Perhaps every old generation since ancient times has complained about young people, and today is no different. Isn’t it clear that compared with our glorious selves, kids these days are self-absorbed social network addicts?
However, this summer, my impression of today’s kids has been restored by the story of Rachel Beckwith. She could teach my generation a great deal about maturity and unselfishness — even though she’s just 9 years old, or was when she died on July 23.
At age 5, Rachel had her long hair shorn off and sent to Locks of Love, which uses hair donations to make artificial hair for children who have lost their own hair because of cancer or other diseases. After that, Rachel announced that she would grow her hair long again and donate it again. And that’s what she did.
Then when she was 8 years old, her church began raising money to build wells in Africa through an organization called charity: water. Rachel was astonished when she learned that other children had no clean water, so she skipped her ninth birthday party. Rachel set up a birthday page on the charity: water website with a target of $300. Instead of presents, she asked her friends to donate $9 each to charity: water. Finally Rachel raised only $220 — which had left her just a bit disappointed.
Then, on July 20, a serious traffic accident left Rachel critically injured. Church members and friends, seeking some way of showing support, began donating on Rachel’s birthday page — charitywater.org/Rachel — and donations reached her $300 goal, and kept rising.
But Rachel couldn’t hear that she had raised beyond the $47,544 that the singer Justin Bieber had raised for charity: water on his 17th birthday. “I think Rachel would have been overjoyed for she secretly had a crush on (迷恋) him,” Rachel’s mom said.
When it was clear that Rachel would never regain consciousness, the family decided to remove the life support system. Her parents donated her hair for the final time to Locks of Love, and her organs to other children.
Word about Rachel’s last fund-raising spread. Contributions poured in, often in $9 each. The total donations soon topped $100,000, then $300,000.
This is a story not just of one girl, but of a young generation of outstanding problem-solvers working creatively.What does the author think of today’s kids after he knew the story of Rachel Beckwith?
| A．They are good at social network. |
| B．They are unselfish as grown-ups. |
| C．They can get problems settled effectively. |
| D．They have narrow minds and care about nothing. |
When was it that Rachel’s hair was donated for the final time to Locks of Love?
| A．At her age of 5. |
| B．After her death. |
| C．Right after the traffic accident. |
| D．Before her ninth birthday. |
Why did each of Rachel’s friends donate $9 to charity: water?
| A．Because she had asked them to do that. |
| B．Because she set up her birthday page on June 9th. |
| C．Because she began to raise money from her ninth birthday. |
| D．Because she died at the age of 9 and they wanted to honor her. |
The singer Justin Bieber was mentioned in the text, mainly because ______.
| A．Rachel collected more than him who she admired |
| B．he had donated on Rachel’s page on his 17th birthday |
| C．Rachel would have been overjoyed for his donation |
| D．Rachel’s mom said she secretly had a crush on him |
What does the text mainly talk about?
| A．Rachel’s hair donations. |
| B．A kind girl, Rachel. |
| C．The author’s impression of today’s kids |
| D．A lesson from Rachel. |
Does your local town have a nickname (绰号)? If so, what does it say about the area and the people who live there?
Many cities are recognized across the world by their unofficial titles. New York is the Big Apple, London is the Big Smoke, and Los Angles is famously called La La Land (used to mean that the people who live there are slightly crazy).
Now Britain’s national mapping agency, Ordnance Survey, and the British linguistics charity (语言学慈善机构), the English Project, are launching a project to uncover the nicknames people use for local places.
The project, which got started last week to coincide with English Language Day, is called Location Lingo. It aims to identify the names people use every day, whether it’s a term of endearment(昵称) or a hate name.
The University of Winchester’s Professor Bill Lucas is a supporter of the English Project. He explains that unofficial place names often show what people think about a place. “The name that people create for a place forms an emotional connection,” he says. “So Basingstoke becomes Amazingstoke, Swindon is known as Swindump and Padstow, hometown of chef Rick Stein, is nicknamed Padstein.”
Basingstoke is a town in central England. The local nickname, Amazingstoke, shows the affection that locals seem to have for the area Swindon, on the other hand, is sometimes called, Swindump, showing that some people think it’s a dump (垃圾场). Stanford Le Hope in Essex is called Stanford No Hope by locals. And Padstow in Cornwall is so closely associated with the local celebrity Rick Stein that it’s become known as Padstein.
Since launching the online database last week, the creators have already received 3,000 alternative titles for places and famous buildings.
Glen Hart, Ordnance Survey’s head Of research, says the information could be very helpful to the emergency services. For example, “By having the most complete set of nicknames we could help the emergency services quickly locate the right place, and maybe even save lives,” he says.According to Bill Lucas, unofficial place names ___________.
| A．are mostly positive |
| B．make many people confused |
| C．don’t show the real condition of a place |
| D．are a good way for people to express their feelings |
We can learn from the passage that Swindump is probably ___________.
| A．a hate name | B．a place of interest |
| C．a term of endearment | D．a famous person’s name |
In the opinion of Glen Hart, Britain’s nickname survey ___________.
| A．is of little value |
| B．has a practical use |
| C．will face lots of difficulties |
| D．will honor local celebrities |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．London is called La La Land. |
| B．Swindon has many nicknames. |
| C．People consider Basingstoke a dangerous place. |
| D．People in Stanford Le Hope are disappointed with it. |
What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．Organizations collect unofficial place names. |
| B．Cities across Britain have special features. |
| C．Unofficial titles are bringing cities trouble. |
| D．People have a great affection for their cities. |
A single letter written by Albert Einstein was sold for more than $400, 000. But could an e-mail printout or an electronic file reach similar heights? That’s the question facing those who deal in the literary artifacts of public figures, as they struggle to work out how to do business in the electronic world where information can be copied and spread out more easily than ever before.
“Booksellers, collectors and libraries are already trading in digital objects,” Joan Winterkorn, a researcher told people. When Emory University Library bought author Slaman Rushdie’s archives (档案) in 2006, it received a desktop computer, three laptops, a hard drive and a smart phone along with his paper flies. And the writer John Updike, who died last month, started using computers in the 1980s, Winterkorn pointed out, so his “papers” will include a big store of electronic documents.
So far, however, digital archives have been traded as just a small part of a larger, mainly paper-based archive. Indeed, no one is quite sure how much the digital documents of a historical figure are worth.
“I don’t feel the same way about the printout of an e-mail as I do a letter,” said Gabriel Heaton, a literary manuscript specialist, adding that more tangible (有形的) digital objects were easier for auctioneers (拍卖商) to price and sell, “What about a laptop? For example, the one used by J. K. Rowling to write Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in an Edinburgh cafe has real value,” he said. “Because she used it.” Even if the hard drive had been cloned by a library, the artifact would still be valuable.
Gordon Bell, from Microsoft Research, suggested that prices will actually fall to almost nothing. “Once it’s been copied and spread out the value is gone. It’s just a piece of memory.” What is the purpose of the example mentioned in Para. 1?
| A．To introduce the topic of the passage. |
| B．To show that some written letter are of great value. |
| C．To get readers interested in electronic documents. |
| D．To tell us to pay attention to public figures, artifacts. |
According to the text, the trade in digital archives ___________.
| A．has been well developed |
| B．is still in its early stage |
| C．is enjoying a period of prosperity |
| D．is developing very rapidly |
The underlined part in Para. 4 implies that ___________.
| A．the printout of an e-mail has no value to keep |
| B．the auctioneers like to sell tangible digital objects |
| C．the printout of an e-mail is difficult to price |
| D．Gabriel Heaton likes to keep famous letters |
Who doesn’t think digital archives are of great value?
| A．Joan Winterkorn. | B．Salman Rushdie. |
| C．J. K. Rowling. | D．Gordon Bell. |
What is the author’s attitude towards the trade in electronic documents?
| A．Negative. | B．Positive. |
| C．Neutral. | D．Hopeful. |
How to improve our life? Many people think that they have to accept whatever life throws at them. They’ll say, “This is my destiny (命运). I cannot change it.”
Of course not! You don’t have to suffer needlessly. Your life depends on you, not on any other external (外部的) factor.
I know a woman who says she just accepts what life gives her because she has done everything she can to improve it. Guess what her lifestyle is? She wakes up in the morning, goes to work, comes back home, relaxes, chats with people, watches TV, and then goes to sleep. Next day, the same routine cycle follows.
Huh! Is this what she calls “doing her best”? She believes she has tried her best and just accepts it in her heart that this is the life that has been intended for her, and that her luck can only change if God wills it. She hasn’t realized that we have to do our share of making the effort to live the life of our dreams.
Remember that you harvest what you sow. You have to get off the sofa, get your eyes off the TV screen, get our hands off the phone (unless it contributes to your success), and get your mind and body to work! Don’t expect your luck to change, unless you do something about it. If something goes wrong, don’t just regard it as a temporary setback; instead, learn your lesson, make the most of the situation, and do something to solve the problem. It’s not enough to think positively; you also have to act positively.
If someone’s life is in trouble, do you just hope and pray that things will turn out fine? Of course not! You get to do anything you can to save the person. So it is with your own life. It is not enough to hope for the best, but you have to do your best. In other words, don’t just stand (or sit) there, do something to improve your life. According to the woman mentioned in Para. 3, her life __________.
| A．doesn’t need improving | B．couldn’t be improved |
| C．will be better someday | D．will be worse in the future |
What does the author think of the woman’s life?
| A．Positive. | B．Passive. |
| C．Colorful. | D．Boring. |
Which of the following statements is the author’s opinion?
| A．Your temporary problem is not discouraging. |
| B．Your luck can be changed by your efforts. |
| C．You can only achieve success when God wills it. |
| D．You should treat yourself in the way you treat your friends. |
In Para. 5, the author emphasized the importance of __________.
| A．positive thinking | B．positive action |
| C．hope for the best | D．intention to succeed |
The text is mainly written to advise you to __________.
| A．understand yourself | B．improve your life |
| C．believe in yourself | D．change your normal way |
This is a story from 28 years ago. My dad was a used car salesman. Every Thursday night, he would head off to Shreveport, LA for an auction (拍卖会). Most of the time, I drove a car over there for him so he could sell it at the auction.
One day I was riding with my dad when he noticed a hitch-hiker(搭便车的人) with a backpack. Without hesitation, he pulled the car over and offered him a ride. Dad asked him his name, and proceeded to talk to him about all sorts of things. Dad asked him where he was going. The hitch-hiker told him that he was heading for the west. I can’t recall why but he told Dad a lot of things that had occurred to him and that persuaded him to make that decision. He talked about the tragic events that occurred to him several years before. He was low in spirits, but t could see that the hitch-hiker’s attitude was changing as someone was really listening to him.
We drove 45 minutes before the hitch-hiker got off. We pulled over and Dad told him to keep his head up and things would start looking up for him soon. He reached into his pocket and handed the hitch-hiker a twenty-dollar bill. The guy smiled. He nearly lit up right there on the cold, dark highway.
We drove on and my dad did not say a single thing. I was still completely amazed by what I had just witnessed. I was always told by everyone never to pick up a hitch-hiker and yet my dad did it every single time he saw one. While reflecting upon that story I came to understand that just one single kind act could change someone’s life, and I am sure that my father’s deed made that poor man’s day.The underlined words “that decision” in Para. 2 refer to “__________”.
| A．catching the car |
| B．heading for the west |
| C．talking about his experiences |
| D．driving 45 minutes |
What made the hitch-hiker become less upset?
| A．The writer’s father offering him a free ride. |
| B．The writer’s father really listening to him. |
| C．The writer’s father agreeing to drive him to his destination. |
| D．The writer’s father talking to him about all sorts of things. |
When his father helped the hitch-hiker, the writer __________.
| A．was deeply moved | B．strongly disagreed |
| C．admired his father | D．couldn’t understand |
Which of the following words CANNOT be used to describe the father?
| A．Willing to help. | B．Easy-going. |
| C．Far-sighted. | D．Full of sympathy. |
The author wrote the text mainly to __________.
| A．show his respect for his father |
| B．tell a story of his father |
| C．prove his father is the best teacher |
| D．advise people to learn from their father |
British writer John Bunyan was born at Elstow, Bedfordshire, England, in November, 1628. His father was a maker and mender of pots and kettles, and the son followed the same trade. Though he is usually called a tinker, Bunyan had a settled home and place of business. He had little schooling, and he describes his early surroundings as poor and mean. He became much interested in religions, but it was only after a tremendous spiritual conflict, lasting three or four years, that he found peace. His struggles are related with extraordinary vividness and intensity in his “Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners.” His writing began with a controversy against the Quakers (教友派), and shows from the first the command of a homely but vigorous style.
Like most working men at the time, Bunyan had a deep hatred for the corrupted, hypocritical rich who accumulated their wealth “by hook and by crook.” As a stout Puritan(清教徒), he had made a conscientious study of the Bible and firmly believed in salvation (拯救) through spiritual struggle.
Bunyan’s style was modeled after that of the English Bible. With his concrete and living language and carefully observed and vividly presented details, he made it possible for the reader of the least education to share the pleasure of reading his novel and to relive the experience of his characters.
Bunyan’s works include Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners (1666), The Life and Death of Mr. Badman (1680), The Holy War (1682) and The Pilgrim’s Progress (1684).
The Pilgrim’s Progress is the most successful religious allegory (寓言) in the English language. Its purpose is to urge people to observe Christian doctrines and seek salvation through constant struggle with their own weaknesses and all kinds of social evils. It is not only about something spiritual but also bears much relevance to the time. Its predominant metaphor — life as a journey — is simple and familiar. The objects that Christian meets are homely and commonplace, and the scenes presented are typical English ones, but throughout the allegory a spiritual significance is added to the commonplace details. Here the strange is combined with the familiar and the trivial joined to the divine, and, a rich imagination and a natural talent for storytelling also contribute to the success of the work which is at once entertaining and morally instructive.
“The Vanity Fair,” is an excerpt from The Pilgrim’s Progress. The story starts with a dream in which the author sees Christian the Pilgrim, with a heavy burden on his back, reading the Bible. When he learns from the book that the city in which he and his family live shall be burnt down in a fire, Christian tries to convince his family and his neighbors of the oncoming disaster and asks them to go with him in search of salvation, but most of them simply ignore him. So he starts off with a friend, Pliable. Pliable turns back after they stumble into a pit, the Slough of Despond. Christian struggles on by himself. Then he is misled by Mr. Wordly Wiseman and is brought back onto the right road by Mr. Evangelist. There he joins Faithful, a neighbor who has set out later but has made better progress. The two go on together through many adventures, including the great struggle with Apollyon, who claims them to be his subjects and refuse to accept their allegiance to God. After many other adventures they come to the Vanity Fair where both are arrested as alien agitators. They are tried and Faithful is condemned to death. Christian, however manages to escape and goes on his way, assisted by a new friend, Hopeful. Tired of the hard journey, they are tempted to take pleasant path and are then captured by Giant Despair. Finally they get away and reach the Celestial City, where they enjoy eternal life in the fellowship of the blessed.According to the passage, Bunyan hated the rich people mainly because ______.
| A．his father was making and mending pots and kettles |
| B．Bunyan had poor and mean early surroundings |
| C．the rich usually got their wealth in dishonest ways |
| D．Bunyan studied the Bible to save the human souls |
What are the main characteristics of Bunyan’s works?
①The languages are concrete and living.
②The stories are carefully and vividly described.
③The plots are romantic and twisting.
④The works are easy to understand.
| A．①②③ | B．②③④ | C．①③④ | D．①②④ |
John Bunyan wrote the book The Pilgrim’s Progress in order to ______.
| A．advise people to obey religious principles for salvation |
| B．add spiritual significance to the commonplace details |
| C．to combine the strange things with the familiar things |
| D．tell people that life is a simple and familiar journey |
What moral does the story of the last paragraph convey to us?
| A．Any imaginable things might happen in a pilgrim’s dream. |
| B．Christian the Pilgrim likes reading the Bible with a burden. |
| C．People can enjoy eternal life in the fellowship of the blessed. |
| D．People can struggle against weaknesses and evils for salvation |