A Tree Grows in Brooklyn,by Betty Smith
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn wasn't a new book when my mother was young. It's the story of Francie Nolan struggling up in a tenement slum(贫民区)through the cracks in the pavement to reach the sun.It may be the best book I've ever read about poverty,parenthood, the immigrant experience,and just about everything else.My firstborn daughter is named
Francie Nolan.
To buy:$18,amazon.com.
The Maltese Falcon,by Dashiell Hammett
My all-time personal favorite. I love this book, all of it: the plot,the characters,the dialogue,much of which was lifted verbatim(逐字逐句地)by John Huston for his screenplay for the beloved movie of the same name.The single best monologue in fiction appears toward the end,when Sam Spade tells Brigid O'Shaughnessy why he's giving her to the police.
To buy:$14,amazon.com.
Gilead,by Marilynne Robinson
Oh-so hard to choose!But I'll go with Gilead.An uplifting tale of love in its many forms,told in a style in which every word is perfect.A joyous read.
To buy:$15,amazon.com.
Far From the Tree:Parents,Children and the Search for Identity,by Andrew Solomon
If you think 700 pages on the many ways in which unusual kids(autistic, deaf, criminal, genius)can stretch(延伸)their families' conception(理解) of love doesn't sound like summertime reading,Far From the Tree:Parents,Children and the Search for Identity will teach you otherwise.
To buy:$37.50,amazon.com.
1.What is special about The Maltese Falcon?
A.It can't be bought online. B.It was made into a film.
C.It's about how to be a parent. D.It tells how to treat the loved.
2.How much should you pay for one Far From the Tree and one Gilead?
A.$52.50. B.$29. C.$32. D.$55.50.
3.Which of the following tells us how to get along well with our family?
A.Gilead
B.The Maltese Falcon.
C.A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.
D.Far From the Tree:Parents,Children and the Search for Identity.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Every day, unemployed men gather in Jackson Heights, Queens. Many of them are homeless. All of them are hungry. At around 9:30 each night, Munoz's truck arrives, filled with hot food, coffee and hot chocolate. For more than four years, Munoz and his family have been feeding those in need seven nights a week, 365 days a year. Munoz was born in Colombia and his father died in an accident when he was young. When his mother found it difficult to support Munoz and his sister, she made her way to New York, finding work in Brooklyn as a nurse. As immigrants(移民), they often suffered starvation. Later Munoz found a job as a bus driver. “When I see these guys on the street, it's like seeing me 20 years ago when I came to this country,” Munoz recalls.
Munoz began his meal program-An Angel in Queens-in the summer of 2004.Within a few months, Munoz and his mother were preparing 20 home-cooked meals daily. Numbers gradually increased over the years to 35 per night, then 60.In recent months, that number has jumped to as many as 140 meals a night. Munoz gets up around 5:00 a.m.to drive his bus route, and he calls home on his breaks to see how the cooking is going. When he gets home around 5:30 p.m.—often stopping to pick up food donations-he helps pack up meals before heading out to “his corner” in Jackson Heights. “He comes here without fail,” says one of the men. “It could be cold, it could be really hot, but he's here.” Watch Munoz in action in Queens, New York.
“If I don't go, I'm going to feel bad,” he says. “I know they're going to be waiting for me.”
Munoz estimates(估计)that food and gas cost approximately$400 to 450 a week; he and his family are funding the operation through their savings and his weekly$700 paycheck. Asked why he spends so much time to help people he doesn't know, he answers, “I have a stable job, my mom, my family, a house...everything I want, I have. And these guys don't”. So I just think, 'OK,I have the food. At least for today they're going to have a meal to eat.’”
Munoz was named one of the CNN heroes.
1.Why did Munoz's mother leave Colombia for New York?
A.Because Munoz's father worked in New York.
B.Because they were not used to the life in Colombia.
C.Because she couldn't support the family in Colombia.
D.Because she was born in New York.
2.As immigrants, Munoz's family
A.were often helped by the government B.often went hungry
C.were looked down upon D.went begging in the street
3.Which word can be used to describe Munoz?
A.Lucky. B.Kind. C.Adventurous. D.Devoted.
4.What is the main idea of the text?
A.A bus driver provided free home-cooked meals.
B.God helps those who help themselves.
C.The government helped immigrants.
D.CNN heroes were asked to help immigrants.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
The Big Ben is located in the tower at the eastern end of the Houses of Parliament, Westminster, Greater London. It was designed by Edmund Beckett and Baron Grimthorpe.
The Big Ben is very famous throughout the world, but nobody really knows why it is called Big Ben. There are two hearsays about this. Some people say that it was named after Benjamin Caunt, a boxer, who was called Big Ben. More people believe it was called after Welshman, Sir Benjamin Hall. He was the commissioner(特派员)of the work at the time of its installation in 1859.A story was told that during a debate in the Commons on what to call the bell, Sir Benjamin was about to give his ideas when a MP who sat behind the front bench shouted, “Let's call it Big Ben!” Then this name came into being.
The bell hasn't gone through a smooth road since the beginning of its design. Because there was great disagreement about the design of the clock. It took fifteen years to build. In 1857, the bell was completed and tested on the ground, but a four-foot crack appeared and the bell had to be cast again. Finally, the clock started ticking on 31 May, 1859, and struck its first chime(报时)on 11, July. Then in September, the bell cracked again. It was silent for four years but was eventually turned a quarter of a revolution(旋转). In this way, the crack was not under the striking hammer. Craftsmen made a square above the crack to stop it growing longer and it can still be seen today.
The Big Ben is famous not only for its 13-ton weight, but also for its accuracy(准确性) which is a result of its precise mechanism(机械装置). Even one extra penny's weight on the balance will cause a gain of two fifths of a second in twenty-four hours. Although there have been several problems, the bell is still striking today.Its chimes can be heard all over the world on the B.B.C.
1.What can we know about the Big Ben?
A.It is located in the Houses of Parliament. B.It is the largest and tallest clock tower in the world.
C.It is well-known all over the world. D.It is the heaviest clock in the world.
2.What can we learn from the third paragraph?
A.The bell worked well at its first test.
B.The construction of the clock was long but not smooth.
C.The clock started to strike chimes on 31 May,1859.
D.The crack finally disappeared after a quarter of a revolution
3.Which of the following can best explain why Big Ben is world-famous?
A.Accurate and heavy. B.Accurate and colorful.
C.Heavy and colorful. D.Attractive and accurate.
4.What can we infer from the passage?
A.Sir Benjamin Hall was a famous architect at that time.
B.Even the tiniest extra weight on the balance will affect the clock's accuracy.
C.The chimes of the clock could be heard all over the world.
D.The clock has been ticking ever since 31 May,1859.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
For the first time, a causal link has been established between climate(气候) change and the timing of a natural event-the appearance of the common brown butterfly.
Although there have been strong connections between global warming and changes in the timing of events such as animal migration and flowering, it has been hard to show a cause-and-effect link. This is what Michael Kearney and Natalie Briscoe of the University of Melbourne, Australia, have now done.
The researchers compared temperature changes in Melbourne-where the butterfly is common-with recorded observations of the first brown butterfly to be seen in the spring since the 1940s.With each of the past ten years, the butterflies appeared 1.6 days earlier and Melbourne heated by 0.14℃. Overall, the butterfly now appears on average 10.4 days before it did in the 1940s.
The pair are confident in the relationship for two reasons. First, they placed eggs of the butterfly, in special boxes where temperature could be controlled and found that each larval stage had a different response to warmer-than-normal conditions. The egg, which is laid in late summer, and the first larval stage do well at high temperatures, says Kearney. The second to the fifth stages occur in winter and can't survive high temperatures. The knock- on effect is that the larval pupates earlier and the butterfly appears sooner. Second, they made a mathematical model combining these physiological effects of temperature on development with climate data. The model precisely matched the observed changes in butterfly emergence date.
The researchers used several climate models to find out what is likely to have caused the rise in Melbourne's temperature, and ruled out the possibility that natural weather events could account for the warming.
1.What is the relationship between the rise in temperature and the butterfly appearance?
A.They are linked in a difficult way.
B.They are related in a cause-and-effect way.
C.They have a direct relationship with each other.
D.They have no connection with each other.
2.Why were the researchers confident about their finding?
A.They had used the most advanced equipment in the world.
B.Their finding got support from the textbooks.
C.The results of their study is based on expert judgement.
D.Their experiment proved their previous guessing.
3.What does the underlined part "The knock-on effect" in paragraph 4 mean?
A.The effect caused by the thing that happened before.
B.The effect of things that happened at the same time.
C.The effect of one thing causing the other long after.
D.The effect of one thing causing the other quickly.
4.What can be inferred from the text?
A.The exact reason for Melbourne's temperature rise is very clear.
B.Climate models cannot exactly show climate change in history.
C.The timing of the butterfly appearance will be earlier with increased warming.
D.The rise in temperature decides the possibility of natural weather events.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
They came into the bakery with their father.A little brother and sister both were very respectful and receptive to the man who held the door open for them.1.
When I received my change,I gave each of them ￡l and explained that I was so impressed with their good manners.2.He thanked me again and again for my reward.He allowed them to take the money.
I left the bakery and as I was coming out of another shop I ran into them again,each carefully carrying their little treat in a little bakery bag so that it did not get damaged.3.As I smiled back and walked to my car I thought of their eagerness to relay this event to Mum.A simple act of kindness started with the man who held the bakery door open. 4.We are here to love and serve each other.5.
Let the kindness spread!
A.Who knows where the waves will lead.
B.Their dad was not buying pastries,only bread.
C.They waved to me and smiled;we were now friends.
D.Their upbeat"thank you"really made an impression on me.
E.Though they were poorly dressed they were kind to all the customers around.
F.They carried all the goods carefully and walked joyfully with all happy smiles.
G.We surely will allow this positive effect to move through us into the lives of others.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
The past 6 months have been one great challenge.A close friend of mine,Joanne,_______the end of her life.She knew it,and instead of regretting and crying,she _______it and as she died last week I thought of how a shooting star _______so brightly as it trails the universe, right before it _______.
It was a great _______to have her company these past months.One of the last things she asked me was to find an organization _______women coming out of prison,to_______her business clothing to them for job interviews.We found such a _______here in Raleigh,NC where I live.I didn't know the _______for it,but this is called a"Reentry"service or program and many countries and ________have them all over the world.
I ________her donation before she died,and somehow thought about doing a clothing drive ________Joanne's life and inviting others to gift clothing to ________more people at the program. Well,I'm so________to share that it went really well.We had a lot of ________filling the joyful business clothes for men and women.
It didn't________anything but gas,time and love.A few phone calls,social media posts, texts,and the beautiful thing is ________she is gone,I felt like we did it ________.My dear mother helped me too,and it felt so good to ________ something inspired by Joanne's life for ________blessing a population of people that most often is overlooked.
1.A.escaped B.approached C.forgot D.lost
2.A.hated B.admired C.refused D.accepted
3.A.shines B.disappears C.fades D.occurs
4.A.sets out B.comes out C.goes out D.turns out
5.A.fortune B.pity C.opportunity D.success
6.A.attracting B.forcing C.protecting D.supporting
7.A.destroy B.throw C.provide D.collect
8.A.method B.program C.challenge D.behaviour
9.A.period B.change C.term D.meaning
10.A.partners B.members C.committees D.cities
11.A.researched B.discovered C.inspired D.sent
12.A.on behalf of B.in honor of C.instead of D.in spite of
13.A.help B.educate C.persuade D.guide
14.A.expressed B.tired C.excited D.expected
15.A.pleasures B.treasures C.donations D.belongings
16.A.save B.cost C.breath D.waste
17.A.even though B.as if C.in case D.now that
18.A.together B.forever C.perfectly D.immediately
19.A.remember B.value C.notice D.organize
20.A.kindness B.encouragement C.concern D.ignorance
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，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。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（A),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：在错的词下画一横线，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。
Throughout my high school year there was an area calling the outdoor classroom. When I graduated, the teacher took care of the area had to have back surgery. Not thinking twice I told him that I would take care of the area for that summer. She insists on paying me, but I needn't take her money. I have been taking well care of that area for 3 years now for her.
Every year she asks me why I do this for her but I tell her it is the least I can do to for a teacher and a school I love. May all the students come to loving the outdoor classroom as I do.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
假定你是李华，为了提高你们的英语水平，学校决定每周定期举办英语角（English corner)，并于近期开始其首场。请你给你校的英语外教Johnson写一封信，邀请他参加指导，要点如下：1.时间：9月16日晚上6:30至8:30；2.地点：教学楼二楼礼堂；3.内容：表演英语戏剧、朗诵英文诗歌、演唱英语歌曲等；
注意：1.词数 100左右；2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
难度: 中等查看答案及解析