This year the US will honour （纪念）one of the country's most famous writers﹣Mark Twain （1835﹣1910）．Most readers know that his real name was Samuel Longhome Clemens，but how many know where the pen name "Mark Twain" came from？
The answer shows Clemens' colourful early life before he became a writer．"Mark Twain" was the cry shouted on a ship when the ship entered a part of a river that was two fathoms （6 feet）deep．"Twain" is an old﹣fashioned way of saying "two"．Twain trained as a ship pilot on the Mississippi river for two years，a time that he wrote about in the humorous Life on the Mississippi（1883）．
The famous river would become an important theme in many of his works﹣who could forget the journey of Huck an Jim along it in his most famous book．The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn（1884）？
With little education，he had to teach himself how to write stories．Whenever possible，he would go to public libraries．There he spent much time reading and thinking，which greatly helped him with his writing．
On the other hand，his life experiences gave him wonderful material to write about and attract readers．Twain wrote in a style that has been called "local colour" because it shows great knowledge of local people and their customs．
This gift is very clear in the two books for which Twain is still celebrated today：The Adventures of Tom Sawyer（1876）and its follow﹣up The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn，which many people call "The Great American Novel"．
The most amazing invention in the book is the voice of Huck himself．Huck did not enjoy schooling．It shows in the way he uses language，in a spoken style．Only a master like Twain could copy the way a young southern boy talked so well．
34．What does the underlined word "gift" mean in the passage？ ．
A．Twain's talent for self﹣teaching．
B．Twain's "local colour" writing style．
C．Twain's good sense of humour
D．Twain's experiences as a ship pilot
35．According to the passage，what is the best part of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn． ．
A．The deep social meaning
B．The exciting life experiences
C．The special way that Huck talks
D．The nice view of the Mississippi
36．Which is the most suitable place in the passage for the sentence，"Twain did not come from the writer's background you might expect．"？ ．
A．At the beginning of Paragraph 2
B．At the beginning of Paragraph 3
C．At the beginning of Paragraph 4
D．At the beginning of Paragraph 5
37．what is the passage mainly about？ ．
A．Mark Twain's career as a great writer
B．Mark Twain's interest in describing local life
C．Mark Twain's achievements in American literature field
D．Mark Twain's life experiences which influenced his writing．
If you are like me, your parents may also make you take part in after-class activities. And you always listen to them. But we are older now. We should start to do what we like. My parents used to make me go to activities like basketball, swimming, choir (唱诗班), Chinese and violin lessons. But I didn’t like some of these things.
This year, I stopped going to some activities. I stopped playing basketball and swimming because I don’t like them anymore. I stopped going to Chinese lessons. I can learn Chinese at home. I only take part in school band, after-school Spanish and violin lessons. My mother says I don’t do enough sports. “I walk home 2 miles (3.2km) every day. It’s a sport.” I tell her. Walking is a sport. Don’t you think so?
根据短文内容，判断句子的正（T）误（F）。（共5小题，每小题1分，满分5分） The writer used to take part in many after-class activities.
He liked all of the activities.
This year, he stopped playing football.
This year, he still takes part in Chinese lessons.
Every day he walks back home.
Mother’s Day is a holiday for mothers. It is celebrated in the United States, England, India and some other countries. In a short time, it becomes widely celebrated. Mother’s Day falls on the second Sunday in May. On that day, many people send gifts of love to their mothers, those whose mothers are still living often wear a pink or red rose or carnation, while those whose mothers are dead wear a white one.
The idea of a Day for mothers was first given by Miss Anna Jarvis of Philadelphia. As a result of hard work, the celebration of the first American Mother’s Day was held in Philadelphia on May 10th, 1908. Soon the holiday became popular all over the country and all over the world.
In China, people do the same or the day for mothers, and in some cities, people sometimes ask a song to be broadcasted for his or her mother only. This might cost a little money for some of them. But it is said “Love is invaluable.”On May 8, 1999, just the day before the Mother’s Day, this year, just a Chinese mother was killed in criminal bombling. Her name is Shao Yunhuan, a heroic mother. All the Chinese will remember her forever.Mother’s Day ________________________.
A. is a holiday for mothers.
B. is celebrated in the United States only.
C. falls on May 10th every year.What was the date of the Mother’s Day this year in the passage?
A. May 7, 1999
B. May 8, 1999
C. May 9, 1999On Mother’s Day, people ______________.
A. wear a pink or red rose or carnation
B. wear a white flower
C. send gifts of love to their mothers.“Love is invaluable ” Here the word “invaluable” means _________.
A.美好的
B.无价的
C.永恒的 Maybe you have known the criminal bombing, which of the following ideas do you agree to ?
A. Shao Yunhuan is a great mother.
B. A Chinese mother is the same as an American mother.
C. Both A and B
I often hear some students say English is difficult, and it gives them a headache. But English is very easy for me. I’m good at it. I’m very glad to tell you something about how I study English.
First, I think an interest in English is very important. When I learned English first, it was fresh for me. I was interested in it, so I worked hard at it. Soon we had an English exam and I got a very good mark. How happy I was! After that, I learned English harder and harder. Our English teacher often teaches us English songs, and the songs sound nice. I often think how interesting English is!
Second, I think English is a foreign language. I should learn it well in the following ways: Listen to the teacher carefully, speak bravely, read aloud and have a good vocabulary. Then practice again and again, never be tired. And I also have a good habit: Asking whenever (不论何时) I have a question. I must make it clear by asking our English teacher. How happy I am when I understand!
Besides this, I often read English stories, jokes and easy novels. They help me understand a lot of things. So to do more reading is an important way to learn English well. And I also write English diaries. English has become a close friend of mine.Why do some students often “have a headache”？
| A．Because they are easy to catch a cold. |
| B．Because it’s often very cold |
| C．Because they think English is easy. |
| D．Because they don’t think English is easy. |
The writer tells us that we should be ___ in English if we want to learn it well.
| A．kind | B．interested | C．angry | D．strict |
The sentence “I got a very good mark” means ________.
| A．I got a good way |
| B．I had a good idea |
| C．I did badly in the exam |
| D．I did well in the exam |
The writer thinks English is interesting because ________.
| A．English is full of stories |
| B．English is full of jokes |
| C．his teacher often teaches them nice English songs |
| D．of nothing |
Which of the following is not the way the writer studies by?
| A．Speaking bravely. |
| B．Writing to foreign friends. |
| C．Reading aloud. |
| D．Writing English diaries. |
Mr Evans works in Sydney. Last week he had a two-week holiday, but he didn't know where to go. He said to his friend Robert, "I hate the hot weather here, but I can't think of a cool place in Australia. Where shall I take my holiday?"
"That's easy," said Robert, "You can go to Moscow. Snow and ice are covering the ground there now."
Mr Evans agreed with his friend. He bought a plane ticket and soon arrived in Moscow. He was having a good time there, but one day he got into trouble（麻烦）. After lunch, he went to a park outside the city. He noticed a dog following him when he was walking past a house. It was hungry and wanted some food to eat. But Mr Evans had no food in his pockets. He tried to shoo （以嘘声吓走） it away, but it began to bark at him. Just at that moment, he saw a stone on the ground. He tried to pick it up, but he couldn't.
"How strange these Russians are!" Mr Evans said to himself, "They do not tie up （栓住） their dogs, but firmly（牢牢地）tie down the stones!" Mr Evans is________.
| A．American | B．Russian | C．Australian | D．Chinese |
Mr Evans didn't like the________in Australia.
| A．hot weather | B．cool weather |
| C．rainy weather | D．cold weather |
Mr Evans went to Moscow________.
| A．by train | B．by bus | C．by air | D．on foot |
The word "bark" means "________".
| A．跳 | B．叫 | C．追 | D．咬 |
Mr Evans couldn't pick up the stone because________.
| A．it was too cold |
| B．it was too heavy |
| C．the Russians tied their stones to the ground |
| D．it was not a stone |
John lived with her mother when he was young. He didn’t know who his father was. The woman did some washing for the rich and could buy only some bread for her son. So the boy was short and thin.
One cold morning there was much snow in the streets. A car knocked the woman down and the policemen took her to the hospital. She didn’t tell John that his father deserted(遗弃) her before he was born until she died. She left her son the name and address of his father.
John found his father, Mr. Brown, in another city. He was one of the richest shopkeepers and he had to receive his son. From then on the boy lived a rich life. He ate all kinds of delicious food and wore beautiful clothes. But he didn’t go to school and could not read or write.
Once his father took him to a party. He saw a newspaper lying on the floor and picked it up while others were talking about a film. He had a look at it and found a car’s wheels(轮子) were upward(向上).He called out,“ Oh, dear! An accident happened!”
All the people were surprised and began to read the newspaper. But soon they all began to laugh. Do you know why?John didn’t know his father because.
| A．the man was rich | B．the man deserted his mother |
| C．his mother left the man | D．the man didn’t like him |
John was short and thin because.
| A．he didn’t like sports |
| B．his parents were short, too |
| C．he was often hungry when he was young |
| D．his mother never gave him food |
The woman told John who his father was.
| A．after she was knocked down by a car |
| B．before her son left |
| C．before she was in hospital |
| D．before she died |
After John found his father,.
| A．he was angry with the man |
| B．he started a rich life |
| C．he wouldn’t live with him |
| D．the man was bad to him |
The people at the party laughed at him because.
| A．he held the newspaper upside down |
| B．he wasn’t polite |
| C．the newspaper was yesterday’s |
| D．he wasn’t clever |