Asweapproachthe21stcentury，iti-优题课

A towering South American plant that is believed to kill animals with its spikes(尖刺) and use their rotting bodies as fertilizer is about to bloom(开花) in England. A rare Puya chilensis was planted at a greenhouse in Surrey, a county in the southeast of England about 15 years ago. However, despite its frightening description, the tall, spiked plant is considered a threatened species.
The Royal Horticultural Society has been feeding the plant a diet of liquid fertilizer. “In its natural habitat in the Andes it uses its razor sharp spikes to snare and trap sheep and other animals, which slowly starve to death and rot at the base of the plant, providing it with a bag of fertilizer,” reads a description on the RHS website, which adds that the plant gives off a “gruesome scent.”
But does the plant actually trap and eat sheep? Other sources have simply said it is “believed” that the plant traps small animals with its spikes. After the animals die of starvation, the plant is "believed" to then use their rotting bodies as fertilizer to feed itself.
"I'm really pleased that we've finally persuaded our Puya chilensis into producing flower," horticulturalist Cara Smith said in a press release on the RHS site. Regardless of whether it actually traps sheep, the plant does have sharp spikes that can grow up to 12 feet high and 5 feet wide. However, it’s not all death and danger for this plant. Its flowery blooms reportedly provide nectar(花蜜) for bees and birds.
The Puya chilensis blooms annually in its native land of Chile, but this is the first time it has done so after more than a decade of cultivation efforts from the RHS. "We keep it well fed with liquid fertilizer as feeding it on its natural diet might prove a bit problematic,” Smith said. "It's growing in the dry section of our glasshouse with its deadly spines well out of reach of both children and sheep alike."
From the passage we learn that in England the Puya chilensis _____.

A．feeds on man-made liquid fertilizer

B．often kills sheep and other animals

C．has once bloomed 15 years before

D．uses animals' rotting bodies as fertilizer

The underlined word “snare” in the second paragraph probably means“_________”.

A．catch

B．stop

C．fight

D．kill

We can infer from the passage that _____.

A．it's dangerous to feed the plant

B．it's certain that the plant kills sheep

C．it's difficult for the plant to bloom in England

D．it's rare for the plant to bloom in South American

What does the writer mainly tell us?

A．A new plant is discovered in Chile.

B．How a rare plant is fed in England.

C．A rare plant is going to bloom in England.

D．How a plant traps animals in South America.

When Marilynne Robinson published her first novel, Housekeeping, in 1980, she was unknown in the literary world. But an early review in The New York Times ensured that the book would be noticed. “It’s as if, in writing it, she broke through the ordinary human condition with all its dissatisfactions, and achieved a kind of transfiguration（美化）,” wrote Anatole Broyard, with an enthusiasm and amazement that was shared by many critics and readers. The book became a classic, and Robinson was recognized as one of the outstanding American writers of our time. Yet it would be more than twenty years before she wrote another novel.
During the period, Robinson devoted herself to writing nonfiction. Her essays and book reviews appeared in Harper’s and The New York Times Book Review, and in 1989 she published Mother Country: Britain, the Welfare State, and Nuclear Pollution, criticizing severely the environmental and public health dangers caused by the Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant in England—and the political and moral corruption(腐败). In 1998, Robinson published a collection of her critical and theological writings, The Death of Adam: Essays on Modern Thought, which featured reassessments of such figures as Charles Darwin, John Calvin, and Friedrich Nietzsche. Aside from a single short story—“Connie Bronson,” published in The Paris Review in 1986—it wasn’t until 2004 that she returned to fiction with the novel Gilead, which won the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Pulitzer Prize. Her third novel, Home, came out this fall.
Her novels could be described as celebrations of the human—the characters in them are unforgettable creations. Housekeeping is the story of Ruth and her sister Lucille, who are cared for by their eccentric（古怪的）Aunt Sylvie after their mother commits suicide. Robinson writes a lot about how each of the three is changed by their new life together. Gilead is an even more close exploration of personality: the book centres on John Ames, a seventy-seven-year-old pastor(牧师) who is writing an account of his life and his family history to leave to his young son after he dies. Home borrows characters from Gilead but centers on Ames’s friend Reverend Robert Boughton and his troubled son Jack. Robinson returned to the same territory as Gilead because, she said, “after I write a novel or a story, I miss the characters—I feel like losing some close friends.”
Robinson’s second novel came out ____.

A．in 1980

B．in 1986

C．in 1998

D．in 2004

What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?

A．Robinson’s achievements in fiction.

B．Robinson’s achievements in nonfiction.

C．Robinson’s influence on the literary world.

D．Robinson’s contributions to the environment.

According to Paragraph 3, who is John Ames?

A．He is Robinson’s close friend.

B．He is a character in Gilead.

C．He is a figure in The Death of Adam.

D．He is a historian writing family stories.

From which section of a newspaper can you read this passage?

A．Career.

B．Lifestyle.　

C．Music.

D．Culture.

Fannie Cratty wasn’t really my aunt. I only referred to her as “My Aunt Fannie” because the name always made my father laugh and gave my mother cause to look angrily at both of us---at me for being disrespectful of my elder and at my father for encouraging my bad behavior.
As a young woman, my mother had worked in the kitchen of a large Victorian farmhouse owned by Fannie Cratty. During those years my mother helped Aunt Fannie make the best blueberry jam ever tasted by anyone in Glenfield. Aunt Fannie was well known for her jam and for never sharing the recipe with another living soul. Even though my mother knew the recipe by heart, as long as Aunt Fannie was alive (and she lived to be ninety-six!), she never made the jam without Ms. Cratty in our kitchen to direct the process and preserve the secret.
Each August, when blueberry season would roll around, my mother would prepare me for Aunt Fannie’s visit. It was vital that I should be on my best behavior. After all, the woman was old, wealthy, very strict with children. Whenever she was at the house, I didn’t need to be reminded to guard my thoughts and watch my tongue.
One year, after I had been particularly helpful with the jam process, Aunt Fannie gave me a quarter(25分硬币) and then made me promise that I would never spend it. “Hold onto this quarter,” she said, “and someday you will be rich. I still have my very first quarter, given to me by my grandfather.” It had obviously worked for her. So, I kept the 1938-quarter into a small box, put it in my dresser drawer, and waited to become rich.
I now have the blueberry jam recipe and the quarter from Aunt Fannie. In people’s eye Aunt Fannie’s success was due to that secret recipe. But to me, it was just a common recipe. Neither has significantly contributed to my wealth, but I keep them as reminders to hold onto the valuable things in life. Money can make you feel rich for a while, but it is the relationships and the memories of time spent with friends and family that truly leave you wealthy. And that is a fortune that anyone can build.
Paragraph 2 implies that my mother.

A．used to forget the secret blueberry jam recipe

B．wanted to show off her excellent cooking skills

C．was unable to make the jam without Aunt Fannie’s direction

D．tried to convince Aunt Fannie that she would keep the secret

According to Paragraph 4, the author believed that Aunt Fanni was rich because.

A．she had kept her first quarter

B．she had never wasted money

C．she had worked very hard

D．she had kept her promise

The author thinks that we can feel wealthy if we.

A．share our wealth with others

B．have good fortune and money

C．know the secret of a jam recipe

D．own lasting love and friendship

Which would be the best title for this passage？

A．An old quarter	B．Valuable Things
C．Blueberry Jam Recipe	D．Memories of old time

There are various aspects that go into making a successful school, and success can be measured in various ways. Often, the teachers are praised for a school’s success and blamed for its failure. Yet, in order for a school to be effective, it must be a place where teaching and learning can easily take place, and that requires the hard work of more than just educators. Students must take learning into their own hands and feel as if what they are doing is as important as it actually is. This can only be done with the cooperation of every adult that is involved in the students’ life. Some of these individuals often go unnoticed, yet the role they play in the students’ lives is immeasurable.
In the school, administrative assistants greet students at the start of the day and answer a large quantity of questions. When an assistant remembers a student’s name or even something special about that student, it communicates to him that he is cared for. The assistant can also give that extra encouragement for a student to make better choices, especially when they are visiting the principal’s office.
Meanwhile, though cafeteria workers have a short space of time to interact with students, they can make a big difference as well. Beyond meeting nutritional needs, cafeteria workers may also on occasion meet the emotional needs of the students they serve. Students benefit from positive interaction with adults, and cafeteria workers may give that extra bit of encouragement that a child needs.
Custodians (管理员) are usually underappreciated for what they offer to schools. They have to be knowledgeable about everything from cleaning to fixing the most intricate (复杂的) tools. They get to school early in the morning before teachers arrive and lock up late at night after the last student has left from the after-school event. They also make sure teachers are equipped with the necessary items and prepare the rooms so that they are ready for learning. A great custodian also gives that kind word or extra smile to that student who needs it most.
The purpose of the passage is to _______.

A．emphasize the role teachers play in a school

B．highlight the contributions of other staff at school besides teachers.

C．tell us who make the greatest contributions to a school

D．explain what contributes to the success of a student

If an assistant remembers a student’s name, the student will feel that _________.

A．he is paid particular attention to	B．he is special
C．he has done something wrong	D．he has made progress in study

Which of the following is TRUE about cafeteria workers?

A．It’s enough for them to cook for the students.

B．It’s hard for them to interact with the students.

C．They have the most interaction with students at school.

D．They can also meet the emotional needs of the students.

How does the author feel about the staff mentioned in the text?

A．Disappointed.

B．Dissatisfied.

C．Appreciative.

D．Doubtful.

The Happiest Cities On Earth
If you’re looking for a cheery destination for your next vacation, consider these four spots and get ready to take notes on how to really live the good life.
Singapore
With one of the highest population densities（密度）in the world and residents known for being workaholics, it’s hard to imagine the city-state of Singapore having one of the happiest populations on earth. And yet in a recent survey, 95% of them said they were either very happy or quite happy.
They give their city high marks for cleanliness and safety—subways are pristine (洁净的) and unfailingly arrive on time, and police are seen as helpful and good at their jobs. What’s more, they feel they can count on their neighbours—all 5.1 million of them.
Arhus, Denmark
The residents of Arhus cheerfully part with 68% of their income in taxes, knowing that in return they will be guaranteed free healthcare, free daycare, and a top-notch (第一流的) education for their children.
An energetic city of 300,000 with a lively cultural scene and a diverse number of religions represented, the sense of equality (the range in incomes is narrow), as well as easy access to the nearby sea and surrounding countryside, make Arhus seem more like a small town.
San Luis Obispo, CA
According to a 2008 Gallup-Healthways study, people who live in San Luis Obispo are more likely than residents of other U.S. cities to smile and experience joy and are less likely to experience pain or depression. About 64,000 of the 260,000 people in the greater metropolitan area (都市区), located halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, volunteer at over 11,000 non-profit organizations.
Few journeys to work are longer than 10 minutes (one reason its members rank in the upper third for job satisfaction), so “it’s easy to be involved,” resident Pierre Rademaker said. Business signs are unobtrusive (不显眼的) by law, fewer than 11% of residents smoke—the lower rate in the U.S.—there are lots of bike lanes, and the city’s plaza draws crowds of people for free concerts on summer Fridays. What’s not to love?
Monterrey, Mexico
The people of Monterrey don’t enjoy high household incomes or access to good healthcare. Instead, there’s a profound sense of gratitude for the new political freedom enjoyed since the oppressive Institutional Revolutionary Party lost power in 2000—the first time in nearly a century—as well as an emphasis on social life over work.
Another reason Monterrey residents may be so happy is their faith in God and family, and their ability to tough it out through bad times.
“We laugh at sickness, poverty and even death,” says Basanez, a political scientist who lives in Monterrey. “We even have a holiday to celebrate death. November 2, the Day of the Dead, is one of the biggest holidays of the year.”
According to the passage, what do the residents in the four cities have in common?

A．All the residents can make great fortunes by working hard.

B．The residents there are mostly educators.

C．All the residents enjoy enough material wealth.

D．The majority of the residents are satisfied with their current life.

According to the passage, we can infer that _______.

A．the people of Singapore expect their neighbours to come to their help when necessary

B．the people of Monterrey even observe one’s death on a special day of a year

C．the residents of Arhus happily pay 68% of their income for their children’s education fee

D．the people who live in San Luis Obispo have job satisfaction because they can enjoy good working conditions

According to the passage which of the following statements is NOT TRUE?

A．The people of Monterrey didn’t enjoy political freedom until 2000.

B．The residents in Singapore feel happy because of its low population density.

C．The people of San Luis Obispo can enjoy free concerts in summer.

D．Arhus is handy to the seaside and countryside.

What can we learn from the underlined part “the sense of equality”?

A．The residents of Arhus have no racial discrimination.

B．Arhus is considered as a family sharing everything with each other.

C．There is no wide gap between the rich and the poor in Arhus.

D．The residents of Arhus can depend on their neighbours to help.