Mark Twain is a name not usually connected with Broadway(百老汇), but now his play “Is He Dead” will receive its first public performance on November 29.
“Is He Dead” was written by Mark Twain in 1898 but was never performed. It was rediscovered in 2002 by Shelley Fisher Fishkin, an English professor and director of the American Studies Program at Stanford University. It was published the following year by the University of California Press.
The story is about a group of poor artists who fake the death of their friend in order to increase the value of his work.
“Is He Dead” is set in France in the 1840s and centers on the French painter Jean-Francois Millet. “Millet was probably the most popular European painter in the United States in Twain’s lifetime,” Fishkin said in a telephone interview. “Americans greatly admired him because he focused on the life of the common man and the common woman.”
According to Fishkin, “Is He Dead” is a satire(讽刺) about how value is created in the art world. Twain wrote the play when he was coming out of the hardest time of his life.What’s “Is He Dead” about?
| A．The death of a poor artist in the 1840s. |
| B．A trick played by a group of poor artists. |
| C．A story about the French painter Jean-Francois Millet. |
| D．An experience Mark Twain had gone through. |
From the second paragraph we learn that ______.
| A．the play was one of Mark Twain’s early works |
| B．no one knew the play until 2002 |
| C．Fishkin is an expert on Mark Twain’s works |
| D．the play was published in 2002 |
According to Fishkin, Jean-Francois Millet was admired by Americans because ____.
| A．he was a famous French painter at that time |
| B．he focused on the life of ordinary Americans |
| C．his works showed respect for ordinary people |
| D．Mark Twain agreed on his thoughts |
We can infer from the passage that Mark Twain ______.
| A．had experienced several difficult times for no money |
| B．was a good novelist but a bad playwright(剧作家) |
| C．was a writer who only cared about ordinary people’s life |
| D．was dissatisfied with some methods of creating the value of art work |
It is amazing to note that the Internet is still such a new device，and yet it is one of the fastest and most powerful media tools．But think about it for a moment．On the Internet，a big online company can be run by two guys out of their garage．So it is only reasonable that people shopping on the Net would be a little leery of the security levels．
Internet giants such as Microsoft knew consumer confidence was the key to getting virtual(虚拟) shopping off the ground，and they work hard to make people feel safe to shop online．
Credit card companies，too，quickly saw the potential for Internet shopping，and have installed things like online shopping insurance for people．If you ever have a problem with your online credit purchases，many credit card companies will happily refund(返还) your money and then set their claws on the company that wronged you．Now that’s buying power！
There are other bonuses for online shoppers，of course．No line-ups，for one．No annoying mall shopping carts with broken wheels and kids crying because their parents won’t get them what they want．
When shopping online，consumers can sit down，have a coffee，and wear their slippers，not have to worry about their hair or parking and just click through sale after sale．Comparison shopping couldn’t be any easier．And thanks to courier companies（速递公司）getting in on the act，you never need wait longer than a day or two to get those all important purchases delivered right to your door．
No wonder so many companies are shaking their heads at traditional advertising and instead looking to the “virtual” world to attract online shoppers．The underlined word “leery” means__________．
| A．satisfied | B．distrustful |
| C．hopeful | D．sad |
________leads to consumers’ trust in online shopping．
| A．Shopping law |
| B．Shopping convenience |
| C．Internet access |
| D．Shopping security |
Which group of words would the writer use to describe current Internet shopping？
| A．Adventurous，enjoyable，fast，unreal |
| B．Unsafe，cheap，slow，convenient |
| C．Reliable，popular，convenient，slow |
| D．Safe，convenient，fast，comfortable |
The following are thought to have made contributions to the popularity of online shopping EXCEPT_________．
| A．internet companies |
| B．courier companies |
| C．advertising companies |
| D．credit card companies |
Unexpectedly，I lost my white iPhon5s in Midtown on Friday night，．It had a blue green cover on it．There are many pictures of my son on it，and I’m heartbroken，Please return，no questions asked．Reward．Reply to：-2652255359@craigslist．org
Do you need a babysitter that you can trust？
My name is Tina．I am a responsible babysitter that you can trust．If you are looking for someone dependable and affordable I am that person！I HAVE MORE THAN 30 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE（including disabled children）！I am a retired Home Health Aid and absolutely love children．I work with my sister Iris who has also 20+years as a teacher’s assistant．WE LOOK FORWARD TO MEETINC YOU！Available 24 hours and flexible with fees！I am fully bilingual—Spanish/English．Please email me or call 712-867-7688．
I BABYSIT ONLY AT MY HOME．
I accept children from all ages．Fee starts from $100-$150 a week depending on the hours．
I am very flexible and my fee can change．Feel free to contact me via email or on my cell phone 566-67-1873 and we can work something out．
Part-time Chinese Babysitter Wanted
Part-time Chinese speaking babysitter needed to assist with one-year-old twins and to perform some light house work as needed．Assistance needed Fridays and occasional weekends．Please provide your salary expectation．College students are welcome to apply．
Reply to:comm-encbq-2652113885 @craigslist．orgWho posted the lost and found information？
| A．A mother |
| B．A kind woman |
| C．A heartbroken girl |
| D．A parent |
If you want to send your kids to the babysitter’s home，you can find one in______．
| A．Ad 1 | B．Ad 2 |
| C．Ad 3 | D．Ad 4 |
What do we know about Tina？
| A．She can speak two languages |
| B．She lives alone now |
| C．She takes care of children over 3 |
| D．She used to be a teacher’s assistant |
An applicant accepted by Ad 5 will have to_________．
| A．be able to speak two languages |
| B．be a college graduate |
| C．work every weekend |
| D．look after two children |
As we know，many teen celebrities(名人) feel and think that having a slimmer figure can do great good to them．But，does size really matter？Are teenage fans trying hard to become like their celebrity idols(偶像)？Do celebrities really have the power to influence people，especially teenagers？
For the longest time，many parents blame teen idols for influencing the way their kids act．Have you noticed how teens idolize the celebrities these days？Even，their personal affairs are being followed by kids these days．Take for example the case of Lindsay Lohan of Mary Kate Ashley．They are definitely famous teen stars．But，since they are trying to project an image to satisfy a lot of people in show business，their health and body suffer．Many kids are aware of this problem．But they are easily influenced by these celebrities to exercise and eat less．
It is a fact that the media，and especially famous teen celebrities，can influence people powerfully．But teenagers are easily influenced because teenage years are the period when our personality and identity developments take place．Teens watching TV shows and reading magazines are easily pulled into the dieting and harmful eating habits because the media have some ways to pull these acts．They use thin models and celebrities to endorse(做广告宣传) products or to star in an up-and –coming shows or movies．With fierce competition，celebrities are forced to eat less and do extreme exercise routines to get the roles or offers that come their way．
Living in today’s time and generation is a bit disturbing to a lot of parents．Media，especially as well as the celebrities，have a very powerful influence to drive teenagers to good or bad．It’s good that we can control ourselves to avoid bad things from happening．If not，parents should really be aware and guide their teens to determine what’s in ad what’s out．From the passage we can find Lindsay Lohan_________．
| A．lives an unhealthy lifestyle |
| B．lives a rich and happy life |
| C．doesn’t get any exercise |
| D．sets a good example for teenagers |
According to the writer，why are teenagers easily influenced by some TV shows？
| A．They are tired of school． |
| B．Their celebrity idols appear in many TV shows． |
| C．They’re in their development period． |
| D．They have nothing to do in their spare time |
Many celebrities have to be on diet__________．
| A．to keep healthy to face competition |
| B．to survive under pressure |
| C．to keep a slim size |
| D．to satisfy their teenage fans |
What’s the title of the passage？
| A．Parents’ responsibilities |
| B．Advice on self-control |
| C．Bad influences of celebrities |
| D．Media’s bad influences |
Maybe you don’t think animals have certain mental powers which human beings do not have．But the truth is that some of them have instincts，and besides this，I am sure they can feel certain things we humans cannot．A personal experience showed me this．
Some years ago，I had a dog named Howard．From the time when he was a puppy，he was timid，so we named him Howard，sounding like “coward”！He was especially afraid of thunderstorms．At the first flash of lightning or crash of thunder，he would run whining into his house and hide under a table．
I often went for a walk with Howard．Once，as we were walking along a road，it began to rain．I quickly ran to a bus stop for shelter．The bus stop had a roof supported by metal poles．Soon after I had got there，Howard caught my trousers in his teeth and tried to pull me away．At first I was puzzled and a little angry at his behavior．But I decided to humor him and walked away from the shelter into the rain and started to go home．
When I was about two hundred metres from the shelter，there came a flash of lightning and soon after，there was thunder which nearly deafened me．Howard stopped walking and began whining．Thinking he was afraid，I bent to pick him up．As I straightened up，I glanced at the bus shelter we had just left．I was shocked to see that two of the poles were bent and the roof was lying on the ground，broken．The shelter had been struck by the bolt of lightning！The author named his dog Howard mainly because of_______．
| A．his timid characteristic |
| B．one of the author’s friends Howard |
| C．his loud sound |
| D．his strange behaviors |
The reason why the author was puzzled and angry with the dog was that_______．
| A．Howard had a strange behavior |
| B．Howard should be afraid of the metal poles |
| C．Howard should know the approaching of the terrible lightning |
| D．Howard bit his trousers in his teeth |
Which of the following is true according to the passage？
| A．Dogs are cleverer and better than men． |
| B．Dogs are usually afraid of thunderstorms． |
| C．Some animals can feel certain things humans cannot． |
| D．Dogs are naturally born heroes． |
What can be inferred about the bus shelter from the passage？
| A．It was about 200 meters from the author’s home． |
| B．It was destroyed in a rainy day． |
| C．Its roof was supported by wood poles． |
| D．It could produce blinding flash of lightning． |
Man still has a lot to learn about the most powerful and complex part of his body — the brain.
It may be surprising to learn that it isn’t age that makes you lose your memory. The reason could be that you have a "lazy" memory, not an old one. Like your body your memory improves with exercise. Once given plenty of exercise, the brain keeps its power. Before discussing how to improve the memory, let’s look at how the brain works. There are two sides to the brain, the left and the right. The right side deals with the senses (what we see, hear, feel and smell). It's the creative and imaginative side. The left side is concerned with logic. It analyzes information and puts it in order.
Some recent research suggests that we remember everything that happens to us. The problem most of us has is recalling events. Most forgetting takes place immediately after learning. An hour after learning something new, more than 50% has been forgotten. After a month, 80% has been forgotten, and so on.
This shows revision is very important. If you revise new material you have learnt, you remember much more. So it's of vital importance to revise newly learned material often, and have frequent breaks. We best remember what we learn at the beginning of a learning period and at the point where we stop. After the break, revise what was learned before the break and then continue learning the new material. These breaks should happen every 20 or 45 minutes.
Other experiments have shown the brain needs time to "digest" what has been learned. The time necessary for this is 5 to 10 minutes. After the break, the memory will have absorbed what it has just learned, and more will be remembered. During this period it is important to exercise the right side of the brain, because the left side is used during the learning period. Therefore you should relax. Listening to music, breathing in fresh air, and looking at a picture are all ways of using the other side of the brain. So when you are studying alone, make a plan which shows when to have breaks and to revise newly learned material immediately before you begin studying again. If you do in this way, your memory will improve.According to the text, you lose your memory by ________.
| A．getting too old | B．hardly using your brain |
| C．working too hard | D．using your brain too much |
To fight forgetting effectively, we're advised to ________.
| A．go back to what was learned regularly |
| B．break down materials into small pieces |
| C．focus on both ends of a learning period |
| D．take breaks to give the brain a good rest |
During the learning process the brain need breaks to ________.
| A．use the right side of the brain |
| B．revise newly learnt materials |
| C．take in what has been learnt |
| D．relax the left side of the brain |
Where is this text most probably taken from?
| A．Science fictions. | B．Students’ literature. |
| C．An advertisement. | D．A science report. |