F. Scott Fitzgerald, born on September 24, 1896, an American novelist, was once a student of St. Paul Academy, the Newman School and attended Princeton University for a short while. In 1917 he joined the army and was posted in Alabama, where he met his future wife Zelda Sayre. Then he had to make some money to impress her.
His life with her was full of great happiness, as he wrote in his diary: "My own happiness in the past often approached such joy that I could share it even with the person dearest to me but had to walk it away in quiet streets and take down parts of it in my diary." This Side of Paradise, his first novel, was published in 1920. Encouraged by its success, Fitzgerald began to devote more time to his writing. Then he continued with the novel The Beautiful and Damned (1922), a collection of short stories Thales of the Jazz Age (1922), and a play The Vegetable (1923). But his greatest success was The Great Gatsby, published in 1925, which quick brought him praise from the literary world. Yet it failed to give him the needed financial security. Then, in 1926, he published another collection of short stories All the Sad Young Men.
However, Fitzgerald's problems with his wife Zelda affected his writing. During the 1920s he tried to reorder his life, but failed. By 1930, his wife had her first breakdown and went to a Swiss clinic. During this period he completed novels Tender Is the Night in 1934 and The Love of the Last Tycoon in 1940. While his wife was in hospital in the United States, he got totally addicted to alcohol. Sheila Graham, his dear friend, helped him fight his alcoholism. How many novels written by Fitzgerald are mentioned in the passage?
| A．5 | B．6 | C．7 | D．8 |
Which of the following is the correct order to describe Fitzgerald's life according to the passage?
a. He became addicted to drinking.
b. He studied at St. Paul Academy.
c. He published his first novel This Side of Paradise.
d. The Great Gatsby won high praise.
e. He failed to reorder his life.
f. He joined the army and met Zelda.
| A．f-c-e-a-b-d | B．b-e-a-f-c-d |
| C．f-d-e-c-b-a | D．b-f-c-d-e-a |
We can infer from the passage that Fitzgerald __________.
| A．had made some money when he met Zelda in Alabama. |
| B．was well educated and well off before he served in the army |
| C．would have completed more works if his wife hadn't broken down |
| D．helped his friend get rid of drinking while his wife was in hospital |
The passage is probably followed by a concluding paragraph about __________.
| A．Zelda's personal life |
| B．Zelda's illness and treatment |
| C．Fitzgerald's friendship with Graham |
| D．Fitzgerald's contributions to the literary world |
What form of article do you think this passage is?
| A．Reportage. | B．Report of survey. |
| C．Biography. | D．Essay. |
Newspapers in Great Britain vary greatly in their ways of carrying the news. There are serious papers for those who want to know about important happenings everywhere, both at home and abroad. There are popular newspapers for those who prefer entertainment to information.
The London newspaper that is best known outside Great Britain is probably the Times. It began in 1785, and has a high reputation for believable news and serious opinions on the news. It calls itself an independent paper, which means that it does not give its support to a particular political party. Its leading articles give the opinions of the editors, not those of the owners of the paper.
Letters to the editor are printed in the newspaper. These parts of the Times are always interesting. Most of the letters are serious subjects. But from time to time there will be long letters on the subject which is not at all serious, perhaps on a new fashion of dress, or the bad manners of the young people, compared with manners of thirty years ago.If you want to get pleasure, please buy yourself.
| A．a serious newspaper |
| B．foreign newspaper |
| C．any independent paper |
| D．a popular newspaper |
The Times has been famous to outside Great Britain foryears.
| A．19 | B．85 | C．221 | D．229 |
The Times is an independent paper because.
| A．it supports no political parties |
| B．it is not controlled by the British Government |
| C．it gives special support to all the political parties. |
| D．the editor’s opinions are not examined by the owners of the paper |
The writer tells usin this passage.
| A．all kinds of newspapers in Britain |
| B．all kinds of news in English papers |
| C．how Times is liked by people |
| D．why Times is well-known |
Once upon a time when my father was in his teens, his father took him to the mosque (清真寺) to pray. My grandfather, it seems, had a habit of keeping his loose change in his shirt pocket. As they prayed side by side, during one of the prostrations (俯伏), the coins fell down onto the carpet.
My grandfather did not notice it. However, a man seated nearby as well as my father noticed the incident. The man reacted fast and picked up the coins and went off into another corner of the mosque.
My father took everything in and as soon as my grandfather finished praying, he told him what had happened. My grandfather having heard just about what happened stopped my dad from telling him who took the money.
Then he went on to tell my dad the following. “If the man has chosen to steal in the mosque, then it must be because his life is too bad. We must not be quick to judge such people,” he said.
Since they owned a grocery shop, my father was told by his father to make sure that every month he should make up a parcel of all the daily necessities required in a household and send it to that person without telling him who sent it.
Wouldn’t this world be a better place to live in if we had such wisdom spreading within our society!What’s the author’s grandfather’s habit?
| A．Giving coins to the poor in the mosque. |
| B．Changing his clothes before praying. |
| C．Keeping coins in his shirt pocket. |
| D．Taking the author along to the mosque. |
What seems to be the author’s suggestion to us?
| A．To tell people the truth some time later. |
| B．To help those in need in a proper way. |
| C．Don’t always judge (评判) people by their looks. |
| D．It’s wise to keep a secret for others some-times. |
We can learn from the passage that ______.
| A．the author was stopped by his father from telling the truth |
| B．nobody but the man saw the coins in the mosque |
| C．the man was thankful to the author’s father for helping him |
| D．the man who hid the coins was probably living a hard life |
Make Up Your Mind to Succeed
Kind-hearted parents have unknowingly left their children defenseless against failure. The generation born between 1980 and 2001 grew up playing sports where scores and performance were played down because “everyone’s winner.” And their report cards sounded more positive than ever before. As a result, Stanford University professor Carol Dweck, PhD, calls them “the overpraised generation.”
Dweck has been studying how people deal with failure for 40 years. Her research has led her to find out two clearly different mind-sets that have a great effect on how we react to it. Here’s how they work:
A fixed mind-set is grounded in the belief that talent (才能) is genetic – you’re a born artist, point guard, or numbers person. The fixed mind-set believes it’s sure to succeed without much effort and regards failure as personal shame. When things get difficult, it’s quick to blame, lie, and even stay away from future difficulties.
On the other hand, a growth mind-set believes that no talent is entirely heaven-sent and that effort and learning make everything possible. Because the ego (自尊) isn’t on the line as much, the growth mind-set sees failure as a chance rather than shame. When faced with a difficulty, it’s quick to rethink, change and try again. In fact, it enjoys this experience.
We are all born with growth mind-sets. (Otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to live in the world.) But parents, teachers, and instructors often push us into fixed mind-sets by encouraging certain actions and misdirecting praise. Dweck’s book, Mind-set: The New Psychology of Success, and online instructional program explain this in depth. But she says there are many little things you can start doing today to make sure that your children, grandchildren and even you are never defeated by failure.What does the author think about the present generation?
| A．They are given too much praise. |
| B．They are often misunderstood. |
| C．They are eager to win in sports. |
| D．They don’t do well at school. |
A fixed mind-set person is probably one who ___ .
| A．can succeed with the help of teachers |
| B．cares a lot about personal safety |
| C．cannot share his ideas with others |
| D．doesn’t want to work hard |
What does the growth mind-set believe?
| A．Getting over difficulties is enjoyable. |
| B．Talent comes with one’s birth. |
| C．Scores should be highly valued. |
| D．Admitting failure is shameful. |
What should parents do for their children based on Dweck’s study?
| A．Help them grow with praise. |
| B．Prevent them from making mistakes. |
| C．Guide them in doing little things. |
| D．Encourage them to learn from failures. |
Today, roller skating is easy and fun. But a long time ago, it wasn't easy at all. Before 1750, the idea of skating didn't exist. That changed because of a man named Joseph Merlin. Merlin's work was making musical instruments. In his spare time he liked to play the violin. Joseph Merlin was a man of imagination, ideas and dreams. People called him a dreamer.
One day Merlin received an invitation to attend a fancy dress ball. He was very pleased and a little excited. As the day of the party came near, Merlin began to think how to make a grand entrance at the party. He had an idea. He thought he would get a lot of attention if he could skate into the room.
Merlin tried different ways to make himself roll. Finally, he decided to put two wheels under each shoe. These were the first roller skates. Merlin was very proud of his invention and dreamed of arriving at the party on wheels while playing the violin.
On the night of the party Merlin rolled into the room playing his violin. Everyone was astonished to see him. There was just one problem. Merlin had no way to stop his roller skates. He rolled on and on. Suddenly, he ran into a huge mirror that was hanging on the wall. Down fell the mirror, breaking to pieces. Nobody forgot Merlin's grand entrance for a long time!The text is mainly about ________.
| A．a strange man |
| B．an unusual party |
| C．how roller skating began |
| D．how people enjoyed themselves in the 18th century |
People thought Merlin was a dreamer because he ________.
| A．often gave others surprises |
| B．was a gifted musician |
| C．invented the roller skates |
| D．was full of imagination |
Merlin put wheels under his shoes in order to ________.
| A．impress the party guests |
| B．arrive at the party sooner |
| C．test his invention |
| D．show his skill in walking on wheels |
What is the main point that the writer tries to convey(表达) in the last paragraph?
| A．The roller skates was dangerous and harmful. |
| B．The party guests thought Merlin was a fool. |
| C．Merlin succeeded beyond expectation. |
| D．Merlin should never do that again. |
We were standing at the top of a church tower. My father had brought me to this spot in a small town not far from our home in Rome. I wondered why.
“Look down, Elsa,” father said. I gathered all my courage and looked down. I saw the square in the center of the village. And I saw the crisscross (十字形) of twisting, turning streets leading to the square. “See, my dear,” father said gently. “There is more than one way to the square. Life is like that. If you can’t get to the place where you want to go by one road, try another.”
Now I understood why I was there. Earlier that day I had begged my mother to do something about the awful lunches that were served at school. But she refused because she could not believe the lunches were as bad as I said.
When I turned to father for help, he didn’t say anything. Instead, he brought me to this high tower to give me a lesson. By the time we reached home, I had a plan.
At school the next day, I secretly poured my lunch soup into a bottle and brought it home. Then I asked our cook to serve it to mother at dinner. The plan worked perfectly. She swallowed one spoonful and sputtered（喷溅出） “ The cook must have gone mad！” Quickly I told her what I had done, and Mother stated firmly that she would take up the matter of lunches at school the next day!
In the years that followed, I often remembered the lesson father taught me. I began to work as a fashion designer two years ago. I wouldn’t stop working until I tried every possible means to my goal. Father’s wise words always remind me that there is more than one way to the square.The author’s father took her to the top of a church tower to ____________.
| A．enjoy the beautiful scenery of the whole town |
| B．find out how many ways lead to the square |
| C．inspire her to find out another way to solve her problem |
| D．help her forget some unpleasant things earlier that day |
What did the author want her mother to do earlier that day?
| A．Do something delicious for lunch. |
| B．Taste her awful lunch. |
| C．Dismiss the mad cook. |
| D．Speak to the school about lunch. |
The underlined sentence in the fifth paragraph suggests that_____________.
| A．the cook agreed to serve the soup to the writer’s mother. |
| B．the author’s mother was angry with the cook. |
| C．her father persuaded her mother successfully. |
| D．the method the author thought of was effective. |
What did the author’s mother think of her lunch soup after she tasted it?
| A．It was delicious. |
| B．It wasn’t so bad as the author said. |
| C．It is terrible. |
| D．It was as good as her cook did. |