“Fire! Fire!” What terrible words to hear when one wakes up in a strange house in the middle of the night! It was a large, old, wooden house and my room was on the top floor. I jumped out of bed, opened the door and stepped outside the house. There was full of thick smoke.
I began to run, but as I was still only half-awake, instead of going towards the stairs I went in the opposite direction. The smoke grew thicker and I could see fire all around. The floor became hot under my bare feet. I found an open door and ran into a room to get to the window. But before I could reach it, one of my feet caught in something soft and I fell down. The thing I had fallen over felt like a bundle of clothes, and I picked it up to protect my face from the smoke and heat. Just then the floor gave way under me and I crashed to the floor below with pieces of burning wood all around me.
I saw a doorway in fire, then I put the bundle over my face and ran. My feet burned me terrible, but I got through. As I reached the cold air outside, my bundle of clothes gave a thin cry, I nearly dropped it in my surprise. Then I was in a crowd gathered in the street. A woman in a night-dress and a borrowed man’s coat screamed as she saw me and came running madly.
She was the Mayor’s wife, and I had saved her baby.When the fire arose in the middle of the night, the author was _______.
| A．at home | B．sleeping | C．sitting in bed | D．both A and B |
The author saved the baby _____.
| A．because he was very brave. |
| B．because he liked the baby very much. |
| C．but he just happened to save it. |
| D．because it was the Mayor’s baby. |
He ran in the wrong direction because he _______.
| A．was a stranger there | B．could see nothing |
| C．was not completely awake | D．Both A and C |
He put the bundle over his face and ran in order to ______.
| A．save the baby | B．call for help |
| C．protect his face | D．run quickly |
Form which group of words, we can learn the fire took place out of people’s surprise?
| A．old and wooden house, a bundle |
| B．crashed to, fell down |
| C．terrible, half-awake |
| D．bare feet, a borrowed man’s coat |
A new collection of photos brings an unsuccessful Antarctic voyage back to life.
Frank Hurley's pictures would be outstanding----undoubtedly first-rate photo-journalism---if they had been made last week. In fact, they were shot from 1914 through 1916, most of them after a disastrous shipwreck(海滩), by a cameraman who had no reasonable expectation of survival. Many of the images were stored in an ice chest, under freezing water, in the damaged wooden ship.
The ship was the Endurance, a small, tight, Norwegian-built three-master that was intended to take Sir Ernest Shackleton and a small crew of seamen and scientists, 27 men in all, to the southernmost shore of Antarctica's Weddell Sea. From that point Shackleton wanted to force a passage by dog sled(雪橇) across the continent. The journey was intended to achieve more than what Captain Robert Falcon Scott had done. Captain Scott had reached the South Pole early in 1912 but had died with his four companions on the march back.
As writer Caroline Alexander makes clear in her forceful and well-researched story The Endurance, adventuring was even then a thoroughly commercial effort. Scott's last journey, completed as be lay in a tent dying of cold and hunger, caught the world's imagination, and a film made in his honor drew crowds. Shackleton, a onetime British merchant-navy officer who had got to within 100 miles of the South Pole in 1908, started a business before his 1914 voyage to make money from movie and still photography. Frank Hurley, a confident and gifted Australian photographer who knew the Antarctic, was hired to make the images, most of which have never before been published.
13. What do we know about the photos taken by Hurley?
| A． |
They were made last week |
| B． |
They showed undersea sceneries |
| C． |
They were found by a cameraman |
| D． |
They recorded a disastrous adventure |
14. Who reached the South Pole first according to the text?
| A． |
Frank Hurley |
B． |
Ernest Shackleton |
| C． |
Robert Falcon Scott |
D． |
Caroline Alexander |
15. What does Alexander think was the purpose of the 1914 voyage?
| A． |
Artistic creation |
B． |
Scientific research |
| C． |
Money making |
D． |
Treasure hunting |
Reading can be a social activity. Think of the people who belong to book groups. They choose books to read and then meet to discuss them. Now, the website BookCrossing.comturns the page on the traditional idea of a book group.
Members go on the site and register the books they own and would like to share. BookCrossing provides an identification number to stick inside the book. Then the person leaves it in a public place, hoping that the book will have an adventure, traveling far and wide with each new reader who finds it.
Bruce Pederson, the managing director of BookCrossing, says, "The two things that change your life are the people you meet and books you read. BookCrossing combines both."
Members leave books on park benches and buses, in train stations and coffee shops. Whoever finds their book will go to the site and record where they found it.
People who find a book can also leave a journal entry describing what they thought of it. E-mails are then sent to the BookCrossing to keep them updated about where their books have been found. Bruce peterson says the idea is for people not to be selfish by keeping a book to gather dust on a shelf at home.
BookCrossing is part of a trend among people who want to get back to the "real" and not the virtual(虚拟). The site now has more than one million members in more than one hundred thirty-five countries.
9. Why does the author mention book groups in the first paragraph?
| A． |
To explain what they are. |
| B． |
To introduce BookCrossing. |
| C． |
To stress the importance of reading. |
| D． |
To encourage readers to share their ideas. |
10. What does the underlined word "it" in Paragraph 2refer to?
| A． |
The book. |
B． |
An adventure. |
| C． |
A public place. |
D． |
The identification number. |
11. What will a BookCrosser do with a book after reading it?
| A． |
Meet other readers to discuss it. |
B． |
Keep it safe in his bookcase. |
| C． |
Pass it on to another reader. |
D． |
Mail it back to its owner. |
12. What is the best title for the text?
| A． |
Online Reading: A Virtual Tour |
B． |
Electronic Books: A new Trend |
| C． |
A Book Group Brings Tradition Back |
D． |
A Website Links People through Books |
Five years ago, when I taught art at a school in Seattle, I used Tinkertoys as a test at the beginning of a term to find out something about my students. I put a small set of Tinkertoys in front of each student, and said:"Make something out of the Tinkertoys. You have 45 minutes today - and 45minutes each day for the rest of the week."
A few students hesitated to start. They waited to see the rest of the class would do. Several others checked the instructions and made something according to one of the model plans provided. Another group built something out of their own imaginations.
Once I had a boy who worked experimentally with Tinkertoys in his free time. His constructions filled a shelf in the art classroom and a good part of his bedroom at home. I was delighted at the presence of such a student. Here was an exceptionally creative mind at work. His presence meant that I had an unexpected teaching assistant in class whose creativity would infect(感染) other students.
Encouraging this kind of thinking has a downside . I ran the risk of losing those students who had a different style of thinking. Without fail one would declare, "But I'm just not creative."
"Do you dream at night when you're asleep?"
"Oh, sure."
"So tell me one of your most interesting dreams." The student would tell something wildly imaginative. Flying in the sky or in a time machine or growing three heads. "That's pretty creative. Who does that for you?"
"Nobody. I do it."
"Really-at night, when you're asleep?"
"Sure."
"Try doing it in the daytime, in class, okay?"
5. The teacher used Tinkertoys in class in order to ________?
| A． |
know more about the students |
B． |
make the lessons more exciting |
| C． |
raise the students' interest in art |
D． |
teach the students about toy design |
6. What do we know about the boy mentioned in Paragraph 3?
| A． |
He liked to help his teacher. |
B． |
He preferred to study alone. |
| C． |
He was active in class. |
D． |
He was imaginative. |
7. What does the underlined word "downside" in Paragraph 4 probably mean?
| A． |
Mistake. |
B． |
Drawback. |
| C． |
Difficulty. |
D． |
Burden. |
8. Why did the teacher ask the students to talk about their dreams?
| A． |
To help them to see their creativity. |
B． |
To find out about their sleeping habits. |
| C． |
To help them to improve their memory. |
D． |
To find out about their ways of thinking. |
What's On?
Electric Underground
7.30pm－1.00am Free at the Cyclops Theatre
Do you know who's playing in your area? We're bringing you an evening of live rock and pop music from the best local bands. Are you interested in becoming a musician and getting a recording contract(合同)? If so, come early to the talk at 7.30pm by Jules Skye, a successful record producer. He's going to talk about how you can find the right person to produce you music.
Gee Whizz
8.30pm-10.30pm Comedy at Kaleidoscope
Come and see Gee Whizz perform. He's the funniest stand-up comedian on the comedy scene. This joyful show will please everyone, from the youngest to the oldest. Gee Whizz really knows how to make you laugh! Our bar is open from 7.00pm for drinks and snacks(快餐).
Simon's Workshop
5.00pm-7.30pm Wednesdays at Victoria Stage
This is a good chance for anyone who wants to learn how to do comedy. The workshop looks at every kind of comedy, and practices many different ways of making people laugh. Simon is a comedian and actor who has 10 years' experience of teaching comedy. His workshops are exciting and fun. An evening with Simon will give you the confidence to be funny.
Charlotte Stone
8.00pm-11.00pm Pizza World
Fine food with beautiful jazz music; this is a great evening out. Charlotte Stone will perform songs from her new best-selling CD, with James Pickering on the piano. The menu is Italian, with excellent meat and fresh fish, pizzas and pasta(面食). Book early to get a table. Our bar is open all day, and serves cocktails, coffee, beer, and white wine.
Who can help you if you want to have your music produced?
| A． |
Jules Skye. |
B． |
Gee Whizz. |
| C． |
Charlotte Stone. |
D． |
James Pickering. |
2. At which place can people of different ages enjoy a good laugh?
| A． |
The Cyclops Theatre |
B． |
Kaleidoscope |
| C． |
Victoria Stage |
D． |
Pizza World |
3. What do we know about Simon's Workshop?
| A． |
It requires membership status. |
B． |
It lasts three hours each time. |
| C． |
It is run by a comedy club. |
D． |
It is held every Wednesday. |
4. When will Charlotte Stone perform her songs?
| A． |
5.00pm-7.30pm. |
B． |
7.30pm－1.00am. |
| C． |
8.00pm-11.00pm. |
D． |
8.30pm-10.30pm. |
The meaning of silence varies among cultural groups. Silences may be thoughtful, or they may be empty when a person has nothing to say. A silence in a conversation may also show stubbornness, or worry. Silence may be viewed by some cultural groups as extremely uncomfortable; therefore attempts may be made to fill every gap(间隙)with conversation. Persons in other cultural groups value silence and view it as necessary for understanding a
person's needs.
Many Native Americans value silence and feel it is a basic part of communicating among people, just as some
traditional Chinese and Thai persons do. Therefore, when a person from one of these cultures is speaking and
suddenly stops, what maybe implied(暗示) is that the person wants the listener to consider what has been said before continuing. In these cultures, silence is a call for reflection.
Other cultures may use silence in other ways, particularly when dealing with conflicts among people or in relationships of people with different amounts of power. For example, Russian, French, and Spanish persons may use silence to show agreement between parties about the topic under discussion. However, Mexicans may use silence when instructions are given by a person in authority rather than be rude to that person by arguing with him or her. In still another use, persons in Asian cultures may view silence as a sign of respect, particularly to an elder or a person in authority.
Nurses and other care-givers need to be aware of the possible meanings of silence when they come across the personal anxiety their patients may be experiencing. Nurses should recognize their own personal and cultural construction of silence so that a patient's silence is not interrupted too early or allowed to go on unnecessarily. A nurse who understands the healing(治愈) value of silence can use this understanding to assist in the care of patients from their own and from other cultures.
What does the author say about silence in conversations?
| A． |
It implies anger. |
| B． |
It promotes friendship. |
| C． |
It is culture-specific. |
| D． |
It is content-based. |
Which of the following people might regard silence as a call for careful thought?
| A． |
The Chinese. |
| B． |
The French. |
| C． |
The Mexicans. |
| D． |
The Russians. |
What does the author advise nurses to do about silence?
| A． |
Let it continue as the patient pleases. |
| B． |
Break it while treating patients. |
| C． |
Evaluate its harm to patients. |
| D． |
Make use of its healing effects. |
What may be the best title for the text?
| A． |
Sound and Silence |
| B． |
What It Means to Be Silent |
| C． |
Silence to Native Americans |
| D． |
Speech Is Silver; Silence Is Gold |