On June 9th,1870, Charles Dickens died at the age of 58. The next day, a headline in The New York Times read: "Death of the Great Novelist …Will Be Remembered by the People …"
The headline was not overstating (夸大) the popularity of Dickens.Even today, the British novelist is loved by readers all over the world.Dickens created some unforgettable characters. You must have heard of or even read some of his novels: Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol and A Tale of Two Cities. A Tale of Two Cities has sold more than 200 million copies. Since 1897, there have been more than 300 film and TV adaptations (改编版本)of Dickens' works.A Christmas Carol alone has had nearly 50.
Natalie Mcknight is a literature professor (文学教授) who studies Dickens and his works.She explains why the novelist has remained so popular. One important reason, she says,is that Dickens wrote from his heart. He tried hard to produce emotional effects (情感效果) among his readers. In his works,he paid special attention to the "little man" at the bottom of society in the UK, which deeply mirrored the social reality at that time. A Christmas Carol, for example, was written to make every reader think about how they could make a difference to their society. People always enjoy works that make them laugh, cry and think. Many other 9th﹣century novelists wrote entertaining (娱乐的) works. However, few of them worked as hard as Dickens to touch the readers deeply.
Dickens wrote about situations and emotions that still interest people today. He used his pen to fight social inequality and gave voice to the poor. His works led to many important social changes. Readers always enjoy seeing poor people rise and succeed.
This year marks the 150th year of Dickens' death. It's another chance to remember this great writer. Will you read or re﹣read some of his famous works?
(1)What is Paragraph (段落)2 mainly about?
A. Personality of Dickens.
B. Appearance of Dickens.
C. Popularity of Dickens.
(2)As a novelist, why has Dickens remained so popular?
A. He wrote for fun.
B. He wrote from his heart.
C. He mainly wrote for the upper class.
(3)When people read Dickens' novels, they could .
①meet the "little man" at the bottom of society in the UK
②know about the social reality at that time
③not be influenced by the works at all
④think about how to make a difference to their society
A.①②③
B.②③④
C.①②④
(4)What does the underlined word "inequality" mean in Paragraph 4?
A.不平等
B.不现实
C.不稳定
(5)The purpose of writing this text is probably to .
A. introduce Charles Dickens' life and death
B. encourage readers to read or re﹣read Charles Dickens' works
C. present the similarities between Charles Dickens and other writers
London used to be “foggy”( 有雾的) for the same reason that cities like Beijing or Chongqing are “foggy” today. The “fog” was in fact smog(烟雾), a mixture of smoke and fog.In other words, it was made by air pollution. In London, some of this pollution came from factories, but much of it came from the coal(煤)that people burnt in their houses to keep warm during the winter. By the 1950s, London’s smog problem had become so bad that the government decided to do something to clean the air. A new law was made and nobody could burn coal in any British city. In a few years, the air became much cleaner. There were no more “pea-soupers”.
Many Chinese cities now face the same sort of problem with air pollution that London faced 40 or 50 years ago. However, this problem is more difficult for Chinese cities to solve. One reason is that more of the pollution comes from the factories, rather than from coal burnt in people’s houses. If these factories were closed, this would harm the economy and lots of people would lose their jobs. Another reason is that changing from coal to cleaner fuel(燃料), like gas, is quite expensive.
However, the air in many Chinese cities is becoming cleaner and cleaner, as the government and people pay more and more attention to cutting down pollution. As a result, there are fewer “pea-soupers” in Beijing than there used to be.
What was the main reason for air pollution in London?
A.There was too much smoke in the sky. |
B.There were too many factories in the city. |
C.People burnt too much coal in the houses. |
D.The city was too big for the cleaners to clean. |
What does the underlined word “pea-soupers” refer to?
A.Smog | B.Smoke |
C.Gas | D.Coal |
Which sentence is Not true?
A.Air pollution is serious in Beijing and Chongqing. |
B.Using coal is much more expensive than using gas. |
C.Factories made much more pollution in China. |
D.The reasons of air pollution in London and Beijing are different |
I had the meanest (最吝啬的) mother in the whole world. While other kids were________ candy for breakfast, I had to have porridge, eggs or toast. _________ others had Cokes and candy for lunch, I had to eat a sandwich. But at least I wasn't_________ when I was sad. My sister and two brothers had the same mean mother as I did.
My mother _________ to know where we were all the time. She knew who our friends were and where we were going. We had to wear clean clothes and take a bath every day. While the other kids could wear the same __________ for days. We could not lie in bed "sick" in order to miss school.
The worst is yet to come. We had to be in bed by nine each night and get up at six the next morning. We couldn't sleep __________ noon like our friends. So while they slept, my mother was brave to ___________ the Child Labour Law (儿童劳动法). She made us work. We had to wash dishes, make beds, and learn to cook and all kinds of things at home. I believe she lay awake __________ all things for us to do.
But my mother was successful as a mother. All of __________ children received further education. She forced us to grow up into educated and honest adults. I am trying to keep my three children this way. I am filled with __________ when my children call me mean. Because I had the meanest mother in the world, and yet she gave me a happy life.
A.selling | B.buying | C.making | D.eating |
A.Until | B.Before | C.When | D.After |
A.alone | B.excited | C.tired | D.worried |
A.wanted | B.seemed | C.asked | D.preferred |
A.clothes | B.hats | C.glasses | D.shoes |
A.by | B.on | C.at | D.in |
A.follow | B.break | C.obey | D.make |
A.thinking of | B.thinking over | C.thinking about | D.thinking up |
A.her | B.his | C.your | D.my |
A.sadness | B.pride | C.fear | D.surprise |
配对阅读: 左栏是对五个人的描述,右栏是七个节目介绍。请将这五个人与适合他们的节目配对。
Share your stories about life in the UK from 1960.You can have your own photos or videos. They can be funny or sad, big events or the small things of everyday life. |
We know the mosquito very well. Mosquitoes fly everywhere. They can be found almost all over the world, and there are more than 2,500 kinds of them.
No one likes the mosquito. But the mosquito may decide that she loves you. She? Yes, she. It’s true that male mosquito doesn’t bite (咬) and only the female mosquito bites because she needs blood to lay eggs. She is always looking for things or people she wants to bite. If she likes what she finds, she bites. But if she doesn’t like your blood, she will turn to someone else for more delicious blood. Next time a mosquito bites you, just remember you are chosen. You’re different from the others!
If the mosquito likes you, she lands on your body without letting you know. She bites you so quickly and quietly that you may not feel anything different. After she bites, you will have an itch (痒) on your body because she puts something from her mouth together with your blood. By the time the itching begins, and she has flown away.
And then what happens? Well, after her delicious dinner, the mosquito feels tired. She just wants to find a place to have a good rest. There, on a leaf or a wall, she begins to lay eggs, hundreds of eggs.The underlined word “Mosquito” means _______ in Chinese.
A.苍蝇 | B.蜻蜓 |
C.蝴蝶 | D.蚊子 |
There are more than ___________ kinds of mosquitoes in the world.
A.25 | B.250 |
C.2, 500 | D.2, 500,000 |
If the mosquito doesn’t bite you, it will ________.
A.get angry with you | B.be afraid of you |
C.make a lot of noise | D.choose another one |
The mosquito bites you _________.
A.when you’re playing | B.because you have chosen it |
C.too quickly to let you know | D.but doesn’t like you |
Which of the following sentences is wrong?
A.Male mosquito doesn’t bite. |
B.Mosquitoes need blood to lay eggs. |
C.The itching begins after the mosquito bites you. |
D.All the mosquitoes don’t like to bite people for blood. |
King's College Summer School
King's College Summer School is an annual (每年的) training program for high school students at all levels who want to improve their English. Courses are given by the teachers of King's College and other colleges in New York. Trips to museums and culture centers are also organized. This year's summer school will be from July 25 to August 25.
More information is as follows:
Application (申请) date Students in New York should send their applications before July 18, 2014. Students of other cities should send their applications before July 16, 2014. Foreign students should send their applications before July 10, 2014. |
Courses English Language Spoken English: 22 hours Reading and Writing: 10 hours American History: 16 hours American Culture: 16 hours |
Steps A letter of self-introduction A letter of recommendation (推荐) ﹡ The letters should be written in English with all the necessary information. |
C. Cost Daily lessons: $200 Sports and activities: $100 Travels: $200 Hotel service: $400 ﹡You may choose to live with your friends or relatives in the same city. |
Please write to: Thompson, Sanders 1026 King' s Street New York, NY 10016, USA E-mail: KC-Summer-School@ yahoo. com |
This year's summer school of King's College will last________.
A.one week | B.two weeks |
C.one month | D.two months |
Which of the following is true about King' s College Summer School?
A.Only top students can take part in the program. |
B.King' s College Summer School is run every other year. |
C.Only the teachers of King' s College give courses. |
D.Visits to museums and culture centers are part of the program. |
If you are to live with your relatives in New York, you will have to pay the school ________.
A.$200 | B.$400 |
C.$500 | D.$900 |
What information can you get from the text?
A.The program will give five courses. |
B.You can write to Thompson only in English. |
C.You can get in touch with the school by e-mail or by telephone. |
D.As a Chinese student, you can send your application on July 14, 2014. |
You can most probably read the text in ________.
A.a newspaper | B.a travel guide |
C.a textbook | D.a telephone book |