ThebookingnotesoftheplaytheAge-优题课

Something that has always interested me about Abraham Lincoln is，not surprisingly，his sense of humor. As far as I can tell，he's the first American President to have one．
That's because the term“sense of humor” really wasn't in common usage until the eighteen-sixties and seventies．In the eighteen-forties and fifties，it was called“the sense of the ridiculous," and didn't have the positive connotations（隐含意义）that“sense of humor" has today. Back then，what was ridiculous was what invited ridicule（讥笑）．Funniness and cruelty went hand in hand．Of course，they still do a lot of arm-in-arm walking in our day as well．
Lincoln’s humor was very different because，for one thing，it was actually "humor＂as what the word meant in his time. We don't make the distinction between "wit（风趣）”and "humor”anymore; but in the nineteenth century people did．Wit was unpleasant and offensive while humor was pleasant and sympathetic．It’s the difference we note now when we distinguish between "laughing with”and“laughing at．”Lincoln was much more about "laughing with”than "laughing at．”And when“laughing at，”it was often himself he was teasing.
In the famous Lincoln-Douglas debates，when Douglas accused Lincoln of being two-faced，Lincoln replied，referencing his plain looking，“Honestly，if I were two-faced，would I be showing you this one？”And，in a way，Lincoln's face itself tells us much about his sense of humor．
You can comb through thousands of photographs of politicians，soldiers，and the like from Lincoln's time and not find a single smile．
True, the long exposures（曝光）required for photographs of that time made smiling difficult．Yet Lincoln alone，as far as I can tell，overcame that difficulty.
Interestingly, while having a sense of humor，or at least the appearance of one provided by comedy writers has become a necessary characteristic for an American President in our time，in the nineteenth century，too much humor was considered problem. And that was the case for Lincoln．A journalist covering the Lincoln-Douglas debates commented that“I could not take a real personal liking to the man，owing to an inborn weakness. . .that he was extremely, fond of jokes，anecdotes，and stories．”
We can infer from Paragraph 2 that＿＿

A．the American President could influence the use of English

B．the term "sense of humor”wasn't invented until the 1860s

C．what is funny to someone might be offensive to someone else

D．the concept of humor remains the same despite the passing of time

The underlined words“this one”in Paragraph 4 refer to＿＿．

A．Lincoln's unattractive face

B．Lincoln's sense of humor

C．the debate they were having

D．cruelty that went with funniness

We rarely see people from Lincoln's time wear smile in their photos because＿．

A．being humorous was considered inappropriate

B．they found it quite funny to smile before camera

C．not smiling for photographs was the fashion

D．photography technology then was not advanced

What might the writer think of the journalist covering the Lincoln-Douglas debates？

A．His comment accurately reflected his time

B．He created a false picture of Lincoln

C．He was prejudiced and self-centered

D．He was brave to point out Lincoln's weakness

The Green Microgym in Portland，Oregon has all the usual stuff you'd expect-sweaty people，loud music，smooth exercise equipment-but it has some extras as well. Everywhere you look，there are power wires. And these aren't the typical kind that let you surf the Web while you ride a spin cycle-although. you can do that too．The gym uses special exercise equipment that captures（捕获）the energy you create while riding, converts（转换）it into electricity and channels it into the power outlets（插座）．
The idea of using exercise equipment to produce electricity is not new. A gym in Hong Kong has been doing this since 2007. But clean (and healthy）energy is just now starting to catch on in U. S. gyms·"We have seen a significant increase in interest in the past six months，which is a good sign that fitness centers are ready to spend money on green technologies，” says Mike Curnyn，co-founder of the Green Revolution，a Connecticut-based firm that wires bikes into a central battery that can store energy.
The Green Microgym，first opened in 2008，has more than 200 members and is doing so well that owner Adam Boesel opened another one five miles from the original．Although membership costs about the same as ordinary gyms，customers can earn gift certificates from local businesses for watts produced while exercising．An average workout creates 37. 5 watt hours，which is enough to power a phone for a week．
Boesel uses spin bikes made by Resource Fitness，a Seattle company he co-owns，that captures energy produced from the flywheel. Wires send the converted AC current（交流电流）into any standard wall outlet-for this reason，the product line's name is Plug Out-and the energy created is used before the building draws power from the grid（电网）．Unlike the Green Revolution equipment，Plug Out machines cannot store extra energy. A third company，the Florida-based ReRev，is adding converters to a specific brand of spin bikes. But since the converters add＄1，000 to the price of the equipment，the ReRev and Green Revolution machines are at a disadvantage．
Resource Fitness，by contrast，sells its equipment for the same＄1，200 price as non- electricity-producing machines，removing the question of how long it will be until the energy savings pay for the cost of the unit．The company can afford to do this because its designs don’t call for the extra wiring needed for battery packs and large converters．It is also trying to price competitively with standard equipment so more gyms-and gym goers-will make the switch．
Members of the Green Microgym earn gift certificates for_______．

A．using the man-powered exercise equipment

B．saving electricity for local businesses

C．producing green electricity to power their phones

D．paying higher membership fees

The spin bikes made by Resource Fitness are different from those by Green Revolution in that_______.

A．they are easier to ride

B．they are more expensive

C．they don't have wires connected

D．they can not store extra electricity

What might prevent the green exercise equipment from getting more popular？

A．People's unwillingness to go green．

B．The high cost of making it.

C．Safety problems concerning electricity.

D．Lack of certificates．

The underlined words“make the switch”in the last paragraph most probably mean_____.

A．change to a different gym

B．use green exercise equipment

C．switch on the spin bikes

D．add a battery to the machine

Once on a dark winter's day，when the yellow fog hung so thick and heavy in the streets of London that the lamps were lighted and the shop windows blazed with gas as they did at night，an odd-looking little girl sat in a cab with her father and was driven rather slowly through the main street.
Sara Crewe leaned against her father，who held her in his arms，as she stared out of the window at the passing people with an old-fashioned thoughtfulness in her big eyes. At this moment she was remembering the voyage she had just made from Bombay with her father，Captain Crewe. She was thinking of what a strange thing it was that at one time one was in India in the hot sun，and then in the middle of the ocean，and then driving in a strange vehicle through strange streets.
“Papa，” she said in a low，mysterious little voice which was almost a whisper.
“What is it，darling?”Captain Crewe answered，holding her closer and looking down into her face．
"Is this the place？＂Sara whispered.
"Yes，little Sara，it is. We have reached it at last.”
It seemed to her many years since he had begun to prepare her mind for "the place”，as she always called it. Her mother had died when she was born，so she had never known or missed her.Her young，handsome，rich father seemed to be the only relation she had in the world．
During her short life only one thing had troubled her，and that thing was "the place” she was to be taken to some day. The climate of India was very bad for children，and as soon as possible they were sent away from it-generally to England and to school.
"Couldn't you go to that place with me，Papa？＂she had asked when she was five years old．
"Couldn't you go to school，too？ I would help you with your lessons.”
"But you will not have to stay for a very long time，little Sara，”he had always said. "You will grow so fast that it will seem scarcely a year before you are big enough and clever enough to come back and take care of Papa.”
She had liked to think of that．She liked to talk to him and read his books-that would be what she would like most in the world，and if one must go away to "the place” in England to attain it，she must make up her mind to go．She liked books more than anything else，and was，in fact，always inventing stories of beautiful things and telling them to herself.
Captain Crewe held her very closely in his arms as the cab rolled into the big，dull square in which stood the house which was their destination．
The story happened_______．

A．on a moonless night	B．on a foggy day
C．on a hot day	D．on a starry night

Sara Crewe came to England to_______

A．visit her relatives	B．see her mother's house
C．receive education	D．buy books for her father

We can learn from the story that Sara Crewe was_______．

A．sceptical

B．curious

C．cheerful

D．imaginative

Taylor Swift，23，US
Unlucky in love as she may be，Swift was lucky at the Billboard Viusic Awards on Sunday night. The singer received the night's top honor,Artist of the Year, as well as Top billboard 20 Artist Top Female Artist，Top country Artist and Top Digital songs Artist. Her album Red topped the billboard 200 and country album categories，and her single We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together was named Top
Country Song.
Adele，25，UK
Adele has been appointed a member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire this week during Queen Elizabeth II's annual Birthday Honors，the BBC reports．The singer was recognized for her service to music．The award is another highlight in a fruitful year for Adele，who，in addition to a Grammy and a Golden Globe，won a Best Original Song for Skyfall in Oscar 2013.
Robert Downey Jr，48，US
The actor, best known for playing the superhero Iron Man, left an 18-month-old fan in floods of tears because he wasn't wearing his character's red and gold suit in public. The heartbreaking meeting happened last Thursday while the actor was out for a walk in the Massachusetts towns of Sunderland and Shelburne Falls. A photo of the crying kid and Downey looking both concerned and awkward quickly made its way into the international news.
Jennifer Aniston，44，US

In the 10 months since her August 2012 engagement（订婚）to Justin Theroux，all eyes have been on Aniston，with fans wondering just when she will become Mrs Theroux. But multiple sources in contact with Aniston and her inner circle say that plans for the much expected wedding appear to be left for the present time. The couple decided to delay the big day because they're both busy with work.
On which page of a newspaper can you find the above material？

A．On the front page.	B．On the entertainment page.
C．On the sports page.	D．On the education page.

2013 has been a fruitful year for Adele for she has won all the following awards EXCEPT_______

A．the Golden Globe

B．the Grammy

C．Artist of the Year in Billboard

D．Best Original Song in Oscar

The anecdote about Robert Downey Jr happened_______．

A．on a casual occasion	B．at a fan meeting
C．at a movie promotion	D．at a press conference

Which of the following is true according to the text？

A．We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together was written for Taylor Swift's country.

B．Adele sang on the BBC to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's birthday.

C．Robert Downey did not know what to do when the kid started crying.

D．Jennifer Aniston is working on her wedding despite her busy schedule.

Xu Hui is very excited. The Senior 1 student in a middle school in Beijing will go to South Korea with his parents during the Spring Festival.
“Overseas touring has always been a dream for me,” he said happily.
Nowadays, Chinese people enjoy longer holidays, such as the three “Golden Week Holidays”(the Spring Festival, May Day and National Day). They have more time to travel. Rising incomes also make travelling abroad realistic for ordinary Chinese people.
Nearly 7 million Chinese travelled overseas in 2001, according to the National Tourism Administration(国家旅游局). The most common problem travellers face is how to choose the best routes(路线).
By the end of 2002, Chinese citizens were allowed to travel to 19 foreign countries and regions at their own expense.
The top 10 places included Hong Kong, Macao and Thailand. European countries are also becoming increasingly popular.
“More and more Chinese people have shown interest in travelling to Europe, particularly France and Finland,” said Tan Wen, a general manager of China Youth Travel Service. “Sooner or later, there will be a peak(高峰) in European tours.”
Another consideration is choosing the right travel agencies and finding the best price. The China Consumers’ Association(CCA, 中国消费者协会) offered tips to consumers on choosing the right travel agencies to help prevent a relaxing vacation from turning into a costly disaster.
“Price should not be the single most important factor in choosing a travel agency,” said Zhang Yuanchao, CCA vice-secretary general. Consumers are advised to choose large State travel agencies with good reputations(名声) and official approval to organize overseas tour groups.
Zhang’s association dealt with more than 5, 000 complaints about travel agencies(旅行社) last year. And the majority of the complaints were about random changes in travel routes, bad tour guides, and forced shopping.
Travellers were warned to look carefully at their contracts(合同) with agencies and to buy travel insurance(保险).
How many reasons are given in the article as to why ordinary Chinese people are traveling abroad more today?

A．Two.

B．Three.

C．Four.

D．Five.

According to the passage, what is the biggest problem Chinese travelers face when going overseas?

A．Choosing the best travel agent.

B．Deciding the best way to get to the places they want to go to.

C．Traveling to Europe.

D．Cost.

According to the passage, what seems to be the most common result of choosing a bad travel agency?

A．People buy more souvenirs than they had planned to.

B．People spend more money than they had planned to.

C．People go to different places than they had planned to.

D．People complained more than they had planned to.

The underlined part “random changes” probably means that _______.

A．the travelers agreed with the changes.

B．the travel agency didn’t make any changes.

C．the travel agency refused to changes the routes.

D．the travel agency changed the routes or time without following the original plan.

What would be a good title for this passage?

A．Xu Hui’s Vacation in South Korea

B．The Job of the National Tourism Administration

C．Where Young Chinese Travelers Go

D．Suggestions for the Chinese Travelers