Dear readers,
I receive many letters from children and can’t answer them all — there wouldn’t be enough time in a day. I’ll try to answer some of the questions that are commonly asked.
Where did I get the idea for Stuart Little and for Charlotte's Web? Well, many years ago, I went to bed one night in a railway sleeping car, and during the night I dreamed about a tiny boy who acted rather like a mouse. That’s how the story of Stuart Littlegot started.
As for Charlotte’s Web, I like animals and my farm is a very pleasant place to be — at all hours. One day, when I was on my way to feed the pig, I began feeling sorry for the pig because, like most pigs, he was going to die. This made me sad. So I started thinking of ways to save a pig’s life. Three years after I started writing it, it was published. (I am not a fast worker, as you can see.)
Sometimes I’m asked when I started to write, and what made me want to write. I started early — as soon as I could spell. Children often find pleasure and satisfaction through trying to set their thoughts down on paper, either in words or in pictures. I was not good at drawing, so I used words instead. As I grew older, I found that writing can be a way of earning a living.
Well, here is the answer to the last question. No, they are imaginary tales, containing fantastic characters and events. In real life, a family doesn’t have a child who looks like a mouse and a spider doesn’t write words in her web. Although my stories are imaginary, I like to think that there is some truth in them, too — truth about the way people and animals feel and think and act.
Yours sincerely,
E.B. WhiteE.B. White wrote this letter to _____.
A. introduce his new books
B. introduce two funny stories
C. explain why he enjoys writing
D. answer some readers’ questionsWe can know from the passage that E.B. White is a writer who ______.
A. writes very fast
B. works on a friend’s farm
C. mainly writes stories for adults
D. writes imaginary tales for children What inspired E.B. White to write Charlotte's Web?
A. He wanted children to love animals.
B. He was deeply impressed by a clever pig.
C. He wanted to use his own way to save a pig. The reason why E.B. White started to write is to ______.
A. improve his spelling B. express his thoughts
C. show his sadness D. make a good living What is probably the last question?
| A．Are your stories true? |
| B．What is the truth in your stories? |
| C．Will you write more imaginary tales? |
| D．Do you know a child looking like a mouse? |
The medical world is gradually realizing that the quality of the environment in hospitals may play a significant role in the process of recovery from illness.
As part of a nationwide effort in Britain to bring art out of the galleries and into public place, some of the country’s most talented artists have been called in to transform older hospitals and to soften the hard edges of modern buildings. Of the 2,500 National Health Service hospitals in Britain, almost 100 now have significant collections of contemporary art in corridors, waiting areas and treatment rooms.
These recent initiatives owe a great deal to one artist, Peter Senior, who set up his studio at a Manchester Hospital in Northeastern England during the early 1970s. He felt the artist had lost his place in modern society, and that art should be enjoyed by a wider audience.
A typical hospital waiting room might have as many as 5,000 visitors each week. What a better place to hold regular exhibitions of art and paintings, in the outpatients waiting area of the Manchester Royal Hospital in 1975. Believed to be Britain’s first hospital artist, Senior was so much in demand that he was soon joined by a team of six young art school graduations.
The effect is striking. Now in the corridors and waiting rooms, the visitor experiences a full view of fresh colors, playful images and restful courtyard.
The quality of the environment may reduce the need for expense when a patient is recovering from an illness. A study has shown that patients who had a view onto a garden needed half the number of strong painkillers compared with patients who had no view at all or only a brick wall to look at.
9. What does the author mean by using the phrase “to soften the hard edge of modern buildings”, in the second paragraph?
A. To hold exhibitions of art and paintings in hospitals.
B. To tear down the old hospital and build a new one.
C. To decorate hospitals with art collection.
D. To paint the walls of hospitals in soft colors.
10. What is true about Peter Senior?
A. A famous doctor in Manchester Hospital and a talented artist.
B. Britain’s first hospital artist and a patient in Manchester Royal Hospital.
C. One of the six young art school graduations.
D. A talented artist and a pioneer introducing art into hospitals.
11. What can we conclude from the fact that six young art school graduates joined Peter?
A. Artists should take an active part in social activities.
B. The role of hospital environment is being recognized.
C. Artists are more important to patients in hospitals.
D. Hospitals need more young art school graduates to attend the patients.
12. What does the last paragraph suggest?
A. The improvement of hospital environment may help the patients recover from illness.
B. The improvement of hospital environment may cost the patients more than before.
C. The patients needed no painkillers when they had a view of a painting.
D. The patients had no pain at all after the improvement of hospital environment.
When most people think of tropical islands, lined with white sandy beaches and bright blue seas, it is often the Caribbean or South Pacific that comes to mind. But for Chinese tourists who want a taste of paradise on Earth there is a new place to consider.
Mauritius, an island lying off the southeast of Africa in the Indian Ocean, has just been added to China’s list of tourist destinations. Rich in history, natural beauty and culture, the island has been a popular destination for the world’s tourists for many years.
On December 15 a total of eight African countries were added to the list. The others are Tunisia, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Zambia and the Seychelles.
The island has passed through the controlling hands of a number of European powers, including Dutch, French and British. In 1968, Mauritius won its independence.
At present, over half the population of Mauritius is Hindu and another fifth is Muslim. Both groups are descendants(后裔) from workers brought to the island from India by the British. Some Chinese were also brought over to work. There are also descendants of African slaves and Franco-Mauritians, the original settlers of the island.
One of the best things about the island is the food. There is a mouth-watering mix of European, Chinese and Indian flavours and seafood is very popular. A typical Mauritian dinner might have Indian chicken curry, Chinese pork, British roast beef and French-style vegetables. Boiled rice is served with just about everything. All that is washed down with a plentiful supply of local beer and rum(朗姆酒).
The pleasant tropical climate and scenery provide the perfect setting to enjoy everything. The sea is full of colorful life that lives around the coral reef. This makes Mauritius a wonderful place for swimming and diving. The large number of interesting fish means it is also an exciting place for those who like to go fishing. (from www.nmet168.com)
5. Which of the following can’t be used to describe Mauritius?
A. Tropical island, white sandy beach and bright blue sea.
B. Beautiful scenery, rich history and culture.
C. Most of the people in Mauritius are black.
D. Delicious food mixed with eastern and western flavours.
6. Which group of the following topics is not discussed in the text?
A. Food and history. B. Scenery and population.
C. Location and sports. D. Natural resources and agriculture.
7. Which of the following is true?
A. Mauritius has something similar to the Caribbean or South Pacific.
B. Mauritius has a history of less than 40 years.
C. Mauritius has been a popular destination for Chinese tourists for many years.
D. The main food in Mauritius is local beer and rum.
8. The underlined word “This” in the last paragraph refers to ________.
A. Pleasant tropical climate B. Beautiful scenery
C. The sea with colorful life D. The coral reef
The United States became a rich industrial nation toward the end of 1800s. There were more goods, more services, more jobs, and a higher standard of living. There was more of everything, including problems. One problem was monopoly, that is, to be the only seller of a certain line of products or a service. In some cases, several companies that manufactured the same product would agree not to compete with one another. They would all agree to charge the same price. These arrangements made it impossible for customers to shop around for lower prices for certain products.
Some people decided that huge corporations had too much power and controlled too many markets. Because of their wealth and power, they could see to it that governments passed laws favorable to them. Many people believed that monopoly and price fixing were bad for customers and bad for the country so that they should be broken up.
Finally the national government and some states passed laws that placed limits on corporations and big companies. These laws made it illegal for companies to make agreements to charge only a certain price. Later on the national government forced monopoly to be broken up.
Such laws and government action didn’t entirely do away with monopolies. Nor did they stop the growth of huge corporations. But they did show that American people had decided that some of the changes that had occurred were harmful. (from www.nmet168.com)
1. The underlined word “monopoly” in the first paragraph most probably means ________.
A. the production of certain kinds of goods B. complete control and possession of trade
C. a big corporation of company D. an agreement on prices
2. Because of the agreements between big companies ________.
A. people had to buy things at certain shops B. the prices of their goods were much lower
C. customers had no choice but to buy D. there were fewer markets in some states
3. According to the laws, companies ________.
A. were not allowed to control the markets
B. could not force the customers to buy their products
C. should have fixed prices for their products
D. must produce the same kind of goods for the same markets
4. Which of the following is not true according to the passage?
A. Big companies could not influence the government.
B. A large number of markets were controlled by big companies.
C. Many Americans were worried about the changes in their country.
D. Some of the laws were in favor of customers.
THERE are many different Londons, and they appeal to people with many different passions: museum lovers, theatergoers, opera buffs (爱好者，迷；热心人), devotees of royalty, students of history, people who like to walk in the rain. But richest of all, perhaps, is the London for book lovers.
Because the city is the star and the backdrop of so much great literature, it is possible to believe you know it very well — how it looks, how it feels — without ever leaving your home country, or indeed your home. But it is better to visit, if only for the joy of seeing the landscape of your imagination come to life. How breathtaking to happen upon Pudding Lane, where a bakery accident led to the Great Fire of 1666, after reading Pepys’s account in his diaries. Or to wander along Baker Street, where Sherlock Holmes once fictionally solved the unsolvable. Walk across London Bridge and gaze down, toward Southwark Bridge: this is the stretch of the Thames where Dickens’s sinister characters dredged up corpses in “Our Mutual Friend.”
The city is not so foggy as it was in 1952, when Margery Allingham published “The Tiger in the Smoke,” or as socially stratified as it when Marianne Dashwood waited in “Sense and Sensibility” for a suitor who never called; or as greedy as it was in the thrusting 1980s of Martin Amis’s “Money.” But it is all of those Londons, an accrual of different descriptions and eras. It is a city made for description — reread the first passages of “Bleak House,” also on the subject of fog, for a moody introduction — and one that so respects its authors that it buried a number of the best ones in style, in Westminster Abbey.
There are plenty of organized literary-themed tours around the city, easily found on the Internet. Or you can wander characteristically on your own, which is more fun. If you take the Tube or the bus, make sure to carry a book.
6. What can we infer from the first paragraph?
A. Most people of London like visiting museums.
B. No Londoners go to cinemas to see the films.
C. A majority of Londoners are book lovers.
D. All the Londoners like to walk in the rain.
7. What information can you get from Pepy’s diaries?
A. Great Fire of 1666 caused by an accident in a bakery.
B. Sherlock Holmes once lived in Baker Street.
C. London Bridge is next to Baker Street.
D. “Our Mutual Friend” is one of Dickens’s works.
8. Who is Sherlock Holmes?
A. A book lover. B. A character of Dickens’s novel: “Our Mutual Friend”.
C. A detective. D. A person who set the Great Fire of 1666.
9. In which book can’t you find the description about the fog in London?
A. “The Tiger in the Smoke” B. “Sense and Sensibility”
C. “Money” D. “Our Mutual Friend”
10. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
A. Most kinds of tours around London may be found on the Internet.
B. You must be shown around London by a guide.
C. There are many kinds of literary-themed activities including tours.
D. You’d better take a book when you travel in London.
The students start arriving on our upper playground from about 8:45 am. School begins at 8:55 am.
The children do their early morning work while their class teacher takes the attendance register (记录，登记). The attendance of every child attending school each morning and afternoon is recorded in a special book.
The teacher reads out each child’s name in turn. On hearing his/her name, the child replies 'yes Mrs. (teacher's name)' and the teacher notes down in the book whether the child is in school or not. Sometimes the children will answer their teacher in a different language e.g. French or German.
At 9:10 am the children go to assembly in our main hall. They sit on the floor in rows with the youngest children at the front and the older children at the back. As the children enter the hall they listen quietly to the music playing. Each week has a different musical theme and the children are asked to listen out for particular things.
In our assemblies the children listen to a story, sing a song and pray. The story is either taken from the Christian Bible or is a story with a moral. The songs we sing are particularly chosen with the children in mind. Some of our songs are sung with the English sign language.
To supply for the children of different faiths, some of our assemblies do not have a Christian theme. These assemblies are a time for us to gather together to celebrate the achievements of our children and of the school as a whole.
Every parent has the right to withdraw their child from a school assembly.
1. How many times does the teacher take the registration everyday?
A. Once. B. Twice. C. Three times. D. Not mentioned.
2. Basing on what do the children line up in the assemblies?
A. Body-weight. B. Body-height. C. Ages. D. Classes.
3. Where do the students listen to music every day?
A. In their classroom. B. In their dormitory.
C. In the main hall. D. On the upper playground.
4. According to the passage, what happens in an Assembly?
A. Tell stories in turns. B. Sing English songs sometimes with gestures.
C. Pray for good luck. D. Listen to stories taken from the Christian Bible.
5. Which of the following statements are NOT true?
A. All the activities in the assemblies have a theme based on the Bible.
B. The assemblies are for fun to get together.
C. It’s not the duty for the children to attend the assemblies.
D. The assemblies are to celebrate the achievements of our children.