After two years of careful consideration, Robert McCrum has reached a conclusion on his selection of the 100 greatest novels written in English. Take a look at a few in his list.
The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan (1678)
A story of a man in search of truth told with the simple clarity and beauty of Bunyan’s prose makes this an English classic.
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe (1719)
By the end of the 19th century, no book in English literary history had enjoyed more editions and translations. This world-famous novel is a complex literature that one cannot resist.
Gulliver s Travels by Jonathan Swift (1726)
A great work that s been repeatedly printed, Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels comes third in our list of the best novels written in English.
Clarissa by Samuel Richardson (1748)
Clarissa is a tragic heroine, pressured by her dishonorable family to marry a wealthy man she dislikes, in the book that Samuel Johnson described as “the first book in the world that shows the knowledge about the human heart”.
Tom Jones by Henry Fielding (1749)
Tom Jones is a classic English novel that gets the spirit of its age and whose characters are well-known since they have come to represent the society at that time.
Emma by Jane Austen (1816)
Jane Austen’s Emma is her most outstanding work, mixing the best parts of her early books with a deep sense of feelings.
The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket by Edgar Allan Poe (1838)
Edgar Allan Poe’s only novel－a classic adventure story with supernatural elements－has fascinated and influenced generations of writers.
1.Which English book has got the most translations before the 20th century?
A. Tom Jones. B. Robinson Crusoe.
C. Gulliver’s Travels. D. Emma.
2.What doe Samuel Johnson think we can learn about from the book Clarissa?
A. The human heart. B. Quarrels in a family.
C. The spirits of the time. D. A love story.
3.What makes the characters in Tom Jones famous?
A. Their classic lifestyles. B. Their different nationalities.
C. Their typical spirits of the age. D. Their representation of the society.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
When I was a boy there were no smart phones, and our television only got one channel clearly. Still, I never felt bored. The fields, hills and woodlands around my home were the perfect playground whose adventures were only limited by my imagination. I can remeber once hiking to nearby lake and walking slowly around it. At the back of it I was amazed to find an old dirt road that I had never seen before. It was full of muddy tyre tracks and deep woods bordered it on both sides, but exploring it still seemed like a fine adventure.
I walked on and on for what seemed like hours. I was sure my guardian angel was whispering in my ears “turn around and head back home”, but I was stubborn and walked on. There was still neither a car nor a house in sight. I noticed that the sun was starting to go and down I grew scared. I didn’t want to end up trapped on this road, and I was worried that it would be dark before I could make my way back to the lake again.
I continued to walk on with something growing inside of me. My heart was pounding and my legs were aching. I was almost in tear s when I saw something in the distance. It was a house that I recognized. I jumped up and down and laughed out loud. It was still over a mile away, but my legs felt like feathers and I hurried back to my house in no time. I walked in with a big smile on my face just in time for dinner. Then I ended my adventure with a good night’s sleep.
I often thought of that experience recently. Actually, in our life, all roads, no matter how they twist and turn, can lead us home again. They can lead us to hey can lead us to our homes in our hearts. May you always walk your path with love! May you always help you r fellow travelers along the way! And may your roads always lead you home again!
1.Why did the author hardly feel bored when he was young?
A. He could watch TV all day.
B. He had many friends to play with.
C. He could have fun in nature.
D. He used to explore the old dirt road
2.What does the underlined word “something” in Paragraph 3 probably refer to?
A. Doubt. B. Fear.
C. Hope. D. Courage.
3.How did the author feel when he was exploring the dirt road?
A. He was contradictory in mind.
B. He was unconscious of danger ahead.
C. He was worried to be trapped in the woods.
D. He was afraid of being scolded by his parents.
4.What may be the best title for the passage?
A. Every Effort Is Worthwhile.
B. Be Brave to Adventure.
C. Be Determined in Your Life.
D. All Roads Lead Home.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
When we think of leadership, we often think of strength and power. But what are these really, and how do they operate?
Leadership today is not about forcing others to do things. If this is even possible, it is short-tern, and tends to backfire. If you order someone to do something against their will, they may do it because they feel they must, but the anger they feel will do more harm in the long-term. They will also experience fear.
Fear causes the thinking brain to shut down, making the person unable to function at his or her best. If they associate you with .his emotion of fear, they will become less functional around you, and you will have succeeded in not only shooting yourself in the foot, but possibly making a very good employee or partner unable to perform effectively. Fear has no place m leadership.
The way we influence people in a lasting way is by our own character, and our understanding and use of emotion. We can order someone to do something, which may be part of the work day, or we can employ them at the emotional level, so they become fully devoted to the projects and provide some of their own motivation. Today’s work place is all about relationships.
Anyone works harder in a positive environment in which they’re recognized and valued as a human being as well as worker. Everyone produces just a bit more for someone they like. Leaders understand the way things work. They know the pay check is not the single most motivating factor in the work life of most people.
The true strength of leadership is an inner strength that comes from the confidence of emotional intelligence—knowing your own emotions, and how to handle them, and those of others. Developing your emotional intelligence is the single best thing you can do if you want to develop your relationships with people around you, which is the key to the leadership skills.
1.An employee man have a feeling of fear in the work place when .
A. he is forced to do things
B. he cannot work at his best
C. he feels his brain shut down
D. he thinks of his work as too heavy
2.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A People tend to associate leadership with fear.
B. Good relationship is the key to business success.
C. Smart people are more functional in the work place.
D. Working conditions affect people’s physical health.
3.To positively influence employees, a leader should first of all .
A. develop his own personality
B. provide better suggestions
C. give his employees a pay raise
D. hide his own emotion of fear
4.Good leadership is mainly seen in a leader’s ability to .
A. provide a variety of projects for employees
B. help raise employees’ living standards
C. give employees specific instructions
D. deal wisely with employees’ emotions
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
It seems hard to watch someone yawn（打哈欠）and not to yawn ourselves. Even reading about yawning can make you do it. Now, a new study has found why yawning has such a powerful force.
Yawning when others yawn, the study suggests, is a sign of pity and a form of social connection. Kids don’t develop this deeply rooted behavior until around age four, the study found. Kids with autism (自闭症) are less likely to catch yawns. In the most serious cases, they never do. Yawning might help doctors to see whether the children are developing rightly. The work could also lead to a better understanding of the ways that people communicate and connect.
“Emotional infection seems to be a born thing that connects us together,” said Molly Helt, a graduate student in psychology at the University of Connecticut. “Yawning may be part of that.” Inspiration for her study came when she tried to get her own autistic son to clear his ears on an airplane. She repeatedly yawned at him, hoping he would yawn back. He never did.
“The fact that autistic kids don’t do it might mean they’re really missing out on that emotional connection with people around them,” she said. “The biggest thing people try to figure out after birth is how we become humans and understand that humans have minds that are different from others’,” she added. “Autistic people never seem to understand that.”
Like infectious（有感染力的）laughter and crying, scientists have found that yawning is a shared experience that promotes social connection. Helt said it could fight stress after a period of being nervous and spread a feeling of calm through a group.
1.According to the first two paragraphs, what does the new study suggest?
A. It is easy to stop yawning when you see others yawn.
B. Yawning is a form of communication.
C. Children follow others in yawning just after they are born.
D. Yawning has some mysterious force which is related to God.
2.According to Molly Helt, _________.
A. yawning is a kind of emotional connection among humans
B. humans differ from animals because they communicate with others
C. emotions are infectious, but yawning is not
D. yawning helps clear ears on planes
3.Which of the following is NOT true about yawning?
A. It is natural to yawn back if people around you yawn.
B. Some kids are too young to yawn after others.
C. Kids with autism yawn easily when others yawn.
D. Yawning can be used to test children’s development.
4.The author implies in the last paragraph that ________.
A. it is bad manners to yawn on some social occasions
B. yawning can make people feel relaxed
C. the more you yawn, the happier you will be
D. yawning is different from infectious laughter and crying in theory
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Living with other people can be difficult, especially when each person has their own ideas about how they want to live. 1.. Taking a few simple steps will help you share your living space harmoniously.
Discuss your expectations ahead of time.
2.. This applies to finances, food, possessions, use of common areas, loud activities or parties, quiet hours, and so on.
Divide responsibilities.
Make a plan to divide up responsibilities and chores（家常杂务）between you and your roommate. For example, if your roommate is a good cook and you are not, 3.. It may also be a good idea to set up a chores schedule, where you will take turns cleaning the bathroom, raking out the trash and so on.
4..
Not everyone has the same ideas about day to day living as you do. Take your roommate’s feelings into consideration. For instance, if you are dying to throw a party on Thursday night but your roommate has a final early the next morning, agree to postpone the party till Friday evening, instead.
Communicate effectively.
Communication is key in making the relationship work. If a problem comes up, it’s better to talk about it right away than to ignore it. For example, say “Chris, it upsets me when I wake up to find all the milk gone. If you use the last of something, can you please add it to the list?” If you simply cannot communicate openly and there is tension all the time, 5..
A. Be prepared to compromise
B. Create a roommate agreement on Internet use
C. ask him or her to cook if you’ll clean up afterward
D. you may as well find a new roommate
E. Though having a roommate can be challenging, it can also be enjoyable and fun from the other
F. People may have different religious or political views that could cause conflict
G. Talk about what each of you needs and wants in advance
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
I worried about my personal image and how I could be remembered during my boyhood. In the fifth grade, there seemed to be only one ____－to be cool. In the sixth grade, suddenly, there were two choices: be cool, or be invisible. ____, one day, when a teacher had us fill out a questionnaire with ____ questions, I found the ____ option.
Assuming the teacher would read our answers privately, I felt it was ____ to share my privacy. To my ____, she collected and redistributed (重新分发) them to us. We were asked to ____ the name and our three favorite answers to the whole class. My answers went to the meanest boy in class.
The first question was “What’s your favorite movie?” My answer was Beauty and the Beast. A laugh erupted and my cheeks ____. The next was “Where would you like to travel?” My answer was ____ special — “Wherever a book takes me.” The ____ this time had an explosive quality.
I could ____ remember what happened next; all that I had in mind was the laughter. But something amazing happened. A(n) ____ came, “Guys, cut it out.” The room went ____. It’s Michelle Siever, a popular and cool girl. Then she ____, “Why are you laughing? What is the point of ____ if we just laugh at others?”
I can’t remember the teacher or other kids’ names, but I remember Michelle’s. When she ____ for me that day, she ____ me we actually have three choices if we want to be remembered.
Be cool, and you might be remembered ____. Stay invisible, and you won’t be remembered at all. But if you stand up ____ someone when he or she ____ you most, then you will be remembered as their hero for the rest of their life.
1.A. tool B. choice C. chance D. purpose
2.A. However B. In addition C. Therefore D. In fact
3.A. personal B. funny C. various D. strange
4.A. wrong B. former C. third D. latter
5.A. terrible B. safe C. nervous D. interesting
6.A. surprise B. anxiety C. delight D. expectation
7.A. repeat B. remember C. compare D. read
8.A. ached B. paled C. changed D. burned
9.A. even B. still C. never D. always
10.A. laughter B. question C. air D. class
11.A. nearly B. exactly C. hardly D. surely
12.A. request B. message C. order D. voice
13.A. crazy B. silent C. angry D. empty
14.A. announced B. smiled C. added D. stopped
15.A. talking B. chatting C. arguing D. sharing
16.A. talked about B. calmed down C. left behind D. spoke up
17.A. reminded B. promised C. showed D. persuaded
18.A. for a while B. finally C. again and again D. hopefully
19.A. before B. with C. for D. by
20.A. misses B. needs C. values D. loves
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。
Today we talk about a word that is a feeling as well as a place. This word is “home.” Long ago in the 1700s, “home” was used as a verb, 1. (mean) “to be guided to a destination.” So, when you home in on something, you get 2. (close) to your target. For example, you could say, “Police are homing in on the suspects.” That is also where we get homing pigeons－pigeons that can find 3. (they) way home after being released.
But today, “home” is more often used as a noun. And it has a very emotional 4. (connect) for American English speakers. You can remember the meaning of the word by the expression “home is 5. the heart is.” That expression means home is anywhere you feel love and comfort. It is a place where you belong, and often a place you consider your origin. In other 6. (word), “home” is not 7. (simple) a building where you live—that’s a house. There is a big difference 8. a home and a house.
The writer, Thomas Wolfe, had 9. different idea about home. In 1940, his book “You Can’t Go Home Again” 10. (publish). Today we use this title to mean that the ideas and feelings that you had as a child often change when you are an adult. So, even if you return to the place where you grew up, time and distance have changed your perspective (观点).
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
Mr Li is my head teacher. He is now in his thirty and has been teaching in almost ten years. He has much knowledges and his teaching method is scientific. That he teaches us in class leaves a deeply impression on us. All of us have learned a lot. Not only he strict but also he is kind and patient. In addition, he often gave his encouragement to us, but we have make a great progress. As a result, he is popular with our students. We all love him.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
（题文）假定你是李华，正在英国暑假学校学习，看到以下广告，请你给医院图书馆负责人Elizabeth Mamo写一封邮件，申请做志愿者。
Library Volunteers Wanted
Do you enjoy reading magazines and books and want to share that experience with patients? Library volunteers are needed to bring the library cart filled with books and magazines to hospital patients. We’re looking for devoted volunteers interested in visiting patients
Tues. and Fri. mornings 9 am一 12 noon
注意：1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Elizabeth Mamo,
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Yours,
Mike
难度: 中等查看答案及解析