JustinBiebermayhavemillionsoff-优题课

The Great Fire of London started in the very early hours of 2 September 1666. In four days it destroyed more than three-quarters of the old city, where most of the houses were wooden and close together. One hundred thousand people became homeless, but only a few lost their lives.
The fire started on Sunday morning in the house of the King's baker in Pudding Lane. The baker, with his wife and family, was able to get out through a window in the roof. A strong wind blew the fire from the bakery into a small hotel next door. Then it spread quickly into Thames Street. That was the beginning.
By eight o'clock three hundred houses were on fire. On Monday nearly a kilometer of the city was burning along the River Thames. Tuesday was the worst day. The fire destroyed many well-known buildings, old St Paul's and the Guildhall among them.
Samuel Pepys, the famous writer, wrote about the fire. People threw their things into the river. Many poor people stayed in their houses until the last moment. Birds fell out of the air because of the heat.
The fire stopped only when the King finally ordered people to destroy hundreds of buildings in the path of the fire. With nothing left to burn, the fire became weak and finally died out.
After the fire, Christopher Wren, the architect, wanted a city with wider streets and fine new houses of stone. In fact, the streets are still narrow; but he did build more than fifty churches, among them was new St Paul's.
The fire caused great pain and loss, but after it London was a better place: a city for the future and not just of the past.
It seems that the writer of the text was most sorry for the fact that ______.

A．many famous buildings were destroyed

B．the birds in the sky were killed by the fire

C．some people lost their lives

D．the King's bakery was burned down

Why did the writer cite (引用)Samuel Pepys’ words?

A．Because Pepys was among those putting out the fire.

B．Because Pepys also wrote about the fire.

C．To give the reader a clearer picture of the fire.

D．To show that poor people suffered most.

Which of the following were reasons for the rapid spread (扩散)of the big fire?
(a) There was a strong wind.
(b) The streets were very narrow.
(c) Many houses were made of wood.
(d) There was not enough water in the city.
(e) People did not discover the fire earlier.

A．(a) and (b)

B．(a), (b), (c), (d) and (e)

C．(a), (b), (c) and (d)

D．(a), (b) and (c)

Babies born in summer are more likely to become short-sighted in late life, a study has shown.
As many as a quarter of all cases of short-sightedness are caused by too great an exposure to sunlight in the first weeks of life, say eye experts.
They are advising all parents to put sunglasses on their babies during the first weeks.
Scientists had already established that over-exposure to sunlight caused shortsightedness in animals.
Researchers who compared the months in which babies were born with whether they needed glasses later on say the principle also applies to humans.
A study of almost 300,000 young adults-the largest of its kind-showed that those born in June and July had a 25 per cent greater chance of becoming severely short-sighted than those born in December or January.
Research leader Professor Michael Belkin, of Tel Aviv University, said it was because prolonged illumination(光照) causes the eyeball to lengthen-causing short-sightedness.
Hence the more light a newborn is exposed to, the more the eyeball lengthens and the worse the short-sightedness will be.
The mechanism which lengthens the eyeball is associated with levels of melatonin(褪黑激素), a pigment (色素) which protects the skin against harmful rays of the sun.
In young babies not enough melatonin is released as protection, meaning they are more vulnerable to sunburn and changes to eyeball shape.
Sight expert Professor Daniel O’Leary, of Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, said “At the moment we don’t know the precise cause of why light exposure affects sight, but the evidence seems to prove that it is one of the reasons for people becoming shortsighted.”
Melatonin is a kind of material to ___________.

A．prevent the eyes from becoming near-sighted

B．protect the skin from harmful sun rays

C．make our body strong

D．protect babies’ eyes from summer sun

From what Professor Daniel O’Leary says we can conclude that ___________.

A．there is no evidence that shortsightedness is related to exposure to sunlight

B．whether light exposure affects sight still needs to be further proved

C．he believes that light exposure can cause shortsightedness

D．he tries to give the cause of why light exposure affects sight

One day a few years ago, a very funny thing happened to a neighbor of mine. He is a teacher at one of London’s medical schools. He had finished his teaching for the summer term and was at the airport on his way to Russia to give a lecture. He had put a few clothes and his lecture notes in his shoulder bag, but he had put Rupert, the skeleton(人体骨骼) to be used in his lecture, in a large brown suitcase(箱子). At the airport desk, he suddenly thought that he had forgotten to buy a newspaper. He left his suitcase near the desk and went over to the shop.
When he got back he discovered that someone had taken his suitcase by mistake. He often wonders what they said when they got home and found Rupert.
Who wrote the story?

A．The teacher’s neighbor

B．The neighbor’s teacher

C．A medical school teacher

D．Rupert’s teacher

Which of the following might have happened afterwards?

A．the teacher got back Rupert but not the suitcase

B．the teacher got back neither the suitcase nor Rupert

C．the teacher got back the suitcase but not Rupert

D．the teacher got back both the suitcase and Rupert

Sixteen years ago I learned this lesson. And I learned it in the back of a New York City taxi cab. Here’s what happened.
I got in a taxi, and we took off for Grand Central Station. We were driving in the right lane (车道) when all of a sudden, a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver used his brakes (车闸), the tires made a loud noise, and at the very last moment our car stopped just one inch (英寸) from the back of the other car.
I couldn’t believe it. But then I couldn’t believe what happened next. The driver of the other car, the guy who almost caused a big accident, turned his head around and he started yelling bad words at us. I couldn’t believe it!
And this is when my taxi driver told me what I now call: “The Law of the Garbage Truck (垃圾车).” He said: But then here’s what really blew me away. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. So, I said: “Why did you just do that? This guy could have killed us!
“Many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and
full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they look for a place to dump (倾倒) it. And if you let them, they’ll dump it on you.“So one day when someone wants to dump on you, don’t take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Believe me. You’ll be happier.”
So I started thinking, how often do I let Garbage Trucks run right over me? And how often do I take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the street? It was then that I said: “I don’t want their garbage and I’m not going to spread it anymore.”
I began to see Garbage Trucks. I see the load people are carrying. I see them coming to dump it. And like my taxi driver, I don’t take it personally. I just smile, wave, wish them well, and I move on.
When the author saw his taxi driver smile and wave at the driver of the black car, he _____.

A．was deeply impressed

B．got very angry

C．felt quite disappointed

D．complimented him on his good manners

How did the author learn to deal with Garbage Trucks?

A．Fight back immediately.

B．Smile and move on.

C．Call the police for help.

D．Dump it on someone else

Hilary Smith belonged to a good family. But by the age of twenty, he had spent all the money the good old family had. He then had some trouble with the bank and was put in prison. He escaped from the prison and ran to Australia without delay.
Hilary did not like Australia and Australia did not like Hilary. What he could do seemed to be one of two things: die or work. Then he remembered that he was not alone in the world. He had an aunt.
She was his father's only sister, but his father used to say she brought no glory to the family. Hilary, of course, tried to discover what she had done. It seemed that she had failed to marry a nobleman. Instead, she had chosen a husband who was connected with "trade". Of course as soon as she became "Mrs. Parks", her brother considered her dead. Later on, Mr. Parks died and left her a lot of money; but that did not bring her back to life in her brother's opinion.
Hilary discovered his aunt's address. Fortunately she remained faithful and honest to him even after she fell ill. So Hilary's star shone again, and soon he moved into her house and lived as comfortably as a sailor who had just reached harbor. He had only about a sixpence in his pocket.
One thing was soon clear: his aunt was seriously ill, and nothing could cure her illness. Hilary was very worried. Fate had found a home for him, and was now going to throw him out of it. There was only one thing that could save him: her will.
"Will?" she said, "yes, I have made one. That was when I was a girl and had not much money. I left all my money to some religious people."
"Didn't you make another will when you were married?" Hilary asked.
His aunt shook her head. "No," she said in a low voice, "There was no need. When I finally had a lot of money I found 1 had no relations."
On the next day he went to the public library and examined a book of law. It told him what he already believed. When a woman is married, an earlier will loses its value. A new will must be made. If no new will is made, the money goes to the nearest relation. Hilary knew that he was his aunt's only relation. His future was safe.
After a few months had passed, Hilary's problems became serious. He badly needed money. He had expensive tastes, and owed a lot of money to shopkeepers. They trusted him because his aunt was rich; but the debt was terrible.
Unfortunately his aunt did not want to discuss money matters at all. In the end they had a quarrel about the small amount of ten pounds. Hilary was not very angry. He began to wonder about a new problem. Was it kind to want his aunt to live any longer? Was it not better for her to die now? While he was considering what to do, his aunt told him that she was going to send for her lawyer. So she was going to make a new will, Hilary thought. She might leave all her money to someone else. Soon he reached a clear decision. He must do a great kindness to the poor old woman.
One night when the old servant who had been nursing his aunt went off, he doubled the amount of some medicine. The total amount was too great and it could just put her to sleep forever.
"Thank you," his aunt took the glass from his hand with a grateful look." I want, more than anything, to sleep, and never to wake up again. Is that what you wish, Hilary? Don't blame me if I have some doubts about what you intended to do. Sick people get these ideas, you know. One thing I ought to explain to you. Mr. Parks never married me. He already had a wife and couldn't marry again. That made your foolish father very angry with me...Well, if I am alive tomorrow I shall make another will in your favor. If I die tonight, you'll get nothing...No, Hilary, don't try to take the glass away. If you do that, I shall know; and I don't want to know. Good night, Hilary."
Then, very carefully, she raised the glass to her mouth and drank.
From the story ,we learn that Hilary's aunt was ______.

A．bad-tempered and lonely	B．kind-hearted and wise
C．careless about money	D．cruel to her niece

The underlined sentence "He must do a great kindness to the poor old woman" in paragraph 11 suggests that Hilary Smith ______.

A．was determined to put his aunt's life to an end

B．decided to do his aunt a favor to call in a lawyer

C．made up his mind to take good care of his aunt

D．would help his aunt to donate all her money to religious people

Which detail from the story is the climax of the story?

A．Hilary escaped from the prison.

B．Hilary quarreled with is aunt about ten pounds.

C．Hilary's aunt drank the medicine her nephew prepared for her.

D．Hilary's aunt made a will to leave all her money to someone else.

A．positive	B．negative
C．neutral (中立的)	D．not mentioned