OSCARTHEATREBOOKINGinpersonThe-优题课

While reading a story on 20-somethings complaining about how the economy was ruiningg their life plans, I couldn’t help but think the 20-somethings sounded like a bunch of spoiled who grew up expecting everything to be easy for them. As a 20-something myself, certainly share their disappointment : my husband and I probably won’t be able to buy a house until we’re in our 40s, and we two are burdened by student loans(贷款). But why should it be any different? Being young persons in America, shouldn’t they take up all of the challenges and opportunities that this country offers?
Consider some of these views shared in the story: Jennifer, 29, owner of a two-bedroom apartment with her husband, worries that she won’t be able to have children for at least a decade because they can’t afford to buy a house yet.
I read that, and I thought what planet she is living on where you need to own a house in order to have kids? Has she ever visited a developing country, or even downtown areas in this one? Home ownership is a luxury(奢华), not a fertility requirement.
A 26-year-old in the story is disappointed that he can’t afford to get a Ph. D in literature. Well, that sounds a bit like expressing disappointment that no one will pay you to write poetry on the beach in Thailand for five years.
Yes, it’s sad that these young people feel so lost. But I think the problem is their extremely high expectations, not economic reality. Beth Kobliner, author of Personal Finance in Your Twenties and Thirties, says that she thinks people’s expectations grew up at a time when everyone’s wealth appeared to be increasing, Their parents probably saw their home values rise along with their investments. “So you have people who have grown up in an environment where people had great expectations of what living well means,” says Kobliner.
This recession(经济衰退) will certainly play a role in forcing those expectations into more realistic group. In the meantime, it seems a lot better for our mental health to focus on being grateful---for our one-bedroom apartments, for living in modern cities, or perhaps just for being able to eat three meals a day---than on longing for some kind of luxury life.
. What makes the author think the 20-somethings sound like a bunch of spoiled children?

A．They expect everything to be easy for them.

B．They complain that the economy is spoiling their life plans.

C．They are unwilling to face all of the challenges.

D．They are burdened by student loans.

. The underlined word “fertility” in paragraph 3 probably means“_____”.

A．baby production

B．pleasant

C．baby comfort

D．comfortable

. Which of the following is NOT mentioned about the complaints of the 20-somethings?

A．They can’t have children for at least a decade a decade to buy a house.

B．They have only a one-bedroom apartment to live in.

C．They can’t buy a house until 40 and are burdened by student loans.

D．They despair at not being able to afford a PH. D in literature.

. What’s the Kobliner’s attitude towards the 20-somethings with high expectations?

A．Unbearable

B．Opposite

C．Doubtful

D．Understanding

What is the best title for this passage?

A．Young people afford to continue their study

B．Young people can’t afford to buy a house

C．Young people’s high hopes create despair

D．The 20-somethings’ high expectations

I’ve changed my mind. “ I wanted to have a telescope, but now I want my dad back.” Lucien Lawrence’s letter to father for Christmas written after his schoolteacher’s father had been knifed to death outside his school gate, must have touched everyone’s heart. Lucien went on to say that without his father he couldn’t see the stars in the sky. When those whom we love depart from us, we cannot see the stars for a while.
But Lucien, the stars are still there, and one day, when you are older and your tears have gone, you will see them again. And, in a strange way, I expect that you will find your father there too, either in your mind and heart. I find that my parents, who died years ago, still figure in many of my dreams and that I think of them perhaps more than I ever did when they were alive. I still live to please them and I’m still surprised by their reactions. I remember that when I became a professor, I was so proud, or rather so pleased with myself that I couldn’t wait to cable my parents. The reply was a long time in coming, but when it did, all my mother said was “ I hope this means that now you will have more time for the children!” I haven’t forgotten. The values of my parents still live on.
It makes me pause and think about how I will live on in the hearts and minds of my children and of those for whom I care. Would I have been as ready as Philip Lawrence have been to face the aggressors, and to lay down my life for those in my care? How many people would want me back for Christmas? It’s a serious thought, one to give me pause.
I pray silently, sometimes, in the dead of night, that ancient cry of a poet “Deliver my soul from the sword, and my darling from the power of the dog.” Yet I know the death comes to us all, and sometimes comes suddenly. We must therefore plan to live forever, but live as if we will die tomorrow. We live on, I’m sure, in the lives of those we loved, and therefore we ought to have a care for what they will remember and what they will treasure. If more parents knew this in their hearts to be true, there might be fewer knives on our streets today.
. According to the whole text we can see that the first paragraph ________.

A．puts forward the subject of the text.

B．shows the author’s pity on the kid.

C．acts as an introduction to the discussion.

D．makes a clear statement of the author’ views

. In the second paragraph the author mainly wants to explain to us _______.

A．how much he misses his parents now

B．why his parents often appear in his dream

C．when Lucien will get over all his sadness

D．how proud he was when he succeeded in life

. What feeling did the author’s mother express in her reply?

A．Proud

B．Happy

C．Disappointed

D．Worried

In the author’s opinion, the value of a person’s life is ________.

A．to leave a precious memory to the people related

B．to have a high sense of duty to the whole society

C．to care what others will remember and treasure

D．to share happiness and sadness with his family

. What does the writer mean by the sentence taken from an old poem?

A．Call on criminals and murderers to lay down their guns.

B．Advise parents stay with their children safely at home.

C．Spend every day meaningfully in memory of the death.

D．Try to keep violence and murder far away from society.

Sir,
Just over six months ago, I saw an advertisement in the Morning Mail for a set of the complete works of William Shakespeare. Your company, Cosmo books Ltd., offered this set (eight books of plays and two books of poetry) at what was claimed to be a ‘remarkable’ price: fifteen pounds and fifty pence, including postage and packing. I had wanted a set of Shakespeare’s plays and poems for some time, and these books, in red imitation leather, looked particularly attractive; so I sent for them.
Two weeks later, the books arrived, together with a set of the complete works of Charles Dickens which I had not ordered. So I returned the Dickens books to you, with a cheque for fifteen pounds and fifty pence for the works of Shakespeare. Two more weeks passed. Then there arrived on my door step a second set of the works of Shakespeare, the same set of novels by Dickens and a six book set of the plays of Moliere, in French. Since I do not read French, these were of no use to me at all. However, I could not afford to post all these books back to you, so I wrote to you at the end of August of last year, instructing you to come and collect all the books that I did not want, and asking you not to send any other books until further notice.
You did not reply to that letter. Instead you sent me a bill for forty two pounds, and a set of the plays of Schiller, in German. Since then, a new set of books has arrived every two weeks, the works of Goethe, the poems of Milton, the plays of Strindberg; I hardly know what I have. The books are still all in their boxes, in the garage, and my car has to stand in the rain outside.
I have no room for any more books, and even if I read from now until the Last Judgment, I should not finish reading all the books that you have sent me.
Please send no more books, send no more bills, send no more angry letters demanding payment. Just send one large lorry and take all the books away, leaving me only with the one set of the complete works of Shakespeare for which I have paid.
Yours faithfully,
SIMON WALKER
Simon Walker wrote the letter to ________

A．urge for the final solution to the problem with the unwanted books.

B．complain about getting books he didn’t want.

C．advise readers not to order books from Cosmo Books Ltd..

D．show his anger to Cosmo Books Ltd..

The advertisement that Mr. Walker saw in the Morning Mail was for ________

A．unlimited number of Cosmo Books.

B．fifteen pounds and fifty pence.

C．a set of 10 books of the works of Shakespeare.

D．a book containing all the plays and poems of Shakespeare.

Mr. Walker answered the advertisement because ________

A．he claimed that the books were being offered at a remarkable price.

B．he wanted a set of Shakespeare’s works which was a good bargain

C．he had ordered the set and had been waiting for them to come for some time.

D．the set he already had was not particularly attractive.

It can be inferred that _______

A．Cosmo Books have sent bills for books that they have not sent.

B．Several sets of books have been sent to Mr. Walker free of charge.

C．Mr. Walker hasn’t received the books that he ordered.

D．Mr. Walker took some action after receiving the books he did not order.

. The tone of the letter is that of _______

A．bitterness

B．respect

C．humor

D．annoyance

John Steinbeck once said, “All Americans believe they are born fishermen. For a man to admit to a distaste in fishing would be like denouncing (公开指责) mother – love or hating moonlight.”
I can’t say that I’m the biggest John Steinbeck fan. Actually, the only thing I can ever remember reading by him was “The pearl” when I was in middle school, but I couldn’t agree more with the man when it comes to fishing. Whether I am on a boat in the middle of the Lay Lake, fishing off the shores of the Florida Keys for tarpon or catching rainbow trout in the Shoshone River of Wyoming, fishing is my life.
According to the American Sports Fishing Association, the fishing industry brings in more than $ 116 billion per year from fishermen across the country.
Though a beautiful picture to imagine, fishing is much more than that. Fishing is a way of life for many people and a way to escape everyday stress. Being a fisherman makes me a member of a wonderful group of people extending to all walks of life. Even President Obama can be found fishing on his farm in Texas with his good friend Roland Martin when the job gets too stressful.
I can remember fishing with my grandfather when I was 5 years old on his boat at Lake Mitchell. Although I didn’t understand what I was doing, I did know that my grandfather was happy and that made me happy. Since then I’ve spent the past 16 years on the rivers and lakes of Alabama.
After days of practice, before and after work, I slowly developed an understanding of fishing. My boss, Ric Horst, took me back to the Shoshone, and I managed to bring in a 19–inch cutthroat trout. Fishing with Ric was a life–changing experience for me. He not only showed me how to fish correctly, but also told me how fishing could be a way to escape your problems.
Since then, prime–time season seems to take forever to arrive.
Now, with the ending of February and beginning of March in sight, the excitement of heading out Lake Tuscaloosa or Lake Lurleen before classes and catching something has finally returned.
What John Steinbeck said in the first paragraph implies that ______________.

A．Americans are believed to be the offspring of fishermen

B．it is unthinkable for an American to admit his dislike of fishing

C．all Americans are expert at fishing

D．those who dislike fishing would not love their mother

．The writer came to understand the real meaning of fishing ______________.

A．when he was reading “The pearl” by John Steinbeck

B．when he went fishing with his grandfather at Lake Mitchell

C．after he had spent 16 years on the rivers and lakes of Alabama

D．after he went fishing with his boss, Ric Horst on the Shoshone

What can be inferred from the text?

A．The author is at most 21 years old.

B．The author regards fishing as a very important part in his life.

C．The author agreed with John Steinbeck the most when he was in middle school.

D．President Obama often goes fishing in public in order to collect idea for his job.

．According to the author, __________________.

A．people can get to know VIPs when fishing.

B．people can smooth away all the troubles by fishing

C．Fishing is a way of communication

D．Fishing is a way to make a living for most American people

．What is the purpose of the writing?

A．To describe the writer’s experience and understanding of fishing.

B．To explain the reason why so many Americans like fishing.

C．To make others understand the industry of fishing.

D．To express his opinions about fishing in different time of the year.

Just as the world’s most respected scientific bodies have confirmed that the world is getting hotter, they have also stated that there is strong evidence that humans are driving the warming. Countless recent reports from the world’s leading scientific bodies have said the same thing. For example, a 2010 summary of climate science by the Royal Society stated that: “There is strong evidence that the warming of the Earth over the last half-century has been caused largely by human activity.”
The idea that humans could change the planet’s climate may be counter-intuitive, but the basic science is well understood. Each year, human activity causes billions of tons of greenhouse gases to be released into the atmosphere. As scientists have known for years, these gases hold heat that would otherwise escape to space, wrapping the planet in an invisible blanket.
Of course, the planet’s climate has always been changing thanks to “natural” factors such as changes in solar or volcanic activity, or cycles relating the Earth’s going around the sun. According to the scientific literature, however, the warming recorded to date matches the pattern of warming we would expect from a build-up of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere – not the warming we would expect from other possible causes.
Even if scientists did discover another reasonable explanation for the warming observed so far, that would beg a difficult question. As Robert Henson puts it in The Rough Guide to Climate Change, “If some newly discovered factor can account for the climate change, then why aren’t carbon dioxide and the other greenhouse gases producing the warming that basic physics tells us they should be?”
The only way to prove with 100% certainty that humans are responsible for global warming would be to run an experiment with two identical Earths –one with human influence and one without. That obviously isn’t possible, and so most scientists are careful not to state human influence as an absolute certainty.
In most scientists’ opinion, the global warming is mainly caused by ________.

A．solar activity

B．volcanic activity

C．the Earth’s going around the sun

D．human activity

. The text is developed by ________.

A．giving typical examples

B．following the order of space

C．analyzing a theory and arguing it

D．comparing and finding differences

The underline word “identical” means ________.

A．totally different

B．exactly the same

C．extremely important

D．relatively independent

Which of the following can be the best title?

A．Are All the Scientists Really Scientific?

B．Where Is Global Warming Leading Us to?

C．Are Humans Definitely Causing Global Warming?

D．What’s Relation of Global Warming and Greenhouse Gases?