“Well, what did I say?Buck’s a real fighter, all right,” said Francois the next morning when he discovered that Spitz had disappeared and that Buck was covered in blood.
“Spitz fought like a wolf,” said Perrault, as he looked at the bites all over Buck.
“And Buck fought like ten wolves,” answered Francois. “And we'll travel faster now. No more Spitz,no more trouble.”
Francois started to harness the dogs. He needed a new lead-dog, and decided that Solleks was the best dog that he had. But Buck jumped at Solleks and took his place.
“Look at Buck!” said Francois,laughing. “He's killed Spitz,and now he wants to be lead-dog.Go away, Buck!”
He pulled Buck away and tried to harness Solleks again.Solleks was unhappy too. He was frightened of Buck, and when Francois turned his back,Buck took Solleks’ place again. Now Francois was angry.
“I'll show you! ” he cried,and went to get a heavy club from the sledge.
Buck remembered the man in the red coat,and moved away. This time,when Solleks was harnessed as lead-dog,Buck did not try to move in.He kept a few meters away and circled around Francois carefully. But when Francois called him to his old place in front of Dave, Buck refused.He had won his fight with Spitz and he wanted to be lead-dog.
For an hour the two men tried to harness him.Buck did not run away,but he did not let them catch him.Finally,Francois sat down,and Perrault looked at his watch.It was getting late. The two men looked at one another and smiled. Francois walked up to Solleks,took off his harness, led him back and harnessed him in his old place.Then he called Buck. All the other dogs were harnessed and the only empty place was now the one at the front. But Buck did not move.
“Put down the club,” said Perrault.
Francois dropped the club, and immediately Buck came up to the front of the team.Francois harnessed him, and in a minute the sledge was moving.
Buck was an excellent leader. He moved and thought quickly and led the other dogs well. A new leader made no difference to Dave and Solleks; they continued to pull hard.But the other dogs had had an easy life when Spitz was leading.They were surprised when Buck made them work hard and punished them for their mistakes. Pike,the second dog,was usually lazy;but by the end of the first day he was pulling harder than he had ever pulled in his life. The first night in camp Buck fought Joe,another difficult dog,and after that there were no more problems with him.The team started to pull together,and to move faster and faster.
“I've never seen a dog like Buck!” cried Francois, “Never! He's worth a thousand dollars. What do you think, Perrault? ”
Perrault agreed.They were moving quickly,and covering more ground every day. The snow was good and hard,and no new snow fell.The temperature dropped to 45°C below zero, and didn't change.
This time there was more ice on the Thirty Mile River, and they crossed in a day.Some days they ran a hundred kilometers,or even more. They reached Skagway in fourteen days; the fastest time ever.The writer mentioned “the man in the red coat” in the passage to show that____.
A.the man in the red coat once beat Buck severely with a club. |
B.Buck remembered Francois was the man in the red coat. |
C.the man in the red was quite friendly to Buck in his memory. |
D.Buck remembered Francois was a friend of the man in the red coat. |
Why did Buck fight Joe the first night in camp?
A.He wanted to get rid of Joe. |
B.He wanted to make some trouble. |
C.He was interested in fighting with others. |
D.He wanted to teach Joe a lesson. |
According to the passage, which of the following is true about the other dogs?
A.Dave stood in the second position in the team. |
B.Joe was always quite lazy in the team. |
C.Pike was a trouble-maker in the team. |
D.Solleks was hard-working in the team. |
What did Francois think of Buck at the end of the passage?
A.annoying | B.admirable | C.aggressive | D.average |
Which of the following best shows that Buck was an excellent leader?
A.He killed Spitz at the beginning of the story. |
B.He punished them for their mistakes. |
C.He fought Joe the first night in camp. |
D.They reached Skagway in the fastest time ever. |
Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A.The Fight with Dogs | B.The New Lead-dog | C.A Dog Called Buck | D.A Real Fighter |
Prison Break is a huge hit thanks to its handsome star, Wentworth Miller. His character, Michael Scofield, is the engine that drives the show.
Having committed a crime to get into prison and break out with his innocent brother, Michael Scofield is one of the most interesting personalities on TV today. But what about the man behind the character?
Miller,35, is a hard guy to figure out. He does not come from a normal background and has never lived his life in a typical way.
Miller didn’t take direct path to fame and fortune. He graduated from Princeton University in 1995, not with a degree in theatre of film, but in English. He didn’t even act when he was in college. His only performance experience was in his university’s singing group. Yet , at graduation Miller still decided to make the move to Hollywood.
Miller has always been different. Although he is American, he was in Britain when his father was studying there. His family background is also a special mix of cultures. “My father is black and my mother is white. That means I have always been caught in the middle. I could be either one, which can make you feel out of place,” Miller says.
Following his unusual path, Miller did not start trying out for films and TV shows when he
first went to Hollywood. Instead, he worked as a lowly production assistant. Not what you would expect from a Princeton graduate. However, it all paid off for Miller in the end.
In 2002, Miller played a role in the drama Dinotopia(《恐龙帝国》). He starred as a thoughtful and shy man. Producers remembered his performance when they were casting Prison Break two years later. With a golden globe nomination(提名)and another season of Prison Break on his resume, Miller seems ready to take over all of Hollywood.What does the passage mainly talk about?
A.Michael Scofield in Prison Break . |
B.Hollywood’s recent big hit—Prison Break. |
C.Miller’s unusual path to fame and fortune. |
D.The man who will take over all of the world. |
The writer thinks “Miller is a hard guy to figure out” because.
A.it’s difficult to tell him from others |
B.he is a shy man and hard to cooperate with |
C.he always has ideas hard for people to understand |
D.his family background and life experience are very special |
Which is the closest in meaning to the underlined sentence “it all paid off for Miller in the end”?
A.Miller put a lot of extra work for his final success. |
B.Miller gained fame and fortune at last with his first film. |
C.Miller finally succeeded even if he has been in low position. |
D.Miller managed to pay off his debts with his small income in the end. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE about Miller?
A.He is chosen to play the Michael Scofield due to his interesting personality. |
B.His performance in Dinotopia makes some contributions to his success. |
C.He has the same experience with the character Michael Scofield. |
D.He is angry about his being born into a mixed-cultural family. |
There’s been a lot of talk about white-and-blue collar workers, and you may have even heard of gold collar workers, but lately a new color of collar is making its way into China’s urban vernacular(土话)—green. Green collars say no when work is life and life is work. They choose to get out of the fast lane(车道), and explore new ways of living “green”.
Living green doesn’t mean someone is working as an environmentalist, biologist or scientist. Instead it is more of a lifestyle choice. A typical green collar is well educated like a white-collar but physically tough like a blue-collar, likely born in the 70s or 80s of the last century and living in one of China’s big cities, with a monthly income well above 5,000 yuan (about US $700).
The life of a green collar may go something like this; Turn off the mobile phone after work, eat only healthy food rich in vitamins, go on hikes every weekend, and like to help the underprivileged.
Green collars even have their own club. In Beijing, the Green Collar Club is for people who share a “be happy, healthy and helpful” spirit. The club often holds charity parties and uses the donations for environmental protection and poverty relief(摆脱贫困)projects in China.
“They are successful in their careers, but do not miss the pleasures in life. They have a lot of money, but do not fall slave to it.” said Zuo Shiguang, one of the founding members of the club.What is the passage mainly about?
A.Differences between white-and-blue collars and green collars. |
B.The increasing awareness of environmental protection. |
C.New trends of life in China’s big cities. |
D.The lifestyle of green collars. |
Green collars willafter work.
A.prefer to be left alone |
B.have fun with old friends |
C.think nothing about work and more |
D.do a lot of extra work at home |
What ’s Zuo Shiguang’s attitude towards green collars?
A.Appreciative. | B.Doubtful. | C.Negative. | D.Neutral. |
The underlined part “the underprivileged” probably refers to those who are .
A.in heavy polluted areas | B.in faraway places |
C.in a poor state of education | D.in unfavourable conditions |
Dear Sirs,
Your shipment(装运)of twelve thousand“Smart”watches was received by our company this morning.However,we wish to make a number of complaints concerning the serious delay in delivery and your failure to carry out our instructions.
It was stressed from the beginning that the delivery date had to be less than six weeks. While we appreciate that delays in production are occasionally unavoidable.We must point out that the major reason why the order was placed with your company was that we were assured by you that your existing stocks ensure immediate shipment.Late delivery of the goods has caused us to disappoint several of our most valued customers.and is sure to have a negative effect on future orders.
The second complaint concerns the difference in colour.Only half the watches in the delivery received are of the colours we ordered.Our Hong Kong agent assures us that she stressed to you the importance of following our instructions.Since we consider there to be only a limited market in this country for watches of other colours.Any watches that are not of the specified colours will , of course, be returned to you.
We are also somewhat concerned about the rather poor quality of the goods received.since it is obvious that the watches that finally arrived have been produced from inferior materials and have been made to a lower standard than those in the sample.We have also found that a number of the watches do not appear to be functioning.We should like to point out that we feel this matter to be entirely your responsibility.
As a result of the above problems,therefore,we feel that the most suitable course of action is to return to you unpaid any of the goods considered unsatisfactory,and to deduct(扣除)any costs from our final settlement.We shall also be forced to reconsider whether any further orders should be placed with your company.
We look forward to your immediate reply.
Yours sincerely,
John SmithHow many complaints does John Smith make with the“Smart”watch producer?
A.Five. | B.Four. | C.Three. | D.Two. |
The producer of“Smart”watches were given the order because_________
A.they produced the best watches of its kind in the world |
B.the watches would be easy to make and the designs were already prepared |
C.they promised they could produce enough stocks quite quickly |
D.they claimed the order would be easy since the watches were already in stock |
Receiving watches in the wrong colours is a problem because_______
A.the Hong Kong agent stressed the need to fulfill the order exactly |
B.these watches will be difficult to sell. |
C. these watches will not be able to get into the limited market |
D.people will not buy the watches at present |
LONDON (AP) — England joins on Sunday the growing list of places that ban smoking in public buildings, taxis and other places including even Buckingham Palace with a tough law.
Pubs, clubs and restaurants will all be smoke-free. Taxi and delivery drivers have been warned that they too could be fined 50 pounds, or about $100, if caught lighting up inside work vehicles.
Experts say the bans have become an irreversible (不可逆转的) tread because of greatly rising health costs and public uneasiness over second-hand smoke. Some of the strictest smoking bans are in the United States, even though there is no federal anti-smoking policy. New York and Florida have strict bans, while California has certain outdoor smoking bans.
Spain, Italy, Iran, Norway, Sweden, Singapore, South Africa, Uruguay and new Zealand have passed legislation(立法) to restrict smoking. France banned smoking in many public places in February and plans to extend the ban to cafes and restaurants next year. Finland is introducing a ban in 2009.
Despite the spread of bans, the World Health Organization predicts a steady rise in tobacco sales. In its Tobacco Atlas, the WHO said that by 2030 there will be “at least another two billion smokers in the world” and an expected decrease in male smokers “will be offset by an increase in female smoking rates, especially in developing countries.”
In advance of the English ban, anti-smoking ads have coated bus stops and the British government has subsidized(资助) programs to help people quit. The rest of Britain—Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland —already have smoking bans in place.The first two paragraphs mainly tell us_______
A.Buckingham Palace bans smoking |
B.smoking ban comes into force in England |
C.there’s no smoking in Buckingham Palace |
D.smoking is against the law in England |
Which of the following places may still be smoking areas in England?
A.Private houses | B.Taxis. |
C.Restaurants. | D.London clubs |
The underlined word “offset” in paragraph 5 probably means “________”.
A.decreased | B.raised | C.encouraged | D.balanced |
What do we know from the passage?
A.Smoking has strictly been forbidden in cafes in France. |
B.There is an extremely strict smoking ban everywhere in America. |
C.Smoking situation is still serious across the world. |
D.Related ads didn’t appear in England until the English ban was lifted.(解除) |
Do your children always sit still and watch TV? If so, you should be very alert!
Nowadays, children watch television for long hours. They often spend evenings watching their favorite programs on TV. Sometimes they might stay up late to watch TV. Their addiction to television results in their not having time to play or do exercise. They should go outside with friends or spend time reading books. Moreover, watching television too much is harmful to their eyesight.
Researchers claim that attention deficit disorders in children are a result of watching too much television. They say that watching television leads to a developmental disorder in the part of the brain which is responsible for language skills. Children who watch television more and read less have greater difficulty paying attention and concentrating. Children that spend long hours watching television are more likely to be affected by attention deficit disorders.
Television is one form of media which is used to show all kinds of products. Watching too much television can lead to early exposure to a wide variety of things. Television advertisements may cause children to behave incorrectly or damage themselves. Advertisements about fast food, cold drinks or other such products that are not good for children’s health can have a bad effect on them. Some TV shows and films also affect how children think and behave.
Studies in psychology have shown that certain programs can have a long-lasting effect on children’s minds. Horror scenes and other frightening shows can have a negative effect on the minds of children watching them.
Television is a means of recreation but watching it too often is harmful to children’s physical and mental health. You need to help you children deep a balance of everything in life.The underlined word “deficit ” in the third paragraph most probably means _____.
A.need | B.habit | C.fear | D.lack |
It’s implied in the last paragraph that you should ______.
A.decide on when children can watch television |
B.give children more time to play |
C.help you children balance everyday life |
D.stop you children from watching TV |
What is the passage mainly about?
A.The bad effects watching TV has on children. |
B.How many hours children should spend watching TV. |
C.How advertisements affect children’s behavior. |
D.What scenes children should not watch on TV. |
Which of the following are the effects of watching too much TV according to the passage?
a. causing children to have less time to read good books.
b. making children behave improperly
c. harming children’s eyesight
d. affecting the parent-child relationship
A.a, b, d | B.b, c, d | C.a, b, c | D.a, c, d |