The art of reading fiction is largely a matter of inferring meanings. To infer means to understand facts which are not directly stated---only suggested. Inference is one of the commonest ways of knowing things: a child holds his knee and cries; this action implies his feeling; an observer infers that the child is hurt. To infer accurately in everyday life requires caution in observing; to infer skillfully in fiction requires caution in reading; both require disciplined imagination.
The short-story reader can expect to find certain basic elements in any story. For example, all stories involve a person or persons, in a particular setting, faced with a demand for a response. The response called for may be a physical action, such as defeating an adversary(对手) or escaping from a danger; or it may be a mental action, such as adjusting to others or within oneself. In either case, the short story is a description in two ways: first, it shows the motives for a given human action; second, it makes a point about the general human situation. Such descriptions, however, rather than being stated directly, usually are implied by the elements of the story.
When the reader of a story understands all the facts and their interrelationships, he is ready to infer the significance of the story as a whole---its comment on the human situation. This comment, or theme, is the seed from which the story grew. It is also the idea by which all the separate elements of the story are governed, while these in turn further shape and modify the theme. In addition to action, character, and setting, these elements include structure, mood, tone, and point of view.
Fiction reading requires an awareness of all the ways in which a story communicates. It also requires attention to detail. What the author provides is a network of points which serve as clues to his meaning. He invites the reader to develop the meaning by inference, actually to create much of the story himself and so make it part of his own experience.According to the author, "infer" means ________ .
A.knowingfactsbeyondthestatement |
B.lookingformoreevidencesforthestatement |
C.findingoutadifferentmeaningfromthestatement |
D.addingsomefactstothestatement |
What is inferring in fiction based on?
A.Readers’guessing. | B.Thebasicelementsofthestory. |
C.Thesettingofthestory. | D.Theinterrelationshipsbetweenpeopleinthestory. |
What is the implied meaning of the last sentence?
A.Inferringcanreallyhelpthereaderdevelopimaginationandenrichhimself. |
B.Inferringcanhelpthereaderwriteastoryofhisown. |
C.Thereadershouldlookforanexperiencedescribedinthestoryhereads. |
D.Theexperiencedescribedinthestorywillleaveagreatimpactonitsreader. |
What is the main idea of this passage?
A.Inferringisanartofwriting. | B.Inferringisaneedinfictionwriting |
C.Inferringisthebasicskillinreadingfiction. | D.Inferringiscommoninreading. |
Douglas Adams was born in Cambridge in March 1952, educated at Brentwood School, Essex and St John's College, Cambridge where, in 1974 he gained a BA (and later an MA) in English literature.
He was the creator of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy(《银河系漫游指南》), which started life as a BBC Radio 4 series in March 1978. Since then it has been transformed into a series of best-selling novels, a TV series, a record album, a computer game and several stage adaptations.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy's success sent the book straight to Number One in the UK Bestseller List and in 1984 Douglas Adams became the youngest author to be awarded a Golden Pan. He won a further two (a rare feat), and was nominated—though not selected - for the first Best of Young British Novelists awards.
He followed this success with The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (1980); Life, The Universe and Everything (1982); So Long and Thanks for all the Fish (1984); and Mostly Harmless (1992). The first two books in the Hitchhiker series were adapted into a 6-part television series, which was an immediate success when first showed in 1982. Other publications include Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (1987) and Long Dark Tea-time of the Soul (1988). In 1984 Douglas teamed up with John Lloyd and wrote The Meaning of Life and their second huge success, The Deeper Meaning of Life followed in 1990. One of Douglas’s personal favorites was written in 1990 when he teamed up with zoologist Mark Carwardine and wrote Last Chance to See an account of a world-wide search for rare and endangered species of animals.
Douglas sold over 15 million books in the UK, the US and Australia. He was also a best seller in German, Swedish and many other languages.
Douglas Adams died on Friday, May 11, 2001, in Santa Barbara, CA. He will be greatly missed by fans worldwide. The main idea of this passage is .
A.Douglas Adams, always loved by fans |
B.Douglas Adams and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy |
C.Douglas Adams and his works |
D.Douglas Adams’s personal lives |
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy was first shown to the public as .
A.a radio series | B.a movie | C.a TV series | D.a computer game |
Which two books were adapted into a six-part TV series?
A.Life, The Universe and Everything and Mostly Harmless |
B.The Restaurant at the End of the Universe and Life, The Universe and Everything |
C.The Restaurant at the End of the Universe and So Long and Thanks for all the Fish |
D.So Long and Thanks for all the Fish and Mostly Harmless |
Last Chance to See is a book about .
A.Some stories happening in a Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency |
B.the author’s personal favorites |
C.a zoologist and his worldwide experiences |
D.searching for rare and endangered species of animals |
Which of the following statement is not true?
A.Douglas Adams died at the age of 49 and he was memorized by his fans. |
B.Douglas Adams was the youngest author to be selected as one of the first Best of Young British Novelists. |
C.John Lloyd was one of the authors of the two books, The Meaning of Lifeand The Deeper Meaning of Life. |
D.Douglas graduated from Essex and St John's College and gained a Master’s Degree. |
Renee had been married for a long, long time. Her favorite part of being married was the weekend, when she was with her two horses. On the weekend, Renee was at the stables(养马场) from morning until dark. She fed, groomed, and rode her horses. She was an excellent rider. She would ride the horses bareback on Saturday, and then she would saddle(给马装鞍) them up on Sunday.
Renee loved parades. She used to say, “A parade isn’t a parade without a horse.” Renee loved parades almost as much as she loved her horses. She belonged to an email list of volunteers for parades. She regularly visited the state website list of parades to see if there were any new parades that she didn’t know about. All the state parades were organized in her computer. In the parades file, she listed the date, drive time and distance, parade time, contact people, and other details she felt were important.
She knew the parade director of every town within a four-hour drive. She never stayed overnight. She always left the parade in time to get her horses back to the stables before “bedtime”. She had to feed them before they turned in. Her horses seemed to like parades, too. They knew a few tricks that always impressed the children.
Renee was very generous with her time and her horses. But owning horses wasn’t cheap. You had to rent the stables, and there were always vet(兽医) and feed bills. Renee knew how to cope with expenses, though. Her vet always gave her a 10-percent discount for paying cash. She always bought the no-name, generic food for the horses. Her vet had told her it was just as healthful and tasty as the brand name material. She always bought economy gasoline. And on parade days, Renee always packed her own lunch and ate with her horses. What did Renee regularly do on the weekend?
A.She visited the state website list of parades. |
B.She took part in parades. |
C.She fed, groomed, and rode her horses at the stables. |
D.She spent with her family. |
Which one did Renee like better,horses or parades?
A.She liked horses better than parades. |
B.She liked parades better than horses. |
C.She didn’t love her horses as much as she loved parades. |
D.She loved her horses almost as much as she loved parades. |
Renee never stayed overnight when she took part in parades because__________.
A.she didn’t like to sleep together with horses |
B.she had to get her horses back to the stables before “bedtime” to be fed |
C.her horses didn’t agree to stay overnight |
D.she couldn’t sleep well outside |
How did Renee cope with expenses of owning horses? The following ways were used except that __________.
A.she always bought the brand name food for the horses |
B.she had a 10-percent discount for paying cash offered by her vet |
C.she always packed her own lunch and ate with her horses on parade days |
D.she always bought the no-name, generic food for the horses |
Which of the following words can’t be used to describe Renee?
A.caring | B.money-saving | C.careful | D.mean |
According to the British “Daily Mail” reported on May 22nd, the United States of America “Forbes” magazine recently released the 2013 annual "most powerful women list".
German Chancellor(总理,首相) Angela Merkel for three consecutive(连续的) years reelected top. There are 9 Chinese including Chinese first lady—Peng Liyuan. Brazil President Dilma Rousseff ranked second. “Bill and Melinda Gates foundation” co-chairman, Gate’s wife Mi Linda (Melinda Gates) was third. The United States first lady Michel (wife of Obama) in 2010 in the first, from 2012 second drop to fourth. Former American Secretary of state Hillary Clinton as a fifth. The queen of England fell 12,drop to fortieth. another list of British women's female writer JK Rowling, ranked ninety-third.
The list of Chinese women, including Chinese President Xi Jinping's wife Peng Liyuan, intelligent mobile phone maker HTC founder Wang Xuehong, chief executive of Chongqing Longhu real estate development limited company chairman Wu Yajun, SOHO China Ltd and co-founder Zhang Xin, the World Health Organization Director-General Chen Fengfuzhen (Margaret Chan), Huawei chairman Sun Yafang, the Li Jiacheng Foundation Director Zhou triumph, Baidu Inc chief financial officer Li Xinzhe, Sun Media Klc Holdings Ltd chairman Yang Lan.
“Forbes” magazine said, this year the list of people are political, business, media, the humanitarian field, entertainment and technology industry elite(精英), but also some women were selected because of the huge wealth, including funds, media exposure and influence. The entertainment industry representatives include Beyonce Knowles, actress Anngelina Jolie and Lady Gaga. The list of women from 26 countries, there are 153000000 of them in Twitter "fans", 16 of them own Create Company. There are 15 new this year, including South Korean President Park Geun-hye(朴槿惠).
If you want to know more, click chinadaily.com.cn.How many times has German Chancellor Angela Merkel won the first place according to the passage?
A.Once | B.Twice | C.Three times | D.four times |
According to the passage, ______rank 93th on the list of 2013 annual "most powerful women list".
A.Peng Liyuan | B.Lady Gaga | C.JK Rowling | D.Park Geun-hye |
Which is true according to the passage?
A.The United States first lady Michel in 2012 ranked second. |
B.Peng Liyuan ranks 9th on the 2013 annual "most powerful women list". |
C.Hillary Clinton is the present Secretary of state of America. |
D.The great women come from sixty-two countries. |
According to the passage, if we want to get more information ,we can _________.
A.reading a sports newspaper | B.reading a book about United Nations |
C.Watch CCTV news | D.Visit the website of China Daily. |
What is the main idea of the passage?
A.Peng Liyuan was elected as one of the 2013 annual most powerful women |
B.“Forbes” released the 2013 annual “most powerful women list”. |
C.The United States first lady Michel is no longer ranks NO.1. |
D.Chinese people are becoming stronger and more influential than before. |
Do you want to have a close friend? Do you know how to make a good friend? Now, let me tell you. Before you make friends, you have to decide who you want to be your friends. Most people like to have friends who like to do the same kind of things they do.
The quickest way to make a friend is to smile. When you smile, people think you are friendly and easy to talk to. It may not be easy at first to smile, but remember most people will stay away from a scared or angry looking face.
One easy way to start a conversation with someone is to say something nice about him. Think about how great you feel when someone says something nice to you. Doesn’t it make you want to keep talking to that person?
Ask your new friends questions about themselves. Who’s their favorite singer, where do they live, what do they do after school are all good questions to start a conversation. Make sure you have something to add to the conversation, too. When someone asks you a question, do have an answer for them. There’s nothing that will stop a conversation quicker than a shrug (耸肩) for an answer.
Kids who show an interest in other kids and who are kind and friendly make good friends. Remember, everyone wants to be around people who like to do similar things and people who are nice to them.What does the underlined word scared( in para.2) mean?
A.holy | B.frightening | C.happy | D.sad |
The main idea is _________.
A.how to start a conversation | B.how to praise a person |
C.how to make friends | D.the importance of making friends |
What kind of people are easy to become friends?
A.who are happy every day. | B.who often speak ill of others. |
C.who are good at communicating . | D.who share the same interest. |
If a person shrug , what does he/she mean?
A.being very proud | B.making no answer |
C.being very happy | D.be humorous |
Most people enjoy talking to one _______.
A.who speaks highly of them | B.who are very out-going. |
C.who is always smiling | D.who points out their shortcomings |
BEIJING - President Xi Jinping's visit to Russia has enhanced(增加) bilateral strategic mutual trust(双边战略互信) and support, and expanded practical cooperation between the two countries, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told media on Sunday.
Wang made the remarks while introducing to reporters travelling with the Chinese official delegation(代表团) the fruits of Xi's first foreign trip as China's new head of state, which had taken him to Russia, Tanzania, South Africa, and the Republic of the Congo.
In Russia, Xi and the Russian president Putin had spent eight hours together in meetings and exchanges that could be characterized as frank, practical and congenial, Wang said, adding the two leaders reached important consensus on strategic coordination and set the direction and outlined key sectors for future cooperation.
The two countries have made it clear that they will support each other in promoting their respective development and national renewal, safeguarding core(核心) interests, and independently choosing their own development paths and social and political systems, the foreign minister said.
The two sides agreed that they will closely coordinate in international and regional affairs, uphold the principles of the UN Charter, and jointly promote democracy(民主) in international relations, he said.
China and Russia, during the visit, also promoted their practical cooperation.
During the visit,32 cooperation agreements signed by the two sides are dubbed(给…起绰号,把…称为)as the "contracts(合同) of the century" because they are enormous in value and cover a long period of time, he said.
"The energy cooperation covers such areas as petroleum, natural gas, nuclear power, electricity, coal and new sources of energy, and runs through the industry both of its up and down streams," he added.Which country did Xi Jinping visit after Russain?
A. The USA. B. Tanzania C.Congo D. South AfricaWhat is the best title of the passage?
A.Xi Jinping’s visit to Russian is a great success. |
B.Xi Jingping visited four countries during Mar.22-30 |
C.Russia is the biggest friend of China. |
D.China and Russia signed 32 "contracts of the century”. |
The energy cooperation of China-Russia doesn’t include__________.
A.nuclear power | B.petroleum | C.automobile | D.electricity |
What does the underlined word “consensus” mean?
A.general agreement and opinion | B.happiness and pride |
C.some financial aid | D.China-Russia friendship |
What will the author probably write after the last paragraph?
A.The people of South Africa welcome the president of China |
B.Xi Jinping will visit Barack Obama |
C.Xi Jingping will fly back to Beijing. |
D.Xi Jinping’s visit to Tanzania |