Pride and Prejudice for the Modern Woman
Let us imagine how Pride and Prejudice，Jane Austen’s most
famous work，might be updated，200 years on.
Austen’s popularity is rooted in her intelligence.But today she would certainly have had a very different life，as would her characters.Here’s my own suggestion...
It is a truth finally and universally acknowledged that a single woman with brains deserves to have equal opportunities to men，however disadvantaged she may feel by sexism.
“My dear husband，”said his hopeful wife one day，“have you heard that the local store，standing empty for so long，is taken over by a bright young businesswoman？”
Her dull and indifferent (漠不关心的) husband replied that he had not.
“But it is，it is，”she replied excitedly.
Mr DullHusband made no reply.
“Don’t you want to know her plans？”she cried with some impatience.
“Well，clearly you think it matters to your silly little head...so I’d better listen.”
“Well，my dear，the rumour (传言) is that she has already set up a string of successful businesses in northern England，though how_a_woman_can_know_anything_about_that_is_beyond_me.She will move in herself next month.”
“What is her name？”
“Bingley.”
“Is she married or single？”
“What a question! And none of your business.But her coming will be a fine thing for our five boys.”
“How so? How can it possibly affect them? ”
“My dear love：those lazy boys need something to wake them up.There are bound to be jobs going.”
“Is that her point in settling here? Surely as a woman she has simply taken a fancy to the place.”
“Nonsense，my love，how little you’ve noticed the world has changed.She’s got a firstrate degree and some sort of business qualification，I’m told.She surely needs one of our boys! Perhaps you might give her a call.”
“Me? No.Perhaps you can take an interest.You still have your looks，after all.She may even offer you a job.”
“Oh，that’s not likely.These new chances belong to the younger generation.But now you mention it，I think I’ll go along all the same.”
And Mrs Bennet went along.That was 10 years ago.She is now managing director of a FTSElisted company.
...It would remain the case，of course，that Mrs Bennet would be one of very few women on the company board，that her salary would be lower than her male colleagues，her bonus of a more“female”dimension and her lifespan (年限) among the city’s business leaders shorter than theirs.Still，she’d no doubt have enjoyed Davos—and might even have hobnobbed (攀谈) with influential figures.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Austen was born 200 years ago. |
| B．Austen rewrote Pride and Prejudice. |
| C．Austen’s success lies in her wisdom. |
| D．Austen’s updated work gains popularity. |
The underlined part in the passage suggests that Mrs Bennet ________.
| A．had mixed feelings of admiration and surprise about Bingley |
| B．felt kind of worried and doubtful about Bingley |
| C．was extremely anxious to meet Bingley |
| D．had a great curiosity about Bingley |
In the eyes of Mrs Bennet，Bingley surely needed one of their boys to ________.
| A．get married to |
| B．work for her |
| C．help her move in |
| D．take over her store |
What does the writer intend to tell us?
| A．Women with brains can also be as successful as men. |
| B．Women have to pay a high price for success. |
| C．A judgment must be made free from prejudice. |
| D．Sex discrimination still exists nowadays. |
LONDON—Archaeologists have discovered a smaller prehistoric(史前) site near Britain’s famous circle of standing stones at Stonehenge.
Researchers have named the site “Bluehenge” after the color of the 27 Welsh stones that were laid to make up a path. The stones have disappeared, but the path of holes remains.
The new circle, unearthed over the summer by researchers from Sheffield University, represents an important find, researchers said Saturday. The site is about a mile away from Stonehenge.
Bluehenge, about 80 miles southwest of London, is believed to date back to about the time Stonehenge was built, about 5,000 years ago.
Mike Parker Pearson of Sheffield University said he believed the path and stonehenge itself were linked to rituals(仪式) of life and death.
Mike Parker suggested that the ancient funerary rituals began at a different circle site known as “Wood-henge”, which represented the world of the living. The bodies of the dead were then brought down the River Avon to Bluehenge, which represented death, and were finally carried along a ceremonial route known as the Avenue to Stonehenge.
Bournemouth University Professor Tim Darvill, an expert on Stonehenge, told Britain’s Dail Mail that Bluehenge “adds to the richness” of the ancient site’s story.
“This henge is very important because it forms part of the picture of ceremonial monuments in the area and puts Stonehenge into context,” Darvill was quoted(引述) as saying. “It’s no longer Stonehenge standing alone, but it has to be seen in context with the landscape.”How many henges are mentioned in this passage?
| A．Two | B．Three | C．Four | D．Five |
Who believed the Stonehenge is related to ancient ritual of death?
| A．Archaeologists from London | B．Welsh researchers |
| C．Mike Parker Pearson | D．Professor Tim Darvill |
What does the underlined sentence “It’s no longer Stonehenge standing alone, but it has to be seen in context with the landscape.” in the last paragraph mean?
| A．Stonehenge has noting to do with Bluehenge |
| B．Woodhenge represented the world of living in ancient times. |
| C．Bluehenge represented death |
| D．Stonehenge, Woodhenge and Bluehenge should be studied together |
From the passage we can learn that ______.
| A．researchers have named the site “Bluehenge,” because they have found blue huge stones there |
| B．funerary rituals were carried out along the path starting from Woodhenge, River Avon to Bluehenge, finally Stonehenge. |
| C．Bluehenge is 1 mile away from London |
| D．Bluehenge dates back to 2000 BC |
As far back as he could remember，Larry had longed to go to Hollywood and become a film star．The young man’s hopes for success were broken again and again，however．Hollywood just did not seem interesting．When he first came to California，Larry had decided never to give up and return home without success．Therefore，he kept on trying．Someday，he told himself，his big opportunity would come．
Larry found a job parking cars for one of Hollywood’s big restaurants．His pay was elementary，but since the guests were kind enough to give him more money，he managed to make a living．One day he recognized an important film director driving into the parking lot （停车场） and getting out of his car．Larry had recently heard that the man was ready to make a new picture．
Larry got into the car and prepared to drive it on into the lot and park it．Then he stopped，jumped out，and ran over to the director．“Excuse me，sir，but I think it’s only fair to tell you that it’s now or never if you want me in your next picture．A lot of big companies are after me．”
Instead of pushing away the boy，the director laughed，then wrote something on a card and handed it to the young man．“Come and see me tomorrow．”
Larry got a small part in the director’s next film．He was on his way！Which of the following was Larry interested in?
| A．Working as a waiter． | B．Becoming a film star． |
| C．Parking cars for film stars． | D．Owing a big company． |
Why did Larry find a job parking cars?
| A．Because he liked the job． |
| B．Because the parking lot was near Hollywood． |
| C．To make a living and wait for the opportunity． |
| D．To see a lot of film stars and work for them． |
After reading the story what can we infer （推断） about the film director ?
| A．He wanted to laugh at Larry． |
| B．He recognized Larry at first sight． |
| C．He was kind and gave Larry a try． |
| D．He thought Larry would become a star． |
what does the word “elementary” mean in this passage?
| A．基本的 | B．充足的 | C．较高的 | D．不达标的 |
“He was on his way”refers to the fact that ________．
| A．he gave up and returned home |
| B．he began to work towards success |
| C．he took a journey to Hollywood |
| D．he had difficulty in playing the small part |
"Hey, don't read in the hallway. Your eyesight will be damaged." You must have heard such warnings many times. Don’t read in dim (暗的)light! This is one of the “pearls of wisdom” that are supposed to help us live a healthy life. Such common beliefs, however, lack scientific basis, according to a paper published recently in the British Medical Journal.
Do you believe in the following everyday wisdom?
Reading in dim light ruins your eyesight.
In dim light, you might blink (眨眼) more, feel discomfort from drying and have trouble focusing. But the majority of eye experts believe it is unlikely to do any permanent damage.
We must drink at least eight glasses of water a day
In 1945, the Nutrition Council in US suggested that people need to consume 2.5 litres of water a day. But the water contained in food, particularly fruit and vegetables, as well as in milk, juice and soft drinks, also counts towards the total.
We only use 10 percent of our brains.
This myth arose as early as 1907. People have long argued about our power of self-improvement and our brains’ potential abilities. But detailed imaging shows that no area of the brain is silent or inactive.
Shaving your legs causes hair to grow black faster and thicker.
This theory is also illusion. Shaving has no effect on the thickness or rate of hair growth,
studies say. Just over time, the edge of hair gets worn away and thus the edge of long hair becomes finer (更细). So hair that is newly grown gives the impression of darkness.What does the paper say about some common beliefs?
| A．They are pearls of wisdom | B．They help us live in healthy ways |
| C．They are well-known theories. | D．They do not have scientific basis. |
Which of the following is true according to the passage ?
| A．Reading in dim light does harm to one’s eyes. |
| B．People need a total of 2.5 litres of water a day |
| C．People use 90 percent of their brains. |
| D．Shaving your legs will give you thicker hair. |
This passage is most likely to be found in __________ ?
| A．a newspaper | B．a science fiction |
| C．a biology textbook | D．a medical book |
While income worry is a rather common problem of the aged, loneliness is another problem that aged parents may face. Of all the reasons that explain their loneliness, a large geographical distance between parents and their children is the major one. This phenomenon(现象) is commonly known as "Empty Nest Syndrome”（空巢综合症）．
In order to find better chances outside their countries, many young people have gone abroad, leaving their parents behind with no clear idea of when they will return home. Their parents spend countless lonely days and nights, taking care of themselves, in the hope that someday their children will come back to stay with them. The fact that most of these young people have gone to Europeanized or Americanized societies makes it unlikely that they will hold as tightly to the value of duty as they would have if they had not left their countries. Whatever the case, it has been noted that the values they hold do not necessarily match what they actually do. This geographical and cultural distance also prevents the grown-up children from providing response in time for their aged parents living by themselves.
The situation in which grown-up children live far away from their aged parents has been described as "distant parent phenomenon", which is common both in developed countries and in developing countries. Our society has not yet been well prepared for "Empty Nest Syndrome".According to the passage, the loneliness of aged parents is mainly caused by ________.
| A．their earlier experience of living alone |
| B．the poor living conditions in their native countries |
| C．the common worry that they have not saved much money |
| D．the distance between where parents live and where their children live |
Many young people have gone abroad, leaving their aged parents behind, to ______.
| A．realize their dreams in foreign countries |
| B．seek a better place for their aged parents |
| C．live in the countries with more money |
| D．continue their studies abroad |
If young people go abroad, __________.
| A．they do not hold to the value of duty at all |
| B．they can give some help to their parents back home |
| C．they cannot do what they should for their parents |
| D．they believe what they actually do is right |
From the last paragraph, we can infer that __________.
| A．the situations in the developed and developing countries are different |
| B．"Empty Nest Syndrome" has arrived unexpectedly in our society |
| C．children will become independent as soon as they go abroad |
| D．the aged parents are not fully prepared for "Empty Nest Syndrome" |
The society discussed in the passage is most probably __________.
| A．France | B．America | C．China | D．Britain |
A car needs gas to run as your body needs food to work for you. Eating the right kinds of food is very important. A good eating habit can help your body grow strong if you take care of what you eat.
There are four main food groups altogether. The dairy group has food like milk, cheese and sour milk. The other three groups are the meat and fish group, the fruit and vegetable group, and the bread and rice group. Each meal should have at least one food from all four main groups. With all of these foods together, you will be given enough energy during the day.
It is easy to get into bad eating habits. You may eat your breakfast in a hurry to get to school on time or you may not have time for a good lunch. It may be easier to eat fish and chips for your supper all the time. But you will find yourself tired and you will not be able to think quickly.
Watching what you eat will help keep your body healthy and strong. It is also good to take some exercise. It will help you eat more if you take a walk or play games in the open air. Having good eating habits with some exercise is the key to your health.According to the passage, which of the following diets do you think is the best one?
| A．Eggs, tomatoes and chicken. | B．Milk, bread, cabbages and beef. |
| C．Corn, fish, ice cream and pork. | D．Rice, beancurd, fish and chicken. |
In this passage the writer mainly tells us that ______.
| A．every person needs food to grow well |
| B．taking exercise can keep your body strong |
| C．the right kind of food with exercise will keep you healthy |
| D．enough energy helps people think more quickly |