Many young people tell me that they want to be writers. I always encourage such people, but I also explain that there is a big difference between being a writer and writing. In most cases these people are dreaming of wealth and being famous, not the long hours alone at the typewriter.
When I became a writer, I had no future. What I had was a friend called George. He found me a home. It was cold and had no bathroom. I could only afford a used typewriter. A year later, however, I still hadn’t received a break and began to doubt myself. But I knew I wanted to write. I would keep putting my dream to the test—even though it meant living with fear of failure. This is the shadow land (阴影) of hope, and anyone with a dream must learn to live there. Then one day I got a call from a friend who asked me to be an assistant for $6,000 a year. As the dollars were dancing in my head, something brought me to my sense. “Thanks, but no,” I heard myself saying. After that, I walked around my little room and started to feel like a fool. I felt a little low.
Later, I gradually began to sell my articles. It was after 17 years of being a writer that Roots was published. At once I had the kind of fame and success that few writers ever experienced. The shadows had turned into great sunlight. Before that, it was a long and slow climb out of the shadows.The second paragraph is mainly about ______.
A.the job chance the author ever had |
B.the difficulties before the author succeeded |
C.the great help from the author’s friends |
D.the important choices the author made |
The underlined word “something” in Paragraph 2 refers to _______.
A.the author’s dream of being a writer |
B.the author’s trouble in making money |
C.the author’s hard life before success |
D.the author’s wish to be successful |
How did the author feel after he refused the job offer?
A.confident | B.angry |
C.excited | D.Unhappy |
We Americans are wasteful people, not used to saving. Early settlers, our forefathers set us an example of wasting everything, for they thought nature’s resources were so plentiful that none of them ever imagined that natural materials would be used up in time. Within a few years of the first Virginia settlement, for example, pioneers burned down their houses when they were ready to move west. They burned down their houses with only one aim to get the nails(钉子)for future use. No one ever gave a thought to the priceless hardwoods that went up in smoke. As a people we destroy many valuable things that other people save. I noticed this when I was living in Britain. I received a letter from one England’s largest banks. It was enclosed in a used envelope(信封)that had been readdressed to me. Such a practice would be unthinkable in the United States. American banks, even the smallest, always use expensive stationery(信笺)with the names of all twenty - eight vice – presidents lists on side of the page. According to the passage, we know the writer is ________ .
A.a Chinese | B.a Japanese | C.an Englishman | D.an American |
The writer thought their forefathers ________ .
A.set a good example |
B.wasted many natural resources |
C.knew natural resources would be used up in time |
D.made the best use of natural materials |
Which of the following statements is wrong?
A.The writer lives in Britain now. |
B.American banks use expensive stationery. |
C.Americans are not used to saving. |
D.The writer’s forefathers burned down their houses in order to get the nails. |
The purpose of the passage is to ________ .
A.wish Americans not to waste | B.tell us the English are a good people |
C.warn Americans against saving | D.encourage people to work hard. |
It was a winter morning, just a couple of weeks before Christmas 2005. While most people were warming up their ears, Trevor, my husband, had to get up early to ride his bike four kilometers away from home to work. On arrival, he parked his bike outside the back door as he usually does. After putting in 10 hours of labor, he returned to find his bike gone.
The bike, a black Kona 18 speed, was our only transport. Trevor used it to get to work, putting in 60-hour weeks to support his young family. And the bike was also used to get groceries (食品杂货) saving us from having to walk long distances from where we live.
I was so sad that someone would steal our bike that I wrote to the newspaper and told them our story. Shortly after that,several people in our area offered to help. One wonderful stranger even bought a bike, then called my husband to pick it up. Once again my husband had a way to get to and from his job. It really is an honor that a complete stranger would go out of their way for someone they have never met before.
People say that a smile can be passed from one person to another, but acts of kindness from strangers are even more so. This experience has had a spreading effect in our lives because it strengthened our faith in humanity (人性) as a whole. And it has influenced (影响) us to be more mindful of ways we, too, can share with others. No matter how or how small, an act of kindness shows that someone cares. And the results can be everlasting.Why was the bike so important to the couple?
A.The man’s job was bike racing. | B.It was their only possession. |
C.It was a nice Kona 18 speed. | D.They used it for work and daily life |
We can infer from the text that ________
A.The couple worked 60 hours a week | B.people were busy before Christmas |
C.the stranger brought over the bike | D.life was hard for the young family |
How did people get to know the couple’s problem?
A.From radio broadcasts. | B.From a newspaper. |
C.From TV news. | D.From a stranger. |
What does the couple learn from their experience?
A.Strangers are usually of little help. | B.One should take care of their bike. |
C.News reports make people famous. | D.An act of kindness can mean a lot. |
Ad. 1
April fool’s party
On Friday, April 1, Inner Affair goes back to the days of funk! Classic Tunes from the 70’s and 80’s by DJs Den & Sion. 9pm till late.
Tickets: Free entrance for those in costume, otherwise 50 yuan (US$6)
Time/date: 9 pm, April 1
Place: Inner Affair, 1/F Qiankun Dasha, 6 Sanlitun Xiliujie, Chaoyang District
Tel: 8454 0321
Ad. 2
Language in use
Enjoy free inhouse coffee, tea and beer as well as music and dancing. Practice your Chinese, make friends and have fun.
Time/date: 7 to 9 pm, March 25 Place: Language In Use Club, 2/F, Science Fortune Center, 8 Xueqing Lu, north of Xueyuan Lu, Haidian District
Ad. 3
The "worst" party
Organized by ozone productions, the party is set to be "the worst ever", with the lamest music from the 60s, 70s and 80s. Special prizes will be awarded to the worst dressed or for bad fashion sense.
Tickets: Free entrance
Time/date: 9 pm, April 1
Place: Pula Pula, Tianze Lu, Oriental Seven Colours Plaza, Chaoyang District
Tel: 64668575
Ad. 4
La Nuit Francaise
Again on the 2nd Thursday of the month La Nuit Francaise will be held at Le Rendezvous. The monthly event is an opportunity for all French people and everyone interested in France or speaking French to gather together.
The evening features three glasses of wine and canapes for participants and a special exhibition.
Time/date: 7 to 10 pm, April 14
Place: Le Rendezvous, 3 Gongti Beilu, accross from the Pacific Century Plaza, Chaoyang District Tel: 64629110
Ad. 5
Marco V
Dutch DJ Marco V drops by Banana for a gig which is supported by Hong Kong’s DJ Spark.
Marco V has been around for many years, as an inventive, styleblending deejay and a successful and devoted producer. His spinning is energetic, crowdpleasing and never sees an empty dance floor. He was ranked No. 15 in this year’s international DJ MAG DJ Top100.
Tickets: 40 yuan (US$4.80) in advance, 50 yuan (US$6) at the door, both include a free drink
Time/date: 10 pm to 4 am, March 31, April 1
Place: Banana, in the lobby of the Scitech Hotel, 22 Jianwai Dajie, Chaoyang District
Tel: 65283636
Which of th
e following is NOT true of Ad. 1 and Ad. 3?
A.The two parties will be held on the same day. |
B.The two parties will be held at the same time. |
C.The entrance fees of the two parties will not be charged. |
D.Some old music will be played at the parties. |
Which of the following is intended for the Chinese learners?
A.Marco V. | B.La Nuit Francaise. |
C.Language in use. | D.The "worst" party. |
We can infer that______.
A.Marco V is a newlyestablished band |
B.La Nuit Francaise may be French word![]() |
C.the "worst" party will attract a lot of college students |
D.you will enjoy free drink at April fool’s party |
In the USA Forbes magazine has published its annual list of the richest people in the world. Bill Gates of Microsoft is the richest man again for the eleventh successive year with a fortune of fortyfour billion dollars.
There are a record 691 dollar billionaires according to Forbes magazine. Between them they have a fortune of two point two trillion dollars. The highest concentration of the ultra-rich is in New York followed by Moscow and San Fransisco and then London and Los Angeles. But in total the very wealthy live in fortyseven different countries with Iceland KazakstanUkraine and Poland entering the list for the first time this year.
Laksmi Mittal, an Indian born steel tycoon (巨头)enjoyed the biggest increase in personal fortune. His net worth has quadrupled (变成四倍)to thirteen billion dollars making him the world’s third richest man. Ingvar Kamprad founder of the Swedish furniture chain Ikea also saw a big increase in wealth taking him to the sixth place. Developing countries make more of a showing than in past years — there are for example three Russians and four Indians in the top sixty richest people, though surprisingly perhaps none from China excluding Hong Kong. Asian wealth is probably underrepresented as its usually spread among families whereas Forbes looks at individuals. Relatively few women feature in the list — among them is JK Rowling, author of the Harry Potter novels ranked 620th with a fortune of 519 million dollars. New entrants to the list include the founders of the Internet search group Google Sergie Brin and Larry Page each worth more than seven billion dollars after their company’s recent stock market debut. The richest Italian is the prime minister Silvio Berlusconi ranked number 25 in the global wealth league.
Which of the following persons has the largest fortune according to this year’s Forbes magazine?
A.Laksmi Mittal. | B.Ingvar Kamprad. |
C.JK Rowling. | D.Silvio Berlusconi. |
There are about _____ persons with a fortune between 100 million dollars and 519 million dollars in the world.
A.300 | B.180 | C.70 | D.150 |
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A.No Chinese has entered the top sixty richest people in the world. |
B.Russia is a developing country. |
C.This is the first time that Sergie Brin and Larry Page has been included in the list. |
D.There are more billionaires(亿万富翁) in New York than any other city in the world. |
We can infer from the passage that ______.
A.There are more billionaires in London than in Moscow. |
B.Ukraine is a very rich country in the world. |
C.JK Rowling’s novels have sold very well. |
D.The IT industry is a profit making industry. |
Modern man has cleared the forests for farmland and for wood, and has also carelessly burned them. More than that, though, he has also interfered (干涉) with the invisible bonds between the living things in the forests. There are many examples of this kind of destruction. The harmfulness of man’s interference can be seen in what happened many years ago in the forest of the Kaibab plateau (凯亚巴布高原) of northern Arizona. Man tried to improve on the natural web of forest life and destroyed it instead.
The Kaibab had a storybook forest of large sized pine, Douglas fir, white fir, blue and Engelmann spruce. In 1882 a visitor noted, "We, who ... have wandered through its forests and parks, have come to regard it as the most enchanting region it has ever been our privilege (特权) to visit.”This was also the living place of the Rocky Mountain mule deer. Indians hunted there every autumn to gather meat and skins. The forest also had mountain lions, timber wolves and bobcats that kept the deer from multiplying too rapidly.
Then, in 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt made the Kaibab a national game preserve. Deer hunting was forbidden. Government hunters started killing off the deer’s enemies. In 25 years’ time, 6,250 mountain lions, wolves and bobcats were killed. Before the program, there were about 4,000 deer in the Kaibab, by 1924, there were about 100,000.
The deer ate every leaf and twig they could reach. But there was not nearly enough food. Hunting of deer was permitted again. This caused a slight decrease in the deer herd (鹿群),but a far greater loss resulted from starvation (饥饿) and disease. Some 60 percent of the deer herd died in two winters. By 1930 the herd had dropped to 20,000 animals. By 1942 it was down to 8,000.The destruction of the environment of the Kaibab resulted from .
A.turning the forest into cultivated land |
B.interfering with natural cycle of forest life |
C.forest fires caused by man’s carelessness |
D.cutting the trees for building materials |
"Engelmann spruce"(Para. 2) is most likely the name of .
A.a tree | B.an animal | C.a mountain | D.a game |
The number of the deer in the Kaibab had increased enormously inyears’ time.
A.25 | B.6 | C.18 | D.12 |
Years later, large numbers of deer in the Kaibab died mainly because of .
A.![]() |
B.the organized kill |
C.the shortage of food | D.the poor management |