Morethanhalfacenturyago,therew-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. Over one hundred people became homeless, but only a few lost their lives.
The fire started on Sunday morning in the house of the King’s baker (面包师) in Pudding Lane. The baker, with his wife and family, was able to get out through a window into the roof. A strong wind blew the fire from the bakery (面包房) 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 (建筑师), 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 the mew 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.
From the passage, we can learn that the fire began in ________.

A．a hotel　　　

B．the palace　　

C．Pudding Lane

D．Thames Street

The underlined word “family” in the second paragraph means ________.

A．wife and husband　　

B．wife and children　

C．home

D．children

It seems that the writer of the text was most sorry for the fact that ________.

A．many famous buildings were destroyed

B．some people lost their lives

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

D．the King’s bakery was burned down

Why did the writer cite (引用) Samuel Pepys?

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

B．Because Pepys also wrote about the fire.

C．Because he wanted to give the reader a clearer picture of the fire.

D．Because he wanted to show that poor people suffered most.

How was the fire put out according to the text?

A．The King and his soldiers came to help.

B．Houses standing in the direction of the fire were pulled down.

C．All the wooden houses in the city were destroyed.

D．People managed to get enough water from the river.

To err is human．To blame the other guy is even more human．
Common sense is not all that common．
Why tell the truth when you can come up with a good excuse?
These three popular misquotes （戏谑的引语） are meant to be jokes, and yet they tell us a lot about human nature．To err, or to make mistakes, is indeed a part of being human, but it seems that most people don’t want to accept the responsibility for the problem．Perhaps it is the natural thing to do．The original quote about human nature went like this, “ To err is human, to forgive, divine（神圣的）．” This saying mirrors an ideal: people should be forgiving of others’ mistakes．Instead, we tend to do the opposite --- find someone else to pass the blame on to．However, taking responsibility for something that went wrong is a making of great maturity．
Common sense is what we call clear thought．Having common sense means having a good general plan that will make things work well, and it also means staying with the plan．Common sense tells you that you take an umbrella out into a rainstorm, but you leave the umbrella home when you hear a weather forecast for sunshine．Common sense does not seem to be common for large organizations, because there are so many things going on that one person cannot be in charge of everything．People say that in a large company, “the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing．”
And what is wrong with a society that thinks that making up a good excuse is like creating a work of art? One of the common problems with making excuses is that people, especially young people, get the idea that it’s okay not to be totally honest all the time．There is a corollary（直接推论）to that: if good excuse is “good” even if it isn’t honest, then where is the place of the truth?
According to the author, what is a sign of a man’s maturity?

A．Doing things his own way．

B．Bearing responsibility for his mistakes．

C．Making as few mistakes as possible．

D．Thinking seriously about his wrongdoing．

Which of the following is N0T based on common sense?

A．A man tries to take charge of everything in a large company．

B．A student goes out with an umbrella in stormy weather．

C．A company’s next move follows a good plan．

D．A lawyer acts on fine judgments．

What is the author’s opinion about a good excuse?

A．Making a good excuse is sometimes a better policy．

B．Inventing a good excuse needs creative ideas．

C．A good excuse is as rewarding as honesty．

D．Bitter truth is better than a good excuse．

What would be the best title for his passage?

A．A Mirror of Human Nature	B．To Blame or to Forgive
C．A Mark of Maturity	D．Truth or Excuse

Michael, a normal American, stays home on workdays. He plugs into his personal computer terminal in order to connect with the office. After work he puts on his headphones, watches a movie on his home video recorder or plays baseball on the computer. On many days, Michael doesn’t talk to any other human beings, and he doesn’t see any people except the ones on television. Michael is imaginary, but his life style is very possible. The inventions of modern technology seem to be cutting us off from communicating with our fellow human beings.
The world of business is one area in which technology is separating us. Experts say, for example, that many people will soon be able to work at home. With access to a large central computer, employees such as office clerks, insurance agents, and accountants could do their job at display terminals in their own homes. They would never have to actually see the people they’re dealing with. Also, the way employees are paid will change. Workers’ salaries will be automatically paid into their bank accounts, making paper checks unnecessary. No workers will stand in line to receive their pay or cash their checks. Personal banking will change, too. Customers will deal with machines to put in or take out money from their accounts.
Another area in which technology is changing is entertainment. Music, for instance, was once a group experience. People listened to music at concert halls or in small social gatherings. For many people now, however, music is an individual experience. Walking along the street or sitting in their living rooms, they wear headphones to build a wall of music around them. Movie entertainment is changing, too. Movies used to be social events. Now, fewer people are going out to see a movie. Many more are choosing to wait for a film to appear on television or are borrowing videotapes to watch at home. Instead of laughing with others, viewers watch movies in their own living rooms.
The underlined sentence in the first paragraph means _______.

A．Michael is a person full of imagination and his dreams can come true

B．Michael is not a real person but the life style does exist

C．Michael has ambitions but he can’t make his dreams come true

D．Michael is full of imagination and his life style is common nowadays

What does the author discuss in the last paragraph ?

A．Technology is changing ways of entertainment.

B．People will never go to the concert in future.

C．How to borrow videotapes at home.

D．How to see a movie at home.

What is the main idea of the passage?

A．We may no longer need to communicate with other people.

B．Modern technology seems to be separating people.

C．We may no longer need to work in the office.

D．Modern technology makes it possible for us to work at home.

As is known to all, colors appear in every language to express people’s feeling and thoughts. Then, what is the situation in American English?
Red is a hot color. Americans may say they are red hot about something unfair. They are red hot when they are very angry about something. The small hot-tasting peppers found in many Mexican foods are called red hot for their color and their fiery taste. Fast loud music is popular with many people. They may say the music is red hot, especially the kind called Dixieland Jazz.
Pink is a lighter kind of red. People sometimes say they are in the pink when they are in good health. The expression was first used in America at the beginning of the twentieth century. It comes from the fact that many babies are born with nice pink skin that shows that they are in good health.
The color black is often used in expressions. People describe a day on which everything goes wrong as a black day. People or things on a blacklist are connected with things illegal now. But at one time, some businesses refused to employ people who were on a blacklist for belonging to unpopular organizations.
The color green is natural for trees and grass. But it is an unnatural color for humans. A person who has a sick feeling in his stomach may say he feels a little green. A passenger on a boat who is feeling very sick from high waves may look very green.
Sometimes a person may be upset because he does not have something as nice as a friend has. That person may say he is green with envy. Some people are green with envy because a friend has more dollars or greenbacks. Dollars are called greenbacks because green is the color of the back side of the paper money.
Americans use “red hot” to describe the following EXCEPT _______.

A．something unfair	B．small hot-tasting peppers
C．the person who is very angry	D．popular music like Dixieland Jazz

When we say someone feels a little green, it means he/she _______.

A．enjoys himself in boating	B．is hit by a high wave
C．has a stomachache	D．likes trees and grass

In the writer’s eyes, what is related to a black day?

A．Being sent a beautiful gift.	B．Passing a very difficult test.
C．Failing in an important interview.	D．Being invited to an exciting party.

Can you imagine a stranger will read your e-mails without your permission or scan the website you’ve visited or perhaps someone will casually glance through your credit card purchases or cell phones bills? All of the things may happen to you one day.
In fact, it’s likely that some of these things have already happened to you. Who would watch you without your permission? It might be a spouse, a girlfriend, a marketing company, a boss, a cop or a criminal. Whoever it is, they will see you in a way you never intended to be seen or even do something that may bring a disaster to you.
Psychologists tell us boundaries are healthy, and that it’s important to reveal to friends, family and lovers at appropriate times. But few boundaries remain nowadays. The digital bread crumbs you leave everywhere make it easy for strangers to know who you are, where you are and what you like. In some cases, a simple Google search can leak the deepest thought in your mind. Like it or not, increasingly we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret.
The key question is: Does that matter? For many Americans, the answer apparently is “No”.
When opinion polls ask Americans about privacy, most of them say they are really concerned about losing it. And 60 percent of the respondents say they feel their privacy is “slipping away, and that bothers me”.
But people say one thing and do another. Only a small of Americans change any behaviors in an effort to preserve their privacy. Few people turn down a discount at tollbooths(收费站) to avoid using the EZ-Pass system that track automobile movements. Privacy economist Acquisti has run a series of tests that reveal people will give up personal information such as telephone number, address, or social security numbers just to get their hands on a pitiful 50-cent-off coupon(优惠券). But privacy does matter—at least sometimes. It’s like health; when you have it, you don’t notice it. Only when it’s gone do you wish you’d done more to protect it. Without privacy, one will be naked in front of others.
What would psychologists advise on the relationships between friends?

A．Friends should open their hearts to each other.

B．Friends should always be faithful to each other.

C．There should be a distance even between friends.

D．There should be fewer quarrels between friends.

Why does the author say “we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret”?

A．Modern society has finally developed into an open society.

B．People leave traces around when using modern technology.

C．There are always people who are curious about others’ affairs.

D．Many search engines profit by revealing people’s identities.

What should be the best title for the text?

A．No Privacy, No Health

B．Treasure Your Privacy

C．Boundaries are Important between Friends

D．The information Age Has Its Own Shortcomings

A．Optimistic.	B．Amazed
C．Worried.	D．Disappointed.