A young man returns to his hometwon of Aractataca, Colombia. He visits the house where he lived as a child. Here, he remembers the most important memories of his childhood. Standing in front of his old house, the young man makes an important decision. He says to himself, “I will start my life over again. I will become a writer.”
This man is the world famous writer. Gabriel Garica Marquez.
Gabriel Garcia Marquez was born on March 6,1928. During his early life, Garcia Marquez’s grandmother and grandfather told him many stories. His grandmother would tell him legends as if they were real. Garcia Marquez says that his grandmother’s way of storytelling later influenced his own methods.
When Garcia Marquez was about 20 years old, he left Aracataca and attended university in Bogota. He began studying law because this was what his father wanted him to study. However, Garcia Marquez was not happy.
During this time Garcia Marquez returned to Aracataca. It was on this visit that he realized he must stop studying law. And he recognized that he must return to the dream of his childhood-writing. For the next few years, Garcia Marquez wrote for many different newspapers. And in 1955, he published his first book called “Leaf Storm”.
For many years, Garcia Marquez knew he wanted to write about his grandfather’s house in Aracataca. To write this book, Garcia Marquez and his wife had to sell almost all of their possessions to survive. But their act was worth it. The book, “One Hundred Years of Solitude” was immediately successful. And this book created a path for Garcia Marquez’s future success.
In 1982, Gabriel Garcia Marquez was given the Nobel Prize in Literature for his book “One Hundred Years of Solitude”, making him the first Colombian and the fourth Latin American to win a Nobel Prize in Literature.Who influenced Garcia Marquez’s writing style?
| A.His grandfather. | B.His grandmother. |
| C.His father. | D.His wife. |
Garcia decided to take up writing .
| A.when he worked for a newspaper |
| B.under the influence of his family |
| C.when he graduated from college |
| D.after a visit to his hometown |
Garcia’s book “One Hundred Years of Solitude” .
| A.was written in the 1950s |
| B.enjoyed a quick success |
| C.helped Garcia lead a better life |
| D.was about Garcia’s grandfather |
What do we know from the text about Garcia Marquez?
| A.He is the first Latin American to win a Nobel Prize in Literature. |
| B.His book “Leaf Storm” marked his great success in literature. |
| C.He wrote for newspapers before publishing his own books. |
| D.He followed his father’s wish to become a writer. |
Read the advertisements carefully. Then answer the questions that follow.
INTERESTED IN CHILDCARE?
Qualified person or preschool teacher needed for busy childcare center, south of the river. Full-time work guaranteed. Immediate start necessary. The candidate must be able to work as a co-operative team member, Phone 6345 2345 for an interview and fax (传真传输)resume (简历) to 6345 2346.
WE NEED OFFICE CLEANERS!
Three people are required for professional cleaning in the CBD area. Working hours from 5:00 p. m. on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays. Approximately five hours per shift. A good record is necessary. Experience preferred. Phone 6345 7843 now.
WANT TO WORK AS A DENTAL NURSE?
This is an exciting opportunity for a qualified dental nurse with a confident and cheerful personality to work in the School Dental health Scheme. You must be able to get along well with children because work involves talking to groups about dental health practices. For further information, visit our website: schooldentalservices@gov. sg. And fax your resume to 6234 4567.
FLORIST WANTED!
Are you a creative and trained florist with at least two years of experience? Then this may be just what you are seeking. The city’s leading Florist Artist Studio needs another part-time member on their wedding team. Please phone 6098 7888 now!You many find the above advertisements .
| A.in a store window | B.in a school magazine |
| C.in a newspaper | D.on a company notice-board |
The position of a(n) is a part-time job.
| A.florist | B.artist | C.preschool teacher | D.dental nurse |
Which of the following is the most important for the childcare job?
| A.Cooking skills. |
| B.Childcare experience. |
| C.The ability to start work in two weeks. |
| D.The ability to work well with other people. |
The office cleaners will be required to work about hours a week.
| A.5 | B.10 | C.15 | D.20 |
The air hostess (空姐) was in a small kitchen at the back of the plane, preparing the plates for lunch, when a little old lady came and spoke to her, “Could you please tell me,” she asked, “where is the ladies’ lavatory (厕所) in the plane?”
“Yes, madam,” said the air hostess and smiled. “It is right at the other end of the plane---at the front.”
The little lady went too far. She walked all the way to the front of the plane, opened the door in front of her, and saw the captain of the plane and the other officers. They were all busy with their work and did not see her. She went out again, shut the door and returned to the air hostess.
“Oh, didn’t you find it, madam?” the girl asked her. “Yes, I did,” said the little lady. “But there are four men in the ladies’ lavatory watching television.”The story happened .
| A.in the evening | B.in the afternoon |
| C.in the morning | D.at midnight |
What were the four men doing when the little old lady opened the door?
| A.They were busy working in the control room. |
| B.They were working while watching television. |
| C.They were watching television in the ladies’ lavatory. |
| D.They were enjoying themselves by watching television. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A.The air hostess was humorous (幽默的). |
| B.The old lady didn’t find the ladies’ lavatory. |
| C.The old lady was fooled by the air hostess. |
| D.There was no ladies’ lavatory in the plane. |
The Nadam Festival, usually held from June 4 to 9(lunar calendar), is one of the most exciting and colorful festivals in the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region. At the center of the festivities are the fierce horse racing, archery(射箭) and wrestling competitions, the traditional sports of the Mongolian warriors (the three “manly” sports, though young girls and women participate in the horse racing and archery contests).
In Mongolian, the word “Nadam” means “amusement and entertainment” and the festival began in 1225 AD, when Genghis Khan organized an expedition to the west and got control of Khwarezm. In order to celebrate the victory they held the magnificent Nadam Fari. The Mongolians used this exciting gathering as a big occasion to compete in the horse racing, Mongolian wrestling and archery, which were regarded as the three basic skills of men.
Gradually more and more events were added to the festival, such as marksmanship(射击), chess, reciting epics, polo(马球), film, drama, singing, dancing, track and field competitions and so on.
There are three kinds of Nadam, the big one, the medium one and the small one. The big Nadam requires the participation of 512 wrestlers and 300 horses and usually lasts 7-10 days while the medium Nadam will have the participation of 256 wrestlers and 100-150 horses, lasting 5-7 days. And 64 or 128 wrestlers and 30 or 50 horses will take part in the small Nadam, which lasts 3-5 days. Anyone can apply to compete in Nadam, regardless of his or her ethnic origin and religious belief.
Nadam has become a popular artistic and sports event participated in by people of all ages. Boys and girls can also take the opportunity to show their love, i. e. the so-called “meeting at aobao”.
In addition to sports competition, people also make good use of this gathering to hold talks and establish relations in economic trade or to interchange goods.We can infer from the passage that ______.
| A.girls are not allowed to take part in horse racing |
| B.foreigners also have a chance to compete in the Nadam Festival |
| C.the Nadam Festival is only for sports competition |
| D.Business activities can’t be held in the Nadam Festival |
It can be inferred that “meeting at aobao” expresses ______.
| A.love of parents to kids | B.old friends’ friendships |
| C.deep feelings between brothers | D.love between boys and girls |
What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A.The introduction of the Nadam Festival. |
| B.The origin of the Nadam Festival. |
| C.The sports events of the Nadam Festival. |
| D.The modern style of the Nadam Festival. |
If you want fully enjoy your vacation, then you’d better check the Durban City Tours! This is actually one of the best choices in South Africa today.
There is nothing more relaxing than to think about that there is a place to go and relax, right? City life is strained, but you can escape this situation and be in the place where there is nothing but relaxation. Here in Durban you will get to see all the amazing tourist attractions. If you love animals and want to see some elephants wandering around the streets, then Durban is the place to go. You can even get to ride one if you want!
Here you will also get to taste all the delicious South African food. You can choose from Italian cooking to its native dishes. Durban is a great place to tour with your friends and family. You will learn a lot about its history through the landmarks you will see down the streets. Tourists and even the local villagers just can’t get enough of these treats!
However, it is important that you make the necessary arrangements. There are actually lots of tour guides that will help you as you make your journey along the streets of Durban. But if you prefer the best tour guides here in Durban, then you’d better choose the Street Scene Tours. Their staff are all well-trained and professional. They will certainly make your stay here an unforgettable one. No wonder tourists prefer the Street Scene Tours when it comes to Durban City Tours.The underlined word“strained”in Para. 2 means ______.
| A.easy | B.stressful | C.relaxing | D.wonderful |
What is the main idea of Paragraph 2?
| A.Durban is relaxing city. | B.People don’t like city life. |
| C.It is good to have a place to relax. | D.One can have fun riding elephants. |
If you walk in the streets of Durban, what will impress you most?
| A.Tourists from all over the world. |
| B.The buildings and many kinds of animals. |
| C.The streets and some wandering elephants. |
| D.The friendly local people and the scenery. |
What does the last sentence in Paragraph 3 show?
| A.The food can’t satisfy them. | B.They are bored with the streets. |
| C.They are treated very well here. | D.never get tired of the sights. |
We tried so hard to make things better for our kids but we made them worse. For my naughty boys, I’d know better. I’d really like for them to know about hand-me-down clothes and home-made ice cream and leftover meatloaf. I really would.
Mycherished boys, I hope you learnhumility (谦逊)by surviving failure and that you learn to be honest even when no one is looking. I hope you get a black eye fighting for something you believe in. I hope you have to share a bedroom with your younger brother. And it is all right to draw a line down the middle of the room, but when he wants tocrawl (爬)under the covers (被子) with you because he’s scared, I hope you’ll let him. And when you want to see a Disney movie and your kid brother wants to tag along, I hope you take him.
I hope you have to walk uphill with your friends and that you live in a town where you can do it safely. I hope you learn to dig in the dirt and read books, and when you learn to use computers, you also learn how to add andsubtract (减) in your head.
May you skin your knee climbing a mountain, burn your hand on thestoveandstickyour tongue on a frozen flagpole (旗杆). I hope you get sick when someone blows smoke in your face. I don’t care if you try beer once, but I hope you won’t like it.
I sure hope you make time to sit on a porch with your grandpa or go fishing with your uncle.
I hope your father punishes you when you throw abaseballthrough a neighbor’s window, and that your mother hugs you and kisses you when you give her aplasterof paredmold (一个石膏模型)of your hand.
These things I wish for you—tough times anddisappointment, hard work and happiness.Who wrote the letter?
| A.A grandmother. | B.A grandfather. | C.A father. | D.A mother. |
What does the author hope for the boys?
| A.they learn a lesson from a fight with others. |
| B.they know how to calculate with computers. |
| C.they get on well with family members. |
| D.they burn their hand on the stove and stick their tongue on a frozen flagpole. |
It can be inferred from the text that the boys _________________.
| A.often fight with others | B.are to develop good qualities |
| C.always keep their grandpa company | D.score high in the exam |
Why does the author write the letter?
| A.To show the boys it’s not easy growing up. |
| B.To teach the boys dos and don’ts on the way growing up. |
| C.To help the boys to avoid making mistakes on the way growing up. |
| D.To encourage the boys to fully experience life on the way growing up. |