Disease, poverty, hate, love—Charles Dickens’ stories opened his readers eyes to the most important themes of his age. Two hundred years on, his stories still speak volumes across the world, proving that Dickens’ legacy(遗产) was far greater than just “great literature”
February 7 marks the 200th anniversary of the writer’s birthday. To mark this date, BBC writer Alex Hudson listed six things Dickens gave the modern world. Let’s take a look at two of them.
A white Christmas
Dickens is described as “the man who invented Christmas”—not the religious festival, but the cultural aspects that we associate with the festive season today. In the early 19th century, Christmas was barely worth mentioning, according to critic and writer Leigh Hunt. The committee which ran the Conservative Party even held ordinary business meetings on Christmas Day – unthinkable in the West nowadays, when everyone but the most necessary workers takes at least three days off.
Many people believe that Dickens’ popular descriptions of the festive period became a blueprint for generations to come. In his classic novel, A Christmas Carol, he not only put forward the idea of snow at Christmas, but also painted a picture of glowing warmth –“ home enjoyments, affections and hopes”.
In his biography of Dickens, Peter Ackroyd wrote: “ Dickens can be said to have almost single-handedly created the modern idea of Christmas.”
“Dickensian” poverty
Dickens was one of the first to take an honest look at the underclass and the poor of Victorian (the period during British Queen Victoria’s reign from 1837 to 1901) London.
He helped popularize the term “red tape” to describe situations where people in power use needless amounts of bureaucracy（官僚作风） in a way that particularly hurts the weaker and poorer members of society.
“Dickensian” has now become a powerful word for describing an unacceptable level of poverty. In 2009, when the president of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers in the UK wanted to talk about deprivation in some areas of Britain, she did not use words like “terrible” or “horrific”, but rather described it as “life mirroring the times of Dickens”. What is the main idea of the article?
| A．An introduction to Charles Dickens’ classic novels. |
| B．Charles dickens’ impact on the world. |
| C．Charles Dickens’ amazing characters. |
| D．Why Charles Dickens is popular across the world. |
Why is Dickens called “the man who invented Christmas”?
| A．Because he created the religious festival. |
| B．Because many of his novels have something to do with Christmas. |
| C．Because one of his novels helped to shape Christmas celebrations. |
| D．Because he was the first man to have proposed celebrating Christmas. |
According to the article, the phrase “red tape” refers to _______.
| A．rules or procedures that are required to accomplish a task |
| B．a situation in which poor members of society are hurt. |
| C．conflict between people in power and weaker people |
| D．pointlessly time-consuming official procedures |
Li Shizhen was born in 1918 in Hubei province. His father was a doctor. He learned a lot about medical herbs(药草) from his father and read many medical books. At the age of 23 he became a doctor. He often treated(治疗) poor people’s illness, so many peasants and fishermen made friends with him.
The year he was 35 Li shizhen began to write the COMPENDIUM OF MATERIA MEDICA. He walked all over famous mountains which grew medical plants to learn their shapes. The conditions in which they grew and collected all sorts of specimens(标本). He spent 27 years in writing this book.
The COMPENDIUM OF MATERIA MEDICA with over 1,000,000 words, describe 1,800 kinds of medical plants. When the work had just been ready for printing and publishing(出版), Lishizhen passed away.
The COMPENDIUM OF MATERIA MEDICA introduces not only medical herbs growing in China but also many foreign medicines. After its publication the books reached foreign countries. It was translated into English, French, German, Japanese and Russian and became an important piece of literature in international medical research.Why did many peasants and fishermen make friends with Li shizhen?
Because he _______.
| A．was a famous doctor. |
| B．had a sweet manner |
| C．was much concerned(关心) for the poor. |
| D．read many medical books |
His COMPENDIUM OF MATERIA MEDICA describe _______.
| A．over 1,000,000 words |
| B．1,800 kinds of medical plants. |
| C．a lot of medical work |
| D．many foreign medical stories |
The word “literature” in the article means ______.
| A．work of different science |
| B．letters from foreign countries |
| C．hope for the better future |
| D．books on special subject |
What’s the Chinese name of the COMPENDIUM OF MATERIA MEDICA?
| A．天工开物 | B．四库全书 |
| C．本草纲目 | D．齐民要术 |
The most important holiday in spring， especially for Christians （基督徒）,is Easter. This Christian holiday is not on the same date every year， but it’s always on a Sunday. It can be any Sunday between March 22 and April 25. Many people celebrate Easter by buying new clothes. Children celebrate by hunting for colored eggs that their parents have hidden around the house. People also give Easter baskets filled with candy and other goodies to one another to celebrate the day.
But the holiday is more than new clothes and good things to eat. On Easter， many people go to church to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection （复活） from the dead.
Most people color them. Some people hide them. Others just eat them. But no matter what one does with Easter eggs， they are an important Easter tradition throughout the Western world.
People from many different cultures celebrate Easter. In both America and Belgium， children look for Easter eggs hidden on lawns and in bushes. In America，children believe the eggs are hidden by the Easter bunny （复活节兔子）。 But in Belgium， the hidden eggs are supposed to have fallen from church bells. In Bulgaria， red Easter eggs are lucky in churches； Bulgarian families also hit these Easter eggs together to see whose is the strongest. The winner looks forward to good fortune that year. Still dozens of other Easter traditions exist. In parts of Austria， for example， children sing from door to door and are rewarded with colorful eggs.Easter comes _______.
| A．on the same date every year. |
| B．on Sunday on March 22 |
| C．on Sunday on April 25 |
| D．on a Sunday between March 22 and April 25 |
To celebrate Easter，people ___________.
| A．go shopping， hide colored eggs and children hunt for them |
| B．give Easter baskets filled candy and goodies to one another |
| C．buy new clothes， hide colored eggs and children look for them around the house |
| D．both B and C |
For Christians the more important thing to do on Easter is________.
| A．buying new clothes |
| B．going to church to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection |
| C．eating delicious food and paint color eggs |
| D．exchange beautiful gifts each other |
People from different cultures have different ideas about Easter egg， _________.
| A．In both American and Belgium， children hunt for Easter eggs hidden in rooms and in bushes |
| B．In American, children believe the eggs are hidden by the Easter bunny |
| C．In Belgium, the hidden eggs are thought to have fallen from doorbells |
| D．In America, the hidden eggs are supposed to have fallen from doorbells |
In some places of Austria, children sing from door to door for_______.
| A．blesses | B．Easter eggs |
| C．candy and goodies | D．Easter bunny |
There is a wonderful story about a young girl who had no family and no one to love her.
One day， feeling very sad and lonely， she was walking through a grassland when she noticed a small butterfly caught in a thorn （荆棘） bush. The young girl carefully released the Butterfly. Instead of flying away， the little butterfly changed into a beautiful fairy. The young girl rubbed her eyes in disbelief.
“For your wonderful kindness，” the good fairy said to the girl， “I will give you any wish you would like.” The little girl thought for a moment and then replied， “I want to be happy.”
The fairy leaned toward her and whispered in her ear. Then the fairy disappeared.
As the little girl grew up， there was no one in the land as happy as she. Everyone asked her secret of happiness .She would only smile and answer， “The secret of my happiness is that I listened to a good fairy when I was a little girl.”
When she was very old and on her deathbed， the neighbors all gathered around her，and
feared that her unbelievable secret of happiness would die with her. “tell us， please，” they begged， “tell us what the good fairy said.” The lovely old woman simply smiled and said， “She told me that everyone， no matter how secure they seemed， no matter how old or young， how rich or poor， had need of me.”______ the girl felt sad and lonely.
| A．There were many friends but |
| B．There was nobody to love her so |
| C．There was nothing to do |
| D．Seeing the butterfly was caught |
Noticing the butterfly was caught by the thorn， the orphan girl ______.
| A．helped the butterfly escaped from the thorn |
| B．felt sorrow，but she didn’t go up to help it |
| C．fell down on it too |
| D．failed to help it release from the thorn |
The butterfly ______ after was saved by the little girl.
| A．flied away |
| B．still died |
| C．changed into a fairy |
| D．was more beautiful than before |
The only thing that the little girl wanted was________.
| A．to be rich |
| B．to have her own parents |
| C．to have a lot of friends |
| D．happiness |
The neighbors all gathered around the old happy woman when she was dying， because ______.
| A．they loved this woman deeply and they didn’t wanted her to die |
| B．the woman had lots of money to be shared as soon as she died |
| C．they wanted to know the secret of her lifetime happiness |
| D．they wanted to pray for her after her death |
When I met him， I had a lot of anger inside of me. I’ve lived my whole life in Spanish Harlem， but in my neighborhood， there are shoot-ups all the time. I know kids who have been shot or beaten up. I have friends who ended up in prison. I could have ended up that way， too， but Mr. Clark wouldn’t let that happen.
Mr. Clark worked long hours，making sure I did my work. My grades rose. In fact，the scores of our whole class rose. One day，he took our class to see The Phantom of the Opera，and it was the first time some kids had ever been out of Harlem. Before the show， he treated us to dinner at a restaurant and taught us not to talk with our mouths full. We did not want to let him down.
Mr. Clark was selected as Disney‘s 2000 Teacher of the Year. He said he would draw three names out of a hat； those students would go with him to Los Angles to get the award. But when the time came to draw names，Mr. Clark said，“You’re all going.”
On graduation day， there were a lot of tears. We didn’t want his class to end. In 2001， he moved to Atlanta， but he always kept in touch. He started giving lectures about education， and wrote a bestselling book based on his classroom rules， The Essential 55. In 2003， Mr. Clark took some of us on a trip to South Africa to deliver school supplies and visit orphanages （孤儿院）。 It was the most amazing experience of my life. It’s now my dream to one day start a group of women’s clubs，helping people from all backgrounds.Without Mr. Clark， the writer _________.
| A．might have put into prison |
| B．might not have won the prize |
| C．might have joined a women‘s club |
| D．might not have moved to Atlanta |
The Essential 55 is ___________.
| A．a show | B．a speech |
| C．a classroom rule | D．a book |
How many students‘ names were finally drawn out of a hat by Mr. Clark？
| A．None | B．Three |
| C．Fifty-five | D．All |
In the passage， the writer intends to tell us that ___________.
| A．Mr. Clark went to South Africa because he liked traveling |
| B．Mr. Clark helped to set up a group of women‘s clubs |
| C．a good teacher can raise his or her students‘ score |
| D．a good teacher has a good influence on his or her students |
What is the writer’s attitude (态度)towards Mr. Clark？
| A．He speaks highly of Mr. Clark. |
| B．He looks down upon Mr. Clark. |
| C．He doesn’t show his attitude towards Mr. Clark. |
| D．He takes a neutral （中立的） attitude towards Mr. Clark. |
To us it seems so natural to put up an umbrella to keep the water off when it rains, But actually the umbrella was not invented as protection against the rain, Its first use was as a shade against the sun! Nobody knows who first invented it, but the umbrella was used in very ancient times. Probably the first to use it were the Chinese in the eleventh century BC.
We know that the umbrella was used in ancient Egypt and Babylon as a sunshade. And there was a strange thing connected with its use: it became a symbol of honor. In the Far East in ancient times, the umbrella was allowed to be used only by those in high office.
In Europe, the Greeks were the first to use the umbrella as a sunshade. And the umbrella was in commonly used in ancient Greece. But it is believed that the first persons in Europe to use the umbrella as protection against the rain were the ancient Romans.
During the Middle Ages, the use of the umbrella practically disappeared. Then it appeared again in Italy in the late sixteenth century. And again it was considered as a symbol of power. By 1680, the umbrella appeared in France and later in England.
By the eighteenth century, the umbrella was used against rain throughout most of Europe. Umbrellas have not changed much in style during all this time, though they have become much lighter in weight. It wasn’t until the twentieth century that women’s umbrellas began to be made, in a whole variety of colors.According to this passage, the umbrella was probably first invented in ancient__________.
| A．China |
| B．Egypt |
| C．Greece |
| D．Rome |
Which of the following statements is not true about the umbrella?
| A．No one exactly knows who the inventor of the umbrella was |
| B．The umbrella was first invented to be used as protection against the sun. |
| C．The umbrella changed much in style in the eighteenth century |
| D．In Europe, the Greeks were the first to use the umbrella as a sunshade. |
A strange feature of the umbrella’s use is that it was used as__________.
| A．protection against rain |
| B．a shade against the sun |
| C．a symbol of honor and power |
| D．women’s decoration (装饰) |
In Europe, the umbrella was first used against the rain_____________.
| A．during the Middle Ages |
| B．by the eighteenth |
| C．in Rome |
| D．in Greece |
This passage talks mainly about_______________.
| A．when and how the umbrella was invented |
| B．why the umbrella was so popular in Europe |
| C．the development of the umbrella |
| D．The history and use of the umbrella |