While she may be best known for her role as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films，Emma Watson would rather be known for something else—her mind.
The 18yearold British actress intends to put her acting career on hold to pursue higher studies at a university after she finished filming the final installment，Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Watson，whose parents are both Oxford graduates，recently scored straight A's in her Alevels. She is now on a gap year before starting university.
Earlier this month，Watson applied to two of the top universities in the United States—Harvard and Yale. She admitted that Harry Potter series has brought her fame and financial security(经济保障)．She has made more than ￡ 10 million so far，but now she “has a need to study”．
“I think the entertainment business is such a temperamental one. One minute you're up there and the next—nothing，”she said.
Watson is growing up in front of millions of viewers(观众)．She was only nine years old when she started playing the role of Hermione. And the way she figured out how to deal with media attention is “try not to read too much of what is said and try to distance myself a bit from it”．
Watson has other interests. These include，interestingly，fishing and she has helped raise money for the Wild Trout(鳟鱼)Trust.Which of the following topics is not mentioned in the passage?
| A．Watson's interests. | B．Watson's intention. |
| C．Watson's success. | D．Watson's worries. |
The underlined word “temperamental” in the fifth paragraph means ________.
| A．difficult | B．different | C．changeable | D．practical |
The underlined word “it” in the sixth paragraph refers to ________.
| A．reading | B．media attention | C．playing the role of Hermione | D．the viewer |
From the passage we may infer that ________.
| A．Watson doesn't want to continue her acting |
| B．Watson felt very proud of being known as Hermione Granger |
| C．Watson hasn't read too much so far |
| D．Watson was born in a welleducated family |
First published in 2001, the book Life of Pi written by Canadian author Yann Martel won the Man Booker Prize and an Asian American Prize for Literature. It is the story of a young boy named Pi who spends 227 days at sea with a small group of animals after disaster strikes their ship and is an account of his journey of survival and hardship.
Piscine “Pi” Molitor Patel, on whom Life of Pi is based, is a young boy living in Pondicherry, India, where his father owns a zoo. The story starts when Patel’s family decide to move to Canada, along with their zoo animals for their new home.
However, because of the bad weather, the ship sinks. Pi along with an orangutan (猩猩), an injured zebra, a hyena (鬣狗) and a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker are the only survivors who take shelter in a small lifeboat. Both the injured zebra and the orangutan are soon killed and eaten by the hyena. The tiger in turn kills and eats the hyena, leaving just the two of them alone on the boat now.
In an effort to avoid being eaten by Richard Parker, Pi acts himself as the head of the group and remains safe from harm. Since he does not want the tiger to die for fear of going mad by being alone on the boat, he fishes and feeds the two of them in order to stay alive.
The life of Pi then enters its third stage when their lifeboat washes up on the shores of Mexico and the tiger escapes into a nearby forest leaving Pi alone. After the Mexicans refuse to believe Pi’s story, he changes his tale by replacing the animals with his mother, a cook and a sailor and asks the Mexicans which one they prefer. They prefer hearing the first story though they do not believe a word of it.
In my view, Life of Pi is a must read book for all those who love reading.We can learn that the book Life of Pi _____.
| A．was written in 2001 |
| B．was awarded two prizes |
| C．tells a story about friendship |
| D．is based on the author’s personal experience |
In the book Life of Pi the hyena is killed by _____.
| A．Pi |
| B．the zebra |
| C．the orangutan |
| D．Richard Parker |
How does Pi escape being eaten by the tiger?
| A．By catching fishes for the tiger. |
| B．By locking the tiger in a cage. |
| C．By being the leader of the two of them. |
| D．By fighting with the tiger. |
What happens after Pi arrives in Mexico?
| A．The tiger dies. |
| B．He tries to escape. |
| C．The Mexicans feel sorry for him. |
| D．The Mexicans doubt his experience. |
Who do you think was the most important woman of the past 100 years?
Jane Addams (1860 - 1935)
Addams helped the poor and worked for peace. She created shelters, education opportunities and services for people in need. In 1931, Addams became the first American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
Rachel Carson (1907 - 1964)
Rachel Carson was born in the rural river town of Springdale, Pennsylvania in America. The popular 1962 book “Silent Spring” by Rachel Carson made people realize the dangers and the harmful effects (影响) of pollution on humans and on the world’s lakes and oceans.
Angela Merkel (1954 - )
In 2005, Germans chose Angela Merkel as their first woman head of the country. She had been a scientist in the past. As Germany’s leader, she has had an effect on the whole world.
Sandra Day O’Connor (1930 - )
When Sandra Day O’Connor finished her class at Stanford Law School, in 1952, she could not find work because she was a woman. However, she became the first woman to join the U.S. Supreme Court (最高法院) in 1981 after years of hard work.
Margaret Thatcher (1925 - )
In 1979, Margaret Thatcher became Britain’s first woman Prime Minister (首相). She served until 1990, which made her the first British leader to serve three terms in a row. Because of her high standards and strong will, people called her Britain’s Iron Lady.
Marie Curie (1867-1934)
Polish-born scientist Marie Curie discovered that some types of metal give off energy called radiation (辐射能). Her research led to new medical treatments and arms. She received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903 and in Chemistry in 1911. Who once won the Nobel Prize?
| A．Jane Addams and Marie Curie. |
| B．Jane Addams and Margaret Thatcher. |
| C．Marie Curie and Angela Merkel. |
| D．Marie Curie and Rachel Carson. |
What do Angela Merkel and Margaret Thatcher have in common?
| A．Both of them were scientists before coming to power. |
| B．Both of them are the first woman head of their country. |
| C．Both of them are famous for being strict. |
| D．Both of them have worked for three terms. |
Who once failed to find a job?
| A．Jane Addams. | B．Sandra Day O’Connor. |
| C．Rachel Carson. | D．Margaret Thatcher. |
What would be the best title for the text?
| A．Great women | B．Famous scientists |
| C．Strong leaders | D．Ways to success for women |
The Taj Mahal (泰姬陵) is a love story, a sad and beautiful one. If it didn’t exist, we would easily imagine that the story of its construction was simply a fairy tale. Three hundred years ago, there lived an Indian emperor called Shah Jahan. His wife was a beautiful and bright woman whom he loved greatly. Her title was Mumtazl Mahan: its shortened form Taj Mahan means “pride of the palace”. In the year 1630 this beloved wife of the emperor died. He was so brokenhearted that he thought of giving up his throne. He decided out of his love for his wife, to build her the most beautiful tomb that had ever been seen.
He summoned the best artists and architects from India, Turkey, Persia and Arabia and finally, the design was complete. It took more than twenty thousand men working over a period of 18 years to build the Taj Mahan, one of the most beautiful buildings in the world.
The building itself stands on a marble platform 29 meters square and 67 meters high. Towers rise from each of the four corners. The Taj itself soars another 61 meters into the air. It is an eight-sided building made of white marble.
The emperor planned to build an identical tomb of black marble for himself on the other side of the river connected by a silver bridge. However his son put him into a prison in the palace before he could finish, and for the rest of his life, he could only gaze across river at the tomb of his beloved wife.The whole passage tells us about ______.
| A．a beautiful fairy tale |
| B．the story of the Taj Mahal |
| C．white and black marble tombs made for two emperors |
| D．the love story of Emperor Shah Jahan and his wife |
Which of the following statements is NOT true about the Taj Mahal?
| A．It was completed quickly owing to the efforts of the best artists and workers. |
| B．A lot of people took part in the building work |
| C．It is a magnificent building. |
| D．It is a tomb for the emperor’s beloved wife. |
The emperor’s own tomb was designed to be ____________.
| A．61 meters high | B．eight-sided |
| C．black-coloured | D．white-colored |
The emperor _____________.
| A．died soon after Taj Mahan died |
| B．was killed by his son |
| C．was beloved by his people |
| D．died after 1648 |
Jean Driscoll can go faster in her wheelchair than the world’s best marathoners(马拉松运动员) can run!
In April, Jean finished the Boston Marathon in 1 hour 34 minutes 22 seconds. That’s about 33 minutes faster than the winning male runner! She competed on the track, too. She was second in the 800 meter wheelchair race at the 1992 Olympics.
Jean doesn’t like to be told she’s brave. “I’m in sports because I’m a competitive person!” Jean was born with spine bifida(脊柱裂), a birth illness that damages the spine（脊椎）. She began to use a wheelchair to get around in high school. Then she tried wheelchair race and was amazed.” Players crashed into each other and fell out of their chairs,” she says, “It was fun.”
Jean tried other wheelchair sports. At the University of Illinois, her wheelchair basketball team won two national titles.
Now Jean coaches and teaches. She tries to get people to set goals.What made Jean take part in sports?
| A．She was brave. When I sign my autograph（亲笔签名）,says Jean, “I write, dream big and work hard.” |
| B．She was competitive. |
| C．She was strong. |
| D．She was disabled. |
What kind of education did she receive?
| A．High school. |
| B．Junior middle school. |
| C．High education. |
| D．Primary school. |
What is Jean’s advice on how to succeed?
| A．Work hard. |
| B．Hope for the best. |
| C．Dream a lot. |
| D．Have great wishes and work hard. |
Joker found one of the biggest diamonds in the world in his own back yard. He sold the stone to a diamond dealer for over three hundred thousand dollars. In New York, the diamond was resold. This time for almost eight hundred thousand dollars. The true value of a diamond is never known until it has been cut. Once cut successfully, its value can increase a thousand times. It’s easy to understand why the owner of the Joker diamond went to the best diamond cutter he knew, Kaplan. The cutter studied the diamond for twelve whole months.
When he felt he was ready to start work, he discovered a flaw (瑕疵). He had to begin with his calculations (计算) all over again, or he might have made the stone useless. Six more months passed, and Kaplan finally said to the owner, “I am ready to start my work. There will be one excellent diamond that will be comparable to any in the world, plus eleven small diamonds of first-class quality.” Kaplan waited a few more days until he felt he was in the best physical and mental (精神的) condition possible. He picked up his tools and held his breath as he made the first
blow. The diamond split (切开) exactly as he promised.Joker found one of the biggest diamonds in the world _______.
| A．in a minute | B．at the foot of a big mountain |
| C．in his own backyard | D．in a garage |
A diamond dealer is a person _______,
| A．in the diamond business | B．who stores diamonds |
| C．who cuts diamonds | D．who sells diamonds |
When the diamond was resold, _______.
| A．the dealer lost a lot of money |
| B．Joker made some more money |
| C．the dealer got 800,000 dollars |
| D．Kaplan got 800,000 dollars |
The owner of the diamond thought that if the diamond was cut successfully it might be worth _______.
| A．$300,000 | B．$500, 000 |
| C．$300, 000,000 | D．$800, 000, 000 |
Kaplan studied the diamond for _______.
| A．one and a half years | B．more than half a year |
| C．over eighteen months | D．more than nineteen months |