Chinese writer Mo Yan’s Nobel Prize for Literature might ignite an explosion of global interest in Chinese literature and lead to more titles translated into English, European experts say.
“Hopefully, the award means more people will read Chinese literature and more works will get translated,” says Michel Hocks, professor of the Languages and Cultures of China and Inner Asia from University of London. “Many very good Chinese writers have been accepted globally for a long time already. Mo Yan is probably the most translated Chinese writer alive, with at least five of his novels made available in English over the past 20 years.”
Jonathan Ruppin,web editor of bookseller Foyles,says Mo’s win coincides with growing interest in Chinese literature and recognizes the talents of a distinctive and visionary(富于幻想的)writer.We are very excited by the fact that English translations of more of his books should now become available,”Ruppin says.He made the comment after Mo became the first Chinese citizen to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in it’s century-long history.
As East-West cultural exchange has been booming, Chinese literature has been attracting growing attention in recent years. Hocks explains, “It’s mainly because there are many more opportunities for Chinese writers to visit other countries, to publish their works outside China and to interact with readers abroad. At the same time, more and more people globally are learning Chinese and taking an interest in the Chinese language and culture.”
University of Oxford lecturer in modern Chinese literature Margaret Hillenbrand says, “The obvious reason for the growing global presence of Chinese literature is the growing global presence of China itself. People have come to realize that there is a serious knowledge deficit between China and its international counterparts — in particular, China knows incomparably more about Europe and America than the other way round — and reading Chinese literature is an effective, simple means of solving that gap.”The underlined word “ignite” in Paragraph 1 probably means “________”.
| A.start out | B.set off | C.burn up | D.appeal to |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A.In the past, no Chinese writers were accepted outside China. |
| B.Chinese literature has spread with the development of China. |
| C.The Nobel Prize for Literature has a history of hundreds of years. |
| D.Foreigners know about China mainly by reading Mo Yan’s works. |
Chinese literature has been attracting growing attention mainly because __________.
| A.the Chinese government attaches great importance to literature |
| B.Chinese writers have been writing more and more books in English |
| C.the Chinese language has become the most widely used language in the world |
| D.the cultural communication between China and western countries has developed |
How do you understand the underlined sentence in the last paragraph?
| A.China knows more about Europe and America than before. |
| B.Compared with America, China knows more about Europe. |
| C.China, Europe and America know one another more than before. |
| D.China knows more about Europe and America than they know about China. |
Shyness is the cause of much unhappiness for a great many people. Shy people are anxious and self-conscious; that is, they are excessively concerned with their own appearance and actions. Worrisome thoughts are constantly occurring in their minds: what kind of impression am I making? Do they like me? Do I sound stupid? Am I wearing unattractive clothes?
It is obvious that such uncomfortable feelings must negatively affect people. A person's conception of himself or herself is reflected in the way he or she behaves, and the way a person behaves affects other people's reactions. In general, the way people think about themselves has a profound effect on all areas of their lives.
Shy people, having low self-esteem, are likely to be passive and easily influenced by others. They need reassurance that they are doing "the right thing." Shy people are very sensitive to criticism; they feel it confirms their feelings of inferiority. They also find it difficult to be pleased by compliment with a statement like this one, "You're just saying that to make me feel good. I know it's not true." It is clear that while self-awareness is a healthy quality, overdoing it is harmful.
Can shyness be completely eliminated, or at least reduced? Fortunately, people can overcome shyness with determined and patient efforts in building self-confidence. Since shyness goes hand in hand with a lack of self-esteem, it is important for people to accept their weaknesses as well as their strengths. Each one of us is a unique, worthwhile individual, interested in our own personal ways. The better we understand ourselves, the easier it becomes to live up to our full potential. Let's not allow shyness to block our chances for a rich and fulfilling life.The first paragraph is mainly about _______.
| A.the cause of shyness |
| B.the feeling of shy people |
| C.the effect of shyness on people |
| D.the question in the minds of shy people |
According to the writer, self-awareness is __________.
| A.harmful to people |
| B.a healthy quality |
| C.the cause of unhappiness |
| D.a weak point of shy people |
What is the shy people’s reaction to praise?
| A.They are pleased by it |
| B.They feel they are worthy of it. |
| C.They are very sensitive to it. |
| D.They feel it is not true. |
What can learn from the passage that shyness can _______.
| A.be overcome with determination |
| B.help us to live up to our full development |
| C.enable us to understand ourselves better |
| D.have nothing to do with lack of self respect |
An environment group called the Food Commission is unhappy and disappointed because of the sales of bottled water from Japan. The water, it angrily argues in public, has traveled 10,000 “food miles” before it reaches Western customers. “Transporting water half-way across the world is surely the extremely stupid use of fuel when there is plenty of water in the UK.” It is also worried that we are wasting our fuel by buying prawns from Indonesia (7,000 food miles) and carrots from South Africa (5,900 food miles).
Counting the number of miles traveled by a product is a strange way of trying to tell the true situation of the environmental damage done by an industry. Most food is transported around the world on container ships that are extremely energy-efficient. It should be noted that a ton of butter transported 25 miles in a truck to a farmers’ market does not necessarily use less fuel on its journey than a similar product transported hundreds of miles by sea, Besides, the idea of “food miles” ignores the amount of fuel used in the production. It is possible to cut down your food miles by buying tomatoes grown in Britain rather than those grown in Ghana; the difference is that the British ones will have been raised in heated greenhouses and the Ghanaian ones in the open sun.
What is the idea of “food miles” does provide, however, is the chance to cut out Third World countries from First World food markets. The number of miles traveled by our food should, as I see it, be regarded as a sign of the success of the global trade system, not a sign of damage to the environment.The Food Commission is angry because it thinks that .
| A.UK wastes a lot of money importing food products |
| B.some imported goods cause environmental damage |
| C.growing certain vegetables damages the environment |
| D.people waste energy buying food from other countries |
The phrase “food miles” in the passage refers to the distance .
| A.that a food product travels to a market |
| B.that a food product travels from one market to another |
| C.between UK and other food producing countries |
| D.between a Third World country and a First World food market |
By comparing tomatoes raised in Britain and in Ghana, the author tries to explain that .
| A.British tomatoes are healthier than Ghanaian ones |
| B.Ghanaian tomatoes taste better than British ones |
| C.cutting down food miles may not necessarily save fuel |
| D.protecting the environment may cost a lot of money |
From the passage we know that the author is most probably .
| A.a supporter of free global trade |
| B.a member of the Food Commission |
| C.a supporter of First World food markets |
| D.a member of an energy development group |
You choose to be a winner!
The Winners club is a bank account specially designed for teenagers. It has been made to help you better manage your money. The Winners Club is a transaction account(交易账户) where you receive a key-card so you can get to your money 24/7 – that’s 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!
It’s a club with impressive features for teenagers.
No account keeping fees!
You’re no millionaire so we don't expect you to pay large fees. In fact, there are no account keeping or transaction fees !
Excellent interest rates!
You want your money to grow. The Winners Club has a good rate of interest which gets even better if you make a least two deposits (储蓄)without taking them out in a month.
Convenient
Teenagers are busy—we get that. You may never need to come to a bank at all. With the Winners Club you can choose to use handy tellers and to bank from home using the phone and the Internet …You can have money directly deposited into your Winners Club account. This could be your pocket money or your pay from your part-time job!
Maga magazine included
Along with your regular report, you will receive a FREE magazine full of good ideas to make even more of your money. There are also fantastic offers and competitions only for Winners Club members.
The Winners Club is a great choice for teenagers. And it is so easy to join. Simply fill in an application form. You will have to get permission from your parent or guardian(so we can organize that cool key-card) but it is easy. We can’t wait to hear from you. It’s the best way to choose to be a winner!The Winners Club is a bank account intended for ________.
| A.parents | B.teenagers | C.winners | D.adults |
The Winners Club provides magazines which ________.
| A.encourage spending |
| B.are free to all teenagers |
| C.are full of adventure stories |
| D.help to make more of your money |
If you want to be a member of the Club, you must ________.
| A.be an Internet user | B.be permitted by your parent |
| C.have a big sum of money | D.be in your twenties |
What is the purpose of this text?
| A.To set up a club. |
| B.To provide part-time jobs. |
| C.To organize key-cards. |
| D.To introduce a new banking service. |
Television has turned 88 years old on September 7, 2015, and it has never looked better.
In its youth, television was a piece of furniture with a tiny, round screen showing unclear pictures of low budget programs. In spite of its shortcomings, it became well-received. Between 1950 and 1963, the number of American families with a television jumped from 9% to 92% of the population.
As the audience got larger, the technology got better. Television sets became more reliable through the 1960s. Both of the reception and the picture improved. The major networks started broadcasting programs in color.
Even greater improvements were coming according to Sanford Brown, who wrote an article for the Post in 1967. Surprisingly, just about every prediction he made in the article became a reality. For example: All sets in the not distant future will be color instruments. He also predicted that TV sets would become smaller, simpler, more reliable and less expensive and may forever put the TV repairman out of work. Smaller sets do not, of course, mean smaller screens. TV engineers expect screens to get much bigger. However, today's 3D TV is even farther away, if it's coming at all. There is some doubt whether the public would be eager to pay for it, in view of people's cold reception given to 3D movies.
But the technology with the greatest potential, according to Brown, was cable television (有线电视), which was still in its early stages then. As he predicted, the future of cable television was highly interactive. It wasn't cable television that gave Americans their electronic connection to the world, however. It was the Internet. He even foresaw the future office: using picture phones, big screen televisions for conferences, and computers providing information, at the touch of a button.
Brown ever said, “The future of television is no longer a question of what we can invent. It's a question of what we want.”What can we infer about television sets in the 1960s?
| A.They were very popular with Americans. |
| B.The reception showed no improvement |
| C.They showed black-and-white pictures |
| D.They were out of order now and then |
Which of the followings did Sanford Brown fail to predict?
| A.Television's good quality. |
| B.The invention of 3-D TV. |
| C.The future office’s model |
| D.The potential of cable TV. |
What is the text mainly about?
| A.The shortcomings of television. |
| B.The bright future of television. |
| C.The development of television. |
| D.The invention of television. |
My 17-year-old daughter went off to college and having her away from home brought back memories of watching Peter Pan when she was little. In the classic TV production, one scene in particular impressed me: when Mrs Darling puts her children into bed. As she turns off the last of the night lights, she takes one last look at the bedroom and says, “Dear night lights, protect my sleeping children.” As a mother, I know how much she loves her children.
It has been several weeks since we took our daughter to college and she seems to be adjusting (适应) well after a short period of homesickness. For us, though, it’s another story. Like most parents, I love checking in on my children at night. But now she’s gone, and I find nighttimes the hardest. I miss her most at night.
In my neighborhood, most of the parents whose kids are off to college are dealing with similar melancholy. My husband is filled with anxiety. One friend talked about getting this sick feeling in her stomach as she prepared for the college drop-off. We complained that many of us were too busy to truly enjoy being with our children while we had them.
For us moms, seeing Toy Story 3 only made the sadness worse as we watched the character Andy, who is the same age as our kids, say goodbye to his childhood as he prepares to leave for college. And it’s not just “first-time” parents like me. Two moms who have kids already well into college said the separation didn’t get any easier. “You feel like something has been taken away from inside you,” said one of them.
I imagine things will get easier with time, especially as I see my daughter adjust to college life. Meanwhile, as I keep my cell phone close to me in bed and text my daughter goodnight and sweet dreams every night, I like to think that messages serve as a night light that keeps her safe.The writer was deeply impressed by the scene in Peter Pan because ___________.
| A.she watched the scene with her daughter |
| B.the scene was very exciting and interesting |
| C.the scene taught her and her daughter a good lesson |
| D.the scene showed a mother’s deep love for her children |
After he daughter went to college, the writer ___________.
| A.didn’t get used to the change for a long time |
| B.often cried as she missed her daughter so much |
| C.realized she hadn’t done enough for the daughter |
| D.failed to have a good sleep every night |
What is the underlined word “melancholy” in Paragraph 3 similar in meaning to?
| A.Happiness. | B.Anger. |
| C.Sadness. | D.Excitement. |
According to the last paragraph, why did the writer keep her cell phone close to her in bed?
| A.To call her daughter any time |
| B.To wait for her daughter’s calls |
| C.To say good night to her daughter |
| D.To wait for her daughter’s messages |