Michelle Obama’s autobiography, Becoming is on track to become the most successful memoir (回忆录) in modern publishing history, selling more than 10m copies to date, as life after the White House continues to prove commercial gold for brand Obama.
Thomas Rabe, chief executive of the German media group Bertelsmann, said the title was the book giant’s biggest success of the last year. “We believe that these memoirs could well become the most successful memoir ever,” he said.
Penguin Random House won a bidding war for the rights to Barack and Michelle Obama’s autobiographies in 2017, paying more than $ 65 million, a record for US presidential memoirs.
Becoming has been a global sales juggernaut since being launched in 31 languages in mid-November. The audio-book (有声读物), read by the former first lady, has become the fastest-ever seller put out by Penguin Random House.
Obama has been promoting her memoir with a hugely popular global tour. Her tour has also taken in Copenhagen, Stockholm, Oslo, Paris and Amsterdam as well as the US and Canada.
Tickets for her first live appearance in the UK, at the Royal Festival Hall in December, sold out in minutes. Overall UK sales of Obama’s book currently stand at more than 600,000, ranking it 11th on the list of the best selling memoir and biographies since sales records began in 1998, according to Nielsen BookScan.
While Becoming is proving a modern bestseller, it has some way to go to match the lifetime performance of The Diary of Anne Frank, which was first published in English in 1952 and is estimated to have sold more than 35m copies in 65 languages.
Life beyond the US presidency has proved profitable for the Obamas. Last year the former president and first lady struck a deal with Netflix to produce TV series and films for the streaming service.
1.What can we infer from Paragraph One to Paragraph Three?
A.Becoming is the most successful memoir in the publishing history.
B.Becoming is the most popular book released by Penguin Random House.
C.Michelle Obama’s autobiography gains its best sales in the UK.
D.Penguin Random House won the right for publication with its highest price for US presidential memories.
2.The underlined word “juggernaut” in Paragraph Three can be replaced by ______.
A.giant B.controller
C.leader D.operator
3.What does the text mainly talk about?
A.President Obamas' autobiographies. B.The influence of Michelle Obama.
C.Barack and Michelle Obama. D.A modern bestselling memoir.
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
Major causes of record fires sweeping across the Amazon rainforest this month include the dry season and human activities, according to research institutions and media reports.
The rainforest is typically wet and humid, and the frequency of fire activity usually rise each year since July — the onset of the dry season, and peaks in September and decreases in October as the rainy season approaches.
However, data from the Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (Inpe) showed that the number of forest fires in Brazil soared by 82 percent from January to August this year from a year ago, and over half of those fires occurred in the Amazon rainforest. A total of 71,497 forest fires were registered in the country in the first eight months of 2019 , up from 39,194 in the same period in 2018, the Inpe said.
Human activities have led to the recent increase of fires, some experts have noted. The view was echoed by many, though they were divided over who actually conducted the activities. On Friday evening, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro pledged “zero tolerance” of environmental crimes, adding that the Armed Forces troops and resources will be mobilized from Saturday to help put out the fires.
Earlier this week, Bolsonaro blamed non-governmental organizations for increasing wildfires in the Amazon rainforest in the country’s north. His claim was refuted (反驳) by environmentalists, who argued that the surge of fires was a result of increasing deforestation and burning fueled by the governments anti-environmental policy. Alberto Setzer, an Inpe researcher, told local news site G1 that all the fires are results of human activities some accidental while others intentional.
Scientists and environmental groups are worried that the fires will aggravate climate change crisis and threaten biodiversity. The emergency has now transcended (越过) Brazil’s borders , reaching Peruvian, Paraguayan and Bolivian regions.
1.What is the main idea of the text?
A.The text explains the major causes of the Amazon fires.
B.The text aims to arouse human’s awareness of protecting the Amazon.
C.The text is intended to call on people to help the Amazon.
D.The text is expected to warn other countries of the Amazon fires.
2.Which of the followings is not the main causes of the Amazon’s fires?
A.The dry weather. B.The intentional deforestation.
C.The natural disasters. D.Some accidental human activities.
3.What can we infer from Paragraph Three?
A.Similar to that in 2018, the frequency of fire activity will peak in September in 2019.
B.Compared with those in 2018, fires have happened more frequently in the first eight months in 2019.
C.There are more fires in 2019 than in 2018.
D.All of the big fires have happened in the Amazon rainforest.
4.What may Alberto Setzer agree with?
A.Non-governmental organizations are responsible for wild fires in the Amazon rainforest.
B.The Amazon rainforest fires may be attributed to human activities.
C.We should pledge “zero tolerance” of environmental crimes.
D.The fires will influence Brazil’s bordering countries.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
I didn’t cry when I learned I was the parent of a mentally disabled child.
“Go ahead and cry,” the doctor advised kindly. But I couldn’t cry then nor during the months that followed.
We enrolled her in our neighborhood school’s kindergarten at age seven. I worried that she was the “different” child among twenty five-year-olds. However, positive things began to happen to Kristi in her school, and to her schoolmates, too. When boasting of their own accomplishments, Kristi’s classmates always took pains to praise her as well, “Kristi got all her spelling words right today.”
During Kristi’s second year in school, the big public event of the term was a competition based on a culmination of the year’s music and physical education activities.
On the day of the program, Kristi pretended to be sick, but my conscience got reluctant Kristi onto the school bus. Also, I forced myself to go to the program. Then I knew why Kristi had been worried. Her class was divided into relay teams. With her limp and slow, clumsy reactions, she would surely hold up her team.
But as Kristi’s turn to participate neared, change took place in her team. The tallest boy in the line stepped behind Kristi and placed his hands on her waist. Two other boys stood a little ahead of her. The moment the player in front of Kristi stepped from the sack, those two boys grabbed the sack and held it open while the tall boy lifted Kristi and dropped her neatly into it. A girl in front of Kristi took her hand and supported her briefly until Kristi gained her balance. Then off she hopped, smiling and proud.
Amid the cheers of teachers, schoolmates and parents, I thanked Heaven for the warm, understanding people in life who make it possible for my disabled daughter to be like her fellow human beings.
Then I finally cried.
1.What was Kristi’s schoolmates’ attitude to her at last?
A.Scornful. B.Indifferent.
C.Kind. D.Critical.
2.Why did Kristi pretend to be sick on the day of the program?
A.She didn’t like the school.
B.She was afraid of affecting her team.
C.She was often made fun of by his classmates.
D.She might fail and be laughed at by parents.
3.What can be a suitable title for the text?
A.The Gift of The God. B.The Help of The Understanding People.
C.The Precious Parents’ Love. D.The Day Finally I Cried.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
A Finnish cartoon — Matti, a socially awkward stickman has become a hit in China — even inspiring a new word in Mandarin (汉语). 1..
Privacy is something of a luxury in China, a land with a population of 1. 4 billion. 2.. Pushing is a basic skill in cities. If you fail to push with others to get on a crowded subway, you'll be met with impatient stares.
The concept of “private property” or “private space” used to be seriously criticized and the situation didn’t change today. 3.. They can have a nap in an office pantry (食品贮藏 室),on a park bench, even in a museum or concert hall foyer and it seems they are as comfortable as in their own living room.
4.. Matti, a socially awkward Finnish cartoon character in the Finnish Nightmares comic series, is not only welcomed by Chinese, but also has created a new word in Mandarin: Jing fen, referring to people who dislike socializing and take their personal space “extremely seriously”.
Matti’s fear of crowds and small talk and his tendency to be easily embarrassed has struck a chord with many Chinese readers. 5.. “Finland is a paradise for people with social anxiety disorder,” wrote Wechat user in a post, showing his preference to Finland. “I can see myself in Matti. We’re all afraid of loneliness, but we long for our personal space and privacy to be respected,” wrote an anonymous user. It is a real sentiment for many people in China.
A.Loneliness is not a familiar concept to many ordinary Chinese.
B.Personal space is not a familiar concept to ordinary Chinese.
C.But its Finnish culture itself that has also struck a chord.
D.Why has it struck a chord with many Chinese?
E.Chinese are happy to lie down for a nap almost everywhere.
F.People’s longing for privacy has been voiced via Matti.
G.So it is a surprise to see Matti become a celebrity (名人) in China.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
I was walking along the main street of a small seaside town in the north of England looking for somewhere to make a phone call. My car had _______ outside the town and I wanted to contact the AA Company. Low grey clouds were gathering across the sky and there was a cold damp wind _______ the sea which nearly threw me off my _______ every time I crossed one of the side streets. It had rained in the night and water was dripping from the _______ trees that lined the street. I was glad that I was wearing a thick coat.
There was no sign of a call _______ nor was there anyone at that early hour whom I could ask.I had thought I might find a shop open _______ the Saturday papers or a milkman doing his _______, but the town was _______ dead. The only living thing I saw was a thin _______ cat outside a small restaurant.
Then ________ I found what I was looking for. There was a small post office, and almost ________ from sight in a dark narrow street. Next to it was the town’s only public call box, which badly needed a coat of ________. I ________ forward, but stopped in ________ when I saw through the dirty glass that there was a ________ inside. He was fat, and was wearing a cheap blue plastic raincoat. I could not see his face and he didn’t even ________ his head at the sound of my ________.
Carefully, I remained standing a few feet away and ________ a cigarette to wait for my turn. It was when I ________ the dead match on the ground that I noticed something ________ red trickling (滴流) from under the door.
1.A.broken up B.broken down C.broken of D.broken in
2.A.leaving of B.setting off C.blowing off D.cutting off
3.A.hair B.hand C.feet D.body
4.A.bare B.luxuriant C.tall D.green
5.A.house B.hall C.cottage D.box
6.A.sending B.purchasing C.trading D.selling
7.A.travels B.rounds C.trips D.rides
8.A.completely B.approximately C.tightly D.slightly
9.A.delighted B.furious C.frightened D.surprised
10.A.suddenly B.quickly C.instantly D.luckily
11.A.hidden B.covered C.noticed D.found
12.A.color B.diamonds C.jewel D.paint
13.A.walked B.crawled C.hurried D.wondered
14.A.happiness B.astonishment C.rage D.fear
15.A.woman B.man C.farmer D.worker
16.A.lower B.hide C.show D.raise
17.A.noises B.footsteps C.voices D.sounds
18.A.put out B.smoked C.took out D.lit
19.A.threw B.put C.placed D.lifted
20.A.thick B.dark C.bright D.eye-catching
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。
Recently, the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City, located in east China’s Zhejiang Province, 1. (gain) the world’s recognition as a testimony to the 2. (exist) of at least 5,000-year-long Chinese civilization.
The Liangzhu ruins were once the center of power and belief of 3. early regional state in the lower 4. (reach) of the Yangtze River in Late Neolithic China. On July sixth, 2019, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee inscribed the ruins on the World Heritage List as a cultural site at a session 5. (hold) in Baku, Azerbaijan. The inclusion has brought the total number of World Heritage sites in China to 55, the 6. (high) in the world.
“The Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City are both a major archaeological discovery of China in the 20th century and a key cultural site 7. bears testimony to the over 5,000-year-long Chinese civilization,” said LiuYuzhu, head of China’s National Cultural Heritage Administration, “Its inclusion 8. the World Heritage List proved that this fact has been 9. (wide) recognized by the international community,” said Liu.
Liu also said Chinese authorities will redouble their efforts on upgrading the protection level of the site and 10. (cope) with a potential boom of tourism, in a bid to better preserve the ruins.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
假设你是李华。在刚结束的中学生英语演讲比赛中获得了第一名。准备比赛期间， 你得到了外教James的指导和帮助。请你根据以下要点提示给外教James写一封邮件。内容 包括：
1. 获奖的消息
2. 外教的帮助
3. 感恩的心情
注意：
1. 词数 80 左右；
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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难度: 中等查看答案及解析
阅读下面短文，根据其内容写一篇60词左右的内容概要。
Once upon a time, eating alone was just that: sitting down in a restaurant on one’s own and eating a meal. Everyone did it sometimes, and when they did so they might be a little embarrassed. To eat alone might suggest that you didn’t have any family or friends, or didn’t like people. There was a kind of shame attached to it. Nowadays, however, there is more and more solitary(独自的) eating.
People choose to eat alone for various reasons. “Foodies”—people who have a passionate interest in different cuisines(美食)—do it because all they need for their pleasure is the chance to eat good food. They don’t want company or conversation, but only the joy of eating some special dish.
Other people eat alone because it’s simply practical for them to do so. For instance, it’s estimated that nearly a third of all the customers of fast-food restaurants eat alone. They are served with their food fast, eat it fast and then leave fast—because they have a meeting to make or a child to pick up from school.
But for others, the appeal of eating alone is quite different. It’s an experience of freedom. For the hour that it takes to have a meal, they can forget all the pressures of their lives. For a brief window, they don’t have to deal with their family or job. They can relax and let their mind wander. Maybe they will bring a book, a newspaper or perhaps they will shyly spy on the people around them. Part of the appeal of this new trend is surely that a meal taken alone is like a little holiday from the busyness of modern life, in which we have so much to do all the time. David Annand, editor of US-based Conde Nast Traveler magazine, who delights in dining alone, speaks of his pleasure in the “rhythm of a meal in a restaurant—its ebb and flow(人来人往), the regular arrival and departure of the waiter.” This restaurant rhythm allows him and others, he writes, to sit back, observe, and think.
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难度: 简单查看答案及解析