Hundreds of great books are published in America every year. And every year, editors, critics and other readers try to choose a list of favorites.
A few books showed up on list after list of the best fiction from this year. One of them was Ann Patchett's State of Wonder. Publishers Weekly described the novel as one "readers will hate to see end." The story centers on a drug researcher from Minnesota named Maria Singh. She travels to Brazil to investigate the death of a co-worker. Her search takes her deep into the Amazon area and danger. But she also goes deep into her own soul for a close look at who she is, what she has lost in her life and how she wants the future to look. Ann Patchett lives in Tennesee. She told Publishers Weekly magazine that the state is dense and leafy, like the Amazon jungle. She visited that area while doing research for the novel.
Chad Harbach's name was also all over the critics' best lists this year for his first book, The Art of Fielding. The New Yorker magazine praised the novel for the easy way it joins a love of baseball with a love of literature. The book is about a college baseball star. He suffers a mental crisis and begins to fail on the playing field as a result. But the book is about much more than the sport of baseball. It also is a story of love, loss, friendship and growing up. Chad Harbach says his own upbringing influenced the book.
The Marriage Plot also got a lot of attention this year. It is the third book from Pulitzer Prize winner Jeffrey Eugenides. He spent almost ten years writing it. The Marriage Plot is also a story about becoming an adult. It follows the lives of three students in their final year of college and beyond. Leonard struggles with manic depression, Mitchell, with religious belief and Madeleine struggles with her feelings for both men.The underlined words "readers will hate to see end" mean _______.
| A．Readers don’t like Ann Patchett’s writing style. |
| B．Readers don’t like reading State of Wonder. |
| C．Readers love State of Wonder very much. |
| D．Readers don’t want to read the end of State of Wonder. |
What can we learn from the second paragraph?
| A．During the research Maris thinks a lot about her own thoughts and feelings. |
| B．The story focuses on a scientific research. |
| C．Maria Singh’s co-worker died of a serious illness. |
| D．The subject of Maria Singh’s study was supported by Publishers Weekly. |
It can be inferred that _______.
| A．Chad had mental problems in his childhood |
| B．Chad became famous for The Art of Fielding |
| C．more and more readers like Chad’s book |
| D．The Art of Fielding is only about the story of baseball. |
The following statements about The Marriage Plot are true except that ______.
| A．it took its author about 10 years to finish the book |
| B．it is about the lives of three college students |
| C．Mitchell in the story struggles with religious belief |
| D．its author’s character is similar to Madeleine’s |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．People’s reading preference. |
| B．Three famous writers. |
| C．The introduction of three well reviewed books. |
| D．The common features of interesting books. |
In the fall of 1985. I was a bright-eyed girl heading off to Howard University, aiming at a legal career and dreaming of sitting on a Supreme Court bench somewhere. Twenty-one years later I am later I am still a bright-eyed dreamer and one with quite a different tale to tell.
My grandma, an amazing woman, graduated from college an the age of 65. She was the first in our family to reach that goal. But one year after I started college, she developed cancer. I made the choice to withdraw from college to care for her. It meant that school and my personal dream would have to wait.
Then I got married with another dream: building my family with a combination of adopt and biological children. In 1999, we adopted our first son. To lay eyes on him was fantastic---and very emotional. A year later came our second adopted boy. Then followed son No. 3. In 2003, I gave birth to another boy.
You can imagine how fully occupied I became, raising four boys under the age of 81. Our home was a complete zoo---a joyous zoo. Not surprising, I never did make it back to college full-time. But I never gave up on the dream either. I had only one choice: to find a way. That meant talking as few as one class each semester.
The hardest part was feeling guilty about the time I spent away from the boys. They often wanted me to stay home with them. There certainly were times I wanted to quit, But I knew I should set an example for them to follow through the rest of their lives.
In 2007, I graduated from the University of North Carolina. It took me over 21 years to get my college degree！
I am not special, just single-minded. It always struck me that when you’re looking at a big challenge from the outside it looks huge, but when you’re in the midst of it, it just seems normal. Everything you want won’t arrive in your life on one day. It’s a process. Remember；little steps add up to big dreams. When the author went to Howard University, her dream was tobe
| A．a writer |
| B．a teacher |
| C．a judge |
| D．a doctor |
. Why did the author quit school in her second year of college?
| A．She wanted to study by herself. |
| B．She fell in love and got married. |
| C．She suffered from a serious illness. |
| D．She decided to look after her grandma. |
What can we learn about the author from Paragraphs 4 and 5?
She was busy yet happy with her family life.
She ignored her guilty feeling for her sons.
She wanted to remain a full-time housewife.
She was too confused to make a correct choice. What dose the author mostly want to tell us in the last paragraph?
Failure is the mother of success.
Little by little, one goes far.
Every coin has two sides.
Well begun, half done. Which of the following can best describe the author?
Caring and determine.
Honest and responsible.
Ambitious and sensitive.
Innocent and single-minded.
A few common misconceptions. Beauty is only skin-deep. One' s physical assets and liabilities don' t count all that much in a managerial career. A woman should always try to look her best.
Over the last 30 years, social scientists have conducted more than 1,000 studies of how we react to beautiful and not- so-beautiful people. The virtually unanimous conclusion: Looks do matter, more than most of us realize. The data suggest, for example, the physically attractive individuals are more likely to be treated well by their parents, sought out as friends, and pursued romantically. With the possible exception of women seeking managerial jobs they are also more likely to be hired, paid well, and promoted.
Un-American, you say, unfair and extremely unbelievable? Once again, the scientists have caught us mouthing pieties (虔诚) while acting just the contrary. Their typical experiment works something like this. They give each member of a group--college students, perhaps, or teachers or corporate personnel managers a piece of paper relating an individual' s accomplishments. Attached to the paper is a photograph. While the papers all say exactly the same thing the pictures are different. Some show a strikingly attractive person, some an average-looking character, and some an unusually unattractive human being. Group members are asked to rate the individual on certain attributes, anything from personal warmth to the likelihood that he or she will be promoted.
Almost invariably, the better looking the person in the picture, the higher the person is rated. In the phrase, borrowed from Sappho, that the social scientists use to sum up the common perception, what is beautiful is good.
In business, however, good looks cut both ways for women, and deeper than for men. A Utah State University professor, who is an authority on the subject, explains: In terms of their careers, the impact of physical attractiveness on males is only modest. But its potential impact on females can be tremendous, making it easier, for example, for the more attractive to get jobs where they are in the public eye. on another note, though, there is enough literature now for us to conclude that attractive women who aspire (追求) to managerial positions do not get on as well as who may be less attractive. In "Beauty is only skin-deep", "skin-deep" can be replaced by______.
| A．decorating | B．superficial | C．expressive | D．demanding |
"One's physical assets and liabilities don' t count all that much in a managerial career."(paral) can be interpretated as______.
| A．whether or not one looks good or bad, it doesn' t affect much one' s managerial career |
| B．in one' s managerial career, he may deal with cases like assets and liabilities |
| C．in one' s managerial career, he may rarely deal with cases like assets and liabilities |
| D．whether or not one looks good or bad, it may affect much one' s managerial career |
The result of research carried out by social scientists show that______.
| A．people do not realize the importance of looking one' s best |
| B．women in pursuit of managerial jobs are not likely to be paid well |
| C．good -looking women aspire to managerial positions |
| D．attractive people generally have an advantage over those who are not |
"Good looks cut both ways for women" (Para.5) means that______.
| A．attractive women have tremendous potential impact on public job |
| B．good-looking women always get the best of everything |
| C．being attractive is not always an advantage for women |
| D．attractive women do not do as well as unattractive women in managerial positions |
It can be inferred from the passage that in the business world______.
| A．handsome men are not affected as much by their looks as attractive women are |
| B．physically attractive women who are in the public eye usually do quite well |
| C．physically attractive men and women who are in the public eye usually get along quite well |
| D．good looks are important for women as they are for men |
A few common misconceptions. Beauty is only skin-deep. One' s physical assets and liabilities don' t count all that much in a managerial career. A woman should always try to look her best.
Over the last 30 years, social scientists have conducted more than 1,000 studies of how we react to beautiful and not- so-beautiful people. The virtually unanimous conclusion: Looks do matter, more than most of us realize. The data suggest, for example, the physically attractive individuals are more likely to be treated well by their parents, sought out as friends, and pursued romantically. With the possible exception of women seeking managerial jobs they are also more likely to be hired, paid well, and promoted.
Un-American, you say, unfair and extremely unbelievable? Once again, the scientists have caught us mouthing pieties (虔诚) while acting just the contrary. Their typical experiment works something like this. They give each member of a group--college students, perhaps, or teachers or corporate personnel managers a piece of paper relating an individual' s accomplishments. Attached to the paper is a photograph. While the papers all say exactly the same thing the pictures are different. Some show a strikingly attractive person, some an average-looking character, and some an unusually unattractive human being. Group members are asked to rate the individual on certain attributes, anything from personal warmth to the likelihood that he or she will be promoted.
Almost invariably, the better looking the person in the picture, the higher the person is rated. In the phrase, borrowed from Sappho, that the social scientists use to sum up the common perception, what is beautiful is good.
In business, however, good looks cut both ways for women, and deeper than for men. A Utah State University professor, who is an authority on the subject, explains: In terms of their careers, the impact of physical attractiveness on males is only modest. But its potential impact on females can be tremendous, making it easier, for example, for the more attractive to get jobs where they are in the public eye. on another note, though, there is enough literature now for us to conclude that attractive women who aspire (追求) to managerial positions do not get on as well as who may be less attractive. In "Beauty is only skin-deep", "skin-deep" can be replaced by______.
| A．decorating | B．superficial | C．expressive | D．demanding |
"One's physical assets and liabilities don' t count all that much in a managerial career."(paral) can be interpretated as______.
| A．whether or not one looks good or bad, it doesn' t affect much one' s managerial career |
| B．in one' s managerial career, he may deal with cases like assets and liabilities |
| C．in one' s managerial career, he may rarely deal with cases like assets and liabilities |
| D．whether or not one looks good or bad, it may affect much one' s managerial career |
The result of research carried out by social scientists show that______.
| A．people do not realize the importance of looking one' s best |
| B．women in pursuit of managerial jobs are not likely to be paid well |
| C．good -looking women aspire to managerial positions |
| D．attractive people generally have an advantage over those who are not |
"Good looks cut both ways for women" (Para.5) means that______.
| A．attractive women have tremendous potential impact on public job |
| B．good-looking women always get the best of everything |
| C．being attractive is not always an advantage for women |
| D．attractive women do not do as well as unattractive women in managerial positions |
It can be inferred from the passage that in the business world______.
| A．handsome men are not affected as much by their looks as attractive women are |
| B．physically attractive women who are in the public eye usually do quite well |
| C．physically attractive men and women who are in the public eye usually get along quite well |
| D．good looks are important for women as they are for men |
Home stay provides English language students with the opportunity to speak English outside the classroom and the experience of being part of a British home.
What to Expect
The host will provide accommodation and meals. Rooms will be cleaned and bedcovers changed at least once a week. You will be given the house key and the host is there to offer help and advice as well as to take an interest in your physical and mental health.
Accommodation Zones
Home stays are located in London mainly in Zones2,3 and of the transport system. Most hosts do not live in the town centre as much of central London is commercial and not residential(居住的). Zones3 and 4often offer larger accommodation in a less crowned area. It is very convenient to travel in London by Underground.
Meal Plans Available
♢ Continental Breakfast21世纪教育网
♢ Breakfast and Dinner
♢ Breakfast, Packed Lunch and Dinner
It’s important to note that few English families still provide a traditional cooked breakfast. Your accommodation includes Continental Breakfast which normally consists of fruit juice, cereal（谷物类食品），bread and tea or coffee. Cheese, fruit and cold meat are not normally
part of a Continental Breakfast in England. Dinners usually consist of meat or fish with vegetables followed by desert, fruit and coffee.
Friends
If you wish to invite a friend over to visit. You must first ask your host’s permission. You have no right to entertain friends in a family home as some families feel it is an invasion of their privacy.
Self-Catering Accommodation in Private Homes
Accommodation on a room-only basis includes shared kitchen and bathroom facilities and often a main living room. This kind of accommodation offers an independent lifestyle and is more suitable for the long-stay student. However, it does not provide the same family atmosphere as an ordinary home stay and may not benefit those who need to practise English at home quite as much. The passage is probably written for ____________.
| A．host willing to receive foreign students |
| B．foreigners hoping to build British culture |
| C．travellers planning to visit families in London |
| D．English learners applying to like in English homes |
Which of the following will the host provide?
Room cleaning.
Medical care.
Free transport.
Physical training..What can be inferred from Paragraph3?
| A．Zone 4 is more crowded than Zone 2. |
| B．The business centre of London is in Zone. |
| C．Hosts dislike travelling to the city centre. |
| D．Zone 2 is more crowded than Zone 4. |
According to the passage. What does continental Breakfast include?
| A．Dessert and coffee |
| B．Fruit and vegetables. |
| C．bread and fruit juice |
| D．Centre and cold meat. |
Why do some people choose self-catering accommodation?
| A．To experience a warmer family atmosphere. |
| B．To enrich their knowledge of English. |
| C．To entertain friends as they like. |
| D．To enjoy much more freedom. |
Sitting on the peaceful coast of Galapagos Islands. Ecuador, watching the sun move quietly into the sea, you shouldn't forget that Charles Darwin (1809-1882) arrived here in 1835. He stayed on the islands for five weeks, observing various animals. This finally inspired (启发) his famous work, On the Origin of Species. You can certainly follow Darwin's footsteps and enjoy a trip from four to seven days to the islands. The islands are certainly a paradise (天堂) for wildlife, as there are no natural killers on the islands and the number of boats and visitors is under government control. Though you cannot walk freely as Darwin did about 200 years ago, each day is as impressive as it could be. The most well-known animal of the Galapagos is the giant tortoise(巨型海龟), which can be seen moving slowly around the highlands of Sanra Cruz, the second largest island in the archipelago(群岛). Some of these creatures are so old that they might have been seen in their youth by Darwin himself. Despite strict control over activities and timing, your stay on the Galapagos will be remembered as a chain of incomparable pictures: diving with sea lions that swim and play within inches of you; feeling small sharks touch your feet as you swim; and, most magically, seeing a whale and her baby surface with a great breath of air. Travelling between the islands and observing the wildlife that so inspired Darwin, you will feel as though you are getting a special view of an untouched world. At night you will sleep on board the ship, leaving the wildlife in complete occupation of the islands, which are as undisturbed now as they have been since the beginning of time. What do we know about Darwin's visit to the islands?
| A．He studied different creatures on the islands |
| B．He completed his famous book on the islands |
| C．He was touched by the geography of the islands |
| D．He was attracted by well-known animals of the islands |
Which of the following plays a role in making the islands "a paradise for wildlife"?
| A．Animals on the islands feed on grass. |
| B．Local government forbids killing wildlife. |
| C．People cannot visit the islands as they wish. |
| D．Tourists are not allowed to touch the animals. |
Your stay on the islands will be most impressive mainly because of_________.
| A．The beautiful sea views |
| B．Darwin's inspiring trip |
| C．a closer view of animals |
| D．various daring activities |
Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
| A．A Unique Attraction for Wildlife Lovers |
| B．Calapagos as a Paradise for Adventures |
| C．Charles Darwin as a Symbol of Galapagos |
| D．A Successful Example of Wildlife Protection |