J. K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter book series, began writing at age 6. In her biography（传记）, she well remembers her good friend, Sean, whom she met in secondary school, helped build her confidence in becoming a very good writer. “He was the first person to know my serious dream to be a writer. He was also the only person who thought I was certain to be a success at it, which meant much more to me.”
Rowling met many difficulties in her writing, especially fantasy(幻想） stories. It wasn't until l990 that she first got the idea about Harry Potter. As she recalls, it was on a long train journey from London to Manchester that “the idea of Harry Potter simply fell into my head. I didn't have a pen with me, and I was too shy to ask anybody if I could borrow one. I think, now, that this was probably a good thing, because I simply sat and thought, for four(delayed train) hours, and all the details appear in my brain, and this thin, black-haired, glasses-wearing boy who didn't know he was a wizard （男巫）became more and more real to me.”
That same year, her mother passed away after a ten-year illness, which deeply affected her writing. She went on to marry and had a daughter, but separated from her husband shortly afterwards.
During this time, Rowling suffered from depression（抑郁症）. She ,out of work,completed her first novel in the cafes, where she could get her daughter to fall asleep. After being refused by l2 publishing houses, the first Harry Potter novel was sold to a small British publishing house.
Now with seven books sold nearly 400 million copies in 64 languages, J. K. Rowling is the highest earning novelist in history. And it all began with the confidence of a friend !
Which of the following could be the best title of the passage?
| A．Confidence of a Friend Helped the Success of Harry Potter |
| B．J.K.Rowing’s Hard Life and the Success of Harry Potter |
| C．J.K.Rowing---author of the Harry Potter book series |
| D．How J.K.Rowing Firstly Got the Idea of Harry Potter |
According to the passage, we know J.K.Rowing_______.
| A．had a happy family |
| B．had a ten-year illness |
| C．earned a lot from her novels |
| D．published 12 books in 64 languages |
Where did J.K.Rowing first have the shape of Harry Potter?
| A．in the cafes | B．on a train |
| C．in a secondary school | D．in a publishing house |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Harry Potter’s friends didn’t know he was a wizard until he graduated. |
| B．J.K.Rowing wrote down her idea while she was on the train by borrowing a pen. |
| C．It’s lucky that J.K.Rowing didn’t have a pen while she got the idea of Harry Potter. |
| D．Harry Potter was a thin,yellow-haired handsome boy with a pair of glasses on his nose. |
When I was about 12, I had an enemy, a girl who liked to point out my shortcomings. Week by week her list grew: I was very thin; I wasn’t a good student; I talked too much; I was too proud and so on. I tried to bear all these things as long as I could. At last, I became very angry. I ran to my father with tears in my eyes.
He listened to me quietly, then he asked, “Are the things she said true or not? Janet, didn’t you ever wonder what you are really like? Well, you now have the girl’s opinion. Go and make a list of everything she said, mark the points that are true. Pay no attention to other things she said.”
I did as he told me. To my great surprise, I discovered that about half of the things were true. Some of them I couldn’t change (like being very thin), but a good number I could and suddenly I wanted to change. For the first time I got a fairly clear picture of myself.
I brought the list back to Daddy. He refused to take it, “That’s just for you,” he said. “You know better than anyone else the truth about yourself. But you have to learn to listen, not just closing your ears in anger and feeling hurt. When something that is said about you is true, you’ll find it will be of help to you. Don’t shut your ears. Listen to other people’s opinions, but hear the truth and do what you think is right.”
Daddy’s advice has returned to me at many important moments. In my life, I’ve never had a better piece of advice.The underlined sentence “Week by week her list grew” means “__________”.
| A．Week by Week, my shortcomings grew more serious |
| B．She had made a list of shortcomings and kept on adding new ones to it so that it was growing longer and longer |
| C．I was having more and more shortcomings as time went on |
| D．Week by week she discovered more shortcomings of mine and point them out |
Why did her father listen to her quietly?
| A．Because he believed that what her daughter’s enemy said was mostly true. |
| B．Because he had been so angry with his daughter’s shortcomings that he wanted to show this by keeping silent for a while. |
| C．Because he didn’t believe in his daughter |
| D．Because he wasn’t quite sure which girl was telling the truth. |
What did the father do after he heard his daughter’s complaint?
| A．He told her not to pay any attention to what her “enemy” said. |
| B．He criticized her and told her to overcome her shortcomings. |
| C．He told her to write down all that her "enemy" had said about her and pay attention only to the things that were true. |
| D．He refused to take the list and have a look at it. |
Which do you think would be the best title for this passage?
| A．Not an Enemy, but a Best Friend |
| B．My Father |
| C．The Best Advice I’ve Ever Had |
| D．My Childhood |
It is winter in many parts of the world. For some areas, that means snow. Maybe even lots of snow. If you don’t have to drive in it or remove it, snow can be very beautiful. When snow covers everything around you, the world looks like a “winter wonderland”. That is the name of a very popular song about winter. Richard Smith and Felix Bernard wrote the song back in 1934. There are hundreds of recordings of this happy song.
But winter is not always such a beautiful and happy time. It’s cold outside. You try hard to keep warm. The days are darker and shorter. The sun rarely shines. The leaves on the trees are brown. It isn’t surprising that some people are sad in winter. And some people dream about being somewhere else where it’s warm and pretty—like the state of California. The Mamas and the Papas recorded this famous song “California Dreaming”.
During the 1960s, many other famous rock groups released songs about winter. Here is a poetic song by Simon and Garfunkel called “A Hazy Shade of Winter”. They sing about life and hope and possibilities.
In 1968, the group Blood, Sweat and Tears recorded this gentle, sad song about winter. They sing about a lost love and forgotten memories in “Sometimes in Winter”.
In the early 1990s, Tori Amos wrote and recorded the beautiful song called “Winter”. She enjoyed singing about winter when she was a child.
Finally, on a happier note comes this song written and recorded by Fountains of Wayne in 2003. They sing about a snowstorm in a New England town. Nothing unusual there. But instead of being sad or tense about the snow, they write a song about it.When is snow beautiful?
| A．When people drive in it. |
| B．When people don’t have to take it away. |
| C．When it has snowed heavily. |
| D．When people sing in the snow. |
According to the second paragraph, winter is ________ .
| A．beautiful and happy |
| B．happy and warm |
| C．lovely and hopeful |
| D．cold and sad |
Which of the songs can bring us hope of life?
| A．Winter Wonderland. |
| B．California Dreaming. |
| C．A Hazy Shade of Winter. |
| D．Sometimes in Winter. |
What does the passage mainly talk about?
| A．Songs about winter. |
| B．Different ideas about winter. |
| C．Winter in different areas. |
| D．Winter is cold but happy. |
Nelson Mandela is respected and admired across the world. And to South Africans he is a superstar. He is a hero who shocked the world by fighting for peace between races(种族), despite the 27 years he spent in the prison of the South Africa’s white, racist government.
Mandela who won the nation’s first all-race elections in 1994, retired 1999. But he remains as popular as ever.
“He’s loved by all people, whether you’re while or black, whether you’re young or old,” said Ali Bacher, South Africa’s famous cricket (板球) athlete.
His popularity has inspired an entire national industry. His portrait(肖像) has appeared at many places, including on some goods. His face has appeared on a South African coin and some business leaders hope to build a statue(雕像) for him --- the Statue of Freedom. It would stand taller than New York’s Statue of Liberty.
His popularity is similar to that of John F. Kennedy with US or Winston Churchill in Britain, but few politicians in this times have achieved his level of admiration, said Tom Lodge, head of the political science department of the University of the Witwatersrand.
“Sometimes it isn’t completely appreciated what a skilled performer Mandela has been throughout his political career. He’s a very, very clever man.”
“Through the ages, the human race has had its icons --- men and women who rose above ordinary people to inspire their generations,” The Mail and Guardian Weekly said. “In our generation, the gods presented us Nelson Mandela.”Nelson Mandela is loved by all the people of South Africa because ________.
| A．he’s as popular as Kennedy and Churchill |
| B．he has kept in prison for 27 years |
| C．he’s a great fighter against the racialism |
| D．he’s the first all-race elections president |
Which of the following statements about Mandela’s portrait is true?
| A．It helps develop business. |
| B．It appears on the Statue of Freedom. |
| C．It is used to raise money for the Statue of Freedom. |
| D．It is similar to that of John F. Kennedy or Winston Churchill. |
The underlined sentence in the last paragraph means “________.”
| A．Mandela is as great as a god |
| B．We are proud to live in Mandela’s time |
| C．Mandela lives together with us all |
| D．We are proud to know Mandela. |
On a flight from Johannesburg, a middle-aged rich white South African lady had found herself sitting next to a black man. She called the cabin crew attendant over to complain(抱怨) about her seat. “What seems to be the problem, Madam?” asked the attendant.
“Can’t you see?” She said, “You have seated me next to a black person! I can’t possibly sit next to this kind of person. Find me another seat!”
“Please calm down, Madam,” the stewardess replied. “The flight is very full today, but I will tell you what I will do---- I will go and check to see if we have any seats available(可利用的) in club or first class.”
The woman glanced at the angry black man beside her. A few minutes later, the stewardess returned with the good news, which she delivered to the lady.
“Madam, unfortunately, as I expected, economy is full. I have spoken to the cabin services director, and club is also full. However, we do have one seat in first class.”
Before the lady had a chance to answer, the stewardess continued, “It is most extraordinary to make this kind of upgrade, however, and I have had to get special permission from the captain. But, learning this condition, the captain felt that it was shocking that someone should be forced to sit next to such a tiring person.”
Having said that, the stewardess turned to the black man sitting next to the lady, and said, “So if you’d like to get you things, sir, I have your seat ready for you…”
At this point, obviously the surrounding passengers stood and gave an applause while the black man walked up to the front of the plane. Why did the lady complain about her seating?
| A．Because she didn’t want to sit in economy. |
| B．Because she would like a seat in first class. |
| C．Because she didn’t want to sit next to a black man. |
| D．Because she didn’t want to sit in club. |
What was the good news for the lady?
| A．The black man would have to change for another seat. |
| B．The captain understood her situation. |
| C．The cabin director was sparing no effort to help her. |
| D．They have one seat in first class. |
What was the other passengers’ attitude towards the lady?
| A．They liked her very much because she was a rich lady. |
| B．They disliked her because she looked down upon the black man. |
| C．They applauded for her when she moved to another seat. |
| D．They disliked her because she was not polite to the stewardess. |
What was unexpected to the lady?
| A．The plane was so full that day. |
| B．They found a seat for her in club. |
| C．The captain himself was concerned about her problem. |
| D．They found another seat for the black man. |
About ten men in every hundred suffer from color blindness in some way. Women are luckier, only about one in two hundred if affected in this matter. Perhaps, after all, it is safer to be driven by a woman.
There are different forms of color blindness. In some cases a man may not be able to see deep red. He may think that red, orange and yellow are all shades of green. Sometimes a person can’t tell the differences between blue and green. In rare cases an unlucky man sees everything in shades of green--- a strange world in deed.
Color blindness in human beings is a strange thing to explain. In a single eye there are millions very small things called “cones”. These help us see in a bright day and tell the differences between colors. There are also millions of “rods”, but these are used for seeing when it is nearly dark. They show us shapes(形状) but not color. Some insects have favorite colors. Mosquitoes like blue but do not like yellow. A red light will not attract insects but a blue lamp will. In similar way human being also have favorite colors. Yet we are lucky. With the aid of cones in our eyes we can see many beautiful colors by day and with the aid of the rods we can see shapes at night. One day we may even learn more about the invisible colors around us. The passage is mainly about ______.
| A．color and its surprising effects on drivers |
| B．women being luckier than man in that fewer of them are color blind |
| C．danger caused by color blindness |
| D．color blindness and how our eyes tell different colors and shapes |
According to the passage, with the help of “cones” we can _____.
| A．tell different colors | B．see in weak light |
| C．tell different shapes | D．tell orange from yellow |
Why do some people say it is safer to be driven by women?
| A．Women are more careful. |
| B．There are fewer color blind women. |
| C．Women are fonder of driving than men. |
| D．Women are weaker but quicker in thinking. |
Which of the following statements about color blind people is true?
| A．Not all of them have the same problem in recognizing colors. |
| B．None of them can see deep red but all can tell blue from green. |
| C．None of them can tell blue from green but all can see deep red. |
| D．All of them are lucky enough to see everything in shades of green. |