No matter how long your life, you will, at best, be able to read only a few books of all that have been written, and the few you do read should include the best. You can rejoice in the fact that the number of such is relatively small.
________________ Yet there is a surprising uniformity in the lists which represent the best choices of any period. In every age, the list makers include both ancient and modern books in their selections, and they always wonder whether the moderns are up to the great books of the past.
What are the signs by which we may recognize a great book? The four I will mention may not be all they are, but they are the ones I’ve found most useful in explaining my choices over the years.
Great books are probably the most widely read. They are not best sellers for a year or two. They are enduring best sellers. GONE WITH THE WIND has had relatively few readers compared to the plays of Shakespeare or DON QUIXOTE. It would be reasonable to estimate that Homer’s Iliad（伊丽亚特）has been read by at least 25,000,000 people in the last 3000 years.
Great books are popular, not pedantic. They are not written by specialists about specialties for specialists. Whether they are philosophy or science, or history or poetry, they treat of human, not academic problems. They are written for men, not professors. To read a textbook for advanced students, you have to read an elementary textbook first. But the great books can be considered elementary in the sense that they treat the elements of any subject matter. They are not related to one another as a series of textbooks, graded in difficulty or in the technicality of the problems with which they deal.
Great books are always contemporary, the most readable and instructive.
Great books deal with the persistently unsolved problems of human life. There are genuine mysteries in the world that mark the limits of human knowing and thinking. Inquiry not only begins with wonder, but usually ends with it also. Great minds acknowledge mysteries honestly. Wisdom is fortified, not destroyed, by understanding its limitations.
54.Which of the following can be put in the blank in the second paragraph?
A.Great books deal with the persistently unsolved problems of human life.
B.It is to be expected that the selections will change with the times.
C.The listing of the best books is as old as reading and writing.
D.The fundamental human problems remain the same in all ages.
55.According to the author, Gone With The Wind is ________.
A.a best seller B.disgusted by readers who like Shakespeare
C.read more often than Don Quixote
D.a great book
56.In the passage “pedantic” means ________.
A.showing the feelings, esp, those of kindness, which people are supposed to have
B.serving as practical examples
C.being elementary
D.paying too much attention to details in books
57.The best title for this passage is ________.
A.Great Books in Your Life B.Great Books in Your Speciality
C.How to Find a Great Book? D.What Is a Great Book?
Going to the beach is many American’s favorite activity. They went swimming in the ocean without giving a thought to what was underwater. But those days are long gone. In the summer of 1988, many of the beaches had to be closed because garbage（废料）from hospitals was found in the water. The garbage included glass bottles with samples of blood, and people were afraid they might get AIDS from the blood. At some beaches, sewage（下水道）was found in the water. Americans were shocked by this state of affairs. People didn’t think of the underwater garbage because it was out of sight.
Some of the most polluted waters still look beautiful. San Francisco Bay is a good example of a beautiful bay that’s full of chemicals. Scientists discovered pollution in some lakes and rivers when they found fish with rotting skin. People are told not to eat too much fish because of pollution. Most American cities put their garbage in the ground. But New York and a few other cities put their garbage in the ocean. Boston Harbor is so polluted that scientists say it won’t recover until the next century. The government has ordered the city to build a sewage treatment plant, Cleaning up oceans won’t be easy, but people can no longer ignore（忽视）this challenge.The main idea of the article is that _____.
| A．ocean waters around America have become polluted. |
| B．Americans are bringing too much garbage to the beach. |
| C．beaches were closed because Americans were shocked. |
| D．going to the beach is many American’s favorite activity. |
The oceans are polluted by _____.
| A．swimmers, AIDS patients and fish. |
| B．Boston, San Francisco and New York only. |
| C．garbage, sewage and medical waste and so on. |
| D．swimmers and fishes |
Many polluted waters are beautiful because _____.
| A．chemicals can be beautiful. |
| B．they have been cleaned up. |
| C．pollution is underwater or hard to see. |
| D．there are still many fish in them |
More people can go to the beaches near Boston if _____.
| A．the city puts its garbage in the ground |
| B．a sewage plant is built |
| C．they don’t eat too much fish |
| D．they stop polluting the water |
A man once said how useless it was to put advertisements in the newspapers, “Last week,” said he, “my umbrella was stolen from a London church. As it was a present, I spent twice its worth in advertising, but didn't get it back.”
“How did you write your advertisement?” asked one of the listeners, a merchant.
“Here it is,” said the man, taking out of his pocket a slip cut from a newspaper. The man took it and read, “Lost from the City Church last Sunday evening, a black silk umbrella. The gentleman who finds it will receive ten shillings on leaving it at No. 10 Broad Street.”
“Now,” said the merchant, “I often advertise, and find that it pays me well. But the way in which an advertisement is expressed is often very importance. Let us try for your umbrella again. and if it fails, I'll buy you a new one.”
The merchant then took a slip of paper out of his pocket and wrote: “If the man who was seen to take an umbrella from the City Church last Sunday evening doesn't wish to get into trouble, he will return the umbrella to No. 10 Broad Street. He is well known.”
This appeared in the paper, and on the following morning, the man was astonished when he opened the front door. In the doorway lay at least twelve umbrellas of all sizes and colors that had been thrown in, and his own was among the number. Many of them had notes fastened to them saying that they had been taken by mistake and begging the loser not to say anything about the matter.The result of the first advertisement was that ______.
| A．the man got his umbrella back |
B．the man wasted some money advertising |
| C．nobody found the missing umbrella | |
| D．the umbrella was found somewhere near the Church |
“If it fails, I’ll buy you a new one .” suggested that____.
| A．he was quite sure of success |
| B．he was not sure whether he would get the umbrella hack |
| C．he was rich enough to afford a new umbrella |
| D．he did not know what to do |
This is a story about _____.
| A．a useless advertisement |
| B．how to make an effective(有效) advertisement |
| C．how the man lost and found his umbrella |
| D．what the merchant did for the umbrella owner |
A car needs gas to run and your body also needs food to work for you. Eating the right kind of food is very important. It can help your body grow strong to take care of what you eat.
There are four main food groups altogether. The dairy group has food like milk, cheese and sour milk（酸奶）. The other three groups are the meat and fish group, the fruit and vegetable group, and the bread and rice group. Each meal should have at least one food from all four main groups. With all these food together, you will be given enough energy during the day.
It is easy to get into bad eating habits. You may eat your breakfast in a hurry to get to school on time. Or you may not have time for a good lunch. It may seem easy to finish your supper with fish and chips all the time. But you will find yourself tired in these days and you can not think quickly.
Watching what you eat will help keep your body healthy and strong. It is also good to take some exercise. It will help you eat more if you take a walk or play games in the open air. Having a good eating habit with some exercise is the key to your health.Which of the following is a good eating habit?
| A．Going to school without any breakfast |
| B．Eating fish and chips for supper all the time.. |
| C．Having at least one food from all four groups each meal. |
| D．Having different food from all four food groups. |
In this passage the writer mainly tells us that _____.
| A．every person needs food to grow well |
| B．taking exercise can keep your body strong |
| C．the right kind of food with exercise will keep you healthy |
| D．enough energy helps people think more quickly |
The underlined word “dairy” in the second passage means _____.
| A．the food made out of cows such as milk and butter |
| B．she shop that sells milk and butter |
| C．a farm where cows are kept |
| D．a place where milk products are made. |
The best title for this passage is _____.
| A．The Four Food Groups | B．A Healthy Diet |
| C．Your Body And Food | D．Food And Your Health |
After Christmas, I took a job in the clothes department at Graham’s for the first fortnight of the January sale. I can’t say that I enjoyed it, but it was an experience I’ll never forget.
I could never understand why there were so many things in the sales. Now I know the secret! Firstly, there is the special winter stock and the stock that people buy all the year round. Some of these things are slightly reduced. Secondly, there are the summer clothes they couldn’t sell last year; these are heavily reduced to clear them. Thirdly, there are cheap clothes bought in especially for the sales; these are put out at high prices ten days before the sale begins and then are reduced by 60% in the sale. Lastly, they buy in “seconds” for the sale and they are sold very cheaply.
When I arrived half an hour before opening on the first day of the sale, there was already a queue around three sides of the building.
When the big moment arrived to open the doors, the security guards, looking less confident than usual, came up to them, keys in hand. The moment they had unlocked the doors, they hid behind the doors for protection as the noisy crowd charged in. I couldn’t believe my eyes; this wasn’t shopping. It was a battlefield! One poor lady couldn’t keep her feet and was knocked over by people pushing from behind.
Clothes were flying in all directions as people searched for the sizes, colors and styles they wanted. Quarrels broke out. Mothers were using their small children to crawl through people’s legs and get hold of things they couldn’t get near themselves.
Within minutes I had half a dozen people pushing clothes under my nose, each wanting to be the first served. Where had the famous English queue gone? The whole day continued like that, but I kept my temper! I was taking money hand over fist and began to realize why, twice a year, Graham’s were happy to turn their expensive store into a battlefield like this.
In the sale fever, people were spending money like water without thinking if they needed what they were buying. As long as it was a bargain, it was OK.
You won’t believe this, but as soon as I got home, I crashed out for four hours. Then I had dinner and went back to bed, fearing the sound of the alarm which would tell me to get ready for the second day of the sale.What kind of clothes is likely to be sold only a little cheaper according to the passage?
| A．Last summer’s clothes. | B．Clothes not in perfect condition. |
| C．Clothes bought in specially for the sales. | D．Clothes for winter. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The customers gave up the queuing as soon as the sale began. |
| B．The customers kept their temper while looking for clothes they wanted. |
| C．Small children were not helpful to their mothers in the sale. |
| D．The security guards of the clothes department were as confident as usual. |
Before you leave for the airport
Ensure that you have your passports (and any necessary visas), tickets and money in your hand luggage.
If packing medicines, ensure that they are in their original packaging as this will avoid delays or prevent them from being taken away at customs.
Do not wrap presents as they may have to be unwrapped by security staff or customs.
The Department of Health has devoted a section of their site to health advice for traveling abroad.
Getting to the airport
Always allow plenty of time to reach the airport. You should arrive there 2 hours before the take-off for international flights and one hour before the take-off for domestic flights.
If you are driving to the airport, ensure that you have booked airport parking in advance.
If you are being driven by a friend who wants to see you off, ensure that he / she knows where the short stay parking is located.
If taking a taxi, ensure that the firm you intend to use has taxis available at the time you wish to travel.
At the airport
Be aware that increased security has considerably lengthened the time it takes to go through check in and security.
Make sure you keep your baggage with you at all times and alert any member of airport staff to any unattended package.
Never look after baggage belonging to other people or carry anything onto the aircraft for someone else.
Keep a close eye on the display boards announcing which gate flights depart from.
In the air
If on a long flight, move your feet around, or get up and walk around regularly if you can.
Avoid dehydration (脱水) by drinking plenty of water or other non-alcoholic drinks.
Don’t eat too heavily before or during a long flight as this will help to avoid indigestion and hypertension (高血压).
To reduce jet lag (时差反应), have some extra sleep before the trip, get some sleep during the flight and try to make mealtimes the same as the time of meals at your destination. Before leaving for the airport, you should NOT ______.
| A．make sure that you have all the necessary things with you |
| B．ensure that any packed medicines are in their original packing |
| C．wrap presents up tightly for the safety |
| D．know some advice for traveling abroad from the website |
You should ensure that you have booked the airport parking in advance if _______.
| A．you are going on an international flights | B．you drive to the airport yourself |
| C．a friend drives you to the airport | D．you take a taxi to the airport |
When waiting for your flight at the airport, you should pay the most attention to _______.
| A．the display boards showing which gate the flight departs from | |
| B．baggage belonging to other people | |
| C．unattended package | D．the time it takes to go through check in and security |
During the flight you should follow the following advice EXCEPT _______.
| A．always to sit on a long flight | B．to drink enough water to avoid dehydration |
| C．not to eat too much so as to avoid indigestion and hypertension | |
| D．to make mealtimes the same as the time of meals at your destination |