Disease, poverty, hate, love-Charles Dickens' stories opened his readers' eyes to the most important themes of his age．Two hundred years on, his stories still speak volumes across the world, proving that Dickens' legacy （遗产） was far greater than just "great literature"．
February 7 marks the 200th anniversary of the writer's birthday．To mark this date, BBC writer Alex Hudson listed six things Dickens gave the modern world．Let's take a look at two of them．
A while Christmas
Dickens is described as "the man who invented Christmas" -not the religious festival, but the cultural aspects that we associate with the festive （喜庆的） season today．
In the early 19th century, Christmas was barely worth mentioning, according to critic and writer Leigh Hunt．The committee which ran the Conservative Party even held ordinary business meetings on Christmas Day - unthinkable in the West nowadays, when everyone, but the most necessary workers takes at least three days off．
Many people believe that Dickens' popular depictions（描绘） of the festive period became a blueprint for generations to come．In his classic novel, A Christmas Carol, he not only put forward the idea of snow at Christmas,but also painted a picture of glowing warmth-“home enjoyments, affections and hopes"．
In his biography of Dickens, Peter Ackroyd wrote, "Dickens can be said to have almost single-handedly created the modern idea of Christmas．"
"Dickensian" poverty
Dickens was one of the first to take an honest look at the underclass and the poor of Victorian （the period during British Queen Victoria's reign from 1837 to 1901） London．
He helped popularize the term "red tape" to describe situations where people in power use needless amounts of bureaucracy （官僚作风） in a way that particularly hurts the weaker and poorer members of society．
"Dickensian" has now become a powerful word for describing an unacceptable level of poverty．In 2009, when the president of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers in the UK wanted to talk about deprivation in some areas, of Britain, she did not use words like "terrible" or "horrific", but rather described it as "life mirroring the times of Dickens"．What is the main idea of the article?
| A．Charles Dickens' impact on the world． |
| B．An introduction to Charles Dickens' classic novels． |
| C．Charles Dickens' amazing characters． |
| D．Why Charles Dickens is popular across the world． |
Why is Dickens called "the man who invented Christmas"?
| A．Because he created the religious festival. |
| B．Because one of his novels helped to shape Christmas celebrations． |
| C．Because many of his novels have something to do with Christmas． |
| D．Because he was the first man to have proposed celebrating Christmas． |
According to the article, the phrase “red tape” refers to __.
| A．rules or procedures that are required to accomplish a task |
| B．a situation in which poor members of society are hurt |
| C．conflict between people in power and weaker people |
| D．pointlessly time-consuming official procedures |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．Dickens is still popular today in Britain． |
| B．everyone takes at least three days off at Christmas． |
| C．Dickens invented Christmas |
| D．Dickens gave the modern world six things． |
The best way of learning a language is using it. The best way of learning English is talking in English as much as possible. Sometimes you'll get your words mixed up (混合) and people will not understand you. Sometimes people will say things too quickly and you can't understand them. But if you keep your sense of humor , you can always have a good laugh at the mistakes you make. Don't be unhappy if people seem to be laughing at your mistakes. It's better for people to laugh at your mistakes than to be angry with you, because they don't understand what you are saying. The most important thing for learning English is: "Don't be afraid of making mistakes because everyone makes mistakes."The writer thinks that the most important thing for you to learn a language is___________.
| A．reading | B．practicing |
| C．talking about it | D．listening |
What should you do in learning English?
| A．Try to make some mistakes. |
| B．Avoid making any mistakes. |
| C．Remember as many new words as you can. |
| D．Use it as often as you cam |
If people laugh at the mistakes you make, you should ___________.
| A．be angry with them | B．be angry with yourself |
| C．not care | D．believe you are right |
When you make a mistake, you should___________.
| A．never make any mistakes again |
| B．tell others not to make the same mistake |
| C．punish yourself for making it |
| D．keep your sense of humor |
The story tell us:" ___________."
| A．It is normal that we make some mistakes in learning English |
| B．Everyone must make mistakes |
| C．We can avoid making mistakes in learning a language |
| D．Laughing can help one learn English well |
Everyone needs friends. We all like to feel close to someone. It is nice to have a friend to talk, laugh and do things with. Surely, there are times when we need to be alone. We don't always want people around. But we would feel lonely if we never had a friend.
No two people are the same. Sometimes friends don't get along well, which doesn't mean that they no longer like each other. Most of the time they will go on being friends. Sometimes friends move away, then we feel very sad. We miss them much, but we can call them and write to them. Maybe we would never see them again, and we can make new friends. It is surprising to find out how much we like new people when we get to know them. Families sometimes name their children after a close friend. Many places are named after men and women, if they are friendly to people in a town. Some libraries are named this way. So are some schools. We think of these people when we go to these places.
There's more good news for people, if they have friends. These people live longer than those people if those don't have friends. Why? It could be that they are happier. Being happy helps you stay well. Or it could be just knowing that someone cares, if someone cares about you, you take better care of yourself.The first paragraph tells us __________.
| A．none needs friends |
| B．we always need friends around us |
| C．making friends is the need in people's life |
| D．we need to be alone |
Which of the following is what the writer doesn't say in the passage?
| A．People are happy when their friends leave them. |
| B．People may never see their friends after their friends move away. |
| C．People can know their friends in different ways. |
| D．People like their friends very much if they get to know them. |
Which of the following is the most probable place people name after friendly people?
| A．A house. | B．A room. |
| C．A library. | D．A village. |
If people have friends, they would live longer, because __________.
| A．they feel happier and healthier |
| B．they get a lot of help from their friends |
| C．they take better care of themselves |
| D．both A and C |
This passage tells us __________.
| A．that people are all friends |
| B．that people need friends |
| C．how to get to know friends |
| D．how to name a place |
The oldest and most common source (来源) of renewable energy known to man, biomass is one of the most important forms energy production in the United States and elsewhere. Since such a wide variety of biomass materials is everywhere —- from trees and grasses to agricultural and city —- life wastes —-biomass promises to play a continuing role in providing power and heat for millions of people around the world.
According to the Union of Concerned Scientists(UCS), biomass is a kind of renewable energy source that produces no carbon dioxide, because the energy it contains comes from the sun. When plant matter is burned, it gives off the sun’s energy. In this way, biomass serves as a sort of natural battery(电池) for storing the sun’s energy. As long as biomass is produced continuously —-with only as much grown as is used— the “battery” lasts forever.
According to the Energy Information Administration, biomass has been one of the leading renewable energy sources in the United States for several years running through 2007, making up between 0.5 and 0.9 percent of the nation’s total electricity supply. In 2008—-although the numbers aren’t all in yet—-wind power probably took over first place because of the rapid development of wind farms across the country.
Producing power from biomass helps reduce some 11 million tons of carbon dioxide each year. Some homeowners also try to make their own heat by using biomass materials. Such practice may save homeowner’s money, but it also produces a lot of pollution. So, the best way is to encourage power plants to use it.Why is biomass considered as “a sort of natural battery”?
| A．It burns simply plant matter. |
| B．It stores the energy from the sun. |
| C．It keeps producing electricity. |
| D．It produces zero carbon dioxide. |
We learn from the text that in 2008 ______.
| A．0.5~0.9 of power supply came from biomass |
| B．biomass might become the main energy source |
| C．there was a rapid growth of electricity production |
| D．Wind power would be the leader of renewable energy. |
Why does the author encourage power plants to use biomass?
| A．To save money. |
| B．To prevent the waste of energy. |
| C．To reduce pollution. |
| D．To increase production safety. |
Where does the text probably come from?
| A．A book review. | B．A business report. |
| C．A research plan. | D．A science magazine |
The biggest threat to the future of Oxfordshire’s economy is transport.
That is the key finding of a major new report which interviewed more than 120 county companies. The results show 76 percent of the company owners and directors believe traffic jams and the quality of transport are affecting their business.
More than 30 percent say this is costing them dearly in the form of extra fuel(燃料) costs, while some say the situation of being stuck in jams on key roads such as the A34 and A40 every day is making it harder to employ workers.
But lack of safer cycling plans is encouraging 72 percent of people to continue to go to work by car.
The report has led the government to try to work out a solution to the situation on the county’s crowded roads.
Nicola Blackwood, an official of Oxfordshire, recently brought transport minister Stephen Hammond to the county and said he became stuck in a traffic jam on the A34.
As a result, he has promised that he will aim to look at entire roads, rather than individual projects such as improving junctions (交叉路口).
Ms Blackwood said: “If we are able to achieve anything like our economic growth, we need to solve the problems that not only affect the new companies but also the growth of existing local businesses. What I want to see most of all is the quick production of a plan to solve the problem of the A34.”
John Cardy, co-founder of Garden Games, said he had considered moving his business from a farm in Garford to Witney but traffic fears had made him reconsider. He added: “Most of our employees were not prepared to use the A40 which is always crowded.”According to the report, _____.
| A．the A34 and A40 are the most crowded roads |
| B．more and more workers are losing their jobs |
| C．companies spend more on fuel than before |
| D．there is a serious lack of fuel |
What do we know about the report mentioned in the text?
| A．It aims to develop safer cycling plans. |
| B．It focuses on the unemployment problem. |
| C．It has attracted the government’s attention. |
| D．It is based on Stephen Hammond’s experience. |
According to Ms Blackwood, what’s the most important thing to do?
| A．To solve the problem of heavy traffic. |
| B．To limit the growth of new businesses. |
| C．To invite the transport minister to Oxfordshire. |
| D．To find ways to develop the county’s economy. |
John Cardy’s worry shows _____.
| A．his employees are always caught in traffic jams on the A40 |
| B．most of his employees aren’t satisfied with him |
| C．transport is holding back business growth |
| D．business growth leads to traffic jams |
How Children Succeed, by Paul Tough
Journalist Tough spent five years reporting his previous (先前的) book, Whatever It Takes, a description of education activist Geoffrey Canada and the families influenced by his organization, the Harlem Children’s Zone. In this 2012 follow-up, Tough sets out to answer the difficult questions raised by Whatever It Takes: Why do some kids — particularly poor ones — succeed while others fail? And how can parents and educators help guide more children towards success?
The Death and Life of the Great American School System, by Diane Ravitch
Ravitch, a professor in New York University, takes a hard look at how public education has changed over the past twenty years, offering a reasoned explanation of popular policies, such as the emphasis (强调) on testing, and a solution (解决方法) to how to improve America’s schools.
Saving the School, by Michael Brick
When Anabel Garza became headteacher of Reagan High in Austin, Tex, she was faced with a large number of seemingly very difficult problems: A high dropout rate (辍学率) and low test scores. But as Brick writes Saving the School, a first-hand account of a year in the life of Reagan High, Garza, along with other teachers, was determined to turn things around for her school and her students.
The Flat World and Education, by Linda Darling -Hammond
While scores on the tests required by “No Child Left Behind” have steadily (平稳地) risen, America’s students are always falling behind on international testing measures. Why? According to Stanford education professor Darling-Hammond, it’s because U.S. schools, “designed at the turn of the last century,” are in need of a complete change. In this book, she describes the latest education models used by schools all over the world, which she argues could offer a long-term road map to changing the American public school system.Which book answers questions from another book?
| A．Saving the School. |
| B．How Children Succeed. |
| C．The Flat World and Education. |
| D．The Death and Life of the Great American School System. |
Who writes about a particular high school?
| A．Diane Ravitch. | B．Michael Brick. |
| C．Paul Tough. | D．Linda Darling-Hammond. |
Both Diane and Linda are offering measures to _____.
| A．cut down the dropout rate |
| B．help students get high scores |
| C．improve schools in America |
| D．guide more children to success |