In creating A.J. Fikry’s ordinary-yet-extraordinary life, the author Gabielle Zevin has thrown every clichés(老生常谈) into the mix. The hero, A.J. Fikry, lost his beloved wife Nic in a road accident. The sales of his bookstore have been decreasing. The enthusiastic new sales representative Amelia won’t stop annoying him with new books. His rare and very valuable first edition has gone missing. But the unexpected arrival of Maya left in his care brings about a series of events with love and hope to his life.
There are few real surprises in the plot and attentive readers will be able to tell where the story is headed. But that is not the point; the clichés and the predictable plot take nothing away from Zevin’s work The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry because it’s how she tells the story that first charms the readers, then holds their attention, making them read the whole book in a single sitting and finally give the book a long hug when they are finished. This book is a love letter to the joys of reading.
Each chapter begins with the title of a short story or a book and a note from A.J. Fikry describing what he likes about it, essentially introducing each character by what they read. The characters are so realistic that it’s hard not to fall in love with all of them: Maya, “the fantastic book-worm,” Amelia, “the giantess” with questionable taste in fashion, Lambiase, the adorable police chief, and A.J. Fikry, the reluctant hero who hates electronic reading devices that will “send centuries of a lively culture into what will surely be a rapid decline.”
The passage of time, race issues, and the bureaucratic argument of children’s services are all put aside in the telling of this story, not because there’s anything to hide or because reality is not allowed to interfere, but because the author chooses to focus on the important stuff. For example, it focuses on Lambiase who organizes a reading club for policemen at the book store. His original intention is to help promote business, but over the years he becomes a genuine book-lover, one who tends to always have simple advice for his cynical(愤世嫉俗的) friend, A.J. Fikry. “Bad timing,” Lambiase claims, “I’ve been a police officer for twenty years now and I’ll tell you pretty much every bad thing in life is a result of bad timing, and every good thing is the result of good timing.”
More than anything else, this novel is not only about the selling of them or the reading of them, but how books and stories become part of our lives, how we find ourselves within what we read and how we carry books with us. It is also about the power of unexpected happiness and always believing that something wonderful is just around the corner. The Late Bloomer is the book within a book which brings together A.J. Fikry and Amelia. It reminds them that life doesn’t follow a set script, things happen when they are meant to happen, and there is no such thing as “too late” for anything. Life is the big picture. Always look at the big picture. Enjoy it. Don’t get too concentrated on the details, because it will all be over before you know it. In the long run nobody, not even you, will remember the ordinary details because they are, in the end, quite irrelevant.
A.J. Fikry’s final words of wisdom to teen-aged Maya convey the same feelings in literary terms: “We are not quite novels. We are not quite short stories. In the end, we are collected works. We have read enough to know there are no collections where each story is perfect. Some of us hit. Some miss.”
1.The author’s attitude towards Zevin’s book is _________.
A. supportive B. critical
C. objective D. indifferent
2.How many characters of the novel are mentioned in the passage?
A. Four. B. Five.
C. Six. D. Seven.
3.The police chief organizing a reading club is mentioned to prove _________ in the novel.
A. there is really nothing to hide B. reality is not allowed to interfere
C. important stuff has been focused on D. everything is a result of timing
4.What can be implied in Paragraph 5?
A. The novel underlines happiness will always be around.
B. The novel mainly talks about the marketing of the book.
C. It is The Late Bloomer that brings A.J and Amelia together.
D. It is important to do things on the basis of overall situation.
5.The underlined sentence in the last paragraph most probably means _________.
A. our life is full of ups and downs B. we should collect works all our life
C. our life is closely connected with books D. we should read books all our life
6.The passage is mainly about _________.
A. the extraordinary life of A.J. Fikry B. the moral lesson of no “too late” in life
C. a comment on The Later Bloomer D. a review of The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry
高三英语阅读理解困难题
In creating A.J. Fikry’s ordinary-yet-extraordinary life, the author Gabielle Zevin has thrown every clichés(老生常谈) into the mix. The hero, A.J. Fikry, lost his beloved wife Nic in a road accident. The sales of his bookstore have been decreasing. The enthusiastic new sales representative Amelia won’t stop annoying him with new books. His rare and very valuable first edition has gone missing. But the unexpected arrival of Maya left in his care brings about a series of events with love and hope to his life.
There are few real surprises in the plot and attentive readers will be able to tell where the story is headed. But that is not the point; the clichés and the predictable plot take nothing away from Zevin’s work The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry because it’s how she tells the story that first charms the readers, then holds their attention, making them read the whole book in a single sitting and finally give the book a long hug when they are finished. This book is a love letter to the joys of reading.
Each chapter begins with the title of a short story or a book and a note from A.J. Fikry describing what he likes about it, essentially introducing each character by what they read. The characters are so realistic that it’s hard not to fall in love with all of them: Maya, “the fantastic book-worm,” Amelia, “the giantess” with questionable taste in fashion, Lambiase, the adorable police chief, and A.J. Fikry, the reluctant hero who hates electronic reading devices that will “send centuries of a lively culture into what will surely be a rapid decline.”
The passage of time, race issues, and the bureaucratic argument of children’s services are all put aside in the telling of this story, not because there’s anything to hide or because reality is not allowed to interfere, but because the author chooses to focus on the important stuff. For example, it focuses on Lambiase who organizes a reading club for policemen at the book store. His original intention is to help promote business, but over the years he becomes a genuine book-lover, one who tends to always have simple advice for his cynical(愤世嫉俗的) friend, A.J. Fikry. “Bad timing,” Lambiase claims, “I’ve been a police officer for twenty years now and I’ll tell you pretty much every bad thing in life is a result of bad timing, and every good thing is the result of good timing.”
More than anything else, this novel is not only about the selling of them or the reading of them, but how books and stories become part of our lives, how we find ourselves within what we read and how we carry books with us. It is also about the power of unexpected happiness and always believing that something wonderful is just around the corner. The Late Bloomer is the book within a book which brings together A.J. Fikry and Amelia. It reminds them that life doesn’t follow a set script, things happen when they are meant to happen, and there is no such thing as “too late” for anything. Life is the big picture. Always look at the big picture. Enjoy it. Don’t get too concentrated on the details, because it will all be over before you know it. In the long run nobody, not even you, will remember the ordinary details because they are, in the end, quite irrelevant.
A.J. Fikry’s final words of wisdom to teen-aged Maya convey the same feelings in literary terms: “We are not quite novels. We are not quite short stories. In the end, we are collected works. We have read enough to know there are no collections where each story is perfect. Some of us hit. Some miss.”
1.The author’s attitude towards Zevin’s book is _________.
A. supportive B. critical
C. objective D. indifferent
2.How many characters of the novel are mentioned in the passage?
A. Four. B. Five.
C. Six. D. Seven.
3.The police chief organizing a reading club is mentioned to prove _________ in the novel.
A. there is really nothing to hide B. reality is not allowed to interfere
C. important stuff has been focused on D. everything is a result of timing
4.What can be implied in Paragraph 5?
A. The novel underlines happiness will always be around.
B. The novel mainly talks about the marketing of the book.
C. It is The Late Bloomer that brings A.J and Amelia together.
D. It is important to do things on the basis of overall situation.
5.The underlined sentence in the last paragraph most probably means _________.
A. our life is full of ups and downs B. we should collect works all our life
C. our life is closely connected with books D. we should read books all our life
6.The passage is mainly about _________.
A. the extraordinary life of A.J. Fikry B. the moral lesson of no “too late” in life
C. a comment on The Later Bloomer D. a review of The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
Stan Lee, an outstanding comic-book writer, created plenty of superheroes in his works, _________ the Spider-man and the X-men are the most famous.
A. for them B. for which C. of them D. of which
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
Second Life is a 3D, online world in which computer users can create a new self and live a different life. Second Life is one of the most popular new online games.
But unlike other games, Second Life is not about winning or losing. Second Life is technically a computer game. But people involved in it do not consider it a game because the players create everything. Second Life is more for socializing and creating communities.
Users of Second Life are called residents. To take part, they must create an avatar, or an electronic image of themselves. Some avatars look like humans, while others look like animals or imaginary creatures.
Inside the Second Life world, residents live in different versions of themselves. They build homes, run businesses, buy and sell things, work, play, and attend school. They even have relationships and get married.
Second Life was created in 2003 by Linden Lab in San Francisco, California. Linden Lab controls the Website where the ever-changing world is being created. There are now about one million people around the world who are active in Second Life. The number has grown quickly since the beginning of the year when there were about one hundred thousand users.
The average age of people involved with Second Life is about thirty. However, Linden Lab recently created Teen Second Life for younger users. Second Life has its own economy and its own money, called Linden dollars.
Millions of dollars are made and spent each month in Second Life. Users can enter Second Life for free. But they must pay for a membership if they want to own land or buy and sell goods and services.
Recently, several major companies have become involved with Second Life. They wanted to be part of the growing business world that exists within the made-up reality.
1. What’s special about the game “Second Life”?
A. It’s a game about losing and winning.
B. It creates everything in life.
C. It benefits one’s abilities to socialize and create.
D. It is simply a popular game to kill time.
2. What does the underlined word “avatar” mean?
A. An instrument someone uses. B. A picture someone takes.
C. An imaginary identity of someone. D. A weapon used in Second Life.
3. Which is NOT true about the game “Second Life”?
A. A resident in Second Life lives a life somewhat like that of real life.
B. The number of users of Second Life is about ten times as large as that of 2003.
C. You can’t enter Second Life until you pay for the entrance fee.
D. To own possessions, a resident has to pay to be a member of Second Life.
4. Why do some big companies want to join in Second Life?
A. They want to experience life in the made-up reality.
B. They want to promote their products more widely.
C. The want to be a member of Second Life.
D. They want to build agencies in Second Life.
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
Once upon a time in a far-away place lived an old doll-maker. He had spent his long life creating dolls of all ______, making all the little girls in the world______. He had kept up in the______of the world and made dolls that say “mama” and_______by themselves. The doll maker was very______, and he knew that his time for special contribution was growing short. So, with______determination in his heart, he made his most beautiful _____. He gave her brown hair, and the bluest eyes. This special doll was given long legs with which she could______and play. She had a beautiful face and he planned this so that she could see the______in others.
On the last day when she was _____, he lifted her up with great care and set her______in front of a large mirror. He asked, “Are you not the most beautiful doll in the world?” The doll looked through her long lashes(睫毛)______of excited expectation._______her pretty face clouded up and then stormed over. “Oh doll-maker, I_______brown hair and I have always longed for green eyes. These re not the_______I’d have chosen for myself, ______look how long my legs are! How unfashionable they will seem to the world. Oh doll-maker, I am not a beautiful doll______!”
We have been created with the most beautiful _______. Don’t look into life’s ______and wish you were_____you’re not. May we thank the great doll-maker for what we have been given.
1.A. pages B. sorts C. aims D. ranks
2.A. young B. happy C. strong D. healthy
3.A. wars B. accidents C. trends D. events
4.A. clean up B. look out C. leave out D. stand up
5.A. wise B. merciful C. selfish D. rude
6.A. special B. little C. normal D. common
7.A. text B. essay C. creation D. fiction
8.A. sing B. speak C. wait D. dance
9.A. beauty B. wealth C. kindness D. story
10.A. destroyed B. completed C. sold D. brought
11.A. nervously B. angrily C. gently D. toughly
12.A. short B. fond C. tired D. full
13.A. Suddenly B. Luckily C. Actually D. Generally
14.A. admit B. hate C. admire D. hide
15.A. name B. reason C. color D. organ
16.A. but B. if C. so D. and
17.A. in advance B. on purpose C. at all D. in time
18.A. clothes B. qualities C. skin D. family
19.A. mirrors B. incidents C. expenses D. difficulties
20.A. nothing B. either C. none D. someone
高三英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
“You will be in my heart forever. Without you, there are only emptiness and desert in my life...” This is a line from a heartfelt poem Feng Duan wrote to his fiancee Chen Lianfang in 1955.
Feng is now 94 and Chen 90, and they have been married for more than half a century. Feng, an academic at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, may not be a professional poet but for 64 years, Feng has written countless love poems to his wife. On every important anniversary or festival, Feng would send a poem to Chen. In 1978, when Chen’s cancer surgery succeeded, Feng created more than ten poems to celebrate his wife’s recovery. Chen used a red suitcase to store these love poems. The academic has also translated many English, French and German poems into classical Chinese.
The couple was introduced to each other by a common friend in 1953 and Feng sent two paper copies of poems to Chen as a gift.
“As long as I think of you, a beam of sunshine lights up my heart,” Feng wrote.
Chen recalled the first time Feng invited her to his dormitory to have a cup of tea and she thought the cup was made of frosted glass. As the two became closer, Chen often visited the academic’s dorm. She realized that the cup was the only one poor Feng owned. The opaque (不透明的) cup was not frosted glass but common glass stained with toothpaste.
Later she bought many clothes and even a stove for Feng, making a nice change from the single man s life. Feng’s marriage to Chen brought more happiness and now Chen still looks after Feng’s daily needs.
1.When Feng first met Chen, he was .
A. 32 B. 30
C. 28 D. 26
2.What change did Chen bring to Feng?
A. Chen made a great difference to Feng’s daily life.
B. Chen changed Feng’s academic life greatly.
C. Chen wrote a lot of poems to Feng.
D. Chen introduced a lot of friends to Feng.
3.What can we learn from the passage?
A. Chen and Feng happened to meet each other on the campus.
B. Feng wrote many poems in different languages.
C. Chen cherished the poems Feng wrote to her.
D. Feng liked his opaque cup so much.
4.The writer wrote the passage to show .
A. how a famous poet writes love poems to his wife
B. how the love poems join two hearts together
C. how important love poems are in the marriage
D. how the love poems make the couple famous
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
In all his life, Dickens wrote a large number of excellent novels in the 19th century, _____ some are still popular nowadays.
A. whose B. of that
C. in which D. of which
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
In all his life, Dickens wrote a large number of excellent novels in the 19th century, _____ some are still popular nowadays.
A. whose B. of that C. in which D. of which
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
On April 14th, 2010, my entire life changed in an instant. One moment I was joyfully riding through the sunshine. The next moment, metal, flesh and bone were spreading against the pavement in a thunderous crash. Another cyclist, biking carelessly, had cut me off and sent me supermanning toward oncoming traffic.
As if to symbolize the accident that had hit my life, another disaster also occurred on April 14th, 2010. It cost the airline industry $l.7 billion. Ten million travelers were stuck for days. Economies all over the world were disturbed. This was the eruption of Eyjafjallajokull, one of Iceland’s many volcanoes.
However, volcanoes are not all bad. In fact, they are necessary. They are responsible for the birth of new earth, and for the creation of rich soil. This eruption gave off 0.15 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere daily. But cancelling 48% of the worlds flight travel saved about 2.8 million tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere,temporarily decreasing our carbon footprint.
Similarly, the accident had badly affected my emotion but it also allowed me to look more closely inside myself and discover things about myself I never would have realized. I learned how not to judge myself for my new limitations.
In 1973, another Icelandic volcano, Eldfell, broke out. Icelanders decided to bomb it with cold water until it froze and chose a different path. After their plan worked,they used the geothermal (地热) energy for the next 15 years to heat their homes. A good example of life bringing lemons, and making lemonade! One must move on from misfortunes, focusing only on the present moment and being hopeful for the future.
I ran from April 14th, 2010, to every kind of escape. Eventually I ended up in university for a new-found love in Earth sciences.
1.What happened to the writer on April 14th, 2010?
A. He was involved in a car crash.
B. He was stuck in Iceland’s airport.
C. He witnessed a volcanic eruption.
D. He was badly injured on a bike ride.
2.Which was an effect of the eruption of Eyjafjallajokull?
A. Economy was cost globally by the eruption.
B. Carbon dioxide was increased temporarily.
C. The earth in Ireland was terribly polluted.
D. Most of the world’s planes were held up.
3.Why did the writer mention the Eldfell volcano?
A. It broke out in Iceland on April 14th as well.
B. It symbolized the accident that changed his life.
C. It encouraged him to know more about himself.
D. It told us to make the most of given situation.
4.What is the best title for the passage?
A. Inspiration from Disasters B. Escape from Volcanoes
C. Love for Earth Science D. Attitude towards Nature
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
I remember vividly the call that changed my life. It was Tuesday, February 18, when the 31rang in the kitchen of my Los Angeles home. On the 32 was Marty Bandera, a literary agent to whom I had sent a draft(草稿) of my novel three weeks earlier. “ I have a couple of 33 ,” Bandera said.
“First, how old are you?” “I’m 48,” I replied.
“Are you in good 34 ?” “Yes, excellent. What’s this about?”
“I’ve sold your novels 35 one and a half million dollars.”
I sat down in 36 . I had written over fourteen novels in twenty years, but each one had been 37 by the publishers. I suppose many people would have been 38 , but not me. Each time, I just 39 writing another one. My husband advised me to find something else to do, but I refused to 40 . Seeing this book 41 was the best thing that has ever happened to me. It’s a mystery story (like all the others) and it was on the best-seller 42 two weeks after publication!
I got my first lesson in story 43 from my grandmother. She used to read me stories. She was the one who gave me a 44 of words. She sparked(激发) my 45 and she has been a 46 influence on me. I always had stories running through my 47 and as soon as I could write I 48 them down on paper.
I married young and I have three children, but I never stopped writing, 49 novels between doing the diapers(婴儿的尿布) and dishes. I am writing another novel now. Yes, my 50 has changed my life。
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高三英语完型填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Mandela ,who devoted all his life to the freedom of South African Blacks and died on December 5th in 2013, is a real fighter for us to_________.
A. live up to B. come up to
C. make up to D. look up to
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析