The success of Pickwick Papers made Dickens very popular. He suddenly found himself at twenty-four the most famous novelist of his day. Busy as his social life was, he worked on two novels at the same time－Oliver Twist and Pickwick Papers. He was particularly proud of Pickwick, which was a huge success and was regarded as a comedy (喜剧)masterpiece(杰作). “If I were to live a hundred years and write novels in each, I should never be so proud of any of them as I am proud of Pickwick Papers,” he said.
It has been said of Dickens that he grasped（抓住）the imagination of his readers because his imagination grasped himself. The people in his works were so real that they could make him laugh or cry. When writing Oliver Twist he said that he could not rest until Fagin, the wrongdoer(做坏事的人), had been hanged.
Dickens’ marriage to Catherine Hagarth, with whom he had nine children, ended unhappily in 1858. He started to travel about giving readings of his works. His interest in theater gave his novels the qualities that made them suitable for reading aloud on the stage. A tiring travel to the United States affected his health. On June 9, 1870, when he was working on a new novel, he died, as he had wished. He said he wanted to die working. Dickens became a famous novelist .
| A．because his social work |
| B．with the success of Pickwick Papers |
| C．because he was writing two novels at the same time |
| D．when he began to give readings of his works |
According to this passage, we know that Dickens .
| A．was only interested in writing novels |
| B．didn’t like Oliver Twist |
| C．wished to live one hundred years and write three novels in each |
| D．didn’t think he could write a better novel than Pick wick Papers in his life |
Fagin must be .
| A．a person in real life |
| B．a character in Oliver Twist |
| C．a character in Pickwick Papers |
| D．one of Dickens’ works |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．Dickens had a happy marriage to Catherine Hagarth |
| B．Dickens was a successful actor |
| C．Dickens’ death had little to do with his hard work |
| D．Dickens had wished to die in the course of his work |
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。
My husband, my four-month-old daughter and I set out on a five-day driving journey from California to Washington. We had to stop frequently because our little child needed to stretch from the car seat.
One of our stops, once we crossed the Oregon border, was at a Black Bear Diner. Walking towards the front door we noticed a gentleman standing at one side. He was clearly untidy, without shoes and wearing worn clothing. We passed right by him and opened the restaurant door. Then something told me to go back.
Holding my daughter, I turned around and said to the gentleman, “Sir. Are you hungry?” He said, “Yes.” I then asked, “May we buy you something to eat?” He responded with, “Sure, I can order something myself.”
My husband opened the door and the gentleman went straight to the counter. I told him to order whatever he wanted. The manager of the restaurant came over quite quickly and looked frightened. I spoke before he had an opportunity to. “This gentleman will have lunch with us today,” I said. “Please add his order to our bill.” The manager said with a frown(皱眉), “Okay.” We turned to our table and the gentleman said, loudly and quickly, “Thank You!” We were seated and upon completing our meal we were handed our bill. I asked my husband what the gentleman had ordered. One fresh orange juice, one coffee, one breakfast combination with a side of hash browns.
When we left the restaurant I looked for the gentleman but didn’t see him, but that very small act just made my day. I hope in some small way we were able to add some joy to his life, even if only for a few minutes. From the appearance of the gentleman, we can guess he was probably a(n) _____.
| A．waiter | B．actor | C．beggar | D．worker |
The manager of the restaurant looked frightened because _____.
| A．the man was not friendly |
| B．the man had stolen something from the restaurant |
| C．he had fired the man before |
| D．he was afraid the man wouldn’t afford to pay the food |
From the passage, we can infer the man _____.
| A．was thankful for their kind act |
| B．felt ashamed and went away |
| C．was hungry and ate a lot of food |
| D．was too proud to accept their offer |
The phrase “made my day” in the last paragraph probably means ______.
| A．wasted my money | B．made me very happy |
| C．made me feel sorry | D．moved me deeply |
The iPhone, the iPad: each of Apple’s products sounds cool and has become a fad(一时的风尚). Apple has cleverly taken advantage of the power of the letter “i” –-- and many other brands are following it. The BBC’s iPlayer --- which allows Web users to watch TV programs on the Internet ---used the title in 2008. A lovely bear --- popular in the US and UK --- that plays music and video is called “iTeddy”. A slimmed-down version(简装本) of London’s Independent newspaper was started last week under the name “i”.
In general, single-letter prefixes(前缀) have been popular since the 1990s, when terms such as e-mail and e-commerce(电子商务) first came into use.
Most “i” products are targeted at （针对）young people and considering the major readers of Independent’s “i”, it’s no surprise that they’ve selected this fashionable name.
But it’s hard to see what’s so special about the letter “i”. Why not use “a”, “b”, or “c” instead? According to Tony Thorne, head of the Language Center at King’s College, London, “i” works because its meaning has become ambiguous. When Apple uses “i”, no one knows whether it means Internet, information, individual or interactive, Thorne told BBC Magazines. “Even when Apple created the iPod, it seems it didn’t have one clear definition（定义）,” he says.
“However, thanks to Apple, the term is now connected with portability (轻便) .”adds Thorne.
Clearly the letter “i” also agrees with the idea that the Western World is centered on the individual. Each person believes they have their own needs, and we love personalized products for this reason.
Along with “Google” and “blog”, readers of BBC Magazines voted “i” as one of the top 20 words that have come to define the last decade(十年).
But as history shows, people grow tired of fads. From the 1900s to 1990s, products with “2000” in their names became fashionable as the year was connected with all things advanced and modern. However, as we entered the new century, the fashion disappeared. People use iPlayer to __________.
| A．listen to music | B．make a call |
| C．watch TV programs online | D．read newspapers |
The underlined word “ambiguous” means “__________”.
| A．popular | B．uncertain | C．clear | D．unique |
Nowadays, the “i” term often reminds people of the products which are __________.
| A．portable | B．environmentally friendly |
| C．advanced | D．recyclable |
The writer suggests that __________.
| A．“i” products are often of high quality |
| B．I Teddy is alive bear |
| C．the letter “b” replaces letter “i” to name the products |
| D．the popularity of “i” products may not last long |
Reading is very important to help you learn English. To learn as much as you can from reading, you need to read different kinds of English. This book provides not only different kinds of English but also a good way to check your reading ability.
There are four parts in the book:
Part 1 is Messages: In this part somebody wants to give information in writing to somebody else. There is a test on timetables and a test on text messages.
Part 2 is People: In this part all the tests are about people. For example, there is an informal letter between friends. There is formal ( 正式的) English in biography ( 传记). There is a job application as a model to help with your writing, as well as testing your reading.
Part 3 is Places: In this part, too many different kinds of English are shown, some informal and some formal. There is the informal English of a holiday postcard. There is also the formal English in a letter of complaint.
Part 4 is Things: You will find some descriptive writing in this part. There are descriptions of clothes and of a computer.
You can do these tests in any order you like, or you can do all the tests with a formal or informal text. I enjoyed writing this book and I hope you enjoy using it. We can find the introduction to a product in ______,
| A．Part 1 | B．Part 2 | C．Part 3 | D．Part 4 |
The passage is most probably written for _____.
| A．test designers | B．students |
| C．parents | D．teachers |
What is the best title of the book?
| A．Test Your Reading |
| B．Help with Your Writing |
| C．Learn Different Kinds of English |
| D．Practice English in Different Ways |
What is the hottest topic at your school recently? In Taiyuan No. 55 Middle School, it’s money.
The school held an activity called “making money” last weekend. About 200 Junior 1 and Junior 2 students were divided into 30 teams. They went out to make money by selling things.
What did they choose to sell? Some sold newspapers; some chose bottled water; some sold environmentally friendly shopping bags and bamboo baskets.
Hu Qing’s team decided to sell some useful books in front of the Children Activity Center. They thought parents would like to buy the books for their children. But unfortunately, they met urban management officers (城管). The officers asked them to leave. “We played hide-and-seek (捉迷藏) with the officers for the whole morning” said Hu. “Finally we had to give up.”
Wang Bing and her team sold ice cream in a square. They didn’t meet any officers. But few people were interested in what they were selling. The team then put up a board saying “For Country Kids”. It worked. More people came to their stall (小摊). A foreigner even gave them 100 yuan. “He didn’t want any change. He said he wanted to help the children,” said Wang. “We were touched.” Later that day they gave the 100 yuan and more to the “Project Hope” office.
Meng Zhaoxiang and his team were luckier. They sold all their cakes in four hours, spending 39.5 yuan and getting back 80 yuan. They made 40.5 yuan. “It was not easy to make the money,” said Meng. “Some people just looked. Others just tasted but didn’t buy. Now I know how hard it is for our parents to make the money we need to lead happy lives.”______ took part in the activity.
| A．Some teachers |
| B．About 200 of Junior 1 and Junior 2 students |
| C．About 200 students of the three grades |
| D．About200 Junior 1 students |
Hu Qing’s team finally gave up because ______.
| A．the parents didn’t like to buy the books |
| B．the Children Activity Center was too crowded |
| C．the officers didn’t allow them to sell anything there |
| D．the team played the game of the hide-and-seek the whole morning |
Why did more people come to Wang Bing’s stall at last?
| A．The people were willing to help country kids. |
| B．A foreigner came up and helped them. |
| C．The team put up a magic board. |
| D．The people were interested in their ice cream. |
According to the passage the students learn ______.
A. it’s impossible for them to make money
B. it’s very important for them to make a living
C. it’s not easy for their parents to make money
I have many new teachers in high school, but Lori Runkle, my English Language and Composition teacher, is my favorite teacher.
Ms. Runkle enjoys getting to know more about students, so I have many chances to talk with her after class. I have always wanted to become a journalist (新闻记者). Since Ms. Runkle used to be a journalist back in the United States, she has introduced many helpful journalistic writing skills to me.
Although she is my teacher, Ms. Runkle and I are more like friends. She often invites my classmates and me to take part in different activities outdoors. For example, I went to listen to a journalist’s speech, which helped me better understand current events (时事).
Not only does Ms. Runkle talk with me outside of school, she is also a great teacher in the classroom. English Language and Composition is a really hard subject for a second language learner. We felt worried in the beginning, but Ms. Runkle really makes an effort to help us out. In class, Ms. Runkle always encourages students to question everything to keep us active. One part of class I love the most is when groups of students are requested to give speeches on events that are happening in the world. It requires a lot of deep thinking and I really learn quite a lot from it.
I love Ms. Runkle very much. She not only helps me to get good scores, but also acts as a good friend and always gives me advice on life.After class, the author ____________.
| A．seldom sees Ms. Runkle |
| B．talks with Ms. Runkle quite a lot |
| C．enjoys introducing Ms. Runkle to her friends |
| D．often invites Ms. Runkle to different activities |
We can infer (推断) from the passage that Ms. Runkle is ___________ .
| A．friendly and helpful | B．kind and humorous |
| C．clever and active | D．strict and boring |
The author’s favorite part of Ms. Runkle’s class is when Ms. Runkle ___________ .
| A．tells them how to get good scores |
| B．asks them questions about the world |
| C．asks them to describe current events |
| D．tells them about events that are happening |
What is the author’s purpose of writing this passage?
| A．To express how much she misses Ms Runkle. |
| B．To look back on her special high school life. |
| C．To describe an unforgettable teacher. |
| D．To show what makes a good teacher. |