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 |
B
Ad. 1
April fool’s party
On Friday, April 1, Inner Affair goes back to the days of funk! Classic Tunes from the 70’s and 80’s
by DJs Den & Sion. 9pm till late.
Tickets: Free entrance for those in costume, otherwise 50 yuan (US$6)
Time/date: 9 pm, April 1
Place: Inner Affair, 1/F Qiankun Dasha, 6 Sanlitun Xiliujie, Chaoyang District
Tel: 84540321
Ad. 2
Language in use
Enjoy free house coffee, tea and beer as well as music and dancing. Practice your Chinese, make
friends and have fun.
Time/date: 7 to 9 pm, March 25
Place: Language In Use Club, 2/F, Science Fortune Center, 8 Xueqing Lu, Haidian District
Ad. 3
The "worst" party
Organized by Ozone productions, the party is set to be "the worst ever", with the lamest music
from the 60s, 70s and 80s. Special prizes will be awarded to the worst dressed or for bad fashion
sense.
Tickets: Free entrance
Time/date: 9 pm, April 1
Place: Pula Pula, Tianze Lu, Oriental Seven Colours Plaza, Chaoyang District
Tel: 64668575
Ad. 4
La Nuit Francaise
Again on the 2nd Thursday of the month La Nuit Francaise will be held at Le Rendezvous. The
monthly event is an opportunity for all French people and everyone interested in France or
speaking French to gather together.
The evening features three glasses of wine and canapes for participants and a special exhibition.
Time/date: 7 to 10 pm, April 14
Place: Le Rendezvous, 3 Gongti Beilu, accross from the Pacific Century Plaza, Chaoyang
District Tel: 64629110
Ad. 5
Marco V
Dutch DJ Marco V drops by Banana for a gig which is supported by Hong Kong’s DJ Spark.
Marco V has been around for many years, as an inventive, style blending deejay and a successful
and devoted producer. His spinning is energetic, crowd pleasing and never sees an empty dance
floor. He was ranked No. 15 in this year’s international DJ MAG DJ Top100.
Tickets: 40 yuan (US$4.80) in advance, 50 yuan (US$6) at the door, both include a free drink
Time/date: 10 pm to 4 am, March 31, April 1
Place: Banana, in the lobby of the Scitech Hotel, 22 Jianwai Dajie, Chaoyang District
Tel: 6528 3636
59．Which of the following is NOT true of Ad. 1 and Ad. 3?
A．The two parties will be held on the same day.
B．The two parties will be held at the same time.
C．The entrance fees of the two parties will not be charged.
D．Some old music will be played at the parties.
60．Which of the following is intended for the Chinese learners?
A．Marco V. B．La Nuit Francaise.
C．Language in use. D．The "worst" party.
61． Which of the following is TRUE?
A．Marco V is a newly established band
B．La Nuit Francaise may be French words
C．the "worst" party will attract a lot of college students
D．you will enjoy free drink at April fool’s party
62．What has been held regularly?
A．La Nuit Francaise.B．Marco V.
C．Language in use D．The “worst” party.
第三部分：阅读理解（共15小题，每题2分，满分30分）
阅读下列短文，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
Many people have described television as a passive activity that is harmful to children’s
education. However，there are good and bad ways to watch television．Parents who are interested in using television as a learning tool can actually turn time in front of TV into an educational chance．
Probably the most familiar educational way to use television is to simply watch educational programs．In particular，this means selecting channels and programs specially designed for educational purposes．Along with traditional educational shows for children on public broadcasting channels，cable television now offers kids and adults a wide variety of educational programs，with everything from nature shows to historical events in different countries．
Captioning，such as “closed captioning” for hearing disabled viewers provides another way for parents to exploit（开发） the educational possibilities of television．One study showed that children who watched captioned TV got great improvement in their vocabulary and oral reading ability．In addition，parents can make any show a learning class by watching television together with children．By actively joining children in the programs that they are watching，parents can help with the development of such skills as predicting and summarizing．In order to develop predicting skills，parents and children could first refer to a program’s description in a viewing guide．After reading the program description and guessing what might happen in the program，parents and children could watch together to see which predictions were correct．And to practice summarizing，after watching a program，parents can turn off the TV and ask what the story was about．This kind of activity helps children develop thinking skills such as arranging events in an order and memorizing information．
Although there will still be plenty of times when children watch TV simply for passive enjoyment，parents can help make at least part of their children’s viewing time a more productive activity．Used intelligently by exploiting the learning chances available through various programs，television can play an instructive role in children’s education．
56．Which activity is NOT suggested in the passage?
A．Predicting and summarizing TV shows B．Watching captions on TV．
C．Enjoying films about nature． D．Watching shows for homework．
57．We can learn from the last paragraph that ______．
A．not every minute when a child watches television must be educational
B．children should not use television for passive enjoyment
C．some children prefer reading to watching television
D．television offers more learning chances than school
58．Which of the following questions is the major one discussed in the passage?
A．What makes television more interesting than books?
B．Why should schools put television into classrooms?
C．How can parents use television as a teaching tool?
D．Which program can actually make kids smarter?
E
What to do if you don't feel popular？
●Try to take part in activities. Call your friends. Plan to do something. The worst feeling is staying home alone, because it makes you feel even more lonely.
●Try to make new friends. Choose friends carefully, not just because you think they're popular. And remember, making good friends takes time. Choosing a popular person to be friends with is okay. If they are nice.
●Be yourself（保持独立）. If you want to become friends with someone who's popular, don't make yourself into someone you are not just to impress that person.
●Be nice. Be friendly. Be outgoing（开朗的）. But don't overdo it！Talk to trusted friends if you are feeling really bad. Or you might want to write it down in a journal（期刊）or diary.
●Do something special for yourself. You could take pictures of your friends, or collect their school pictures, and take a collage（拼贴画）to hang on your wall. This will remind（提醒）you, when you are feeling unpopular, that you really do have friends.
●Think up your own ideas. These suggestions might not work for everyone.
What to do if you have a problem with your teacher？
●Talk to your parents, or another adult who will listen to you and perhaps can help. Talk to your friends. Maybe they have had problems with the same teacher, too.
●Don't give the teacher a reason to have problems with you. Do your work, complete your task, attend the class seriously and take notes. Maybe you just need to give the teacher a chance（机会）.
●Try to find out what the problem is.
●Talk to the teacher if you feel comfortable doing this. Don't be nasty（闹别扭的）, but express your concerns（关心）. Listen to the teacher, as well.
●Just accept the fact that you're not going to love all your teachers.
72、What do we mean by saying“ not feeling popular？”
A、Not liked by our classmates or workmates. B、Not doing what we want.
C、Not showing any interest in anything. D、Not so happy.
73、What does the underlined word “overdo” mean?
A、Do something too much or in an extreme way. B、Try your best to do something.
C、Do something carefully. D、Work too hard.
74、The writer __________.
A、believes that your friend will help you out if you take their pictures
B、suggests that you discuss the reason of problem with your teacher when you feel uncomfortable
C、wants you to know that students usually hates teachers
D、is not too sure if his advice will certainly work on you
75、What's the best title of this passage？
A、Why We Have Problems at School？
B、Always be Yourself.
C、How to Handle Problems at School？
D、Don't Be Afraid of Problems With Others.
D
February has long been a month of romance. With the sweet smell of roses in the air, romantic films hit cinemas and love stories fill newspapers and magazines.
On the 14th day, it is a custom for a boy to take his girlfriend out to dinner, buy her flowers and chocolates, write poems, sing to her or even spell out her name with rose petals! This is what you see on Valentine’s Day, a day named after Valentine who was a priest in the third century Rome. When the emperor decided that single men could become better soldiers than those with wives, he didn’t allow marriage.
But Valentine continued to perform marriage ceremonies for young lovers in secret. When his actions were discovered, the emperor sentenced him to death. While in prison, it is said that Valentine fell in love with the daughter of his prison guard. Before his death, he wrote her a letter, which he signed “From your Valentine”, an expression that is still in use today. Valentine died for what he believed in and so he was made a Saint (圣徒), as well as becoming one of history’s most romantic characters.
Nowadays, Valentine’s Day is also popular among Chinese young people. Some students are planning to make Valentine’s cards for parents, teachers and friends. Others want to hold parties at which they will exchange small gifts and eat heart-shaped cakes. The idea is to have fun and encourage people to share in the spirit of St. Valentine.
68. Which of the following is not a custom for a boy to do on Valentine’s Day? A. to take his girlfriend out to dinner B. to buy his girlfriend flowers and chocolates C. to make Valentine’s cards for teachers and friends
D. to spell out his girlfriend’s name with rose petals
69. Why did the emperor in Rome not allow marriage in his country?
A. Because there were few women in his country at that time.
B. Because he thought men without wives could be better soldiers.
C. Because there wasn’t enough food for so many people.
D. Because he wanted to control the birth rate.70. Valentine was put into prison because ______.
A. he killed one of the soldiersB. he stole a lot of food
C. he didn’t obey the emperor’s order D. he didn’t want to be a soldier
71. The last paragraph mainly tells us ______.
A. students in China send cards to their teachers
B. it is a good idea to celebrate Valentine’s Day in China
C. it is interesting to celebrate Valentine’s Day in China
D. Valentine’s Day is also popular in China now
C
1970 was World Conservation（自然保护）Year. The United Nations wanted everyone to know that the world is in danger. They hoped that people would act quickly in order to conserve nature（大自然）. Here is one example of the problem. At one time there were 1,300 different plants, trees and flowers in Holland, but now only 866 remain. The others have been destroyed by modern man. It is said that there are tens of thousands of kinds of animals in the world, but now many have died out（绝种）. We are changing the earth, the air and water, and everything that grows and lives . We can't live without these things. If we continue like this, we shall destroy ourselves.
What will happen in the future？Perhaps it is more important to ask“What must we do now？”The people who will be living in the world of tomorrow are the young of today. A lot of them know that conservation is necessary. Many are helping to save our world. They plant trees, build bridges across rivers and so on. In a small town in the United States a large group of girls cleaned the banks of 11 kilometres of their river. Young people may hear about conservation through a record called“No one's going to change our world.”It was made by the Beatles, Cliff Richard and other singers. The money from it will help to conserve wild animals.
65、“No one's going to change our world”was .
A、an important book published in 1970
B、an idea that nobody would accept（接受）
C、a record calling on people to conserve nature
D、a newspaper report in 1970
66、What's the most important thing for us to do to save our world？
A、We should know what will happen in the future.
B、We should plant more trees and flowers.
C、We should clean the banks of our rivers.
D、We must do what we must do to save our world.
67、What's the main idea of the passage？
A、1970 was World Conservation Year.
B、The United Nations wanted everyone to know that the world is in danger.
C、Conservation is necessary.
D、Young people are helping to save our world.