Anthony Horowitz was miserable (痛苦的) as a child. He was, as he puts it, “not very bright” and couldn’t win the attention of his very wealthy parents, who preferred his “clever” older brother. At age 8, Horowitz was sent away to an abusive (虐待的) boarding school in his native England, even though he screamed and pleaded (恳求) with his parents year after year not to send him. “The thought was, ‘It’ll be good for him’,” Horowitz recalls (回忆).
It was not. Horowitz did badly in his studies, had few friends and was bullied (欺负) for five years. “My teachers couldn’t have had a lower opinion of me,” he said. “I wasn’t even smart enough to rebel (反抗). The one thing I remember from the very earliest age was this desire to write. When I was 10 years old, I remember asking my parents to get me a typewriter for my birthday because I wanted to be a writer.”
Now, at 55, Horowitz is one of the world’s most successful children’s book authors. His Alex Rider series has sold more than 5 million copies, and the eighth book featuring the young spy, Crocodile Tears, came out this month.
The Alex Rider books tell the adventures of 14-year-old Alex Rider, an agent for the British intelligence agency MI6.
Horowitz said he doesn’t try to write for kids; it just comes out that way. “I have a feeling it’s to do with purity and simplicity. I give as little information as is necessary to describe the room, the character in the room, and get on with the action,” he said.
That style has also made Horowitz a successful writer of television shows for adults in Britain because, he says, writing books for kids is a lot like writing television for grown-ups: In both cases, it’s all about entertaining people with a good story.
Now, Horowitz couldn’t be happier with his life. He sums up his success: “…you can be anything you want to be if you just believe in yourself. I do believe it completely.”
61. The text is mainly about _____.
A. Horowitz’s popular book – Alex Rider B. Horowitz’s miserable childhood
C. Horowitz, a successful children’s writer D. Horowitz’s special writing style
62 In his childhood, Anthony Horowitz _____.
A. was more intelligent than his brother
B. was paid more attention by his parents
C. couldn’t understand why he was sent to the boarding school
D. led a miserable life because of poverty
63.In the boarding school, Horowitz’s teachers ______.
A. showed great concern for him B. often abused and bullied him
C. taught him how to write stories D. thought little of his ability
64. Which of the following is true of Anthony Horowitz?
A. He was the beloved child of his family.
B. He benefited a lot from boarding school.
C. He emphasizes the plot rather than character in stories.
D. Although he is successful, he isn’t very happy.
65. What advice does Horowitz have for readers?
A. Confidence is the key to success. B. Hardship teaches valuable lessons.
C. Interest is the best teacher. D. Diligence is the parent of success.
As is known to all, in daily conversation people often use simple words and simple sentences, especially elliptical(省略) sentences. Here is an interesting conversation between Mr Green and his good friend Mr Smith, a fisherman. Do you know what they are talking about?
Mr Green: Going?
Mr Smith: Been.
Mr Green: Any?
Mr Smith: Some.
Mr Green: Big?
Mr Smith: Small.The underlined word “conversation” in the text means ______.
A.fishing | B.story | C.text | D.dialogue |
Which of the following is true to the text?
A.Mr Smith has just been fishing and caught some small fish. |
B.Mr Green caught some big fish and wanted to give some to Mr Smith. |
C.Mr Smith didn’t catch any small fish. |
D.Mr Smith wanted to buy some big fish from Mr Green. |
The text is mainly about _______.
A.how to catch fish | B.how to spend a Sunday |
C.ellipsis in conversations | D.joy in fishing |
Johnny Smith was a good math student at a high school. He loved his computer. He came home early every day, then he worked with it till midnight. But Johnny was not a good English student, not good at all. He got an F in his English class. One day after school Johnny joined his computer to the computer in his high school office. The school office computer had the grades of all the students: the math grades, the science grades, the grades in arts and music, and the grades in English. He found his English grade. An F! Johnny changed his English grade from an F to A. Johnny' parents looked at his report card. They were very happy. "An A in English!" said Johnny's Dad. "You're a very clever boy, Johnny."
Johnny is a hacker. Hackers know how to take information from other computers and put new information in. Using a modem(调制解调器), they join their computers to other computers secretly.
School headmasters and teachers are worried about hackers. So are the police, for some people even take money from bank computer account(账户) and put it into their own ones. And they never have to leave home to do it! They are called hackers.
(210w)Johnny changed his English grade with the computer in _______.
A.the classroom | B.the school office |
C.a bank near his house | D.his own house |
When Johnny's parents saw the report, they were happy because _______.
A.Johnny was good at math |
B.Johnny loved computers |
C.Johnny could join one computer to another |
D.they thought Johnny was not poor in English any longer |
Who are worried about hackers in the text?
A.Johnny's parents. |
B.School headmasters, teachers and the police. |
C.The police. |
D.School headmasters and teachers. |
What should the hackers know well, do you think, after you read this story?
A.Information. | B.Bank computer accounts. |
C.Computers. | D.Grades. |
One day an ant was drinking at a small stream and fell in. She made great efforts to reach the side, but made no progress at all. The poor ant almost exhausted(精疲力竭的)was still bravely doing her best when a dove(鸽子) saw her. Moved with pity, the bird threw her a blade of grass, which supported her like a raft, and thus the ant reached the bank again. While she was resting and drying herself in the grass, she heard a man come near. He was walking along barefooted with a gun in his hand. As soon as he saw the dove, he wished to kill it. He would certainly have done so, but the ant bit him in the foot just as he raised his gun to fire. He stopped to see what had bit him, and the dove immediately flew away. It was an animal much weaker and smaller than herself that had saved her life.
(163w)The dove saved the ant because _______.
A.she was the ant's friend |
B.she took pity on the poor ant |
C.the ant was almost exhausted |
D.the ant had been struggled in the water for a long time |
The ant succeeded in getting on the bank with the help of _______.
A.a leaf | B.a piece of wood |
C.a blade of grass | D.a raft |
Just as the man shot at the dove, _______.
A.the dove immediately flew away |
B.the dove hid himself in the grass |
C.the ant told the dove to leave at once |
D.he felt something biting him in the foot |
In writing the story, the writer wants to show _______.
A.how clever the ant was |
B.how kind the dove was |
C.how the ant and the dove helped each other |
D.we often need help from others, therefore we should help others as much as we can |
The American book Who Moved My Cheese has been a bestseller all over the world. It teaches people how to face changes in their lives. Now its author Spence Johnson has written a book just for teens. The book tells us that when facing changes in our lives, like a new school or new friends, don't be afraid. Instead, use this change to make a better life. The book gives an example of a change at school. A school is changing from having two terms to three terms because there are too many students.
Several teens are talking about this. Most of them are unhappy and worried. But Chris is not. He laughs and tells a story about two mice, two "little people" and some cheese.
The four are in a maze (迷宫) looking for the cheese. Here, cheese means something important in life, likemoving to a new class or getting into college. But they find the cheese is gone. The mice realize that they can't change what has happened and have to find more cheese. This means finding different dreams. The little people,however, can't do this. They are afraid of changes so they find no cheese.
After Chris finishes the story, the friends understand one thing: to get more cheese, move m a new direction quickly. His friends understand how this can be used in the changes all teens face, such as doing well at school or having good relationships or just feeling good about yourself.The book Who Moved My Cheese is _____.
A.written all over the world |
B.read across the world |
C.sold only in America |
D.loved only by teens |
What does the text mainly discuss?
A.Never change in our lives. |
B.Change when you like to do. |
C.Change with the changes. |
D.Pay attention to the changes. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A.The author is British. |
B.There are three terms in every school. |
C.Most teens don't understand Chris' story. |
D.The book tells teens how to face changes in their lives. |
King's College Summer School is an annual (每年的) training program for high school students at all levels who want to improve their English. Courses are given by the teachers of King' s College and other colleges in New York. Trips to museums and culture centers are also organized. This year's summer school will be from July 25 to August 15.
More information is as follows:
Application (申请) date ●Students in New York should send their applications before July 18, 2007. ●Students of other cities should send their applications before July 16, 2007. ●Foreign students should send their applications before July 10, 2007. |
Courses ●English Language Spoken English: 22 hours Reading and Writing: 10 hours ●American History: 16 hours ●American Culture: 16 hours |
You can most probably read the text in _____.
A.a newspaper |
B.a travel guide |
C.a textbook |
D.a telephone book |
Which of the following is true about King's College Summer School?
A.Only top students can take part in the program. |
B.King' s College Summer School is run every other year. |
C.Visits to museums and culture centers are part of the program. |
D.Only the teachers of King' s College give courses. |
If you are to live with your relatives in New York, you will have to pay the school _____.
A.$200 | B.$400 | C.$500 | D.$900 |
What information can you get from the text?
A.The program will last two months. |
B.You can write to Thompson only in English. |
C.As a Chinese student, you can send your application on July 14, 2007. |
D.You can get in touch with the school by e-mail or by telephone. |