We considered a list of the best American books. Here are five that may help accurately show the national character. Most from a century or so ago, they still entertain, teach, and inspire:
Moby-Dick by Herman Melville
First published in 1851, the adventure stories of Captain Ahab and his monomaniacal(偏执的) pursuit of the white whale draw us into a universe full of fascinating characters and stories.
The Education of Henry Adams by Henry Adams
Published in 1918, the book was an autobiography. Born in one of America’s most famous political families, Adams provides insight into his family, including his experience as private secretary to his father, minister to England during the American Civil war.
Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman
When Whitman published Leaves of Grass in 1855, he wanted to accurately describe the American experience and reflect the great changes in the American literary world that had taken place during his lifetime.
Poems by Emily Dickinson
An enthusiastic poet whose works have had considerable influence on modern poetry, Dickson’s frequent use of dashes, occasional capitalization(大写) of nouns, and unconventional metaphors(隐喻) have contributed to her reputation as one of the most inventive poets of the 19th century American literature. However, most of her poems were not published during her lifetime.
The Song of Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
First published in 1855, this is Longfellow’s most popular and most recognized poem, the heroic life and death of a magic American Indian, sent by the Great Spirit to guide the nations in the ways of peace.Walt Whitman wrote Leaves of Grass in order to _______.
| A．show his talent and heroic life to us |
| B．draw us into a fascinating universe |
| C．provide insight into his family |
| D．reflect the great changes in the American literary world |
If you want to read a story about a magic American Indian, you can read _______.
| A．Moby-Dick | B．The Song of Hiawatha |
| C．Poems | D．Leaves of Grass |
Which statement is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Because the five books are from a century or so ago, they can’t teach and inspire us. |
| B．Herman Melville was considered as one of the most inventive poets of the 19th century American literature. |
| C．The Education of Henry Adams is a non-fiction book. |
| D．Of the five books, Moby-Dick was published last. |
Why did the author write the passage ?
| A．To introduce several best \American books to readers . |
| B．To make an advertisement for a book store . |
| C．To tell stories of several famous writers . |
| D．To talk about some knowledge about literature. |
There are many things people do with their spare time.Have you ever thought about tuning(调音)your own piano for fun and profit？Are you a piano teacher or player who really does not want the expense of hiring a piano tuner and feels that you could do it yourself with a little training？Well，this is your lucky day.All you need are the right tools，a piano and patience.
So，why would I want to tune my piano？There are many reasons for tuning your own piano.
·It is a very pleasant thing to do.
·You can make up to $80 each time tuning other people's pianos.
·There are millions of pianos in the world and thousands of new ones are being sold every day.There are not enough piano tuners available to tune them all.
·You can provide a valuable service for friends，family and others.
·You can teach yourself very cheaply and then develop it into a parttime or fulltime business.
You may have thought that only a trained expert could do this，someone who had devoted years of study and developed a sense of perfect pitch(音高)．In the past，tuning a piano was as much an art form as it was a technology exercise，but now the balance is swaying(摇动) more towards the technology and the final result is as good or even better than tuning by ear.
A few simple tools and a laptop computer with tuning software are all that are required.The real secret is the tuning software，which makes the whole process extremely easy.It means you do not have to train your ears but just look at the laptop screen to know when the piano string is in tune.
I have put together an ebook in my website with all the information you need to get started tuning your own piano, where to get the free software and where to buy the tools.
I hope I have inspired you to think about piano tuning and actually give it a go.You will find it a very rewarding and pleasant activity even if it remains just a hobby.The writer asks two questions in the first paragraph to ________.
| A．show his doubt on the topic |
| B．ask readers to answer the questions clearly |
| C．encourage readers to make comments on the topic |
| D．attract readers to more information on this topic |
According to the passage，why should you learn to tune pianos?
| A．To offer help to piano tuners. |
| B．To save money and earn money as well. |
| C．Because it can help you make a piano yourself. |
| D．Because it can help you learn how to play the piano. |
What makes piano tuning easier now?
| A．Advanced technology. |
| B．More effective training. |
| C．More chances of practicing. |
| D．Traditional tuning methods. |
If you want to get the tuning software and tools，you can ________.
| A．get them for free from the piano sellers |
| B．buy them from the writer's online shops |
| C．make them yourself according to the passage |
| D．surf the writer's website for the information |
In the last paragraph，the writer mainly wants to show that ________.
| A．one must be active to play the piano |
| B．piano tuning will be popular in the future |
| C．it's valuable to take piano tuning as a hobby |
| D．it's difficult to tune pianos without professional training |
The kiwi bird
The kiwi bird is a flightless bird，about the size of a chicken. It sleeps during the day and is active at nighttime. It has a long beak that is onethird the length of its body, and its beak actually has nostrils (鼻孔) at the end. The kiwi is the only bird with this feature. Another unique feature of the kiwi is that it has no tail. It has thick brown hairlike feathers. This bird has many physical features unlike any other bird on earth.
Kiwi birds have been called a genetic leftover. Their characteristics seem very odd to us probably due to the fact that they haven't evolved much at all. They are suspected to be about 8 million years old. That's 7 million years older than humans. Due to New Zealand's isolated environment, it has been safe from predators(食肉动物) and hasn't needed to do much adapting. They just hang around.
With its long beak, the kiwi digs up and chows down on worms. A kiwi is almost blind; it can see about six feet at night and around two feet during the day，so when it comes to hunting the kiwi is not well equipped.It uses the nostrils on its beak to find its food and then picks up the worms with its beak.
The kiwi bird is native of New Zealand.It is the island country's national bird, and is rare anywhere but here and a few Pacific island neighbors. Of course，it is available for viewing at certain zoos.It has stayed in its native land due to the facts that it is an isolated island and that kiwis can't fly.
Kiwi birds are extremely unique in the bird world. Though they are the size of chickens, they lay eggs the size of ostrich eggs, weighing around a pound each.Their enormous eggs are the largest in the bird world, compared to their bodies. These birds were named after their distinctive shrill cry “keewee keewee”．Which of the following is NOT the distinctive feature of the kiwi bird?
| A．It has no tail at all. |
| B．It has a long beak. |
| C．Its feathers are thick and brown. |
| D．There are nostrils at the end of its beak. |
Kiwi birds haven't evolved much over the past 8 million years probably because ________.
| A．the climate is mild |
| B．they have no enemy |
| C．something is wrong with their genes |
| D．they have adapted to living on the island |
What plays a key role in looking for food?
| A．Its long beak. | B．Its eyes. |
| C．The nostrils. | D．Its tail |
What does Paragraph 4 mainly talk about?
| A．The kiwi bird's habitat. |
| B．The kiwi bird is New Zealand's national bird. |
| C．The kiwi bird can not fly. |
| D．The kiwi bird is available at zoos. |
Kiwi birds got their name from ________.
| A．the large size of their eggs |
| B．the food they feed on |
| C．their appearance |
| D．their unique cry |
No one knows for sure when advertising first started.It is possible that it grew out of the discovery that some people did certain kinds of work better than others did them.That led to the concept of specialization，which means that people would specialize，or focus，on doing one specific job.
Let’s take a man we’ll call Mr.Fielder，for example.He did everything connected with farming.He planted seeds，tended the fields，and harvested and sold his crops.At the same time，he did many other jobs on the farm.However，he didn’t make the bricks for his house，cut his trees into boards，make the plows(犁)，or any of the other hundreds of things a farm needs.Instead，he got them from people who specialized in doing each of those things.
Suppose there was another man we shall call Mr.Plowright.Using what he knew about farming and working with iron，Mr.Plowright invented a plow that made farming easier.Mr.Plowright did not really like farming himself and wanted to specialize in making really good plows.Perhaps，he thought，other farmers will trade what they grow for one of my plows.
How did Mr.Plowright let people know what he was doing？Why，he advertised，of course.First he opened a shop and then he put up a sign outside the shop to attract customers.That sign may have been no more than a plow carved into a piece of wood and a simple arrow pointing to the shop door.It was probably all the information people needed to find Mr.Plowright and his really good plows.
Many historians believe that the first outdoor signs were used about five thousand years ago.Even before most people could read，they understood such signs.Shopkeepers would carve into stone，clay，or wood symbols for the products they had for sale.
A medium，in advertising talk，is the way you communicate your message.You might say that the first medium used in advertising was signs with symbols.The second medium was audio，or sound，although that term is not used exactly in the way we use it today.Originally，just the human voice and maybe some kind of simple instrument，such as a bell，were used to get people’s attention.
A crier，in the historical sense，is not someone who weeps easily.It is someone，probably a man，with a voice loud enough to be heard over the other noises of a city.In ancient Egypt，shopkeepers might hire such a person to spread the news about their products.Often this earliest form of advertising involved a newly arrived ship loaded with goods.Perhaps the crier described the goods，explained where they came from，and praised their quality.His job was，in other words，not too different from a TV or radio commercial in today’s world.What probably led to the start of advertising?
| A．The discovery of iron. |
| B．The specialization of labor. |
| C．The appearance of new jobs. |
| D．The development of farming techniques. |
To advertise his plows，Mr.Plowright ________.
| A．praised his plows in public |
| B．placed a sign outside the shop |
| C．hung an arrow pointing to the shop |
| D．showed his products to the customers |
The writer makes up the two stories of Mr.Fielder and Mr.Plowright in order to ________.
| A．explain the origin of advertising |
| B．predict the future of advertising |
| C．expose problems in advertising |
| D．provide suggestions for advertising |
In ancient Egypt，a crier was probably someone who ________.
| A．owned a ship |
| B．had the loudest voice |
| C．ran a shop selling goods to farmers |
| D．functioned like today’s TV or radio commercial |
The last two paragraphs are mainly about ________.
| A．the history of advertising |
| B．the benefits of advertising |
| C．the early forms of advertising |
| D．the basic design of advertising |
Some time ago，I was diagnosed with breast cancer and reacted in the way most people would.The first thing came to mind was a “death sentence”. However，I found out later it was truly “an awakening” for me，especially after being diagnosed with colon cancer a few years later，but still alive to tell about them both.I began to question God.Why was I chosen to suffer this double challenge？What had I done in life so bad to have this placed upon me？I was unhappy with the way I look and the intolerant pain I had to experience each day，but instead of sighing over my fate，I decided to look on the positive sides of it.
I knew that I was about to face a new beginning，new hope，do and see more with a whole new perspective on life.I also began thinking of the individuals that are no longer among us and how there will always be someone worse off than I am.Who am I to complain？I still have my life.
During my treatments，I experienced something of a miracle that I had to write down.I took that experience and turned it into a poem and I called it “Peace”．I took that poem along with many others I had composed during my breast cancer period and submitted them for publication.The book of poems was accepted and published under the title “True Simple Poems of Life，Faith and Survival”．
I continue to write and hope that my poetry may encourage other unfortunate people and my writing continues to give me strength.I've had another inspirational children's book published called “If Only I Could Fly，Said Mattiebee”．
I would never have become a writer，producing inspirational stories，if I had not gone through all that I did.I'm a true example that you can survive cancer，not once，but twice，providing that you catch it in time.It won't all be easy，but you must have faith and allow that faith to direct your path.
I truly believe when you survive a terrible tragedy or a horrible disease like cancer，it's for a reason—you have a purpose，and I want to live and find out exactly what that is for me.How did the author feel about her disease at first?
| A．Optimistic. | B．Pessimistic. |
| C．Confident. | D．Discontented. |
When did the author begin to notice the positive sides of her tragedy?
| A．After she was diagnosed with colon cancer. |
| B．After she was diagnosed with breast cancer. |
| C．After she wrote her first poem. |
| D．After she became a writer. |
In the author's opinion，________.
| A．no one is luckier than her |
| B．God doesn't treat everyone fairly |
| C．writing poetry is the best way to deal with cancer |
| D．being alive is lucky for her |
We can know from the passage that ________.
| A．the author developed breast cancer a few years after colon cancer |
| B．writing only helped the author alone |
| C．the author wrote stories as well as poems |
| D．If Only I Could Fly，Said Mattiebee is a poem |
Many women write to me perplexed(困惑的) about why they can't form close friendships.They try new approaches，put themselves in all the right places，see therapists，and read relevant selfhelp books.They consider themselves interesting，loyal，kind，and friendworthy people.But for reasons unknown to them，they have a tough time forming intimate relationships.Many admit to not having even one close friend.
A recent study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology offers some clues as to how both nature(personality) and nurture (experience) impact our friendships.Researchers at the University of Virginia and University of Toronto，Mississauga studied more than 7,000 American adults between the ages of 20 and 75 over a period of ten years，looking at the number of times these adults moved during childhood.Their study，like prior ones，showed a link between residential mobility and adult wellbeing：The more times participants moved as children，the poorer the quality of their adult social relationships.
But digging deeper，the researchers found that personality—specifically being introverted (内向的) or extroverted (外向的)—could either intensify or buffer (缓冲) the effect of moving to a new town or neighborhood during childhood.The negative impact of more moves during childhood was far greater for introverts compared to extroverts.
“Moving a lot makes it difficult for people to maintain longterm close relationships，” stated Dr.Shigehiro Oishi，the first author of the study，in a press release from the American Psychological Association，“This might not be a serious problem for outgoing people who can make friends quickly and easily.Less outgoing people have a harder time making new friends.”
Families often have to relocate—across town，across the country，or across the globe.Yet，in many cases，their kids and young adolescents haven't yet built up a bank of friendships.So the conventional wisdom is to try to minimize moves for the sake of your child，whenever possible，and to move at the end of the academic year.The passage is written mainly to ________.
| A．offer advice to women on how to form intimate relationships |
| B．explain how nature and nurture impact our friendships |
| C．explain how moves during childhood affect children |
| D．tell us how to help children make friends |
Which of the following is true according to the second paragraph?
| A．People who moved less during childhood have better social relationships. |
| B．The more people moved during childhood，the more friends they have. |
| C．The more people moved during childhood，the better they adjust to society. |
| D．There is no link between residential mobility and adult wellbeing. |
In order for children to maintain longterm close relationships，parents ________.
| A．should not relocate their homes |
| B．should relocate their homes within the town |
| C．had better move at the end of the school year |
| D．had better move when their children couldn't build up a bank of friendships |
We learn from the fourth paragraph that moves during childhood ________.
| A．have a bigger impact on an introverted person compared to extroverts |
| B．have no impact on an outgoing person |
| C．are a big problem for both introverts and extroverts |
| D．help children better adapt to a new environment |
We can infer from the passage that ________.
| A．our friendships are mainly affected by our nurture |
| B．we can move when children have made a lot of friends |
| C．the impact of moves will disappear when one reaches adulthood |
| D．there is some way to minimize the impact of moves during childhood on children |