ALITTLEPRINCESSbyFrancesHodgso-优题课

Sports can help you keep fit and get in touch with nature．However, whether you are on the mountains, in the waves, or on the grassland, you should be aware that your sport of choice might have great influence on the environment．
Some sports are resource-hungry．Golf, as you may know, eats up not only large areas of countryside, but also tons of water．Besides, all sorts of chemicals and huge amounts of energy are used to keep its courses (球场) in good condition．This causes major environmental effects．For example, in the dry regions of Portugal and Spain, golf is often held responsible for serious water shortage in some local areas．
There are many environment-friendly sports．Power walking is one of them that you could take up today．You don’t need any special equipment except a good pair of shoes; and you don’t have to worry about resources and your purse．Simple and free, power walking can also keep you fit．If you walk regularly, it will be good for your heart and bones．Experts say that 20 minutes of power walking daily can make you feel less anxious, sleep well and have better weight control．
Whatever sport you take up, you can make it greener by using environment-friendly equipment and buying products made from recycled materials．But the final goal should be “green gyms”．They are better replacements for traditional health clubs and modern sports centers．Members of green gyms play sports outdoors, in the countryside or other open spaces．There is no special requirement for you to start your membership．And best of all, it’s free．
1．The author thinks the golf is resource-hungry because of the following EXCEPT that_____．
A．Golf wastes large areas of countryside
B．Golf runs out of much water
C．Keeping golf court in good condition needs too much energy
D．Golf is bad for people’s health
2．According to the passage, which of the following is an environment-friendly sport?
A．swimming in the pool B．hiking in the hills
C．playing basketball in the gym D．motor racing in the desert
3．The reason why the author uses power walking as an example mainly is because _________．
A．it improves our health B．it uses fewer resources
C．it is an outdoor sport D．it is recommended by experts
4．The purpose of the author’s writing this passage is to ______．
A．show us the function of major sports
B．encourage us to go in for green sports
C．discuss the major influence of popular sports
D．introduce different types of environment-friendly sports

The devastation of Typhoon Morakot over Taiwan and eastern China is a reminder that the northwest Pacific is the most dangerous region in the world for tropical storms．The worst of these are typhoons, which are the same as hurricanes in the Atlantic and eastern Pacific, or cyclones in the Indian Ocean and Australia．They all have winds of more than 118km/h (73mph) spinning around a central core．
These storms start off as a mass of thunderstorms in the tropics outside the Equator．Given the right conditions, they form a bigger and more organised storm and feed off warm seas at more than 26．5C (80F) to get the fuel that they need to become a fully-fledged(羽毛丰满的) typhoon, hurricane or cyclone．Each storm is like a heat engine, extracting heat from the warm, humid air over the sea and turning it into phenomenal amounts of energy — equivalent to about 200 times the entire world’s electrical generating capacity．But warm, moist air is not enough — these storms also need slack winds aloft, because strong high-altitude winds can rip off the top of the storm clouds and send the entire storm tumbling（翻跟头）．
The damage from tropical storms often comes from their winds, or the storm surges from the sea as the winds pile up water into a huge battering ram(冲击夯) that floods coastlines．But the devastation from Typhoon Morakot came from its unbelievable rainfall — about a year’s average rain in some places — that set off landslides and mudslides．
1．According to the first paragraph, the common point among typhoons,hurricanes and cyclones is _______．
A．that they all come from the oceans
B．that they all have winds of over 118km/h spinning around a central core
C．that they all cause great damage
D．that they all can generate electricity
2．Which of the following is the best title of this passage?
A．Typhoon Morakat devestates Taiwan and eastern China
B．How is the typhoon formed?
C．Typhoon Morakot was how to devestate the areas it travelled
D．How terrible is Typhoon Morakat!
3．The devastation from Typhoon Morakot is mainly from ______．
A．its windB．its rainfall
C．landslides and mudslides D．the storm
4．It can be inferred from the passage that ______．
A．Taiwan is off the northwest Pacific
B．the damage from tropical storms often comes from their winds
C．tropical storms often happen
D．tropical storms only need warm, moist air

第二部分阅读理解（共25小题；第一节每小题2分，第二节每小题1分，满分45分）
第一节阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中，选出最佳选项。
Do you know of Guo Degang? In recent months he has become well known in China as a crosstalker．He has never performed on TV before, but attending his crosstalk performance is becoming increasingly fashionable in Beijing, especially for youth and school children．
Guo arrived in Beijing from Tianjin in 1995 and came across a teahouse where he found several young people performing crosstalk．Being a crosstalker himself, he couldn’t help taking to the stage．Gradually, more and more people came to the teahouse to see him perform．He soon found himself playing to audiences numbering more than 100 in a teahouse that could only contain 80．
As his popularity grew, Guo thought over the future of his art．“Traditional crosstalk is at least half an hour long, but performances are no longer than five minutes on TV, which kills much of the story．TV is part of the fast-food culture and crosstalk is a face-to-face art form — it needs interaction (交流), and is not suited to TV,” Guo said．He decided to bring it back to its roots： the teahouse and theater．
In 1996, Guo and some young crosstalk actors founded Deyun Crosstalk Association．Over the next ten years, the association organized countless performances in teahouses across Beijing．Despite their growing popularity, Guo ensured (确保) that ticket prices were kept low to make the art form accessible to everyone．Tickets to his performances are still 20 yuan today．And in keeping with technology and modern times, the association set up a BBS site on the Internet where fans could download recordings and discuss performances with actors．
He hopes that through their efforts, more young people will learn to appreciate crosstalk and perhaps train to be crosstalkers themselves．
1．Which of the following is the best title of the passage?
A．Guo Degang and his traditional crosstalk
B．A traditional art form—crosstalk
C．The development history of crosstalk
D．Deyun Crosstalk Association
2．From the passage, we can know the crosstalk originates(源于) from ________．
A．the TV show B．the teahouse and theater
C．the cinema D．the common people
3．According to the passage, Deyun Crosstalk Association set up a BBS site on the internet to ________．
A．let fans download recordings
B．have fans discuss performances with actors
C．keep up with modern technology
D．ask more people appreciate their favorite crosstalk
4．From the passage, we can know the following EXCEPT________．
A．the crosstalk is a face-to- face art which needs interaction
B．Guo was a crosstalker when he was in Tianjing
C．the performances of Guo are very popular
D．the tickets to Guo’s performances may rise in future

A serious problem for today's society is who should be responsible for our elderly and how to improve their lives. It is not only a financial problem but also a question of the system we want for our society. I would like to suggest several possible solutions to this problem.
First, employers should take the responsibility for their retired employees. To make this possible, a percentage of profits should be set aside for this purpose. But when a company must take life-long responsibility for its employees, it may suffer from a commercial disadvantage due to higher employee costs.
Another way of solving the problem is to return the responsibility, to the individual. This means each person must save during his working years to pay for his years of retirement. This does not seem a very fair model since some people have enough trouble paying for their daily life without trying to earn extra to cover their retirement years. This means the government might have to step in to care for the poor.
In addition, the government could take responsibility for the care of the elderly. This could be financed through government taxes to increase the level of pensions. Furthermore, some institution should be created for senior citizens, which can help provide a comfortable life for them. Unfortunately, as the present situation in our country shows, this is not a truly viable answer. The government can seldom afford to care for the elderly, particularly when it is busy trying to care for the young.
One further solution is that the government or social organizations establish some working places especially for the elderly where they are independent.
To sum up, all these options have advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, it is reasonable to expect that some combination of these options may be needed to provide the care we hope to give to our elderly generations.
1. What is the passage mainly about?
A. The problems faced by the old in society.
B. Why we should take responsibility for the old.
C. How we can improve the lives of the old.
D. Where the old can go to get their pensions.
3. According to the passage, how can the government help to improve the lives of retired people?
A. Set aside some profits to help people with problems after they retire.
B. Increase savings levels of people during their working years.
C. Increase the discounts for food and transport for the old.
D. Make available pensions for those who have retired.
3. The underlined word "viable" most probably means"".
A. impossible B. practical C. useful D. successful
4. What is the writer's main purpose in writing this article?
A. To point out the need for government support for old people.
B. To make general readers aware of the problems of retired people.
C. To discuss some possible solutions to an important social problem.
D. To instruct retired people on how they can have a happier life.

Stop thinking that you are too old to learn how to play the piano! You are able to learn the piano or any other instrument at any age. As long as you want to learn the piano, you can. When you decide to learn the piano, think about what you want out of it. Do you want to learn a specific piece of music, or are you more interested in learning techniques and the chord structures behind it? There are no limits, and you will get as much out of it as what you are willing to put into it.
Adults have the ability to learn a musical instrument, although they usually have less time. So no matter what your age, whether you are ten or one hundred and ten, you can learn the piano well. So what are you waiting for? Start learning today! Here are some ways to learn the piano, each with its own advantages.
１．．．．
This allows you personal, face-to-face lessons — usually on a weekly basis where they are able to teach you and correct you. This is a great way to learn the piano, but you are limited in the contact hours you have with your teacher which may slow your learning.
２．．．．
This would have to be the hardest way because you are just working by yourself and you can never be sure if you have understood the books correctly.
３．．．．
These are quite new to the market. They are video or DVD lessons that you can work through at your own pace. The advantage here is that you have the teacher so you know if you are doing it right, and you can work at your own pace — as quickly or as slowly as you like.
1. What is the purpose of the passage?
A. To tell us why we need to learn to play the piano.
B. To tell us never to lose hope at any age.
C. To encourage us to learn the piano and to give some suggestions.
D. To tell us that nothing is difficult if you put your heart into it.
2. Match each of the following titles with each point.
a. Internet and Video Courses.
b. Hire a Piano Teacher.
c. Teach Yourself with Books.
A. 1-a 2-c 3-b B. 1-b 2-c 3-a
C. 1-b 2-a 3-c D. 1-c 2-b 3-a
3. According to the author, we know that ______.
A. people who are too old can’t learn the piano
B. kids learn much faster than adults
C. learning by oneself, one may misunderstand the books
D. learning with a teacher is the best way
4. Which of the following old sayings sums up the main idea of the first two paragraphs?
A. Every coin has two sides.
B. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
C. Let’s cross the bridge when we come to it.
D. You are never too old to learn.

	A LITTLE PRINCESS by Frances Hodgson Burnett Price: $7.10 （Paperback Dec. 9, 1998) The novel tells of the story of a wealthy young girl, Sara Crewe, who is sent to a boarding school during her father’s campaign in India. Thanks to Capt. Crewe’s money, Sara is treated as a little princess until, one day, word comes of her father’s tragic death. Miss Minchin, the school’s greedy headmistress, wastes no time in putting the now-penniless Sara to work for her room and board. It is only through the friendship of two other girls and some astonishing luck that Sara eventually finds her way back to happiness.
THE SECRET GARDEN by Frances Hodgson Burnett Price:$3.95 (Paperback July 1, 2003) Frances Hodgson Burnett was the highest paid and most widely read woman writer of her time, publishing more than fifty novels and thirteen plays. The Secret Garden is a beautiful tale of friendship, secrets and human spirits. A spoiled orphan named Mary returns to England from India when her parents die. She is sent to live in Yorkshire with her uncle. Miserable and lonely, she begins to explore the house’s gardens and discovers a key to a secret garden that the uncle sealed off when his wife died. There she discovered a secret so important, so enchanting, that it will change her life forever.
	PETER PAN by J. M. Barrie and Scott Gustafson Price: $16.95 （Hardcover Oct. 1, 1991) It is a children’s story full of imagination and adventures. A boy who can fly and magically refuses to grow up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood adventuring on the small island of Neverland as the leader of his gang the Lost Boys, interacting with mermaids, Indians, fairies and pirates, and from time to time meeting ordinary children from the world outside.
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