An idea that started in Seattle's public library has spread throughout America and beyond. The concept is simple: help to build a sense of community in a city by getting everyone to read the same book at the same tome.
In addition to encouraging reading as a pursuit (追求) to be enjoyed by all, the program allows strangers to communicate by discussing the book on the bus, as well as promoting reading as an experience to be shared in families and schools. The idea came from Seattle librarian Nancy Pearl who launched (发起)the "If All of Seattle Read the Same Book " project in 1998. Her original program used author visits, study guides and book discussion groups to bring people together with a book, but the idea has since expanded to many other American cities, and even to Hong Kong.
In Chicago, the mayor(市长)appeared on television to announce the choice of To Kill a Mockingbird as the first book in the "One Book, One Chicago" program. As a result, reading clubs and neighbourhood groups sprang up around the city. Across the US, stories emerged of parents and children reading to each other at night and strangers chatting away on the bus about plot and character.
The only problem arose in New York, where local readers could not decide on one book to represent the huge and diverse population. This may show that the idea works best in medium-sized cities or large towns, where a greater sense of unity(一致)can be achieved .Or it may show that New Yorkers rather missed the point ,putting all their energy
And passion into the choice of the book rather than discussion about a book itself.
Ultinatel was Nancy points out, the level of success is not measured by how many people read a book, but by how many people are enriched by the process. or have enjoyed speaking to someone with whom they would not otherwise have shared a word. What is the purpose of the project launched by Nancy?
A.To invite authors to guide readers. |
B.To encourage people to read and share. |
C.To involve people in community service. |
D.To promote the friendship between cities. |
.Why was it difficult for New Yorkers to carry out the project?
A.They had little interest in reading. |
B.They were too busy to read a book. |
C.They came from many different backgrounds |
D.They lacked support from the local government |
According to the passage, where would the project be more easily carried out?
A.In large communities with little sense of unity |
B.In large cities where libraries are far from home |
C.In medium-sized cities with a diverse population |
D.In large towns where agreement can be quickly reached |
The underlined words “shared a word” in Paragraph 5 probably mean
A.exchanged ideas with each other |
B.discussed the meaning of a word |
C.gamed life experience |
D.used the same language |
According to Nacy, the degree of students of the project is judged by
the careful selection of a proper book
the growing popularity of the writers
C. the number of people who benefit from reading.
D. the number of books that each person reads.
In 490 B.C. the Greek messenger, Pheidippides , ran about 40 kilometers from the town of “Marathon”to Athens to announce the victory of Athens over Macedon . Since then ,the 42–kilometer“Marathon”race has become a great test for athletes. However, for many years , only men were allowed to run this race , because the distance was said to be unbearable for women. In 1966, an American women named Roberta Gibb proved that idea wrong.
Gibb had always enjoyed running .One day in 1964 , she saw the Boston Marathon happening as she was running in the woods. Since running meant a lot to her, she began training harder , hoping to join the marathon some day.
Gibb finally applied to run in the 1966 Boston Marathon, but she was not given entrance because the Boston Marathon Association considered that women were not strong enough to run 42 kilometers . Yet, this was no obstacle to Gibb, for she knew she had the physical and mental strength to complete the race .On the day the 1966 Boston Marathon was held , Gibb hid in the bushes and jumped into the race when it began. She finished the race in 3 hours and 21 minutes, defeating two thirds of the men in the race and proving that women could run the marathon.
Although what Gibb did was only to realize her dream, in doing so she showed the world that women could accomplish greater things than many people believed they could.why were women forbidden to run the 42–km marathon ?
A.Training was only provided for men . |
B.Women could not work as messengers. |
C.Women were believed too weak to finish it. |
D.It was a race held only for professional athletes |
What did Roberta Gibb do to prepare herself for the Boston Marathon ?
A.She dressed herself as a man. |
B.She trained herself harder than before. |
C.She found a job in the Boston Marathon Association . |
D.She hid in the bushes, waiting for the end of the race. |
What happened to Gibb in the 1966 Boston Marathon?
A.Her application wasn’t accepted. |
B.She was asked to train harder . |
C.Her determination amazed people. |
D.She was welcome to run the race. |
According to the text ,what can we learn from Roberta Gibb’s story?
A.Most women ran slower than men in marathons. |
B.Joining marathons is the best way to prove one’s strength. |
C.It takes at least two years to train to become a marathon runner. |
D.Women may be able to achieve greater things than they’re expected. |
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." 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 (正常的) 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 |
How do you address(称呼) people in English when you want to talk to them? The following may be some simple rules the beginners should follow.
1. When talking to strangers there is often no special form of address in English. Usually, if you want to catch the attention of a stranger it is necessary to use such phrases as “Excuse me”.
2. In British English “Sir” and “Madam” are considered to be too formal(正式) for most situations. They are used mostly to customers(顾客) in shops or restaurants. While in American English “Sir” and “Madam” are not so formal and are commonly used between strangers, especially with older people whose names you don’t know.
3. When you talk to some people you know, you can use their names. If you are friends, use their first names; if your relationship is more formal, use “Mr.”, “Mrs.”, “Ms”, etc, before their family names.
4. There are many other forms of address which can be used between friends and strangers. However, many of these are limited in use. For example, “pal” and “mate” can be used between strangers, but are usually only used by men talking to other men.According to the passage, “Excuse me” is mainly used to ______.
A.address a person you don’t know | B.apologize to others |
C.catch the attention of a stranger | D.suggest good manners |
If John Smith is your best friend, according to the passage you should often call him ______.
A.John | B.Smith | C.Mr. John | D.Mr. Smith |
Which of the following is NOT true?
A.“Sir” and “Madam” are used more often in America than in England. |
B.People often use “Mr.”, “Mrs.” or “Ms” before the first names of those people who they don’t know very well. |
C.“Pal” and “mate” are usually only used between men. |
D.While addressing friends, people just use their first names |
The passage is most likely taken from an English _______.
A.textbook | B.card | C.storybook | D.grammar book |
Have you ever thought of taking a train and having an adventure(奇遇)?Riding the train can be a real adventure. That is how I feel every time I take Amtrak. I often take a four-hour trip to visit my children. Every time I take this trip I never know what will happen.
Last week when I was on the train and over an hour into the train ride,there was a man sitting by himself in the back of the train carrying on a mobile phone conversation-in another language. It was loud and disturbed most of the people on the train. I think it was annoying.
Fortunately I sat next to a wonderful old lady who was taking a two-day trip by train. She said her two daughters were distraught at the thought of her driving for three days to reach her home,although she had no trouble driving. The train ride was the only choice for her. She loved to look out of the window and watch the world go by on the train.
She was fun to talk to and asked me when my children started being parents. That is a very good question. Both of us are old and have children. She asked that same question from time to time.
There are always many people on the train from all walks of life,different countries,and many languages. Riding the train is a great way to increase your knowledge and take in all kinds of cultures. If you get hungry,you can buy food in the food car at any time. If you need to use the restroom there is always one available.
It sure beats driving the car,which has to stop for food and restrooms. And it is better than taking the bus.According to the passage,the purpose of the author’s train ride was .
A.to do business | B.to see her children |
C.to visit places of interest | D.to see her old friends |
Which of the following is the closest in meaning to the underlined word “distraught” in Paragraph 3?
A.Disappointed. | B.Satisfied. | C.Worried. | D.Pleased. |
Which of the following is TRUE about the old lady sitting next to the author?
A.She is too old to drive now. |
B.She does not like to take trains. |
C.Although she is old,she has a good memory. |
D.Her daughters live far away from her home. |
What is the best title for this passage?
A.Train ride-a cultural experience | B.A painful experience on the train |
C.The history of Amtrak | D.A wonderful lady |
People who like travelling have their reasons. They believe that travelling can help them expand their field of view,especially in the geographical and historical sense. They also think that touring will give them more chances to enjoy different kinds of food and experience new things that would never be brought by other activities. But those who dislike travelling also have some reasons.
Travelling,in my opinion,does more good than harm. Most importantly,it broadens(使扩大)our mind. We can get in touch with other civilizations(文明),cultures,customs and ideas.
Through history,most people travelled because of necessity(必要性)-not for pleasure. People travelled just in order to remain alive. They searched for food to eat or places to live in. They sometimes ran away from enemies. This is not to say that no one ever travelled just for fun of it. In ancient times,for example,rich Romans travelled all the ways to Greece to take part in the Olympic Games,and festivals. Of course,some people decided to travel just out of curiosity(好奇心).They wanted to find out what it looked like beyond the horizon(地平线).Also business travel has been going on for centuries. Traders could not only make money but also learn to speak several languages and be introduced to different cultures.
So,travelling does enrich our mind and draw new ideas to us. There is no doubt that we can get much from it.The underlined word “expand” in Paragraph 1 can be replaced by“___________ ”.
A.widen | B.protect | C.lose | D.decide |
According to the passage,in the past most people traveled____________.
A.for fun | B.for knowledge | C.to get experiences | D.to make a living |
How many reasons for travelling are mentioned in Paragraph 3 ?
A.Three. | B.Four. | C.Five. | D.Six. |
What’s the main idea of this passage?
A.Different kinds of travelling. |
B.Travelling enriches our mind. |
C.Ways to enjoy yourself while travelling. |
D.The advantages and disadvantages of travelling. |