to go to sleep first. |
When you walk along a street in a big city in the United States, you may see clocks in most stores. Radio announcers give the correct time during the day. People there think that it is important to know the time. Most Americans have watches. They want to do certain things at certain times. They do not want to be late. Not all people all over the world value time. Suppose you visit a certain country in South America. You would find that people living there do not like to rush. If you had an appointment(约会)with someone, he would probably be late. He would not care for arriving on time. In some countries in South America, even the radio programs may not begin right on time, nor do the radio announcers think it important to announce the right time. Many people regard a clock as a machine. It seems to them that a person who does everything on time is controlled(控制)by a machine. They do not want a clock or any machine to have that much power over their lives.There are clocks in most stores in the US cities because ______.
A.people in the stores want to sell these clocks |
B.bosses want to make their stores beautiful |
C.people think it important to know the time |
D.they needn't wear watches when they are away from home |
The underlined word “rush” in the passage most probably means ______.
A.“run” | B.“race” |
C.“hurry” | D.“move” |
If you had an appointment with someone in some place in South America, he might not arrive on time, and this is because ______.
A.he didn't have a watch with him |
B.he forgot to have a look at a watch or a clock |
C.he didn't think it important to arrive on time |
D.he didn't like an appointment with someone |
In some countries in South America ______.
A.the radio announcers do think it important to announce the exact time |
B.the radio programs many start a bit early or late |
C.many people think a clock has much power |
D.most people do not want to be controlled by others |
From the passage we can see ______.
A. most Americans like to have an appointment with others
B. radio announcers all over the world give the correct time
C. people in some countries in the South America are very poor
“Mum, what does it mean when someone tells you that they have a skeleton(骨骼)in the closet(衣橱)?” Jessica asked. “A skeleton in the closet?” her mother paused thoughtfully. “Well, it’s something that you would rather not have anyone else know about. For example, if in the past, someone in Dad’s family had been arrested for stealing a horse, it would be ‘a skeleton in his family’s closet’. He really wouldn’t want any neighbor to know about it.”
“Why pick on my family?” Jessica’s father said with anger. “Your family history isn’t so good, you know. Wasn’t your great-great-grandfather a prisoner who was transported to Australia for his crimes?” “Yes, but people these days say that you are not a real Australian unless your ancestors arrived as prisoners.” “Gosh, sorry I asked. I think I understand now,” Jessica cut in before things grew worse.
After dinner, the house was very quiet. Jessica’s parents were still quite angry with each other. Her mother was ironing clothes and every now and then she glared at her husband, who hid behind his newspaper pretending to read. When she finished, she gathered the freshly pressed clothes in her arms and walked to Jessica’s closet. Just as she opened the door and reached in to hang a skirt, a bony arm stuck out from the dark depths and a bundle of white bones fell to the floor. Jessica’s mother sank in a faint(晕倒), waking only when Jessica put a cold, wet cloth on her forehead. She looked up to see the worried faces of her husband and daughter.
“What happened? Where am I?” she asked. “You just destroyed the school’s skeleton, Mum,” explained Jessica. “I brought it home to help me with my health project. I meant to tell you, but it seemed that as soon as I mentioned skeletons and closets, it caused a problem between you and Dad.” Jessica looked in amazement as her parents began to laugh madly. “They’re both crazy,” she thought.According to Jessica’s mother, “a skeleton in the close” means ______.
A.a family honor | B.a family story | C.a family secret | D.a family treasure |
What can we learn about some Australians’ ancestors form Paragraph 2?
A.They were brought to Australia as prisoners. |
B.They were the earliest people living in Australia. |
C.They were involved in some crimes in Australia. |
D.They were not regarded as criminals in their days. |
Jessica’s mother fell down into a faint because she was ______.
A.frightened | B.knocked | C.injured | D.surprised |
Why did Jessica bring a skeleton home?
A.She planned to keep it for fun. |
B.She needed it for her school task. |
C.She was curious about it. |
D.She intended to scare her parents. |
Jessica’s parents laughed madly at the end of the story probably because ______.
A.they were crazy |
B.they were over excited |
C.they realized their misunderstanding |
D.they both thought they had won the quarrel |