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Alexander Richard Pettyfer (born on April 10, 1990) is an English actor. The son of an actor and a former fashion model, he began his career as a child fashion model at the age of seven, modeling for labels such as GAP, after meeting Ralph Lauren in a toy store in New York City. He attended Twickenham Preparatory School in Hampton and later the Mall, a small private school in Twickenham and as a schoolboy, performed in plays, including Charlie And The Chocolate Factory.
“When you go through such a long process of auditioning you kind of forget about getting it. It’s more like you keep going up and having a little bit of fun,” Pettyfer said.
The film became a hot topic for film critics. One review of Pettyfer’s performance described him as playing the role with an “earnest seriousness”, although another noted that he “isn’t quite at ease as an actor”. Media reports have specified that the film is expected to make Pettyfer a “teen idol”.
After Pettyfer completed filming on Stormbreaker, he did not discuss the film with anyone at his school, and decided to leave school and concentrate on his film career, as well as study drama full time at college. Now he is studying at Shiplake College boarding school. Pettyfer likes skiing, dancing, and hockey when not working.
1.What’s the CORRECT time order of these events in Pettyfer’s career?
① He made his first appearance in a film.
② He made his first appearance in a play.
③ He made his first appearance on television.
④ He made his first appearance as a model.
A. ①②③④ B. ①②④③ C. ④③①② D. ④②③①
2.Anthony Horowitz chose Pettyfer as the main character in Stormbreaker because ____.
A. Pettyfer was born in a family of actors and models
B. Pettyfer made his first public appearance at an early age
C. Pettyfer performed well in Tom Brown’s Schooldays
D. Pettyfer performed best among the 500 boys who auditioned
3.What can be inferred about the film version of Stormbreaker?
A. It was a hit film.
B. All the reviews of this film are positive.
C. Pettyfer didn’t want to play in the film.
D. Pettyfer wasn’t satisfied with his performance in it.
4.Which of the following statements best describes Pettyfer?
A. He’s always ready to help others.
B. He’s too confident of his ability.
C. He prefers drama to films.
D. He likes doing sports in spare time.
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Earth Day is an event 1. (annual) celebrated on April 22. 2. (found) by Senator Gaylord Nelson, an American politician and environmentalist, it was originally aimed at helping the public to know the current situation of air and water pollution and 3. (get) people to care about the earth.
In 1962, Rachel Carson’s bestselling book “Silent Spring” created an 4. (aware) of the dangerous effects pf pesticides（农药）. Then, a fire, 5. broke out in 1969 on Cleveland’s Guyahoga River, shed light on the problem of chemical pollution in water. Senator Gaylord Nelson dreamed of 6. similar large event that would get people to take environmental issues seriously. In 1969, he was inspired by protests against the Vietnam War and came up with the idea for Earth Day.
In the fall of 1969, Nelson announced it and appealed to the entire country to get involved. Consequently, telegrams, letters and telephone calls 7. all over the country poured in. Since 1970, Earth Day celebration have grown. Later, Nelson 8. (award) the Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of his work.
Today, Earth Day is celebrated around the world every April 22. Sometimes numerous communities celebrate Earth Week, an entire week of 9. (Activity) focused on the environmental issues. In 2017, the March for Science 10. (occur) on Earth Day (April 22, 2017) and was followed by the People’s Climate Mobilization (April 29, 2017).
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Earth Day is an event 1. (annual) celebrated on April 22. 2. (found) by Senator Gaylord Nelson, an American politician and environmentalist, it was originally aimed at helping the public to know the current situation of pollution and 3. (get) people to care about the earth.
In 1962, Rachel Carson’s bestseller “Silent Spring” created an 4. (aware) of the dangerous effects of pesticides(农药). Then, a fire, 5. broke out in 1969 on Cleveland’s Guyahoga River, revealed the problem of chemical pollution in water. Senator Gaylord Nelson dreamed of 6. similar event that would get people to take environmental issues seriously. In 1969, he was inspired by protests against the Vietnam War and came up with the idea for Earth Day.
In the fail of 1969, Nelson announced it and appealed to the entire country to get involved. Consequently, telegrams, letters and telephone calls 7. all over the country poured in. Since 1970, Earth Day celebrations have grown. Later, Nelson 8. (award) the Presidential Medal of Freedom because of his work.
Today, numerous communities celebrate Earth Week, an entire week of 9. (activity) focused on the environmental issues. In 2017, the March for Science 10. (occur) on Earth Day and was followed by the People’s Climate Mobilization on April 29.
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Earth Day is an event 1. (annual) celebrated on April 22. 2. (found) by Senator Gaylord Nelson, an American politician and environmentalist, it was originally aimed at helping the public to know the current situation of pollution and 3. (get) people to care about the earth.
In 1962, Rachel Carson’s bestseller “Silent Spring” created an 4. (aware) of the dangerous effects of pesticides(农药). Then, a fire, 5. broke out in 1969 on Cleveland’s Guyahoga River, revealed the problem of chemical pollution in water. Senator Gaylord Nelson dreamed of 6. similar event that would get people to take environmental issues seriously. In 1969, he was inspired by protests against the Vietnam War and came up with the idea for Earth Day.
In the fail of 1969, Nelson announced it and appealed to the entire country to get involved. Consequently, telegrams, letters and telephone calls 7. all over the country poured in. Since 1970, Earth Day celebrations have grown. Later, Nelson 8. (award) the Presidential Medal of Freedom because of his work.
Today, numerous communities celebrate Earth Week, an entire week of 9. (activity) focused on the environmental issues. In 2017, the March for Science 10. (occur) on Earth Day and was followed by the People’s Climate Mobilization on April 29.
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Charlie Chaplin was born on April 16, 1889 in London. Both his father and mother were entertainers and although not of big names, they were doing very well. While the family was by no means rich, the music hall provided the Chaplins with a comfortable living. Unfortunately happy life didn’t last long. Father’s alcoholism was slowly, but surely destroying his marriage. Finally it ended in divorce. His mother managed to keep Charlie and his brother Syney clean and warm, clothed and fed. She would sit at the window watching the passers-by and guess at their characters from the way they looked and behaved, making up tales to delight Charlie and Syney. Charlie took in her skills and went on using them all his life.
Charlie had always believed, even in the worst times, that he had something special locked away inside him. He took his courage and went to one of the top theater agents. With no experience at all, he was offered a plum part (意外得到的好角色) in a new production of “Sherlock Holmes”, which opened on July 27, 1903 at the famous “Pavilion Theatre”. Charlie seemed to change overnight. It was as if he had found the thing he was meant to do. By 1910, Charlie had become “one of the best pantomime (哑剧) artists ever seen ”.
Cinema was born in the same year as Charlie thought people still believed it was a passing fashion, and would never replace live shows. But after using several weeks to watch and to learn, he was determined to master this new medium. It offered him the chance of money and success—and it would set him free from the unpredictability of live audience.
Charlie’s first film, released in February 1914, was called “Making a living”. After that he made another ten. The public loved him and producers were demanding more and more Chaplin films. In an incredibly short time, Charlie had become a very important man in motion picture.
1.Which of the following is NOT true about Charlie Chaplin?
A. Mother had much influence on Charlie Chaplin’s career.
B. “Sherlock Holmes” made Charlie rise to fame overnight.
C. Charlie had been famous when the cinema became a fashion.
D. Charlie’s work in both the theater and the cinema was welcomed.
2.What can you infer from the passage?
A. Charlie Chaplin’s belief in his potential led to his success.
B. Charlie Chaplin got his first role in a film at 14.
C. Cinema was a form of art showing live performance.
D. Motion picture was a passing fashion lasting a short time.
3.The underlined word “unpredictability” in Paragraph 3 means____________.
A. low spirits B. opposing attitude
C. successful performance D. changing state
4.What is the passage mainly about?
A. Charlie Chaplin made the cinema industry popular.
B. Charlie Chaplin’s early success in his career.
C. Charlie Chaplin was a best pantomime artist.
D. Charlie Chaplin’s determination to do what he liked.
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Donald John Trump, born on June 14, 1946, is an American businessman. As the Republic Party’s nominee for president in the 2016 election, he defeated Hillary Clinton in the general election on November 8, 2016.
Trump is the chairman and president of The Trump Organization, which is the principal holding company for his real estate (Trump is the chairman and president of The Trump Organization, which is the principal holding company for his real estate(房地产) ventures and other business interests. During his career, Trump has built office towers, hotels, casinos, golf courses, and other branded facilities worldwide.
Trump was born and raised in New York City and received a bachelor’s degree in economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1968. In 1971 he was given control of his father Fred Trump’s real estate and construction firm and later renamed it The Trump Organization. Trump has appeared at the Moss USA pageants, which he owned from 1996 to 2015, and has made cameo(配角) appearances in films and television series. He sought the Reform Party presidential nomination(提名) in 2000, but withdrew before voting began. He hosted and co-produced The Apprentice, a reality television series on NBC, from 2004 to 2015. As of 2016, he was listed by Forbes as the 324th wealthiest person in the world, and 156th in the United States.
In June 2015, Trump announced his candidacy(候选人资格) for president as a Republican and quickly emerged as the front runner for his party’s nomination. In May 2016, his remaining Republican rivals suspended(暂停) their campaigns, and in July he was formally nominated for president at the 2016 Republican National Convention. Trump’s campaign has received unprecedented media coverage and international attention. Many of his statements in interviews, on Twitter, and at campaign rallies(集会) have been controversial or false. Several rallies during the primaries were accompanied by protests or riots.
1.What do we know about Donald John Trump?
A. His career is limited in America.
B. It was a surprise that he defeated Hillary Clinton.
C. His business has expanded all over the world.
D. His father was against him being a politician.
2.What’s the main idea of Paragraph 3?
A. Introduction to Trump’s life. B. Introduction to Trump’s family.
C. The secret of Trump’s success. D. Trump’s dream.
3.Which of the following is WRONG for Donald John Trump once?
A. He once acted as a leading actor in films.
B. He once worked as a host.
C. He owns a lot of money.
D. He majored in economics in university.
4.According to the last paragraph, we can conclude at the campaign ________.
A. Trump owed his success to his family
B. at a point all Americans protested against Trump
C. Trump had no Republican rivals
D. all people didn’t agree with the remarks Trump made
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Ernest Hemingway was born in Oak Park, Illinois, on July 21st, 1899. Influenced by his father, he enjoyed camping, fishing and hunting at his early age. In 1917, after graduation from high school, Hemingway began his writing career with The Kansas City Star. And then, after being rejected for army service in World War I because of poor vision, he volunteered to serve as a driver for an American ambulance unit in France. In 1918, he transferred to duty on the Italian front, where he was seriously wounded in an explosion. After his recovery, he returned home. He worked for The Toronto star, covered the Greco-Turkish war as a foreign reporter, and then returned to Paris, which was a city full of intellectual life, creativity, and genius after the war. In Paris, where he accomplished a revolution in literary style and language, his first book, Three Stories and Ten Poems, appeared in 1923, and was followed by a short story collection In Our Time, which marked his entry to American literature in 1925.
Hemingway’s status as a remarkable writer of his time was confirmed with the publication of A Farewell to Arms in 1929. The novel represented a farewell both for war and for love. In 1937, he became a foreign reporter covering the Spanish Civil war. Three years later, he published For Whom the Bell Tolls. Set in Spain during the Civil war, the novel restated his view of love found and lost and described the tough spirit of the common people. In 1912, the same judgment was reflected in his portrait of fisherman, Santiago, with an indomitable spirit in defeat, in The Old Man and the Sea, which was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1953. Hemingway won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954. With one of the most important influences on the development of the American short story and novel, Hemingway has seized the imagination of the American public like no other twentieth-century author. He died by suicide, in Ketchum, Idaho, in 1961.
1.Hemingway was turned down for army service in World war I because ______ .
A. he was unlearned B. he was in poor condition
C. he was inexperienced D. he had bad eyesight
2.The publication of _______ proved Hemingway one of the greatest literary lights of the 20th century.
A. Three Stories and Ten Poems
B. A Farewell to Arms
C. The Old Man and the Sea
D. In Our Time
3.Which is the correct order of the following events given in this passage?
a. Hemingway’s work For Whom the Bell tolls came out.
b. Hemingway won the Nobel Prize in Literature.
c. Hemingway’s first book was published in Paris.
d. Hemingway got wounded on the Italian front.
e. Hemingway covered the Greco-Turkish war as a foreign reporter.
A. d, e, c, a, b B.e, c, d, a, b
C.a, c, e, b, d D. c, e, a, b, d
4.The underlined word “indomitable” in the last paragraph probably means ______.
A. unending B. unselfish C. unbending D. Unchanging
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Bob Dylan, born on May 24, 1941, is an American songwriter, singer, artist and writer. He has been influential in popular music and culture for more than five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s, when his songs showed social unrest. Early songs such as Blowing in the Wind and The Times They Are a-Changing promoted the American civil rights and anti-war movements.
Dylan’s songs include a wide range of political, social and literary influences. They challenged existing pop music conventions and appealed to the growing counterculture. His recording career, spanning more than 50 years, has explored the traditions in American song, from folk, blues, and country to rock and roll, and to English, Scottish, and Irish folk music, even jazz and the Great American Songbook. He has toured steadily since the late 1980s on what has been called the Never Ending Tour. His accomplishments as a recording artist and performer have been central to his career, but songwriting is considered his greatest contribution.
As a musician, Dylan has sold more than 100 million records, making him one of the best-selling artists of all time. He has also received numerous awards including eleven Grammy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and an Academy Award. The Pulitzer Prize jury in 2008 awarded him a special citation (引言）for his influence on popular music and American culture, marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power”. In May 2012, Dylan received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama. In 2016, Dylan received the Nobel Prize in Literature “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition”.
1.Which word best describes Dylan’s music according to Paragraph 2?
A. Various. B. Talented. C. Personal. D. Popular.
2.What is Dylan better recognized as?
A. A performer. B. A singer. C. An artist. D. A songwriter.
3.What made Dylan get the Nobel Prize?
A. His poems about music. B. His American song tradition.
C. His language style of the songs. D. His influence on America culture.
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Gabriela Mistral was born on April 6, 1889, at Vicuña, a small town in northern Chile. Her parents were schoolteachers, but her father abandoned the family when she was 3. Taught by her mother, she began instructing in 1904, achieving success in many high schools. In 1909, her first love died. Shortly afterward her second love married someone else. In 1922 the Mexican minister of education, José Vasconcelos, invited her to assist in his reform program, and the peak of this career came the following year, when she was awarded the Chilean title “Teacher of the Nation”. In 1925 she retired but remained active.
Gabriela Mistral devoted much time to diplomatic (外交的) activity, serving as honorary consul (名誉领事) in Madrid, Lisbon, Nice, and Los Angeles. She also served as a representative to the United Nations. In fulfillment of these responsibilities, she visited nearly every major country in Europe and Latin America. She also continued her early literary pursuits.
In 1922 Gabriela Mistral’s first book, Desolation, a collection of poems previously published in newspapers and magazines, was released through the efforts of Federico de Onís, Director of the Hispanic Institute of New York. It reflected personal sorrow.
Two years later her second book, Tenderness, appeared; it contained some of the poems from Desolation and several new ones. Fourteen years passed before the next, Felling, appeared. It was much happier in tone.
Her last book, Wine Press, in 1954, dealt with most of the subjects previously treated but in a different manner. The winning of the Nobel Prize for literature in 1945 did not assuage (减轻) the loss of her nephew. Furthermore, by 1944 she had developed diabetes (糖尿病).
Gabriela Mistral went to the United States for medical aid in 1946, living in various places and, after her appointment to the United Nations, moving to Long Island. It was there that she died of cancer on Jan. 10, 1957.
1.According to Paragraph 1, Gabriela Mistral _____.
A. had a short happy marriage B. was born in a poor family
C. was a devoted teacher D. had a beloved father
2. The second paragraph is mainly about Gabriela Mistral’s _____.
A. retired life B. achievements
C. works of literature D. diplomatic activity
3. The theme of Gabriela Mistral’s early works is _____.
A. death B. happiness
C. teaching life D. personal suffering
4.Which of the following is the correct order to describe Gabriela Mistral’s life according to the text?
a. She retired.
b. She developed diabetes.
c. She published her first book.
d. She began instructing in school.
e. She won the Nobel Prize for literature.
A. e-d-c-b-a B. d-c-a-b-e
C. d-a-b-e-c D. e-c-b-d-a
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Nelle Harper Lee was born on April 28,1926. Since Lee’s mother was mentally ill, she was raised by her father. She became very close to her father.
The naughty Lee loved reading, and would make up stories with Truman, her neighbour who was two years older than her. Seeing her daughter’s imagination, Lee’s father gave her a typewriter.
Before her final year in the university of Alabama, Lee dropped out to become a writer. She moved to New York City where her childhood friend Truman was already established as a famous writer. While there, she worked on her first book---To Kill a Mockingbird. It won her the Pulitzer Prize in 1961 and was made into an Academy Award winning movie the following year.To Kill a Mockingbird tells the story of six-year-old Scout and her brother who lived in the town of Maycomb Alabama with their single father Attics. Attics is a lawyer who defends the blacks . At a young age, Scout is exposed to the terrors of segregation(宗族隔离)。Then, in 2014, the first draft of a new book---Go Set a Watchman was discovered among Lee’s papers. It is the story of 26-year-old Scout who returns to Maycomb to visit her father. She is shocked to find her father a changed man. Attics has turned into a segregationists! The story shows the mixed feelings Scout has for the changes that have taken place in her hometown and father.
A loner for most of her life, Lee stayed unmarried, preferring to lead a small town life. On February 19,2015, Lee passed away at the age of 89.
1.What can we learn about Lee?
A. She became a professional writer at college.
B. She developed a gift for writing in childhood.
C. She was persuaded to become a writer by Truman
D. She got interested in writing after getting a typewriter.
2.What did the characters Lee described show?
A. Her love for writing stories.
B. The effect of having an ill mother
C. Her experience of living in a small town
D. Her childhood relationship with her father
3.What happened to Scout’s father in Go Set a Watchman?
A. He had complex feelings towards the black.
B. He struggled for the equal right of the black
C. He supported segregating the blacks and the whites.
D. He failed to get used to the changes of his hometown
4.What can we infer about Lee?
A. She has no taste for social life.
B. She write only a book in her life.
C. She feels lonely for most of her life.
D. She enjoys the fame for her successful book.