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The Donkey Mobile Library
It is a bright morning in the Ethiopian countryside. Yohannes walks beside a pair of donkeys that are pulling a two-wheeled cart. They arrive at the agricultural town of Awassa where Yohannes opens the sides of the cart to display, not the usual vegetables or tools, but children’s books. This is the Donkey Mobile Library, the first of its kind in Ethiopia and one of only a few in the world.
Yohannes was born in Ethiopia, North Africa, but trained to be a librarian in the USA and returned to Ethiopia years ago. The cart is full of picture books donated by American libraries, teachers and school children.
Yohannes arranges small painted benches in the shade of the trees, and suddenly Ethiopian children come shouting and racing down every road and path. It’s mobile library day! They circle the bookshelves with great excitement. Until the Donkey Mobile Library began its regular two-monthly visits, many of these children had never seen a book.
“Without books, education is very dull, like food without salt. You can survive but you can’t really come alive,” says Yohannes. “The ability to read is the basis for greater productivity, better health and longer life. Even though the children lack material goods, with books they can imagine a world of possibilities.”
Yohannes first worked in the children’s section of the main library in America. Surrounded by books he had never seen before, he realized how joyful and imaginative children’s literature is. He says, “I always thought of Ethiopia. But how could I bring children’s books to my home country when it had almost no libraries to keep the books in?”
He contacted Jane Kurtz, a writer born in America but brought up in Ethiopia, and together they created the Donkey Mobile Library. The children say that the Library has given them ideas about what they might do in the future. A child called Dareje wants to be a scientist and find a cure for life-threatening diseases. An eleven year-old girl, Fikerte, wants to do research about the moon and discover new facts about outer space. Tamrat, aged 10, comes every time.
“What brings you back here time and time again?” the librarian asks him.
“The stories,” Tamrat replies instantly.
1.How do the children feel when they see the Donkey Mobile Library?
A．Excited. B．Surprised. C．Interested. D．Curious
2.We can conclude from the passage that .
A．Ethiopian children have no idea about their future
B．Yohannes and Kurtz share similar life experiences
C．most books in the Donkey Mobile Library were bought in America
D．donkey carts in Awassa usually carry vegetables and tools
3.According to the passage, the Donkey Mobile Library .
A．visits the countryside every day B．was created by Yohannes himself
C．benefits Ethiopian children a lot D．was the first of its kind in the world
4.Where is the passage most likely to have been taken from?
A．A book review.. B．A news report C．A historical story. D．An advertisement.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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Sir,
Just over six months ago, I saw an advertisement in the Morning Mail for a set of the complete works of William Shakespeare. Your company, Cosmo books Ltd., offered this set (eight books of plays and two books of poetry) at what was claimed to be a ‘remarkable’ price: fifteen pounds and fifty pence, including postage and packing. I had wanted a set of Shakespeare’s plays and poems for some time, and these books, in red imitation leather, looked particularly attractive; so I sent for them.
Two weeks later, the books arrived, together with a set of the complete works of Charles Dickens which I had not ordered. So I returned the Dickens books to you, with a cheque for fifteen pounds and fifty pence for the works of Shakespeare. Two more weeks passed. Then there arrived on my door step a second set of the works of Shakespeare, the same set of novels by Dickens and a six book set of the plays of Moliere, in French. Since I do not read French, these were of no use to me at all. However, I could not afford to post all these books back to you, so I wrote to you at the end of August of last year, instructing you to come and collect all the books that I did not want, and asking you not to send any other books until further notice.
You did not reply to that letter. Instead you sent me a bill for forty two pounds, and a set of the plays of Schiller, in German. Since then, a new set of books has arrived every two weeks, the works of Goethe, the poems of Milton, the plays of Strindberg; I hardly know what I have. The books are still all in their boxes, in the garage, and my car has to stand in the rain outside.
I have no room for any more books, and even if I read from now until the Last Judgment, I should not finish reading all the books that you have sent me.
Please send no more books, send no more bills, send no more angry letters demanding payment. Just send one large lorry and take all the books away, leaving me only with the one set of the complete works of Shakespeare for which I have paid.
Yours faithfully,
SIMON WALKER
1.Simon Walker wrote the letter to ________
A．urge for the final solution to the problem with the unwanted books
B．complain about getting books he didn’t want.
C．advise readers not to order books from Cosmo Books Ltd..
D．show his anger to Cosmo Books Ltd...
2.The advertisement that Mr. Walker saw in the Morning Mail was for ________
A．unlimited number of Cosmo Books.
B．fifteen pounds and fifty pence
C．a set of 10 books of the works of Shakespeare.
D．a book containing all the plays and poems of Shakespeare.
3.Mr. Walker answered the advertisement because ________
A．he claimed that the books were being offered at a remarkable price
B．he wanted a set of Shakespeare’s works which was a good bargain.
C．he had ordered the set and had been waiting for them to come for some time.
D．the set he already had was not particularly attractive.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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For many businessmen online education has been a dream. Now it has come true. The investment (投资) in higher education, whether financial or in terms of time, has long been impossible for many of them. But well-known educational institutions have chosen to deliver an internet-based program, and these barriers have been lifted.
That is good news for people eager to improve themselves and is more attractive to employers. It is also a benefit to industry with better qualified candidates applying for jobs at every level.
Having the benefits of a higher qualification without going to the university campus is attractive to many students. Campus study means greater cost, while online programs are flexible and save time, whether at home or at work. Students can achieve their degrees without causing too much disruption to their career or home life.
In addition to affordable, flexible classes and greater convenience, students also have access to the online learning resources of many of the world’s top educational institutions. They can also communicate with their tutors no matter what time it is or whether either party is away for any reason.
This has opened up the possibility of getting a qualification from a university or college that many students could only have dreamed of in the past. It also allows specialists to get the precise qualifications and focus on their studies. As well as seeing the increase of applicants from lower-incomes and housewives, studying online in the US is even becoming popular with younger people of college age.
Employers have become increasingly welcome and positive to online qualifications as more candidates earn them, especially if they’re properly approved by the US Department of Education.
US institutions have led the way in online education provision. Many top US colleges and universities offer a range of online programs that are highly respected and in every way perfectly fit for adults who need to combine their studies with a working life.
1.According to Paragraph 1, many US colleges and universities________.
A．have begun to lift the barriers to financial investment
B．have had a dream of offering online education
C．have begun to run an internet-based program
D．have gained financial investment
2.Why do people choose online education?
A．They can find jobs more easily than on-campus graduates.
B．They can get qualifications from US Department of Education.
C．They can invest money in different courses provided online.
D．They can save money and arrange their time and courses freely.
3.The underlined word “disruption’’ in the third paragraph probably mean________.
A．interruption B．attention C．attraction D．dissatisfaction
4.Which would be a good title for the passage?
A．Adult Education Online
B．Top US Universities Offering Online Education
C．The Best of USA’s Online Education
D．Online Education Taking the Place of Campus Education
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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Sometimes you may have a strong desire to do something strange or terrible. However, chances are that you don’t act on your impulse (冲动), but let it pass instead. You know that to take the action is wrong in some way and that other people will not accept your behavior.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about the phenomenon of taboo behavior is how it can change over the years, how certain behavior and attitudes once considered taboo can become perfectly acceptable and natural at another point in time. Topics such as death, for example, were once considered so upsetting that it was a taboo to even talk about them. Now with the publication of important books such as On Death and Dying and Learning to Say Goodbye, people have become more aware of the importance of expressing feelings about death and, as a result, are more willing to talk about this taboo subject.
One of the newest taboos is the topic of fat. Unlike many other taboos, fat is a topic that people talk about constantly. It’s not taboo to talk about fat; it’s taboo to be fat. The “in” look is thin, not fat. In the work world, most companies prefer youthful-looking, slim manager to sell their image as well as their products to the public. The thin look is associated with youth, vigor, and success. The fat person, on the other hand, is thought of as lazy and lacking in energy, self-discipline and self-respect. After all, how can people permit themselves to become fat? In an image-conscious society, thin is ‘‘in”, fat is “out”.
It’ s not surprising that millions of people have become obsessed (着迷) with staying slim and “in shape”. The pursuit of a youthful physical appearance is not, however, the only reason for people’s obsession with diet and exercise. Recent research has shown the importance of diet and exercise for personal health. As in most technologically developed nations, the life-style of people has changed since last century. Modern machines do all the physical labor. Cars and buses transport us quickly from point to point. As a result of inactivity and disuse, people’s bodies can easily become weak. In an effort to avoid such a fate , millions of people are spending more of their time exercising. Parks are filled with joggers and bicyclists, and many companies are providing special exercise equipment for their employees to use during the work day.
1.What does the word “taboo’’ refer to in the passage?
A．Behavior considered unacceptable to the society.
B．An unfavorable impression left on other people.
C．A strong desire to do something strange or terrible.
D．A crime committed on impulse.
2.What does the underlined phrase “in” look probably mean?
A．The hidden look. B．The fashionable look.
C．The usual look. D．The inside look.
3.According to the passage, the common belief is that _________.
A．fat people are full of energy B．fat people prefer to have fat bosses
C．thin people are more successful D．thin people are less image-conscious
4.People pay more attention to diet and exercise because of _________.
A．their need to kill time B．their love for sports
C．their belief in hard work D．their concern for health
难度: 简单查看答案及解析