Steinbeck, John, 1902-68, American writer, born in Salinas, Calif., studied at Stanford. He is probably best remembered for his strong sociological novel The Grapes of Wrath, considered one of the great American novels of the 20th century. Steinbeck's early novels-Cup of Gold (1929), The Pastures of Heaven (1932), and To a God Unknown (1933)-attracted little critical attention, but Tortilla Flat (1935), an affectionate（亲切的）yet realistic novel about the lovely, Spanish-speaking poor of Monterey, was enthusiastically received.
A merciful understanding of the world's poor was to be Steinbeck's mark. The novel In Dubious Battle (1936) defends striking immigrant agricultural workers in the California fields. In the novel Of Mice and Men (1937; later made into a play), Steinbeck again presents immigrant workers, but this time in terms of human worth and integrity（完好）－a theme he also used in The Moon Is Down (1942; later made into a play), about Norwegian resistance to the Nazis. The Grapes of Wrath (1939; Pulitzer Prize), while treating the hard situation of dispossessed Dust Bowl farmers during the 1930s, presents a universal picture of victims of disaster. Steinbeck's description of the westward migration of the Joad family, and their following struggles in the agricultural industry of California, is realistic and moving, and he presents his inferior characters with nobility.
Steinbeck's other works are diverse, ranging from the literal account of a voyage, The Sea of Cortez (1941; written with the marine biologist E. F. Ricketts),to a moral story, The Pearl (1948); to a French folk piece, The Short Reign of Pippin IV (1957). Love of his native land shines through the delicately nostalgic story "The Red Pony" in The Long Valley (1938). The somewhat emotional attitude of Tortilla Flat appears again in Cannery Row (1945), The Wayward Bus (1947), and Sweet Thursday (1954). How many novels adapted into a play are mentioned in the passage ?_________.
| A．Nine | B．Seven | C．Four | D．Two |
Accoding to the passage , which of the following is true?
| A．The Grapes of Wrath, is considered one of the great novels of this century. |
| B．Only in the novel In Dubious Battle Steinbeck referred to immigrant workers. |
| C．In The Grapes of Wrath, farmers living in Dust Bowl possess almost nothing. |
| D．All Steinbeck’s late works are related to his love of his native land. |
We can learn from the passage that Steinbeck .
| A．did not draw much attention until Tortilla Flat was published |
| B．wrote all his novels in terms of human worth and integrity |
| C．presented poor but noble characters in all his novels |
| D．showed his love for his native land in The Short Reign of Pippin IV |
The passage is mainly about Steinbeck’s .
| A．works | B．life | C．fame | D．prize |
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。
Hello and welcome! My name is Shelley Ann Vernon and I am glad that you want to find out more about teaching English through games. Right here you will find ways to get great results in the classroom for children aged 4 to 12; ways that from my experience will bring more success and joy into the lives of the children you teach.
You'll learn how to make your serious classes fun, how to ensure everyone gets better grades, how to help inspire the brighter kids while taking care of the slower ones, and how to associate fun with learning by teaching vocabulary and grammar through language games. Earn even more appreciation, love and respect from your students and their parents for your teaching.
The games presented here work for ESL (English as a Second Language) pupils aged 4 to 12. These games are most suitable for beginners to general level students.
Achieve results 2 X as fast.
Don't take my word for it; read evidence from teachers and parents：
She found it valuable right away!Although I only bought your book on Monday, and today is Wednesday, I want you to know how valuable I have found it to be. I have used a couple of the games in school already and the children loved them.Most importantly, they were learning and reviewing English at the same time. Can I admit that I also enjoyed my lessons more?
Gila Goldberg, Jerusalem
The games help with learning difficulties!
My daughter Aurore has learning difficulties and since coming to your classes she has gained confidence and has improved in all subjects at school.
Mrs. J. Brown, Canterbury, Kent, UK
Click here to order now with our secure server. Remember, if you are not satisfied, just let us know and we will refund(退款) you in full. You still get to keep the essential bonus material, yours for FREE, and that's a rare time saving gain, plus a value of 25 dollars.The passage is mainly written for________.
| A．students | B．girls | C．teachers | D．doctors |
Which of the following does the writer agree with?
| A．Teachers should make their classes serious. |
| B．A good class should associate fun with learning. |
| C．Only smart children can learn from the games. |
| D．Only pupils aged 2 can make good use of the games. |
If you are unsatisfied with the book, ________.
| A．you can complain to a local newspaper or Shelley Ann Vernon |
| B．you can get half your money back and keep the material |
| C．you can get 25 dollars back, but you have to return the product first |
| D．you will get your money back without returning the essential bonus material |
The writer wrote the passage to ________.
| A．tell teachers how to teach |
| B．advise games to kids |
| C．persuade teachers to buy a product |
| D．show her students' good performance |
The passage is most probably taken from a________.
| A．magazine | B．novel | C．website | D．newspaper |
More students than ever before are taking a gap-year (间隔年) before going to university. It used to be called the “year off” between school and university. The gap-year phenomenon originated with the months left over to Oxbridge applicants between entrance exams in November and the start of the next academic year.
This year, 25,310 students who have accepted places in higher education institutions have put off their entry until next year, according to statistics on university entrance provided by University and College Admissions Service (UCAS). That is a record 14.7% increase in the number of students taking a gap year. Tony Higgins from UCAS said that the statistics are good news for everyone in higher education. “Students who take a well-planned year out are more likely to be satisfied with, and complete, their chosen course. Students who take a gap year are often more mature and responsible,” he said.
But not everyone is happy. Owain James, the president of the National Union of Students(NUS), argued that the increase is evidence of student hardship – young people are being forced into earning money before finishing their education. “New students are now aware that they are likely to leave university with up to ￡15,000 in debt. It is not surprising that more and more students are taking a gap year to earn money to support their study for the degree. statistics show that over 40% of students are forced to work during term time and the figure increases to 90% during vacation periods,” he said.What do we learn about the gap year from the text?
| A．It is flexible in length. |
| B．It is a time for relaxation. |
| C．It is increasingly popular. |
| D．It is required by universities. |
According to Tony Higgins, students taking a gap year_________.
| A．are better prepared for college studies |
| B．know a lot more about their future jobs |
| C．are more likely to leave university in debt |
| D．have a better chance to enter top universities |
What would most students do on their vacation according to NUS statistics?
| A．Attend additional courses. |
| B．Make plans for the new term. |
| C．Earn money for their education. |
| D．Prepare for their graduate studies |
Can you believe everything that you read? It seems as if every day, some new articles come out about a new discovery about this or that. For example, water is bad for you, or good for you. The answer depends on which scientific study has just come out. People cannot decide which food items are healthy, how pyramids were constructed, and why dinosaurs disappeared. When we look for answers we sometimes can believe persuasive researches and scientists. But how trustworthy are they really? Here are two examples of scientific hoaxes (骗局).
As far back as 1726, Johann Beringer was fooled by his fellow scientists into thinking he had made an amazing discovery. The fossils of spiders, lizards, and even birds with the name of God written on them in Hebrew were unlike anything that had been found before. He wrote several papers on them and was famous for those only to have it revealed that they were planted by jealous colleagues to ruin his reputation.
When an early human being was discovered in 1912, scientists at this time were wild with excitement over the meaning it had for the theory of evolution. There were hundreds of papers about this Piltdown man over the next fifty years until it was finally discovered to be a complex hoax. The skull (头骨) of a man had been mixed with the jawbone of an orangutan (猩猩) to make the ape (猿) man.
The next time you read the exciting new findings of a study of the best scientist, do not automatically assume that it is true. Even qualified people can get it wrong. Though we certainly should not ignore scientific research, we do need to take it with a grain of salt. Just because it is accepted as the truth today does not mean it will still be trustworthy tomorrow.What is the reason why Johann Beringer was fooled?
| A．His fellow scientists wanted to make fun of him. |
| B．His workmates are eager to become famous too. |
| C．These scientists made a mistake because of carelessness. |
| D．His colleagues was jealous of him and did so to destroy his fame. |
The excited scientists thought that this Piltdown man ________.
| A．was in fact a complex hoax |
| B．was a great scientific invention |
| C．contributed to the theory of evolution |
| D．had the skull like that of an ape |
What does the underlined phrase “with a grain of salt” in Paragraph 4 mean?
| A．Happily. | B．Generally. |
| C．Doubtfully. | D．Completely. |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Hebrew is probably a kind of language. |
| B．Truths of science will never be out of time. |
| C．People believe scientists because they are persuasive. |
| D．We are advised to believe famous scientists. |
Photographs are everywhere. They decorate the walls of homes and are used in stores for sales of different goods. The news is filled with pictures of fires, floods, and special events. Photos record the beauties of nature. They can also bring things close that are far away. Through photos, people can see wild animals, cities in foreign lands, and even the stars in outer space. Photos also tell stories.
Reporting the news through photos is called photojournalism. At times photojournalists tell their stories through a single picture. At other times, they use a group of pictures to tell a story. Each picture is like a chapter in a book, which can do more than record the facts. It can also be a strong force for social change.
Jacob Riis was among the first photojournalists. He took pictures of parts of New York City where the poor lived. Riis believed that poverty caused crime, and he used photos to help him prove his point. A few years later, the photos of small children working in factories by Lewis Hine shocked the public. Hine’s pictures helped bring about laws to protect such children.
Hundreds of pictures may have to be taken in order to get one or two really good photos. It takes science to have the photo come out clearly and art to make a photo that has a good design and expresses feeling. Photojournalists make an actual record of what they see. A photo, however, can be both a work of art and an actual record. It can record an important event as a beautiful or exciting picture.
As historical and artistic documents, photos can become more important over time. Today photojournalists still have their pictures appear in newspapers and magazines. They also publish(发表) them in books and on the Internet.The underlined word “They” in the first paragraph refers to .
| A．beauties | B．photos |
| C．goods | D．events |
The photos of the small children by Hine show us that photos .
| A．are also works of art |
| B．are popular ways of reporting news |
| C．often shock the public |
| D．can serve as a force for social change |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．News with pictures is encouraging |
| B．Photos help people improve. |
| C．News photos mean history in a sense. |
| D．People prefer reading news with pictures. |
The text is mainly about .
| A．telling the story through pictures |
| B．decorating the walls of homes |
| C．publishing historical papers |
| D．expressing feeling through pictures |
Louis Armstrong had two famous nicknames. Some people called him Bagamo. They said his mouth looked like a large bag. Musicians often called him Pops, as a sign of respect for his influence on the world of music.
Born in 1901 in New Orleans, he grew up poor, but lived among great musicians. Jazz was invented in the city a few years before his birth. Armstrong often said, “Jazz and I grew up together.”
Armstrong showed a great talent for music when he was taught to play the cornet (短号) at a boy’s home. In his late teens, Armstrong began to live the life of a musician. He played in parades, clubs, and on the steamboats that traveled on the Mississippi River. At that time, New Orleans was famous for the new music of jazz and was home to many great musicians. Armstrong learned from the older musicians and soon became respected as their equal. In 1922 he went to Chicago. There, the tale of Louis Armstrong begins. From then until the end of his life, Armstrong was celebrated and loved wherever he went. Armstrong had no equal when it came to playing the American popular song.
His cornet playing had a deep humanity and warmth that caused many listeners to say,“Listening to Pops just makes you feel good all over.” He was the father of the jazz style and also one of the best-known and most admired people in the world. His death, on July 6, 1971, was headline news around the world.Armstrong was called Pops because he .
| A．looked like a musician |
| B．was a musician of much influence |
| C．showed an interest in music |
| D．traveled to play modern music |
The third paragraph is developed .
| A．by space | B．by examples |
| C．by time | D．by comparison |
Which statement about Armstrong is true?
| A．His tale begins in New Orleans. |
| B．He was born before jazz was invented. |
| C．His music was popular with his listeners. |
| D．He learned popular music at a boy’s home. |
Which would be the best title for the text?
| A．The Invention of the Jazz Music |
| B．The Father of the Jazz Style |
| C．The Making of a Musician |
| D．The Spread of Popular Music |