A Book Review—The Snake-Stone by Berlie Doherty
The setting: Urban England (the cities), but also rural England (the countryside) including remote English villages．
The theme: The main theme is a teenage research of self-discovery, in this case the search for a mother from whom the hero was separated at an early age．Its other concerns are love, getting on with others, being persistent and courageous and trying to deal with doubts, troubles and worries．As the book moves to a close, James’ swimming coach says to him: “You are not like a kid obeying instructions any more．You are diving like a young man who knows where he is going．”
The characters: James is the hero of the story．He is a championship diver, and has a comfortable life with his foster parents (养父母)．Yet he also has the qualities to take him on a long journey to find his birth mother．The other characters in The Snake-Stone, James’ parents, his diving instructor, best friend, the villagers, people he meets on his journey, are pictured realistically．
The turning point: The turning point in the story comes while James’ foster parents are away in London, and he wonders about the identity of his birth mother．The only clue he has is a fossil, “the snake stone” which she left behind along with a note on which she had written: “Take good care of Sammie．It was written on a torn envelope with parts of an address still there．
The journey: Instead of going to London, James decides to find his birth mother．With help from his geography teacher, James sets out for the remote country village where his mother might be found．James has painful, challenging, but also humorous and happy travels．The mother he finally meets, Anne, has a minor yet powerful voice in the novel．He comes to understand why she left him at a stranger’s door fifteen years before．Although the meeting is not long, it leaves him with a feeling of completeness．As a journey of self-discovery The Snake-Stone also provides its readers with a happy ending．Its hero says, on returning to his foster parents, “I was home．”What is the main theme of the novel?
| A．A journey of self-discovery． |
| B．Life in the world of diving． |
| C．Life with foster parents． |
| D．A travel around the country． |
What do the coach’s words in Paragraph 2 suggest?
| A．James is a successful diver． |
| B．James is an independent young man． |
| C．James is an outgoing young man． |
| D．James is a hopeful swimmer． |
The snake stone in the novel is ．
| A．a stone with an address on it |
| B．a gift from the swimming coach |
| C．a clue left by the birth mother |
| D．a fossil left by the foster parents |
Which of the following is true about the novel?
| A．The story has a sad ending． |
| B．The story takes place in the city of London． |
| C．The characters are vividly described． |
| D．The turning point comes after the hero meets his birth mother． |
It can be concluded that James’ journey is _________．
| A．disappointing | B．boring | C．comfortable | D．worthwhile |
A thief who dropped a winning lottery ticket at the scene of his crime has been given a lesson in honesty. His victim, who picked up the ticket, then claimed the ￡25000 prize, managed to trace him, and handed over the cash. The robbery happened when maths professor Vinicio Sabhatucci, 58, was changing a tyre on an Italian motorway. Another motorist, who stopped "to help", stole a suitcase from his car and drove off. The professor found the dropped ticket and put it in his pocket before driving home to Ascoli in eastern Italy.
Next day, he saw the lottery results on TV and, taking out the ticket, realized it was a winner. He claimed the 60 million lire prize. Then he began a battle with his conscience. Finally, he decided he could not keep the money despite having been robbed. He advertised in newspapers and on radio, saying, "I'm trying to find the man who robbed me. I have 60 million lire for him--a lottery win. Please meet me. Anonymity guaranteed."
Professor Sabbatucci received hundreds of calls from people hoping to trick him into handing them the cash. But there was one voice he recognized--and he arranged to meet the man in a park. The robber, a 35-year-old unemployed father of two, gave back the suitcase and burst into tears. He could not behave what was happening. "Why didn't you keep the money?" he asked. The professor replied, "I couldn't, because it's not mine." Then he walked off, spurning the thief's offer of a reward. The sentence "Then he began a battle with his conscience." in Paragraph 2 implies all of the following EXCEPT that
| A．he knew what he should do as soon as he saw the lottery results |
| B．he hesitated about keeping the money for some time |
| C．he thought for a moment of avenging himself on the robber |
| D．he came to realize that honesty is more important than money |
Hundreds of people phoned professor Sabhatucci because they.
| A．wanted to make fun of him | B．hoped to get the money |
| C．knew who the robber was | D．lost the lottery ticket |
The underlined word "spurning” in the last sentence can be replaced by.
| A．accepting | B．claiming | C．rejecting | D．canceling |
If the story appears in a newspaper, the best title might be .
| A．A Thief's lucky Day | B．A popular Maths Professor |
| C．A Magic lottery | D．A Reward of Honesty |
John Denver has got international fame as a pop star, songwriter, actor and environmental activist ( 环境保护者). Songs like Take Me Home, Country Road, Rocky
Mountain High and Annie's Song have become very popular. But less than thirty years ago, John Denver was a young man with little more than a fine voice, a guitar, and a dream. Growing up in conservative (保守的) family, he was not believed to drop out of college and head to Los Angeles, where the music scene was flowering. Nor was he believed to succeed.
In Take Me Home, John Denver talked about the story that shaped his life, with the story of the rich inner journey of a shy Midwestern boy. With honesty and cleverness, he wrote about his childhood, the feeling of moving to Los Angeles as the 60s came, his first lucky breaks, his first songwriting success with leaving on a Jet Plane and finally got a world fame.
He also wrote about his relationship with his first and second wife, as well as his parents, his children, his partners through his life and his friends.
Honest and rich in the book that only a natural-born storyteller could write so well, Take Me Home is very good from the beginning to the end. It's like spending a few days with a good friend.This passage is probably about .
| A．a book written by John Denver | B．the life and cause of John Denver |
| C．how to write pop songs | D．what Los Angeles was like |
Take Me Home is a name of.
| A．a famous book | B．a folk song in Los Angeles |
| C．a wonderful movie | D．a pop song by John Denver |
From this passage, we can conclude that.
| A．John Denver's family didn't want him to leave college |
| B．he often had trips when he was a shy boy |
| C．he moved to Los Angeles with his parents |
| D．his family believed he would succeed |
John Denver wrote his songs about many things except .
| A．his first success in songwriting |
| B．his family members including his parents, his wives and his children |
| C．the problems of environment |
| D．his life in los Angeles |
Academy Awards The Academy Awards are the most prominent film award in the United States．The Awards are granted by the Academy of Motin Picture Arts and Sciences．Academy Awards are nicknamed “Oscars”, which is also the nickname of the statuette（小雕像）．The name is said to have been born when Margaret Herrick saw the statuette on a table and said: It looks just like my uncle Oscar!”
Berlin Film Festival One of the “A” festivals in Europe．The Berlin International Film Festival, also called the “Berlinale”, is held annually in February and started 1951 after an initiative of the American, who occupied part of the city after World WarⅡ．The jury（专家评奖团）always placed special emphasis on representing films from all over the world, from the former Eastern Bloc（集团）Countries as well as from western countries．The awards are called Golden and Silver Bears（as the Bear is the symbol of Berlin）．
Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival takes place every year in late August / early September on the Lido in the historic Palazzo del Cinema, in Venice, Italy, its main award is the “ Leone d’Oro” （Golden Lion）．Recently, a new award has been added, the San Marco Award for the best film．
Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival is a famous international film festival．It has been held annually in Cannes, in the south of France, since 1946 with a few exceptions．Given massive media exposure, the Festival is attended by many movie stars and is a popular venue for movie producers to launch their new films and attempt to sell their works to the distributors who come from all over the globe．
The most famous award given out at Cannes is the “Palme d’Or” （Golden Palm） for the best film; this is sometimes shared by multiple films in one year．
81. Which Award doesn’t take place in Europe?
A.Golden Lion B.Golden Palm C.Academy Awards D.San Marco Award Z#xx#k.Com]
82. Which of the following statements about “Oscars” is Not true?
A．It’s the nickname of Academy Awards
B．It’s also the nickname of the statuette．
C．It got its name because Margaret said the statuette looked like his uncle．
D．It’s an award in South America．
83. Which Award has the shortest history?
A．Golden Lion B．Golden Palm C．Academy Awards D．San Marco Award
84. Why is the Award for Berlin Film Festival called “Golden and Silver Bear”?
A．It looks like a bear B．It is made up of bear fur
C．The bear is the symbol of Berlin D．Bear is rare in Berlin
85. Which of the following best states the main idea of the passage?
A．An introduction of famous film festivals and film awards
B．An advertisement for films and TV programmes．
C．Funny stories about the nicknames of famous film awards．
D．A guide of how to spend famous film festivals
Specialists say it is not easy to get used to life in a new culture. “Culture shock” is the term these specialists use when talking about the feelings that people have in a new environment. There are three stages of culture shock, say the specialists. In the first stage, the newcomers like their new environment. Then, when the fresh experience dies, they begin to hate the city, the country, the people, and everything else. In the last stage, the newcomers begin to adjust to their surroundings and, as a result, enjoy their life more.
There are some obvious factors（因素）in culture shock. The weather may be unpleasant. The customs may be different. The public service systems—the telephones, post office, or transportation—may be difficult to work out. The simplest things seem to be big problems. The language may be difficult.
Who feels culture shock? Everyone does in this way or that. But culture shock surprises most people. Very often the people having the worst culture shock are those who never had any difficulties in their own community. Coming to a new country, these people find they do not have the same established positions. They find themselves without any identity. They have to build a new self-image.
Culture shock gives rise to a feeling of disorientation（迷失方向）. This feeling may be homesickness. When homesick, people feel like staying inside all the time. They want to protect themselves from the strange environment, and create an escape inside their room for a sense of security. This escape does solve the problem of culture shock for the short term, but it does nothing to make the person familiar with the culture. Getting to know the new environment and gaining experience — these are the long-term solutions to the problem of culture shock.
76. When people move to a new country, they _______.
A. will get used to their new surroundings with difficulty
B. have well prepared for the new surroundings
C. will get used to the culture of the country quickly
D. will never be familiar with the culture of the country
77. According to the passage, factors that give rise to culture shock include all of the following except __________.
A. language communication B. weather conditions and customs
C. public service systems D. homesickness
78. According to the passage, the more successful you are at home, _______.
A. the fewer difficulties you may have abroad
B. the more difficulties you may have abroad
C. the more money you will earn abroad
D. the less homesick you may feel abroad
79. When people are homesick, they tend to ______.
A. find some people to talk to B. go outside to have a walk
C. visit their friends far away D. stay indoors all the time
80. The writer tells us that the best way to overcome culture shock is to ______.
A. protect ourselves from unfamiliar environment
B. develop a strange sense of self-protection
C. get familiar with new culture
D. return to our own country
Seeing a volcano erupt is a wonderful experience, and you can really feel the beat by climbing to the summit(山顶) of Pacaya for a close-up view. There are guided tours every day up this highly active volcano from Antigua, giving travelers a chance to see Mother Nature at her most powerful.
Pacaya is an easy drive from Antigua, a beautiful city with many colorful houses along its old streets that are turned into art-works during its Holy Week festival. No matter when you come to Antigua, you won’t miss the Pacaya-tour companies.
But climbing Pacaya is no easy job: it is 2560 metres high, and reaching the summit takes two to three hours of seemingly one-step-forward and two-step-back movements. As you climb, you hear the dull sounds of eruptions high above steaming. Hot remains from recent eruptions begin to line the path as you are near the active
summit; the McKenney Cone(火山锥).
Many tours are timed so when you arrive at the cone of the volcano there is plenty of time for sunset and the full contrast between the erupting red lava and the darkening sky. On a good day the view from the summit is extremely exciting. The active mouth boils, sending red lava over its sides, and once in a while shoots hot streams up to 100 metres into the air. There is a strong bad smell in the air even if you take care to be upwind of the cone. As evening turns deeper into the night, the burning lava quietly falls down the side of the volcano. For you, too, it is time to get down .
71. What is the main purpose of this passage?
A. To attract tourists to Pacaya. B. To describe the beauty of Pacaya.
C. To introduce guided tours to Pacaya. D. To explain the power of nature at Pacaya.
72. Antigua is a city .
A. where people can enjoy cultural festivals B. where the daring Pacaya tour starts
C. that gives a close-up view of Paraya D. that is famous for its tour companies
73. Climbing to the McKenney Cone, people will .
A. walk directly to the active summit
B. hear the continuous loud screams from above
C. make greater efforts than to other summits
D. see a path lined with remains of earlier eruptions
74. Many tours are timed for people to .
A. get down the mountain in time when night falls
B. avoid the smell from the upwind direction of the cone
C. enjoy the fantastic eruption against the darkening sky
D. appreciate the scenery of the 2560-metre-high mountain
75. The short passage probably comes from_
__________.
A.a travel journal B.a popular science magazine C. A novel D. an advertisement