LakeLander ·2 hours ago
Today, a man talked very loud on his phone on a train between Malvern and Reading, making many passengers upset. I wonder how he would react if I were to read my newspaper out loud on the train. I have never had the courage to do it, though.
Pak50 ·57 minutes ago
Why not give it a try? Perhaps you should take lessons on a musical instrument. The late musician Dennis Brian is said to have asked a fellow train passenger to turn off his radio. When his request was refused, he took out his French horn(号) and started to practice.
Angie O’Edema ·42 minutes ago
I don’t see how musical instruments can help improve manners in public. Don’t do to others what you wouldn’t like to be done to yourself. Once, a passenger next to me talked out loud on his mobile phone. I left my seat quietly, giving him some privacy to finish his conversation. He realized this and apologized to me. When his phone rang again later, he left his seat to answer it. You see, a bit of respect and cooperation can do the job better.
Taodas ·29 minutes ago
I did read my newspaper out loud on a train, and it turned out well. The guy took it in good part, and we chatted happily all the way to Edinburgh.
Sophie 76 ·13minutes ago
I have not tried reading my newspaper out loud on a train, but, several years ago, I read some chapters from Harry Porter to my bored and noisy children. Several passengers seemed to appreciate what I did.
28.The passenger made an apology to Angie O’Edema because___
A.he offered his seat to someone else |
B.he spoke very loudly on his phone |
C.he refused to talk with Angie |
D.he ignored Angie’s request |
Who once read a newspaper out loud on a train?
A.Pak50 | B.Angie O’Edema | C.Taodas | D.Sophie76 |
What is the discussion mainly about?
A.How to react to bad behavior. |
B.How to kill time on a train. |
C.How to chat with strangers. |
D.How to make a phone call. |
Where is the passage most probably taken from?
A.A webpage. | B.A newspaper. |
C.A novel. | D.A report. |
III. 阅读理解
William Shakespeare is the most famous playwright (剧作家). Although he died in 1616, people still go to see his plays. Among the most popular are RomeoandJuliet, AMidsummerNight’sDream and Hamlet — the story of a prince who struggles to respond to the crimes around him.
Shakespeare, who was born in 1564, was an actor as well as a writer. Most of his ideas for plays were taken from history, people’s conversation, ancient stories, and also from other writers. He wrote not only about kings and queens and princes, but also about friends and ordinary people. He wrote about the cruelty of war and the bravery of heroes, as well as about jealousy, joy, hate, ambition and love. His stories live on. The tragedy RomeoandJuliet was reborn as the musical WestSideStory and more recently as the movie RomeoandJuliet with the wonderful performance of Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes.
He invented a number of great characters: powerful magicians, thrilling witches, smart women and both wise and wicked men. He also invented some great phrases. If you’ve ever said, “Oh, for goodness sake!” you can thank Shakespeare for that. Other examples of common phrases adapted from Shakespeare: “as luck would have it”, “your own flesh and blood”, “too much of a good thing”, “good riddance”, “in one fell swoop”, and “in the twinkling of an eye”. “To be, or not to be: that is the question,” Hamlet says. “Good night, good night. Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say good night till it is morrow,” says Juliet to her Romeo.
Don’t be surprised if you don’t understand everything when reading Shakespeare or watching one of his plays because the meanings of many words have changed over the years. And Shakespeare’s characters speak in poetry, so their speeches can be complicated.
It does help to find out a little bit about the story before reading a Shakespeare play. It’s worth the effort. As Shakespeare wrote, “All the world is a stage.” And in his plays you’ll find that an entire world is waiting for you.
1. Shakespeare created the following characters EXCEPT ________.
A. Juliet B. Hamlet C. Claire Danes D. Romeo
2. From Paragraph 3 we can learn that ________.
A. most of the characters created by Shakespeare were negative ones
B. most of the phrases used today were invented by Shakespeare
C. “Oh, for goodness sake!” is what Juliet says to Romeo
D. Shakespeare contributed greatly to the development of English
3. Which of the following is a reason why it’s difficult to understand some of Shakespeare’s plays?
A. There are many new words in his plays.
B. He wrote his plays using uncommon words.
C. The characters in his plays speak in poetry.
D. Most of the words in his plays are outdated.
4. We can infer from the passage that ______.
A. most of Shakespeare’s plays have been made into films
B. language changes with the development of society
C. Shakespeare made lots of money from his works
D. it is more useful to read Shakespeare’s works than to watch them
On some level, I always knew that I wanted to be a doctor-at least from the age of eight or ten years old, anyway.
Although my father wasn’t a doctor, he made his own brand of “house calls”. I followed him as he brought a plate of my mother’s home cooking to an elderly man named Frank on all major holidays and when Frank was sick. As far as I know, their only connection was that Frank was an occasional customer at Dad’s small gas station. Frank’s home was a two-room house on the rough side of town with an old front porch (门廊) where you could fall if you weren’t careful. Frank had no relatives and as far as I could tell, no other visitors either. Through his attitude and by caring, my father was teaching me to be a doctor, although neither of us knew it at the time.
When I was 13, my father developed lung cancer. He brought home a diagram the doctor had drawn showing where his cancer was and told me that he was going to die. He asked me to take care of my mother when he was gone. I was an only child. He said he loved me on the night when he died.
When you’re 13 and your father dies, you have some choices to make. You can use the situation as an excuse for letting your actions and graded go down, or you can honor his memory and try to do something positive with yourself. I focused my energy on my schoolwork and my goal of becoming a doctor.
1. What’s the father’s “own brand of ‘house calls’”?
A. his treatment for frank’s serious illness.
B. his care for Frank.
C. his attitude towards the author.
D. his wish that his kid would be a doctor.
2. The author began to want to be a doctor when_________
A. father helped frank regularly
B. Father developed lung cancer
C. father asked him/her to take care of Mother
D. father died
3. what was the influence of Father’s death on the author?
A. The author began to think seriously about his/her career.
B. The author was too sorrowful to carry through his /her study.
C. The author used the situation as an excuse for quitting school.
D. The author made great effort at his/her goal of becoming a doctor.
4. The best title for the text would be_________.
A. What Made Father Respectable
B. What Led Me to Be a Doctor
C. How to Help Strangers
D. How to Deal with Death
We have two daughters: Kristen is seven years old and Kelly is four. Last Sunday evening, we invited some people home for dinner. I dressed them nicely for the party, and told them that their job was to join Mommy in answering the door when the bell rang. Mommy would introduce them to the guests, and then they would take the guests’ coats upstairs and put them on the bed in the second bedroom.
The guests arrived. I introduced my two daughters to each of them. The adults were nice and kind and said how lucky we were to have such good kids.
Each of the guests made a particular fuss over (对…关爱倍至)Kelly, the younger one, admiring her dress, her hair and her smiles. They said she was an unusual girl to be carrying coats upstairs at her age.
I thought to myself that we adults usually make a big “to do” over the younger one because she’s the one who seems more easily hurt. We do it with the best of intentions (意图).
But we seldom think of how it might affect (影响) the other child. I was a little worried that Kristen would feel she was ignored. I was about to serve dinner when I realized that she had been missing for twenty minutes. I ran upstairs and found her in the bedroom, crying.
I said, “What are you doing, my dear?”
She turned to me with a sad expression and said, “Mommy, why don’t people like me the way they like my sister? Is it because I’m not pretty? Is that why they don’t say nice things about me as much?”
I tried to explain to her, kissing her to make her feel better.
Now, whenever I visit a friend’s home, I make it a point to speak to the elder child first.
1.The underlined expression “make a big ‘to do’ over” (in paragraph 4) means _______.
A.show much concern about B.have a special effect on
C.list jobs to be done for D.do good things for
2.The guests praised Kelly for carrying coats upstairs for her _______.
A.pretty clothes B.lovely smile C. young age D.beautiful hair
3.Kristen felt sad and cried because ______.
A.the guests gave her more coats to carry
B.the guests praised her sister more than her
C.her mother didn’t introduce her to the guests
D.she didn’t look as pretty as Kelly
4.We can conclude from the passage that _______.
A.parents should pay more attention to the elder children
B.the younger children are usually more easily hurt
C.people usually like the younger children more
D.adults should treat children equally
There are lots of attractions in St.Petersburg.If you’re short of time to visit all of them,or if you just want to make sure to hit the highlights(最精彩的部分),the following are the top must- see sights in St.Petersburg.
1.The Hermitage Museum
The Hermitage Museum is one of the most important sights to see for any visitor to St.Petersburg.There you can see lots of different paintings painted by the old masters.Prepare to come face to face with many of the western classical artists.
2.Kizhi Island
Kizhi Island is an open-air museum of wooden buildings from the Karelia region of Russia. These impressive structures are made without any nails(钉子).Can you imagine how the wood fits together? Come and see for yourself!
3.Peterhof
Peterhof is as beautiful as it is fun.You’ll be charged for admission(门票),but if you go to Peterhof when the fountains(喷泉) are working—during the day in summer—the admison will be worth it.
4.Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood
Love it or hate it,Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood in St.Petersburg is a real must-see sight.This beautiful building will truly surprise you,and the paintings inside the church will make you say“Wow!”
5.The Bronze Horseman Statue
The so-called Bronze Horseman is a part of Russian culture and is a symbol of St. Petersburg.Made famous by Alexander Pushkin,this statue of Peter the Great sitting on his horse truly shows Peter the Great’s influence on the Russian idea of greatness.
1.If you are interested in paintings,you’d better go to _________.
A.The Hermitage Museum and Kizhi Island
B.The Bronze Horseman Statue and Kizhi Island
C.Kizhi Island and Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood
D.The Hermitage Museum and Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood
2.What can we learn about Kizhi Island?
A.Kizhi Island is an indoor museum.
B.Visitors can find nails in the structures there.
C.The buildings on Kizhi Island are made of wood.
D.The wooden buildings are connected with wires.
3.We can learn from the text that .
A.visitors can visit Peterhof free of charge
B.The Hermitage Museum has lots of modern western arts
C.the fountains in Peterhof can be seen by visitors all year round
D.The Bronze Horseman Statue is a symbol of St.Petersburg
4.The author wrote the text to_________.
A.attract tourists to visit St.Petersburg
B.show the wonderful history of Russia
C.persuade artists to go to St.Petersburg
D.introduce the famous buildings of Russia
For most of us, our house is our home base, and having a happy and pleasant vibe (氛围) in all of our rooms is important.
1. ... Adding color to any room can help you feel more cheerful, and it can be done pretty quickly! Consider painting just one wall a lively color. A bright red, a peaceful green or even a lively yellow completely changes the feel.
2. ... First of all, think flower power! Fresh flowers are very easy to get at your local grocery market, and they make any room seem more alive. Plants have the same positive effect. Another way to celebrate life is to surround yourself with images of friends and family. Don’t keep your photos in albums or in your computer. Put them up on the walls to remind yourself of your favorite times and your favorite people.
3. ... The more points of light in any room, the better it will be. Especially as the days are getting shorter, having warm lighting will help you feel full of energy and alive through the winter months. In your bedroom, put a lamp on either side of your bed. Installing dimmers (调光器) is also a simple and inexpensive way to make the mood of a room easy to change. At dimmers.net, for example, you can get a dimmer for just $17.75.
4. ... You begin and end almost every day in your bedroom, so make the room comfortable! Have proper bedding and pillows (枕头). Keep your bedroom as tidy as possible, and remove anything that will interfere with your sleep. Get your new pillows and bedding at bedbathandbeyond.com.
5. Take control It’s this simple: Clear space =" A" clear mind. Keep desktops, countertops and tabletops open. Put the papers, files and other things away. Not only will your home feel cleaner, it will feel a whole lot bigger!
1. What’s the purpose of this passage?
A. To tell us what is a good life.
B. To tell us how to decorate our houses.
C. To give us some tips on how to have a better mood.
D. To tell us how to have a happy and comfortable home.
2. What does the underlined phrase “interfere with” mean?
A. Get in the way of.B. Protect from.
C. Deal with. D. Keep away from.
3. Match each of the first four tips with one of the following titles.
a. Get comfortable.
b. Celebrate life.
c. Let there be light.
d. Color your way to happiness.
A. 1-d 2-c 3-a 4-b B. 1-a 2-b 3-c 4-d
C. 1-d 2-b 3-a 4-c D. 1-d 2-b 3-c 4-a
4. In which section of a newspaper would you most probably read this passage?
A. Teaching. B. Family. C. Housing. D. Life.