When we asked Oprah to pick the 10 books she’s read in the past decade that have mattered to her most, she was momentarily stumped. For someone who describes herself as ―inspired, challenged, and sustained by books, it was almost impossible for Oprah to stay within our limit of 10. Still, she offered up the following, but she emphasized that it was only a sampler of delightful titles that have also managed to teach her — and all of us — a few things．
1. Discover the Power Within You
By Eric Butterworth
256 pages; Harper One
Advice from the internationally known spiritual teacher．
2. A New Earth
By Eckhart Tolle
316 pages; Plume
There’s a reason Oprah picked this for her Book Club in 2008 — and that she gave audience members Post-it pens along with their copies．So much wisdom, so little time! A real-life guide to living your best life．
3. The Poisonwood Bible
By Barbara Kingsolver
576 pages; Harper Perennial
This novel is about a family involved in the political trouble of postcolonial Africa. It established Kingsolver as one of our wisest observers of history, politics, and human nature．
4. Night
By Elie Wiesel
120 pages; Hill and Wang
A memoir（回忆录） of a childhood suffered in concentration camps during the Holocaust. It’s horrific butuplifting. ―I gain courage from his courage,‖ Oprah says．
5. A Fine Balance
By Rohinton Mistry
624 pages; Vintage
A Dickensian novel about India during the Emergency. Like the aftermath of September 11, it teaches us about cultures we haven’t understood. “It takes us out of our own little shell and exposes us to a whole other world out there.” Oprah say．
6. East of Eden
By John Steinbeck
608 pages; Penguin
This classic is about good and evil as played out in a late-19th-century California ranch family. If you didn’t read it in high school, read it now. If you did, reread it!
7. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
By David Wroblewski
576 pages; Harper Collins
A kind of Hamlet on the prairie, this is the wrenching（令人痛苦的） story of a mute boy and his dog． Oprah compares it to East of Eden and To Kill a Mickingbird．
8. The Pillars of the Earth
By Ken Follett
973 pages; Penguin
About the challenges of building cathedrals in 12th-century England. This novel couldn‘t be more different in setting, time, and plot from the author‘s breakthrough success, Eye of the Needle. Oprah declares it simply “great”．
9. The Bluest Eye
By Toni Morrison
224 pages; Penguin
How to choose among the great Morrison‘s novel? Start with this one about a girl who thinks she has to have blue eyes to be beautiful. Oprah considered it one of the best in a crowded Morrison field．
10. The Known World
By Edward P. Jones
400 pages, Harper Collins
When this book was published in 2003, it shocked everybody with its description of slave-owning blacks before the Civil War. A daring, unusual examination of race．The passage is mainly about _______．
| A．ten books that have made greatest difference to Oprah |
| B．an inspiring , challenging and sustainable woman |
| C．Oprah’s picks from what has taught her a few things |
| D．the unwillingness of Oprah to share books within a limit of 10 |
Why did Oprah add A Fine Balance to her list?
| A．She gained courage from it． |
| B．It tells about wisdom of human nature． |
| C．It’s a guide to living a best life． |
| D．Culture of a different world is exposed． |
What makes Oprah declare The Pillars of the Earth great?
| A．The advice on discovering the power． |
| B．The story of a mute boy and his dog． |
| C．The challenges of building cathedrals． |
| D．The good and evil in a California family． |
In which book the story was set before the Civil War?
| A．In The Bluest Eye. | B．In East of Eden. |
| C．In A New Earth. | D．In The Known World. |
High school graduation is worth celebrating. It marks a big change in the lives of young adults. However, it ought to mean even more. It ought to mean that the graduate is ready for college or career.
In a report issued last year, we found that almost half of recent Illinois high school graduates required remedial courses(补习课) upon enrolling(注册) a community college. These courses require time and money to complete, yet offer no credits toward a degree. Too often, students never get through those remedial courses and end up dropping out of college.
Why is the remediation rate so high? A large part of the reason is that we have not set high enough standards for what our students need to learn from kindergarten to high school. They simply aren’t equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed.
The same is true for careers. In Illinois, good jobs continue to go vacant(空缺) even while we are trying hard to go through tough economic times. This is due largely to the mismatch between the skills and knowledge we provide our students with and what employers in a modern economy need workers to know.
The good news is that in Illinois we have a plan to help get our students ready for life in the real world. We have already taken an important first step by becoming one of the 45 states to adopt the Common Core State Standards and have begun introducing them to classrooms this year. The new standards provide fewer, clearer and higher benchmarks(标准) for academic progress. They focus on deeper knowledge required at each grade level, give teachers the opportunity to explore topics fully and ensure students can apply what they’ve learned.
Research shows that when expectations are raised, students rise to meet them. Adapting to higher standards and raising expectations may prove challenging, but they are the steps we must take so that our students are successful in high school and prepared for college and careers. Readiness is worth a celebration. According to the passage, in most cases, students taking part in remedial courses ___.
| A．come from wealthy families |
| B．leave college before finishing their courses |
| C．are offered credits toward a degree |
| D．are likely to develop their academic interest |
The author uses the third and fourth paragraphs to __.
| A．provide solutions to the rising remediation rate |
| B．show the present situation of unemployment in Illinois |
| C．suggest knowledge learned in school be put into practice |
| D．explain why students aren’t prepared for college and a career |
Which of the following statements about the Common Core State Standards is TRUE?
| A．They were first adopted in Illinois. |
| B．More benchmarks are required. |
| C．They benefit teachers as well as students. |
| D．They ensure students’ success in college. |
Based on the last paragraph, what is the author’s attitude to raising expectations of students?
| A．Supportive | B．Critical |
| C．Doubtful | D．Worried |
It is not unusual for people to speak two or three languages; they’re known as bilinguals or trilinguals. Speakers of more than three languages are known as polyglots. And when we refer to people who speak many languages, perhaps a dozen or more, we use the term hyper-polyglot.
The most famous hyper-polyglot was Giuseppe Mezzofanti, a 19th century Italian cardinal, who was said to speak 72 languages. This claim sounds absurd. If you assume each language had 20,000 words, Mezzofanti would have to learn a word a minute, six hours a day, for eleven years—an impossible task. But Mezzofanti was tested by critics, and they were all impressed.
Did Mezzofanti have an extraordinary brain? Or are hyper-polyglots just ordinary people with ordinary brains who manage to do something extraordinary through hard work?
U.S. linguist Stephen Drashen believes that outstanding language learners just work harder at it and then they acquire unusually strong language ability. As an example, he mentions a Hungarian woman who worked as an interpreter during the 20th century. When she was 86, she could speak 16 languages and was still working on learning new languages. She said she learned them mostly on her own, reading fiction or working through dictionaries or textbooks.
Some researchers argue to the contrary. They believe that there is such a thing as a talent for learning languages. In the 1930s, a German scientist examined parts of the preserved brain of a hyper-polyglot named Emil Krebs, who could speak 60 languages fluently. The scientist found that the area of Krebs’s brain called Broca’s area, which is associated with language, looked different from the Broca’s area in the brains of men who speak only one language. However, we still don’t know if Krebs was born with a brain ready to learn dozens of languages or if his brain adapted to the demands he put on it.
Although it is still not clear whether the ability to learn many languages is in born, there’s no doubt that just about all of us can acquire skills in a second, third, or even fourth language by putting our mind to it. What does the underlined sentence imply?
| A．Mezzofanti could remember 360 words a day. |
| B．Mezzofanti had a special way to learn languages. |
| C．Mezzofanti’s achievement was ridiculous. |
| D．Mezzofanti language ability was astonishing. |
The Hungarian woman became a hyper-polyglot mainly because of her __.
| A．good memory | B．hard work |
| C．unique brain | D．learning methods |
The German scientist’s findings showed that Krebs ___.
| A．had an unusual brain |
| B．was born with great talent |
| C．had worked hard at languages |
| D．expected too much of himself |
The author seems to agree that ___.
| A．it is not hard to learn foreign languages |
| B．hard work plays a part in language learning |
| C．there is no such thing as a talent for languages |
| D．hyper-polyglots have an inborn talent for language |
Elaine Yu Yee-nee, 15, Creative Secondary School
Lockers are designed in a way to hide their contents for a reason. Otherwise, they’d have open fronts like cupboards. Searching students’ lockers would be total invasion(侵犯) of privacy. Having a locker is more than having a place to store your stuff. A locker also gives you the freedom to keep certain things hidden. These can include harmless personal items like diaries, letters and photos. Searching lockers could discomfit students and others might make fun of them.
Yes, lockers are school property(财产). But that doesn’t give schools the right to inspect lockers as they please. While students are using lockers, they have the right to keep their contents private. Teachers could ask for permission to take a look inside a student’s locker and if the student is OK with that, then it would be fine. Searching students’ lockers without their permission would result in the loss of trust.
I doubt that students who have something dangerous to hide, such as weapons or drugs, would put them in their lockers. They would not want to risk being caught so easily.
Giving schools the right to search lockers would not help catch those who commit crimes. But it would certainly create an environment in which students would be embarrassed to have their belongings shown in public for no good reason.
Ronald Ling Pak-ki, 20, University of Hong Kong
Many students see their lockers as personal property. They would never agree that schools should have the right to inspect their lockers. But I think schools have an absolute right to do so.
It is the schools that actually own the lockers. Students just use them to store some of their things safely and conveniently. There are clear rules on what items students can and cannot keep in their lockers. Schools have both the duty and the right to check if students are following the rules.
I don’t think school authorities would decide to search a student’s locker unless they felt the need to do so. They might, for instance, suspect students of hiding drugs. To make sure that the process remains open and fair, only authorized teachers should have the right to search lockers. The search should be carried out in such a way as not to embarrass students in front of others.What are .the two students talking about?
| A．How to make sure schools are safe. |
| B．Whether there are crimes in schools. |
| C．Whether schools can search students’ lockers. |
| D．How to establish trust between teachers and students. |
The underlined word could be replaced by ___.
| A．embarrass | B．frighten | C．worry | D．challenge |
According to Elaine, school lockers ____.
| A．are students’ personal property |
| B．should be changed into cupboards |
| C．are likely to hold some dangerous things |
| D．can be searched with students’ permission |
Which of the following would Ronald agree with?
| A．Students won’t hide drugs in lockers. |
| B．Students use lockers but don’t own them. |
| C．Students should not put personal things in lockers. |
| D．Students may forbid teachers to inspect their lockers. |
The forces that make Japan one of the world's most earthquake-prone(有…倾向的) countries could become part of its long-term energy solution．
Water from deep below the ground at Japan's tens of thousands of hot springs could be used to produce electricity．
Although Japanese high-tech companies are leaders in geothermal(地热的) technology and export it, its use is limited in the nation．
"Japan should no doubt make use of its resources of geothermal energy," said Yoshiyasu Takefuji, a leading researcher of thermal-electric power production．
The disastrous earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011 caused a reaction against atomic power, which previously made up 30 percent of Japan's energy needs, and increased interest in alternative energies, which account for only 8 percent．
Artist Yoko Ono has called on Japan to explore its natural energy, following the example of Iceland which uses renewable energy for more than 80 percent of its needs．
For now, geothermal energy makes up less than 1 percent of the energy needs in Japan, which has for decades relied heavily on fossil fuels and atomic power．
The biggest problem to geothermal energy is the high initial cost of the exploration and constructing the factories．Another problem is that Japan's potentially best sites are already being developed for tourism or are located within national parks where construction is forbidden．
"We can't even dig 10cm inside national parks．" said Shigeto Yamada of Fuji Electric, adding that regulations protecting nature would need to be relaxed for geothermal energy to grow．
Researcher Hideaki Matsui said, "Producing electricity using hot springs is a decades-long project．We also have to think about what to do for now as energy supplies will decrease in the short term．"
The Earth Policy Institute in Washington, US, believed Japan could produce 80,000 megawatts（兆瓦）and meet more than half its electricity needs with geothermal technology．
Japanese giants such as Toshiba are already global leaders in geothermal technology, with a 70 percent market share．In 2010, Fuji Electric built the world's largest geothermal factory in New Zealand．What would be the best title for the text?
| A．Alternative energies in Japan |
| B．Japan thinks of geothermal energy |
| C．Japan takes the lead in geothermal technology |
| D．World's largest geothermal plant |
What percentage of Japan's energy needs is geothermal energy?
| A．About 8%． | B．Around 30%． | C．Below 1%． | D．Over 80%． |
According to Shigeto Yamada, the growth of geothermal power in Japan needs ____．
| A．high technology | B．financial support |
| C．local people's help | D．a change of rules |
Geothermal energy is considered as a long-term program by _____．
A．Hideaki Matsui B Yoshiyasu Takefuji． C．Shigeto Yamada D．Yoko OnoIt can be learned from the last two paragraphs that _____．
| A．the world's biggest geothermal plant was built by America |
| B．Japan will not export its geothermal technology |
| C．it is hard to find geothermal energy in Japan |
| D．the potential of Japan's geothermal energy is great |
The popular song ‘Gangnam Style’ from South Korean recording artist PSY has just become the most watched video on YouTube ever, getting more than 808 million views on the popular media site.
The distinction was previously held by another pop heavyweight, Justin Bieber, whose song ‘Baby’ had a little more than 804 million views at press time. PSY made the announcement on his Twitter page earlier today.
Since its release, the song has defeated such other popular videos as Jennifer Lopez’s ‘On the Floor’ and Eminem's ‘Love the Way You Lie’. And in September, 'Gangnam Style' also became the most liked video on YouTube, now with nearly 5.4 million thumbs up.
At the time of the announcement, the Guinness Book of World Records released a statement saying: “In years past it was unthinkable that something would be viewed a hundred million times, and now Gangnam Style has achieved more than twice this figure in just three months on YouTube. PSY, your certificate is waiting here at our office, come pick it up any time!”
Despite its massive popularity, the video shows no signs of slowing down, and it even has a shot at becoming the first video to get more than one billion views.
If it maintains its current rate of around six million new views per day, ‘Gangnam Style’ would be in line to break that record by the end of the year.
The YouTube honors are just the latest in a long list that shows just how popular the song has become. Since it was released in July, the song has seen a meteoric rise through the music industry.
It has found its way to the tops of music charts in more than 30 countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain and Canada, while providing material for thousands of parody（恶搞）videos.
It became part of the 2012 presidential elections with the now famous ‘Mitt Romney Style’ video and was even used by the North Korean government in propaganda films promoting their supreme leader.
Meanwhile, such influential figures as President Obama, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt have all made mention of the hit song.This passage mainly talks about a world famous________.
A. music chart B. video website
C. music video C. Korean pop singerWhich of the following about “Gangnam Style” is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．“Gangnam Style” has defeated Justin Bieber’s “Baby” on You Tube’s views. |
| B．“Gangnam Style” has been the favorite to at least 5.4 million people. |
| C．“Gangnam Style” has been recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records. |
| D．“Gangnam Style” has been the first to get more than 1 billion views. |
What can we infer from this passage?
| A．The influence of “Gangnam Style” has spread far and wide |
| B．Obama won the presidential election partly because of the ‘Mitt Romney Style’ video. |
| C．Despite its massive popularity, the fever of “Gangnam Style” has decreased. |
| D．PSY will become one of the greatest musicians due to the popularity of “Gangnam Style”. |