I entered high school having read hundreds of books. But I was not a good reader. Merely bookish, I lacked a point of view when I read. Rather, I read in order to get a point of view. I searched books for good expressions and sayings, pieces of information, ideas, themes—anything to enrich my thought and make me feel educated. When one of my teachers suggested to his sleepy tenth-grade English class that a person could not have a "complicated idea" until he had read at least two thousand books, I heard the words without recognizing either its irony (嘲讽) or its very complicated truth. I merely determined to make a list of all the books I had ever read. Strict with myself, I included only once a title I might have read several times. (How, after all, could one read a book more than once?) And I included only those books over a hundred pages in length. (Could anything shorter be a book?)
There was yet another high school list I made. One day I came across a newspaper article about an English professor at a nearby state college. The article had a list of the "hundred most important books of Western Civilization." "More than anything else in my life," the professor told the reporter with finality , " these books have made me all that I am ." That was the kind of words I couldn’t ignore. I kept the list for the several months it took me to read all of the titles. Most books, of course, I hardly understood. While reading Plato's The Republic, for example, I needed to keep looking at the introduction of the book to remind myself what the text was about. However, with the special patience and superstition (迷信) of a schoolboy, I looked at every word of the text. And by the time I reached the last word, pleased, I persuaded myself that I had read The Republic, and seriously crossed Plato off my list.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The writer thought it was impossible for one to read two thousand books. |
| B．While at high school, the writer had plans for reading. |
| C．The writer only read books no more than 100 pages. |
| D．The writer thought the teacher was not being serious about the suggestion of reading. |
The underlined phrase "with finality" most probably means ____________.
| A．firmly | B．immediately | C．simply | D．pleasantly |
The writer's purpose in mentioning The Republic is to________.
| A．explain why it was included in the list |
| B．describe why he seriously crossed it off the list |
| C．show that he read the books blindly though they were hard to understand |
| D．prove that he understood most of it because he had looked at every word |
The writer provides two book lists to ________.
| A．show how he developed his point of view |
| B．tell his reading experience at high school |
| C．introduce the two persons' reading methods |
| D．explain that he read many books at high school |
Experience the newly opened Grand Canyon(大峡谷)West Skywalk in Colorado.Departing from Grand Canyon’s South Rim by Airplane to Grand Canyon’s West Rim,you will land and take a ground tour to the Skywalk!Walk on air for 70 feet over the edge of Grand Canyon West.
This Skywalk has been open since March 28,2007.Daily visitorship to the Skywalk has been over 4000 people.Please be patient to enjoy your moment on the Skywalk.
After you have experienced the one and only Grand Canyon Skywalk Glass Bridge,you will return to the Grand Canyon West Airport and take your Airplane for a flight back to the South Rim of the Canyon.This is a tour never to be forgotten as you will have walked on air over the Grand Canyon.
Tour Itinerary(行程)
| Tour Duration |
5.7 Hour |
The Ground Canyon Adventure Skywalk |
| Flight from Grand Canyon South Rim to Grand Canyon West |
1 Hour |
Experience a bird’s-eye view of the Grand Canyon as you make your way to Grand Canyon West. |
| Light Lunch at Guano Point at Grand Canyon West |
2 Hours |
You will be taken by bus to Guano Point with breathtaking views of the western part of the Grand Canyon where the Colorado River makes its way into Lake Mead.Every table for lunch has a view. |
| Walk on the World Famous Skywalk |
1.5 Hour s |
Finally you will board your bus to Eagle Point,home of the Grand Canyon Skywalk.Now it is time for you to walk on air for 70 feet over the Grand Canyon. |
| Fight Back to Grand Canyon South Rim |
1.2 Hours |
After time on the Skywalk,you will return to the Grand Canyon West Airport and return to Grand Canyon South Rim in time for dinner and sunset. |
This advertisement is for_______.
| A．Grand Canyon West | B．Grand Canyon South |
| C．Grand Canyon | D．the Skywalk |
The package fee does NOT cover the cost of_______.
The Grand Canyon Skywalk Bridge is made of glass because_______.
| A．it looks stronger | B．it is cheaper to build |
| C．it looks more beautiful | D．it gives you a better view |
According to the Tour Itinerary,the route is_______.
A.South Rim→Guano Point→West Airport→Eagle Point→West Airport→South Rim
B.South Rim→West Airport→Guano Point→Eagle Point→West Airport→South Rim
C.South Rim→West Airport→Eagle Point→Guano Point→West Airport→South Rim
South Rim→West Airport→Eagle Point→West Airport→Guano Point→South Rim
Professor Barry Wellman of the University of Toronto in Canada has invented a term to describe the way many North Americans interact(互动)these days.The term is “networked individualism”.This concept is not easy to understand because the words seem to have opposite meanings.How can we be individuals(个体)and be networked at the same time?You need other people for networks.
Here is what Professor Wellman means.Before the invention of the Internet and e-mail,our social networks included live interactions with relatives,neighbors,and friends.Some of the interaction was by phone,but it was still voice to voice,person to person,in real time.
A recent research study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project showed that for a lot of people,electronic interaction through the computer has replaced this person-to-person interaction.However,a lot of people interviewed for the Pew study say that’s a good thing.Why?
In the past,many people were worried that the Internet isolated(孤立)us and caused us to spend too much time in the imaginary world of the computer.But the Pew study discovered that the opposite is true.The Internet connects us with more real people than expected—helpful people who can give advice on careers,medical problems,raising children,and choosing a school or college.About 60 million Americans told Pew that the Internet plays an important role in helping them make major life decisions.
Thanks to the computer,we are able to be alone and together with other people—at the same time!The underlined phrase “networked individualism”probably means that by using computers people_______.
| A．stick to their own ways no matter what other people say |
| B．have the rights and freedom to do things of their own interest |
| C．do things in their own ways and express opinions different from other people |
| D．are able to keep to themselves but at the same time reach out to other people |
According to the Pew study,what do many people rely on to make major life decisions?
| A．Networks. | B．Friends. |
| C．Phones. | D．Parents. |
It can be inferred from the Pew study that_______.
| A．people have been separated from each other by using computers |
| B．the Internet makes people waste a lot of time and feel very lonely |
| C．the Internet has become a tool for a new kind of social communication |
| D．a lot of people regard the person-toperson communication as good thing |
Which would be the best title for this passage?
| A．We’re Alone on the Internet. |
| B．We’re Communicating on the Internet. |
| C．We’re Alone Together on the Internet. |
| D．We’re in the Imaginary World of the Internet. |
Su Hua is studying at Cambridge,UK.She has bought a bicycle and is worried about security(安全).Her friend,Kate,found this article and sent it to her.
| Introduction A lot of crime is against bicycles.About 150 000 bicycles are stolen every year and most are never found.You can prevent this happening by following a few careful steps. Basic Security Do not leave your bicycle in out-of-the-way places.Always lock your bicycle when you leave.Secure it to lampposts or trees.Take off smaller parts and take them with you,for example lights and saddles(车座). Locks Get a good lock.There are many different types in the shops.Buy one that has been tested against attack.Ask for a recommendation from a bike shop. Marking Security making your bike can act as a deterrent to a thief.It can also help the police find your bicycle.It should be clearly written and include your postcode and your house or flat number.This will provide a simple way to identify your bicycle. Registration There are a number of companies who will security mark your bicycle for you.They will then put your registration number and personal details on their computer database.Then if your bicycle is found it will be easy to contact you. Finally Keep a record of the bicycle yourself:its make,model and registration number.You can even take a photograph of it.This will prove the bicycle belongs to you. |
| 1． |
Which part of the text gives you information on how to lock up your bicycle when you leave it?.
|
| 2． |
The underlined phrase "act as a deterrent to a thief"means.
|
| 3． |
The article advises you to keep a record of your bicycle.
|
| 4． |
The main purpose of this article is.
|
It may help you to know that there is no such thing as a perfect speech.At some point in every speech,every speaker says something that is not understood exactly as he has planned.Fortunately,such moments are usually not obvious(明显的) to the listeners.Why?Because the listeners do not know what the speaker plans to say.They hear only what the speaker does say.If you lose your place for a moment,wrongly change the order of a couple of sentences,or forget to pause at a certain point,no one will be any the wiser.When such moments occur,don't worry about them.Just continue as if nothing happened.
Even if you do make an obvious mistake during a speech,that doesn't really matter.If you have ever listened to Martin Luther King's famous speech-"I Have a Dream",you may notice that he stumbles(结巴) over his words twice during the speech.Most likely,however,you don't remember.Why?Because you were fixing your attention on his message rather than on his way of speech-making.
People care a lot about making a mistake in a speech because they regard speech-making as a kind of performance rather than as an act of communication(交流).They feel the listeners are like judges in an ice-skating competition.But,in fact,the listeners are not looking for a perfect performance.They are looking for a well-thought-out speech that expresses the speaker's ideas clearly and directly.Sometimes a mistake or two can actually increase a speaker's attractiveness by making him more human.
As you work on your speech,don't worry about being perfect.Once you free your mind of this,you will find it much easier to give your speech freely.
| 1． |
The underlined part in the first paragraph means that no one will.
|
| 2． |
You don't remember obvious mistakes in a speech because.
|
| 3． |
It can be inferred from the passage that.
|
| 4． |
What would be the best title for the passage?
|
All her life,my mother wanted busy children.It was very important that her house should remain at all times clean and tidy.
You could turn your back for a moment in my mother's house,leave a half-written letter on the dining room table,a magazine open on the chair,and turn around to find that my mother had "put it back where it belonged,"as she explained.
My wife,one of her first visits to my mother's house,placed a packet of biscuits on an end table and went to the kitchen to fetch a drink.When she returned,she found the packet had been removed.Confused(疑惑的),she set down her drink and went back to the kitchen for more biscuits,only to return to find that her drink had disappeared.Up to then she had guessed that everyone in my family held onto their drinks,so as not to make water rings on the end tables.Now she knows better.
These disappearances had a confusing effect on our family.We were all inclined to(有……的倾向) forgetfulness,and it was common for one of us,upon returning from the bathroom,to find that every sign of his work in progress had disappeared suddenly."Do you remember what I was doing?"was a question frequently asked,but rarely answered.
Now my sister has developed a second-hand love of clean windows,and my brother does the cleaning in his house,perhaps to avoid having to be the one to lift his feet.I try not to think about it too much,but I have at this later time started to dust the furniture once a week.
We have all become busy persons.
| 1． |
Which of the following is TRUE about my mother?
|
| 2． |
My wife could not find her biscuits and drink in my mother's house because.
|
| 3． |
The underlined part in the fifth paragraph suggests that my sister.
|
| 4． |
This passage mainly tells us that.
|