Mark Twain has been called the inventor of the American novel.And he surely deserves additional praise:the man who popularized the clever literary attack on racism.
I say clever because antislavery fiction had been the important part of the literature in the years before the Civil War.H.B.Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin is only the most famous example.These early stories dealt directly with slavery.With minor exceptions,Twain planted his attacks on slavery and prejudice into tales that were on the surface about something else entirely.He drew his readers into the argument by drawing them into the story.
Again and again,in the postwar years,Twain seemed forced to deal with the challenge of race.Consider the most controversial,at least today,of Twain's novels,Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.Only a few books have been kicked off the shelves as often as Huckleberry Finn,Twain's most widely read tale.Once upon a time,people hated the book because it struck them as rude.Twain himself wrote that those who banned the book considered the novel “trash and suitable only for the slums(贫民窟).”More recently the book has been attacked because of the character Jim,the escaped slave,and many occurences of the word nigger.(The term Nigger Jim,for which the novel is often severely criticized,never appears in it.)
But the attacks were and are silly—and miss the point.The novel is strongly antislavery.Jim's search through the slave states for the family from whom he has been forcibly parted is heroic.As J.Chadwick has pointed out,the character of Jim was a first in American fiction—a recognition that the slave had two personalities,“the voice of survival within a white slave culture and the voice of the individual:Jim,the father and the man.”
There is much more.Twain's mystery novel Pudd'nhead Wilson stood as a challenge to the racial beliefs of even many of the liberals of his day.Written at a time when the accepted wisdom held Negroes to be inferior(低等的)to whites,especially in intelligence,Twain's tale centered in part around two babies switched at birth.A slave gave birth to her master's baby and,for fear that the child should be sold South,switched him for the master's baby by his wife.The slave's lightskinned child was taken to be white and grew up with both the attitudes and the education of the slaveholding class.The master's wife's baby was taken for black and grew up with the attitudes and intonations of the slave.
The point was difficult to miss:nurture(养育),not nature,was the key to social status.The features of the black man that provided the stuff of prejudice—manner of speech,for example—were,to Twain,indicative of nothing other than the conditioning that slavery forced on its victims.
Twain's racial tone was not perfect.One is left uneasy,for example,by the lengthy passage in his autobiography(自传)about how much he loved what were called“nigger shows”in his youth—mostly with white men performing in blackface—and his delight in getting his mother to laugh at them.Yet there is no reason to think Twain saw the shows as representing reality.His frequent attacks on slavery and prejudice suggest his keen awareness that they did not.
Was Twain a racist?Asking the question in the 21st century is as wise as asking the same of Lincoln.If we read the words and attitudes of the past through the“wisdom”of the considered moral judgments of the present,we will find nothing but error.Lincoln,who believed the black man the inferior of the white,fought and won a war to free him.And Twain,raised in a slave state,briefly a soldier,and inventor of Jim,may have done more to anger the nation over racial injustice and awaken its collective conscience than any other novelist in the past century.How do Twain's novels on slavery differ from Stowe's?
A.Twain was more willng to deal with racism. |
B.Twain's attack on racism was much less open. |
C.Twain's themes seemed to agree with plots. |
D.Twain was openly concerned with racism. |
Recent criticism of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn arose partly from its________.
A.target readers at the bottom |
B.antislavery attitude |
C.rather impolite language |
D.frequent use of “nigger” |
What best proves Twain's antislavery stand according to the author?
A.Jim's search for his family was described in detail. |
B.The slave's voice was first heard in American novels. |
C.Jim grew up into a man and a father in the white culture. |
D.Twain suspected that the slaves were less intelligent. |
The story of two babies switched mainly indicates that________.
A.slaves were forced to give up their babies to their masters |
B.slaves' babies could pick up slaveholders' way of speaking |
C.blacks' social position was shaped by how they were brought up |
D.blacks were born with certain features of prejudice |
What does the underlined word “they” in Paragraph 7 refer to?
A.The attacks. | B.Slavery and prejudice. |
C.White men. | D.The shows. |
What does the author mainly argue for?
A.Twain had done more than his contemporary writers to attack racism. |
B.Twain was an admirable figure comparable to Abraham Lincoln. |
C.Twain's works had been banned on unreasonable grounds. |
D.Twain's works should be read from a historical point of view. |
The ocean bottom, a region nearly 2.5 times greater than the total land area of the Earth, is even today largely unexplored.Until about a century ago, the deep-ocean floor was completely inaccessible and hidden beneath waters averaging over 3,600 meters deep.Totally without light and subjected to intense pressures hundreds of times greater than at the Earth’s surface, the deep-ocean bottom is a strangeenvironment to humans, in some ways as forbidding and remote as the outer space.
Although researchers have taken samples of deep-ocean rocks for over a century, the first detailed global study of the ocean bottom did not actually start until 1969, with the beginning of the National Science Foundation’s Deep Sea Drilling Project(DSDP).Using techniques first developed for the offshore oil and gas industry, the DSDP’ s drill ship, the Glomar Challenger, was able to maintain a steady position on the ocean’s surface and drill in very deep waters, taking samples of rock from the ocean floor.
The Glomar Challenger completed 96 voyages in a 15-year research program that ended in November 1983.During this time, it sailed 600,000 kilometers and took almost 20,000 samples of rocks aroun d the world.Those samples have allowed geologists to reconstruct what the planet looked like hundreds of millions of years ago and to make out what it will probably look like millions of years in the fu ture, Today, largely on the strength of evidence gathered during the Glomar Challenger’ s voyages, nearly all earth scientists agree on the theories of plate tectonics (构造学)and continental drift that explain many of the geological processes.
The samples of rocks drilled by the Glomar Challenger have also provided a climatic record stretching back hundreds of millions of years.The information of past climatic change can be used to predict future climates.
68.What does the underlined word “inaccessible” in line 3 means?
A.unrecognizable B.unreachable C.unusable D.unreasonable
69.Why does the author mention “outer space” in the first paragraph?
A.The Earth’s climate millions of years ago was similar to that in outer space.
B.It is similar to the ocean floor in being strange to the humans.
C.Rock formations in outer space are similar to those found on the ocean floor
D.Techniques used by scientists to explore outer space were similar to those used in ocean exploration
70.Which of the following is true of the Glomar Challenger?
A.It is a type of submarine. B.It is an ongoing project.
C.It has gone on over 100 voyages. D.It made its first DSDP voyage in 1968.
71.Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage as being a result of the Deep sea Drilling Project?
A.Geologists were able to determine the Earth’s appearance millions of years ago.
B.Two geological theories became more widely accepted by scientists.
C.Geologists observed forms of life never before seen
D.Information was revealed about the Earth’s past climatic changes.
The repairman told me, “No charge Professor Pan! We’re friends.” “I’d rather pay,” I replied.“If it’s free, I can’t afford it!”
Chinese often refuse payment for professional services, insisting, "We’re friends now!" But then they show up later to ask me to tutor them in English, or get them into an American university, and I wish I’d have just paid the 30 yuan I owed them in the first place!
According to the Americans, "There’s no free lunch," meaning that there’s a price for everything, and I’m always looking around to figure out what this means.Many of our neighbours have given us fruit or flowers or costly teas, never asking anything in return.For years, a bicycle repairman has repeatedly refused to let me pay him."Wait until you have something major to fix! "he insists.
I mentioned to a peasant friend that I wished I had a stone mill to grind(磨)flour for bread.A month later he showed up with a beautiful mill that he’d had his uncle in the countryside carve from a solid block of granite(花岗石).
Chinese generosity(慷慨)is a real education for Americans like me, who would rather avoid social entanglements (纠纷) and just hand over the money.But cash can’t compensate(补偿)for the greatest gift--friendship.
When an American saw some of my friends sitting on bamboo stools under the trees, sipping(呷)tea, he said, "They must have nothing better to do.""Actually, "I said, "they are professors, with plenty to do.But probably you’re right in saying that, at this moment, they have nothing better to do.And neither do I!" And I joined the group.We chatted about tea and Chinese cooking and how much my boys have grown since we arrived.One man said, "They were pocket-sized when you came here.Now
they’re taller than you.How time flies!"
How life flies.And Chinese are smart enough to share what they know they cannot keep.They freely give of their time, never too busy to help a friend.And they are teaching me, slowly, to both give and receive.So the next time someone says, "No charge.We’re friends! " I will thank them heartily.But if they show up later asking me to tutor them in English, I’ll make sure they tutor my son in Chinese as well, because there’s still no free lunch.
64.The author insisted on paying repairman while he was offered free repairs because he .
A.was an honest man
B.didn’t know the repairman
C.thought it natural to pay for others’ service
D.didn’t want to help others in return
65.Generally, the author thinks that Chinese are _________.
A.generous and always ready to help their friends
B.good at exchange of equal values
C.free enough to drink tea and chat with their friends
D.helpful but don’t treasure time
66.The best title of the passage should be “ ”.
A.Learn to Both Give And Receive B.A Good Lesson from Chinese
C.True Help or Not D.Still No Free Lunch
67.Which of the following is TRUE?
A.The Chinese would rather not take the money to avoid problems in social communication.
B.When a peasant knew the author needed a mill, he made one for the author himself.
C.The author thinks that Chinese are wise enough to enjoy the limited life.
D.The author thinks little of Chinese way of life.
Lateral thinking(迂回思维),first described by Edward de Bono in 1967,is just a few years older than Edward’s son.You might imagine that Caspar was raised to be an adventurous thinker,but the de Bono was so famous,Casspar’s parents worried that any time he would say something bright at school,his teachers might ask,“Where do you get that idea from?”
“We had to be careful and not overdo it.”Edward admits.Now Caspar is at Oxford-which once looked unlikely because he is also slightly dyslexic(诵读困难).In fact,when he was applying to Oxford,none of his school teachers thought he had a chance.“So then we did several thinking sessions,”his father says,“using my techniques and,when he went up for the exam,he did extremely well.”Soon after,Edward de Bone decided to write his latest book,“Teach Your Child How to Think”,in which he transforms the thinking skills he developed for brain-storming businessmen into informal exercises for parents and children to share.
Thinking is traditionally regarded as something executed in a logical sequence,and everybody knows that children aren’t very logical.So isn’t it an uphill battle,trying to teach them to think?“You know,”Edward de Bono says,“if you examine people’s thinking,it is quite unusual to find faults of logic.But the faults of perception are huge!Often we think ineffectively because we take too limited a view.”
“Teach Your Child How to Think”offers lessons in perception improvement,of clearly seeing the implications of something you are saying and of exploring the alternatives.
60.What is TRUE about Caspar?
A.He is Edward’s son. B.He is an adventurous thinker.
C.He first described lateral thinking. D.He is often scolded by his teacher.
61.It can be inferred from paragraph 2 that Edward .
A.was likely to improve children’s logic with his book
B.gave a description of lateral thinking several years after his son was born
C.was prompted to study lateral thinking because his son was slightly dyslexic
D.once taught businessmen how to think before he wrote for parents and chikdren
62.According to Paragraph 3,which of the following statements expresses Edward de Bone’s view?
A.Everybody knows that children aren’t very logical.
B.It is an uphill battle trying to teach children to think.
C.We often think ineffectively because we take too limited a view.
D.Thinking is traditionally regarded as something executed in a logical sequence.
63.Lateral thinking refers to the following EXCEPT.
A.improving one’s logic in thinking
B.improving one’s perception in thinking
C.seeing the implications of what you are saying
D.exploring the alternatives for what you are saying
(Xinhua)
Chinese and Russian armed forces on Wednesday began a five-day joint military drill aimed at boosting their troops’ capability(提高部队能力)in fighting against terrorist. They will conduct a joint antiterror military exercise beginning July 22.
The exercise, named “Peace Mission-2009”, will be carried out in Russia’s Far East area and the Shenyang Military Area Command in northeast China, according to the two countries’ defense authorities. It will last five days.
About 1,300 people from the army and air force of each side will participate in the exercise. The Russian forces would also send an airborne assault unit(空降突击连) to participate in the exercise, according to the Defense Ministry.
The more than 2,600 soldiers have conducted joint exercise before. From July 23 to 26, the troops will conduct the exercise at a training base in the Shenyang Military Area Command where theater-level command headquarters(司令部) of both sides will be established.
The deputy chief of general staff of Chinese armed forces Ma Xiaotian told reporters this morning that the Chinese military is well prepared for Sunday’s joint anti-terror drill with Russia in a training base in Baicheng, Jilin Province.
The other four member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Takistan, Uzbekistan and the SCO’s secretariat will send military observers.
China, Russia and other member states of the SCO held two similar anti-terrorism exercises under the name of “Peace Mission” in 2005 and 2007 respectively.
The exercise was not targeted at any particular third party, but would show the abilities and resolution of both sides to jointly deal with various kinds of security threats and crack down on terrorist, separatist and extremist forces, the spokesman said.
72.In which day will the military exercise end?
A.On July 22. B.On July 23. C.On July 25. D.On July 26.
73.How many soldiers in all between China and Russian will conduct joint exercise?
A.More than 1,300. B.Exactly 2,600.
C.More than 2,600. D.Less than 2,600.
74. The passage tells us that.
A.the five-day joint military drill is held in Russia’s Far East area.
B.China, Russia and other member states of the SCO, held three similar anti-terrorism exercises before this
C.not only the other four member states of the SCO, but also the members from America and France will send military observers
D.the target for the exercise is to show two nations strong determination to beat the terrorists severely and at the same time to show their military abilities to jointly deal with various kinds of security threats internationally.
75. What can be the best title for the text?
A.Peace Mission-2009.B.A Five-day Joint Military Drill.
C.Mission for Peace Tarets Terrorists.D.Chinese Forces Ready for Sunday’s Joint Drill.
Every person leaves a footprint.That’s what I learnt when I started to work as a private investigator 10 years ago.People pay restaurant bills with their bank cards,check into hotels or travel around. In every case,they leave a trace.And because of this,I’m able to track them down even when they don’t want to be found.
The first thing I do when I want to find out where someone is staying is to go to the neighborhood where he used to live。It’s human nature to tell stories which is why neighbors will tell me all they know when I ring at their houses.Sometimes,someone even talks about his friend’s dishonesty.Then I produce a pattern of my subject’s life:if he likes to have a holiday in Spain or in Italy, if he prefers two-or-three-star hotels and where he might hide his assets.When I’ve got this life pattern,I start my research.
Nine times out of 10,I find the people I'm looking for.I once investigated a lorry supplier who owed£500,000 to a subcontractor(分包商)。The subcontractor wanted to find out if it was worth bringing charges against the supplier I found out the supplier had moved assets to his son,who founded a new company offering the same product.It was all done within the law.There was no money to be got from that operation.
However, I asked the son If I could speak to his father and he told me that his parent was on a long holiday in Spain and wouldn’t be back for a while.It didn’t take me long to find out that the father wasn’t in Spain.
I went back to the son and this time he told me that his father might be in Bulgaria, and I found him doing winter sport‘s in a beautiful mountain area.He was living in a big house on a large piece of land he had bought for£400,000.This was exactly the kind of asset my customer was looking for.
68.We learn from the text that a private investigator is one who.
A.follows people and reports on what they do
B.helps people start business
C.gives advice to people about the law
D.settles arguments between businesses or companies
69.The underlined word “assets”(in paragraph 2)most probably means.
A.houses B.family C.identity D.possessions
70.According to the passage,which of the following is TRUE?
A.The author visits the place where his subject used to live in order to find out why he is dishonest.
B.It’s human nature to share some trouble with others
C.The author usually tracks someone’s bank card first if he wants to find out where the man is staying.
D.The lorry supplier moved his asset’s to his son in order to prevent paying back the money he owed.
71.We may infer from the text that the subcontractor might
A.bring charges against the lorry supplier’s son
B.give up hope of settling the debt
C.get his money back
D.sell the big house in Bulgaria