Susan Sontage(1933—2004)was one of the most noticeable figures in the world of literature. For more than 40 years she made it morally necessary to know everything---to read every book worth reading ,to see every movie worth seeing .When she was still in her early 30s, publishing essays in such important magazines as Partisan Review, she appeared as the symbol of American culture life ,trying hard to follow every new development in literature, film and art .With great effort and serious judgement. Sontage walked at the latest edges of world culture.
Seriousness was one of Sontage’s lifelong watchwords(格言), but at a time when the barriers between the well-educated and the poor-educated were obvious, she argued for a true openness to the pleasure of pop culture. In “Notes Camp”, the 1964 essay that first made her name ,she explained what was then a little-known set of difficult understandings, through which she could not have been more famous .“Notes on Camp”. she wrote, represents “a victory of ‘form’ over ‘content’, ‘beauty’ over ‘morals’”.
By conviction(信念)she was a sensualist(感觉论者), but by nature she was a moralist (伦理学者),and in the works she published in the 1970s and 1980s , it was the latter side of her that came forward. In illness as Metaphor —published in 1978, after she suffered cancer—she argued against the idea that cancer was somehow a special problem of repressed personalities(被压抑的性格), a concept that effectively blamed the victim for the disease. In fact , re-examining old positions was her life long habit.
In America, her story of a 19th century Polish actress who set up a perfect society in California, won the National Book Award in 2000. But it was as a tireless all-purpose cultural view that she made her lasting fame. “Sometimes,” she once said,“I feel that, in the end, all I am really defending is the idea of seriousness, of true seriousness.” And in the end, she made us take it seriously too.The underlined sentence in paragraph 1 means Sontag_________.
| A.was a symbol of American cultural life |
| B.developed world literature, film and art |
| C.published many essays about world culture |
| D.kept pace with the newest development of world culture |
She first won her name through ___________.
| A.her story of a Polish actress |
| B.her book illness as Metaphor |
| C.publishing essays in magazines like partisan Review |
| D.publishing the essay “Notes Camp” |
As for Susan Sontag’s lifelong habit , she __________.
| A.misunderstood the idea of seriousness |
| B.re-examined old positions |
| C.argued for an openness to pop culture |
| D.preferred morals to beauty |
Susan Sontag’s lasting fame was made upon___________.
| A.tireless, all-purpose cultural view |
| B.her lifelong watchword----seriousness |
| C.publishing books on morals |
| D.enjoying books worth reading and movies worth seeing |
According to the passage, Susan Sontag__________.
| A.was a sensualist as well as a moralist |
| B.looked down upon the pop culture |
| C.thought content was more important than form |
| D.blamed the victim of cancer for being repressed |
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However, you do not need your BooksFirst personal account number to place an order—simply present all the required details on the order form. If you don’t have a note of your account number just Contact us so that we can supply it to you.We can probably read this advertisement ______.
| A.in a newspaper | B.in a magazine |
| C.on the Internet | D.on TV |
The information under RETRUNING CUSTOMERS is for those _____.
| A.who have forgotten their BooksFirst account numbers |
| B.who haven’t got their BooksFirst account numbers |
| C.who have experienced BooksFirst online shopping before |
| D.who have never done online shopping before |
Which of the following is true?
| A.You must put what you choose in a basket as you do in a supermarket. |
| B.You can find your Shopping Basket nowhere but in View Basket. |
| C.You will pay less if you are an overseas customer and buy over three books. |
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The purpose of this advertisement is________.
| A.to promote the sale of books |
| B.to show the procedure of ordering books online |
| C.to help readers apply for account numbers |
| D.to supply account numbers to readers |
One answer to the question of land shortage was suggested by an organization some years ago. A city was to be built at sea, housing 30,000 people.
The suggestion was to shape the city like a harbor(港口).The outer wall of the harbor would stand on steel columns resting on the sea-bed. Naturally this could only be where the water was fairly shallow. The people would like to live in flats in the fifty-metre high outer wall. The flats would be all face inwards, and would be made of concrete(混泥土) and glass. The glass would be specially made and colored to control the heat and strong light from the sun. The planners called this man-made harbor would be calm. On it would be floating islands carrying more building: a hospital, two theaters, museum, an art exhibition hall and a church. On one of the islands would be a special factory to take the salt out of sea water and turn it into fresh water.
People living in the city could move around on small boats driven by electricity, so there would be no air pollution from the burning of gas. There would be platforms outside the man wall for ships bringing supplies. People could also travel to the mainland by motorboat or water plane. What was suggested about the construction of a new city at sea?
| A.The city was to be designed together with a harbor. |
| B.The walls around the city would be made of steel and glass. |
| C.The building of the city would rest on a floating island. |
| D.The people would live in tall building surrounded by a wall. |
How would fresh water be supplied to the city?
| A.By treating sea water. |
| B.By getting it from the surrounding islands. |
| C.By building a small lake of fresh water inside the city. |
| D.By transporting it from the mainland. |
The suggestion made by the organization is to solve the problem that _______.
| A.there is not enough space for building cities on land |
| B.land transportation has became increasingly difficult |
| C.there are too many people on land |
| D.present cities are heavily polluted by cars |
The purpose of the writer is _______.
| A.to suggest how new type of harbor could be built at sea |
| B.to give a description of a new-type city |
| C.to draw people's attention to the problem of air pollution |
| D.to introduce a new way of building harbor-cities |
Mobile phones are an important business tool for farmers in rural areas.But they also put a valuable educational tool in their hands.
The University of Illinois in the United States has a project called SAWBO—Scientific Animations Without Borders.It produces educational videos that can be downloaded to cell phones.The goal is to help people in developing countries improve their lives.
One video shows farmers how to make a natural insecticide from neem seeds to prevent insect damage to crops.The process starts with sorting and drying the neem fruits.Then let the fruit dry in the sun for about three or four days, until they become brown.Using a mortar(碾槌) and stick, the fruits are slightly pounded to remove the shells from the fruits without breaking the seed inside.
The videos use computer animation(动画).Some of the animated characters are a little funny looking-like a farmer with a long nose.But the subjects are serious, including a health video on preventing cholera(霍乱).Team member Francisco Seufferheld says the information in the videos is meant to be quickly understood.He says, “The information is digested in such a way that in two minutes, we can transmit a complex idea.”
The researchers tested the seven-minute video on seven mobile phones.They wanted to see if people would share the video using Bluetooth wireless technology.With Bluetooth, files can be passed to a nearby phone even if neither phone is connected to the internet.As a result, in one month, the video had spread to one hundred eighteen people in fifty different villages." This is just incredible impact," said Francisco Seufferheld.
The team has made a few videos so far.These are available in a total of eighty languages, dialects and accents.Professor Barry Pittendrigh says there are plans for more videos later this year.What is the text mainly about?
| A.A best-selling mobile phone |
| B.A valuable educational project for farmers |
| C.United States support for developing countries |
| D.A new type of scientist –farmer relationship |
The SAWBO program is introduced in order to ____.
| A.raise farmers’ standard of living |
| B.do some research on mobile phones |
| C.develop farmers’ practical skills |
| D.help farmers prevent insect damage to crops |
The biggest advantage of the program is that it______.
| A.includes health video on preventing cholera |
| B.can be passed to farmers using Bluetooth technology |
| C.can be used to sort and dry the neem fruits |
| D.is easy for farmers to understand |
Which of the following words can best take the place of the word “ pound” in the 3rd paragraph?
| A.moved | B.beat | C.picked | D.cut |
Brrriiinnng.The alarm clock announces the start of another busy weekday in the morning.You jump out of bed, rush into the shower, into your clothes and out the door with hardly a moment to think.A stressful journey to work gets your blood pressure climbing.Once at the office, you glance through the newspaper with depressing stories or reports of disasters.In that sort of mood, who can get down to work, particularly some creative, original problem-solving work?
The way most of us spend our mornings is exactly opposite to the conditions that promote flexible, open-minded thinking.Imaginative ideas are most likely to come to us when we’re unfocused.If you are one of those energetic morning people, your most inventive time comes in the early evening when you are relaxed.Sleepy people’s lack of focus leads to an increase in creative problem solving.By not giving yourself time to tune into your wandering mind, you’re missing out on the surprising solutions it may offer.
The trip you take to work doesn’t help, either.The stress slows down the speed with which signals travel between neurons (神经细胞), making inspirations less likely to occur.And while we all should read a lot about what’s going on in the world, it would not make you feel good for sure, so put that news website or newspaper aside until after the day’s work is done.
So what would our mornings look like if we wanted to start them with a full capacity for creative problem solving? We’d set the alarm a few minutes early and lie awake in bed, following our thoughts where they lead.We’d stand a little longer under the warm water of the shower, stopping thinking about tasks in favor of a few more minutes of relaxation.We’d take some deep breaths on our way to work, instead of complaining about heavy traffic.And once in the office—after we get a cup of coffee—we’d click on links not to the news of the day but to the funniest videos the web has to offer.What is the purpose of the first paragraph?
| A.To tell us a specific story. |
| B.To introduce the topic of the passage. |
| C.To indicate how busy one usually is in the morning. |
| D.To show mornings are not suitable for creative work. |
What does the author imply about newspapers?
| A.They are normally full of bad news. |
| B.They are solution providers. |
| C.They are a source of inspiration. |
| D.They are more educational than websites. |
By “tune into your wandering mind” (in Para.2), the author means “_______”.
| A.wander into the wild | B.listen to a beautiful tune |
| C.stop concentrating on anything | D.switch to the traffic channel |
The author writes the last paragraph in order to _______.
| A.establish a routine for the future | B.summarize past experiences |
| C.advocate diverse ways of life | D.offer practical suggestions |
When it comes to success in business and success in life, there are few qualities as important as confidence.
People naturally have different levels of confidence.Some have a higher level of confidence than others do, but even those whose confidence is lacking can learn to build their level of confidence and reach their most important goals.Increasing self confidence is one of the most common reasons people give for seeking the help of psychologists and other professionals.
One of the many places where a greater level of confidence is useful is in the workplace.We all know how difficult it can be, for instance, to ask the boss for a raise.This process can be extremely difficult for those who lack confidence in their own abilities.After all, if you are unsure about your own abilities, how will you ever convince your boss that you deserve more money for the work you do?
Even if you are not asking for that big raise, having plenty of confidence in your abilities is important to success.If you are certain of your abilities, chances are that those around you, whether they are your coworkers, your colleagues or your superiors, will see that confidence, and that will help to assure them that you are the best at what you do.
Being thought of as the person to go to, and being seen as an expert in your chosen field, is naturally very important to success on the job.If you can make yourself the person people go to for guidance and advice, you will help to protect yourself from the ever present danger of downsizing(裁员).After all, if you are a recognized expert at the office, you will be regarded as an indispensable member of the team.
Having a high level of confidence, after all, does not mean overlooking the places where you could improve.Knowing what you do well and where you need help will help you enjoy increased success and confidence.What is the passage mainly about?
| A.The influence of confidence on one's life. |
| B.The difference of people's confidence.. |
| C.The importance of confidence to success |
| D.The judgment on one's confidence. |
Psychologists and other professionals can offer help to those ______.
| A.who dream to be recognized experts |
| B.who expect to give guidance to others |
| C.who want to ask the boss for a raise |
| D.who think their goals are hard to reach |
What message does the author want to convey(传递) in the last paragraph?
| A.To overlook one's disadvantages. |
| B.To make full use of one's advantages. |
| C.To have great confidence in one's abilities. |
| D.To make objective evaluations of one's abilities. |