DearDean,Itismyunderstandingth-优题课

At Harton College—an English boarding school for boys —there are many rules . 15-year-old Bob Sanders often breaks them .
The boys can go into the town in the afternoon after class . But they must return to the school at six o’clock . One afternoon Bob walked to the town . He looked at the shops and then went to the cinema . After the film , he looked at his watch . It was after eight o’clock . He was a little worried . He walked back to Harton College as fast as possible .
When he arrived , he ran quickly to the main entrance . It was locked . He went round the school building to another door , which was locked too . He looked up at the window of his dormitory on the third floor . The window was open . But it was quite dark , and he could not climb up the wall easily . Then he saw another open window on the ground floor . It was the window of the headmaster’s study .
He looked into the room —no one was there . Bob quickly climbed on to the window sill（窗台）and jumped into the room . Just then he heard a noise . Then someone turned on a light in the corridor（走廊）. Bob looked around and then hid under the sofa . One minute later , Mr. Mannering , the headmaster , came in . He turned on the light on his desk , and sat down on the sofa . Then he opened a book and began to read .
Bob lay under the sofa as quietly as possible . He couldn’t move . The floor was cold and uncomfortable . He looked at the headmaster’s shoes and socks for an hour .
“Why doesn’t he get up and go to bed ?” Bob thought .
Mr. Mannering read his book for another hour . Finally , the headmaster closed his book and stood up .He put the book on a shelf and walked towards the door .
“Thanks heavens , he didn’t find me under the sofa ,” thought Bob .
Then Mr. Mannering stopped and spoke towards the sofa . “ Would you turn off the light when you leave ?” He said , and left the study .
1．Bob didn’t go to his dormitory because______________.
A．its door was locked
B．the window was shut
C．it was quite dark
D．the wall was too high for him to climb up
2．Who had turned on a light in the corridor ?
A．Bob himself B．Another pupil C．An office clerk D．Mr. Mannering
3．When the headmaster came in , Bob______________.
A．was sitting on the sofa
B．was lying under the sofa
C．hid himself behind the bookshelf
D．hid himself under the sofa
4．It can be inferred that Mr . Mannering ______________.
A．knew that Bob was still at the cinema
B．knew that Bob was in the dormitory
C．knew exactly where Bob was
D．didn’t know clearly where Bob was

When someone says , “Well , I guess I’ll have to go to face the music,” It doesn’t mean he is planning to go to a concert . It is something far less pleasant , like being called in by your boss to explain why you did this or that , and why you did not do this or that . Sour （刺耳）music , indeed , but it has to be faced .
The phrase “to face the music” is familiar to every American , young and old . It is at least 100 years old . Where did the expression come from ?
The first information comes from the American writer James Fenimore Cooper . He said—in 1851—that the expression was first used by actors while waiting in the wings （侧）to go on stage . After they got their clue（暗示）to go on , they often said , “It’s time to go to face the music.” And that is exactly what they did —face the orchestra（管弦乐队）which was just below the stage .
An actor might be frightened or nervous as he moved on to the stage in front of the audience that might be friendly or perhaps unfriendly , especially if he forgot his lines. But he had to go out .
So, “to face the music” came to mean : having to go through something , no matter how unpleasant the experience might be , because you knew you had no choice .
The other explanation comes from the army . Men had to face inspection（检阅）by their leader . The soldiers worried about how well they looked . Was their equipment clean—shiny enough to pass inspection ? Still , the men had to go out , and face the music of the band , as well as the inspection . What else could they do ?
1．The phrase “to face the music” was first used by______________.
A．all the Americans
B．the American writer James Fenimore Cooper
C．American actors
D．the American orchestra
2．An actor might feel frightened or nervous when going on stage .One of the reasons is that ______________.
A．his performance might not satisfy most of the audience
B．he might not remember what he should say on stage
C．he had to face the unfriendly audience
D．the audience might be mostly his friends
3． “To face the music” is also used to mean that soldiers were not willing______________.
A．to be examined about their equipment
B．to be found weak
C．to show themselves by their leader
D．to be inspected by their leader
4．This passage is mainly about______________.
A．the meaning of the phrase “to face the music”
B．how to deal with something unpleasant
C．the origin（起源）of the phrase
D．how to go through difficulty

三、阅读理解（共20小题，每小题2分，满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。
In one way of thinking , failure is a part of life . In another way , failure may be a way towards success . The “ spider story” often told , Robert Bruce , leader of the Scots in the 13th century , was hiding in a cave from the English . He watched a spider spinning a web . The spider tried to reach across a rough place in the rock . He tried six times without success . On the seventh time he made it and went on to spin his web . Bruce is said to have taken heart and to have gone on to defeat the English …Edison , the inventor of the light bulb , made hundreds of models that failed before he found the right way to make one .
So what ? First , always think about your failure . What caused it ?Were conditions right ? Were you in top form yourself ? What can you change so things will go right next time ?
Second , is the goal(目标)you’re trying to reach the right one ? Try to do some thinking about what your real goals may be . Think about this question .“ If I do succeed in this , where will it get me ?” This may help you prevent failure in things you shouldn’t be doing anyway .
The third thing is to bear in mind that failure is a part of life . Learn to “ live with yourself” even though you may have failed . Remember , “You can’t win them all .”
1．This passage deals with two sides of failure . In paragraph 1 , the author talks mainly about
_____________
A．the value of failure B．how people would fail
C．famous failures D．the cause of failure
2．The lesson the spider taught Robert Bruce seems_______________.
A．productive B．straight forward C．sad D．deep
3．The author tells you to do all things except______________.
A．to think about the cause of your failure
B．to check out whether your goals are right for you
C．to consider failure as a part of life
D．to bear in mind that you will never fail in your life
4．Which of the following is NOT true ?
A．Bruce and Edison were successful examples .
B．Failure may be regarded as a way towards success .
C．Edison learned a lot from the lesson the spider taught Robert Bruce .
D．One may often raise a question whether his goals are worth trying .

　　In a great many cities, hundreds of people ride bicycles to work everyday. In New City, some bike riders have even formed a group called Bike for a Better City. They declare that if more people rode bicycles to work, there would be fewer automobiles(汽车) in the downtown part of the city and so less dirty air from car engines. For several years this group has been trying to get the city government to help bicycle riders. For example. They want the city to draw special lanes(通道) for bicycles only on some of the main streets, because when bicycle riders must use the same lanes as cars, there are accidents. Bike for a Better city feels that if there were special lanes more people would use bikes.
But no bicycles lanes have been drawn. Not everyone thinks they are a good idea-----they say it will slow traffic. Some store owners on the main streets don't like the idea------they say that if there is less traffic, they will have less business.
The city government has not yet decided what to do. It wants to keep everyone happy. On weekends, Central Park----the largest place of open ground in New York----is closed to cars, and the roads may be used by bicycles only. But Bike for a Better City says that this is not enough and keeps fighting to get bicycle lanes downtown.
1. The bike riders suggest that _____________.
A. bicycles should be used instead of cars B. bicycle lanes should be drawn
C. fewer buses or cars should be used D. the number of special lanes should be increased
2. The advantage(好处) of the special lanes is that _______.
A. they will make cars and buses run slowly
B. they will make it easier for bike riders to go to parks
C .they will make the city more beautiful
D. the lanes will prevent accidents
3. The government has not decided whether special lanes should be drawn ______.
A. so that everyone is disappointed B. because there are different opinions
C. because most people travel by train D. because Bike for a Better City is not strong enough

The British are the most voracious(如饥似渴的) newspaper readers in the world.
They read newspapers at breakfast ; they walk to the bus reading a newspaper; they read a newspaper on bus, as they go to work; and on the way back home, after work, they are engaged in reading an evening newspaper.
There are many" morning papers", both national and provincial. The most famous is The Times. Different from what many foreigners believe, this is not a government newspaper. The various newspapers usually have their own views of the Communist Morning Star. The Labor Party and the Trades Union Congress no longer have a daily newspaper to represent them.
Bold headlines and a variety of photographs are features of the British press. Some newspapers, such as the sober Daily Telegraph and The Times, use photographs sparingly(节省). The more“popular”newspapers, using the small or "tabloid"(小报) format, such as the Daily Express, the Mail, the Daily Mirror and the Sun, use pictures extensively and also run strip cartoons and humorous drawings, some of which present striking pictorial comment on politics.
Besides offering features common to newspapers all over the world, British newspapers specialize in pages devoted to criticism of the arts and a woman's page. One feature found in many foreign newspapers is missing in British papers：the serial(连载).
Nearly all papers pay special attention to the reporting of sports and athletics. The evening newspapers are often bought because the buyer wants to know the winner of a race, or to get good tip for a race that is still to be run. There is no censorship(审查) of the press in Britain (except in wartime), though of course all newspapers—like private persons—are responsible for what they publish, and can be sued for libel （为诽谤而被起诉） for publishing articles that go beyond the bounds of decency(正派), or for ignorance of court”. (e.g. calling a man a murderer while he is still being tried．Such cases are not often)
1．Which of the following does NOT serve as an evidence(证据) that the British are the great newspaper readers?
A．They read newspapers at breakfast. B．They read newspapers at work.
C．They read newspapers on bus. D．They read newspapers on the way back home.
2．Many of foreigners think that_______.
A．The Times is an organ (喉舌) of the government
B．The Times has its own views on politics
C．The Times is the most famous newspaper in the world
D．The Times pays too much attention to the reporting of political events
3．British newspapers are characterized by ________.
A．bold headlines B．various kinds of photographs
C．striking pictorial comment on politics D．both A and B
4．Which of the following conclusions can NOT be drawn from the passage?
A．Englishmen always take every possible chance to read newspapers.
B．In Britain, newspapers must be carefully examined by the authorities(当局) before their publication for fear that they present anything offensive.
C．Few British newspapers publish libelous articles.
D．The Times is one of the world-famous newspapers.