-
All writers dream of success. Yet some writers turn their back on success the moment it comes along. J.D. Salinger, the American author, is a good example.
On the face of it, the future did not look promising for the teenage Salinger. He seems always to have been running away from something. First it was school, then he dropped out of New York University. Finally, after failing to find a career in his father’s food import business and dropping out of yet another college he decided that his destiny was to be a writer. In the same year he joined a writing class at Columbia University which was taught by Whit Burnett, founder and editor of a magazine called Story. The March-April issue contained a story written by Salinger entitled ‘The Young Folks’. In it there are early versions of the moody, selfish youths that appear in his later fiction. Soon, his stories were appearing in various mass-circulation magazines but it was the famous New Yorker which he dreamed of, believing that publication within its covers would indicate his future potential as a serious writer.
Salinger has a huge reputation around the world yet it rests mainly on just one novel, The Catcher in the Rye. Published in 1951, it soon became highly popular with teenagers who identified with the hero’s powerful sense of dissatisfaction. Its success made Salinger a public figure. Most writers, of course, would welcome this. Salinger, however, hated it and refused it. He moved to a small house in Cornish, New Hampshire, where he lived away from society until his death in 2010 at the age of 91.
For Salinger, fame and artistic honesty were not the same thing. Some people become writers because they wish their works to speak for themselves. Salinger appears to have been disgusted by the idea that he had become the spokesman for a generation. In death he has perhaps achieved his highest goal: to be out of the spotlight, represented only by his work.
1.According to the article, J.D. Salinger is an example of _____________.
A. a selfish and moody youth B. a serious writer who hates fame
C. a famous American author D. someone who lives away from society
2.Salinger’s career as a writer improved greatly and his reputation was assured after he ____________.
A. failed to pursue a career in business
B. attended a writing class at Columbia University
C. published the novel ‘The Catcher in the Rye’
D. became a spokesman for young people
3.Which event in his early life confirmed his status as a serious writer?
A. Publication in a magazine.
B. Being taught by Whit Burnett.
C. Having a story accepted by the ‘New Yorker’.
D. Dropping out of New York University.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
-
(2013·高考重庆卷，A)When Joe was about to start school，all signs pointed to success.Yet things turned out to be quite___.The fourth grade even found him at the___of the class.Joe struggled day and night，but it did not____－until one stormy afternoon.
On that afternoon，____the math teacher started to introduce difficult concepts，dark clouds covered the sky，and the storm set in.Hard though she tried to make the kids____，the thunder won the battle for their attention.No one____the concepts.Except for Joe.He understood them and answered all the questions correctly.The teacher patted him on the back，and told him to go around to the others and explain how he had managed it.____by his newfound success，Joe moved quickly throughout the room.Soon math time was followed by the time for____.All children naturally drew____pictures on such a day.Except for Joe.
Since then，Joe started____.Though he never made it to the top，his math teacher was always____and curious about the change：Why had that stormy day changed Joe?
On the day Joe graduated，he presented the teacher with his most____possession－the picture of a bright yellow sun.On the picture Joe had written：This is the day I____my brightness.
1.A.unfair B．boring
C．disappointing D．dangerous
2.A.center B．top
C．beginning D．bottom
3.A.happen B．work
C．finish D．last
4.A.until B．since
C．because D．as
5.A.concentrate B．change
C．hide D．sit
6.A.challenged B．grasped
C．doubted D．admitted
7.A.Relieved B．Surprised
C．Encouraged D．Puzzled
8.A.class B．sports
C．art D．tea
9.A.great B．dark
C．different D．strange
10.A.improving B．painting
C．recovering D．studying
11.A.worried B．amazed
C．friendly D．cautious
12.A.familiar B．expensive
C．admirable D．precious
13.A.woke up to B．put up with
C．got on with D．looked down upon
高三英语完型填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
-
When Joe was about to start school, all signs pointed to success. Yet things turned out to be quite36. The fourth grade even found him at the37of the class. Joe struggled day and night, but it did not38—until one stormy afternoon.
On that afternoon, 39the math teacher started to introduce difficult concepts, dark clouds
covered the sky, and the storm set in. Hard though she tried to make the kid, 40, the thunder won the battle for their attention. No one41the concepts. Except for Joe. He understood them and answered all the questions correctly. The teacher patted him on the back, and told him to go around to the others and explain how he had managed it. 42by his newfound success, Joe moved quickly throughout the room. Soon math time was followed by the time for43. All children naturally drew44pictures on such a day. Except for Joe.
Since then, Joe started45. Though he never made it to the top, his math teacher was always46and curious about the change: Why had that stormy day changed Joe?
On the day Joe graduated, he presented the teacher with his most47possession—the picture of a bright yellow sun. On the picture Joe had written: This is the day I48my brightness.
1. A．unfair B．boring C．disappointing D．dangerous
2. A．center B．top C．beginning D．bottom
3. A．happen B．work C．finish D．last
4. A．until B．since C．because D．as
5. A．concentrate B．change C．hide D．sit
6. A．challenged B．grasped C．doubted D．admitted
7. A．Relieved B．Surprised C．Encouraged D．Puzzled
8. A．class B．sports C．art D．tea
9. A．great B．dark C．different D．strange
10. A．improving B．painting C．recovering D．studying
11. A．worried B．amazed C．friendly D．cautious
12. A．familiar B．expensive C．admirable D．precious
13. A．woke up to B．put up with C．got on with D．looked down upon
高三英语完型填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
-
Like many young people, I dreamed of growing up and becoming a successful writer one day. My first part-time job came when I was 18 years old. I was working in a paint factory. Because of the terrible smell of paint, it became normal for me to temporarily pass out during my lunch hour.
All of my spare time was spent writing and sending stories to any publisher that would read them, dreaming that one day losing consciousness while eating my ham sandwiches would no longer be a part of my daily routine.
I discovered content mills, where a writer could devote his time to writing soul-destroying online copy. It provided a little pay, but I wouldn’t faint(昏厥). So, I quit my day job. But it is difficult to work from home
. At times, I would lose all passion for writing 500 words about an advertisement for a bed for a few pounds, but the terrible smell of paint reminded me to get back to writing.Several months later, the money got better. I was given a job writing for one of the largest entertainment websites in the world. The job was simple: I complained about everything that was wrong with society and they paid me ₤50 for each article. A guy from the website asked if I’d be interested in leaving my small town life to move to the big city of Manchester to become a professional writer for them. I accepted.
After a pretty successful year, I was offered a promotion. Just 18 months earlier, I was suffering from the smell of paint on a daily basis and now I was managing a team of nine writers.
1.What does the underlined part mean in the passage?
A. Losing heart. B. Losing one’s memory.
C. Feeling sleepy. D.
Becoming unconscious.2.What once weakened the author’s love for writing?
A. The unpleasant smell in the factory.
B. Being given consistent writing work.
C. Something’s being wrong with society.
D. Writing advertisements at a low price.
3.What message does the author deliver in the passage?
A. Never give up nor stop trying.
B. A good beginning is half done.
C. Behind bad luck comes good luck.
D. A man can do no more than he can.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
-
People spend half their time dreaming of getting rich, and the rest of their time thinking about all the things they ________ if they got rich.
A. will do B. did C. do D. would do
高三英语单项填空困难题查看答案及解析
-
______ to their dream universities, all the Senior Three students in the City of Longyan are devoted to their studies.
A. To be admitted B. Admitted C. Admitting D. To admit
高三英语单项选择题中等难度题查看答案及解析
-
The Voice of China has set up a stage some people can achieve their dreams．
A．which B．where C．that D．when
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
-
The Voice of China has set up a stage____ some people can realize their dreams.
A. which B. where C. that D. when
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
-
The Voice of China has set up a stage _______ some people can achieve their dreams.
A. which B. when C. that D. where
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
-
The audience starts to scream and young people all over Britain turn on their TVs. Yes, it’s Top of the Pops!
Top of the Pops is an amazing 34 years old. Pop stars from all over the world appear on this successful TV programme. After 1,800 shows, it’s still the most popular pop music show in Britain. So what’s the secret?
“We get lots of bands to perform live in the studio,” says producer Chris Cowey. “That just doesn’t happen on other shows.”
Chris starts planning the programme over a week before it goes out. His first job is to decide which bands to have on the show. When the chart of the top twenty songs is produced on Sunday, Chris can start to book the bands.
Monday starts with Chris meeting his sound, lighting and camera workers. They listen to each song and plan the show.
Tuesday is paperwork day. There are bookings to make sure of letters to answer and lots of phone calls to make. The show is on Thursday. Bands arrive at the studio from 10 o’clock in the morning and start practising. Tonight’s presenter, Jo Whiley, practices too.
First the bands go to make up. Judy and Issy are the make-up artists. “We see the stars with no make-up on, looking terrible,” says Issy. Then the bands go to the costume department where Marianne dresses the stars.
Back in the studio things are happening. The audience are practicing their dance moves! It takes over two hours to record the whole programme, then Chris edits it all night long. The final version is exactly 29 minutes long.
31. What make(s) Top of the Pops still the most popular in Britain?
A. The live performances in the studio.
B. The jobs carefully done by the workers of the TV station.
C. The great fame of the bands.
D. The large numbers of pop fans in Britain.
32. When the bands receive the invitations to the performance, _________.
A. they must decide on the songs
B. they don’t have to decide what songs they will perform
C. the songs that will be performed haven’t been decided on
D. they have no idea what songs they will perform
33．The underlined word “costume”（in Paragraph 7） probably means________.
A. makeup B. stage C. studio D. clothes
1. How is a music programme made at the TV station?
2. Which is the proper title for the passage?
A. More Popular, More Successful
B. A Stage for Pop Stars
C. Go Backstage of Top of the Pops.
D. A Popular Live Band.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
. At times, I would lose all passion for writing 500 words about an advertisement for a bed for a few pounds, but the terrible smell of paint reminded me to get back to writing.