Spain’s Literary GeniusFour centuries ago, th...

Spain’s Literary Genius

Four centuries ago, the author of one of the greatest comedic characters in world literature took his last breath. Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616), the author of Don Quixote, is to the Spanish what Shakespeare is to the English and Dante is to Italians — a national literary icon.

Cervantes’ book is still appreciated today, hundreds of years after its publication, because it’s a wonderfully truthful comedy. Don Quixote, like human beings generally, has great difficulty distinguishing reality from imagination. Readers may laugh at his strange behavior, but we laugh, we laugh with recognition.

The book records the adventures of Alonso Quijano, an older Spanish gentleman who loves romance novels. In truth, he reads far too many romances, and they have affected his mind. Quijano is so mixed up that he decides that he must become a knight himself. Imagine a comic book fan who decides to dress up as a superhero to fight crime, and I’ll get the picture.

Setting the scene

Alonso Quijano reinvents himself as “Don Quixote de La Mancha”, an aristocratic (贵族的) name that suits his ambition of being a knight. Next, since every knight needs a horse, he finds himself an old one named Rocinante. But Rocinante is not exactly cut out for lite as a knight’s horse. He’s tired from years of farm work. He’s unlikely to be of much help in any fight against an enemy.

The heroes in the romances Quijano reads all had a lady to love. They were highborn, like the knights themselves. Quijano chooses Aldonze Lorenzo, a farmer’s daughter, to be his beloved. She becomes “Dulcinea del Toboso”, or “the sweet woman of Toboso”. How does Aldonza feel about Quijano’s attentions? She doesn’t feel much at all, actually. Aldonza is yet another byproduct of Quijano’s imagination, like so many things.

Finding a sidekick

Now comes Cervantes’ second great creation: Sancho Panza. Once servant in Qiujano’s house, Panza is promoted to the role of squire (随从), because every self-respecting knight needs a squire. Panza has a sensible head on his shoulders, and he is a foil (衬托) to his foolish master.

The pair faces many adventures, but none are as heroic as a knight’s should be. We laugh, rather than cry, as we read. Quijano tries to act on behalf of justice, but he doesn’t often succeed.

Cervantes’ novel inspired a word that sums up Qiujano’s romantic nature: “quixotic”. In English we use the word to describe someone who is idealistic but foolish in pursuit of his ideals. It is a mark of Cervantes’ genius that he was able to identify this trait and personify it using such a great comedic character. We should appreciate him for it on this significant occasion.

1.On what occasion did the author write this review?

A.The 400th anniversary of the publication of Don Quixote.

B.An Italian Poet, Dante’s 800th birth anniversary.

C.An English genius, William Shakespeare’s 400th death anniversary.

D.Miguel de Cervantes’ 400th anniversary of his death.

2.Which role is Alonso Quijano most likely to identify with?

A.Miguel de Cervantes. B.Don Quixote de La Mancha.

C.Dulcinea del Toboso. D.Sancho Panza.

3.What can be inferred from the passage?

A.Don Quixote’s failure to distinguish reality from imagination amuses the readers.

B.Quijano manages to bring justice to the world by means of force.

C.Quijano is a Spanish aristocrat with great ambition.

D.Reading romance novel will make people behave in a foolish way.

4.According to the author, readers admire Cervantes and his masterpiece because ________

A.Cervantes is equal to Shakespeare and Dante as a national literary icon

B.Quijano’s adventure is romantic and heroic

C.Cervantes’ has a genius for personifying Quijano’s quixotic nature in a truthful comedy

D.Quijano’s vivid imagination has brought other minor characters to life.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Look at the map of Spain and point at the center. You've located the country's capital and one of Europe's most beautiful cities: Madrid. This popular destination is considered a city of contrasts with its abundant historic sites, resting in the shadows of modern skyscrapers.

History

This city of over 3 million people is proud of Western Europe's largest royal palace, and some consider it to be Madrid's most beautiful building.

Inside the Royal Palace 2,800 rooms are decorated in glory with museum-quality furniture and artworks. Tourists can tour 50 of these large and splendid rooms.

Art

The Internationally respected Prado Museum is the largest and most impressive art gallery in Spain. Opened in 1819, it is filled with works of art that feature the world's most comprehensive collection of Spanish paintings.

Shopping

Madrid has some of Europe's best shopping, and potential buyers love to look through the stores looking for bargains. But for 500 years, shoppers have gathered to an extremely large outdoor flea market known as the Rastro where they find everything from antiques to CDs.

Entertainment

No trip to Madrid is complete without seeing a performance of Spain's famous art form, flamenco. Every day, flamenco performers sing, dance or play the guitar in small cafes and grand theaters alike.

Food

Madrid has a wide variety of restaurants, but because the Spanish typically eat late at about 9 or 10 p.m., it's difficult to find good dinner food earlier. If you get hungry before then, the best solution is to try a tapas bar where light snacks are served. Be sure to try the jamon, a kind of dry-cured ham: Spain is famous for it.

1.What do we know about the Royal Palace in Madrid?

A. It has 50 rooms for visit.

B. It can hold 2, 800 people.

C. It's been visited by 3 million people.

D. It is thought to be the largest in Europe.

2.What kind of market is “the Rastro”？

A. For discount.

B. For artworks.

C. To sell various goods.

D. To sell antiques and CDs.

3.What is a must when travelling in Madrid?

A. Having dinner earlier.

B. Enjoying flamenco.

C. Visiting Prado Museum.

D. Drinking in a tapas bar.

高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

Lawrence Craven, a doctor from the USA, is the author of several published reports, one of which introduced the idea in 1953 ________ aspirin could reduce the risk of heart attacks by thinning blood.

A．when            B．where            C．that              D．which

高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Lawrence Craven, a doctor from the USA, is the author of several published reports, one of _____ introduced the idea in 1953 _____ aspirin could reduce the risk of heart attacks.

A. them; when           B. which; that          C. what; that      D. which; when

高二英语单项填空困难题查看答案及解析

Lawrence Craven, a doctor from the USA, is the author of several published reports, one of _______ introduced the idea in 1953 _______ aspirin could reduce the risk of heart attacks.

A．them; when                                      B．which; that

C．what; that                                      D．which; when

高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

How to Train Your Dragon by British author Cressida Cowell is one of the best pieces of children's literature. A child can make a whole alternative universe with a vivid imagination and Toothless, the hero's hunting dragon, thus turning a rainy day into an adventure of a lifetime. However, if you have never read the book but instead choose to see the film version, you might think you were seeing a new-age war movie meant for adults rather than children.

Let's look at Where the Wild Things Are for further discussion. The story centers around a lonely eight-year-old boy named Max, who sails away to an island. Creatures living there declare Max their king.

What an amazing piece of children's literature! A treasure for every child's library. Yet, children were crying in the movie theatre. Owls were falling from the sky, chicken's arms were being torn off, and a child was running around a dark abandoned world fighting evil as the only human. It was almost as if Hollywood could not imagine children enjoying a movie for its basic literature content. Hollywood might be right. But more and more its audience are complaining that there is an increased amount of violence in children's stories today than in the past.

While there appears to be a trend in our society to make more violence more accessible to younger children, books and literature are generally an exception. I truly believe that children's literature has become more vivid, and more colorful. This is a great treasure for the children, and is certainly not violent. What has changed the children's stories of today is not the writers, but the film industry. In some way, children's literature is just being strangely twisted（扭曲）. I wonder how much influence the authors have over this.

1.The text is mainly about ____.

A. two good books for children

B. how a book is adapted into a film

C. whether children should go to the movies

D. whether children's movie is getting more violent

2. It can be inferred that the film Where the Wild Things Are is ___.

A. moving　　 　　　 B. frightening

C. interesting　　 D. amazing

3.According to the text, the author thinks that ____.

A. the film industry's treatment of children's literature is wrong

B. writers should provide more colorful works for children

C. there is an increase in violence in children's literature

D. children should read books rather than see films

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Dutch author Marieke Lucas Rijneveld has become one of the youngest writers to be shortlisted （列入候选） for a Booker prize, after their debut novel （处女作）made the final line-up for the International Booker.

Rijneveld. a rising star in Dutch literature, is 28― lightly older than British author Daisy Johnson was when she was shortlisted for the Booker prize in 2018 age 27. The author, who identifies as male and uses the pronouns they/them, was shortlisted after a six-hour virtual (虚拟的) judging meeting for the £50,000 prize, which is shared equally between writer and translator, for The Discomfort of Evening, translated by Michele Hutchison. The novel, tells of a girl whose brother dies in a skating accident and draws from Rijneveld’s own experiences: when they were three, their 12-year-old brother was knocked over and killed by a bus.

“Rijneveld’s language renders (重现) the world again, revealing the shocks and violence of early youth through the angle of a Dutch dairy farm. The strangeness of a child looking at the strangeness of the world is in it,” said judges of the work.

“The Discomfort of Evening is one of six novels in the running for the International Booker, each of which,” said chair of judges Ted Hodgkinson, “restlessly reinvents （重 塑）received narratives, from foundational myths to family folklore, plunging us into discomfiting and delightful encounters with selves in a state of transition (过渡)”.

Hodgkinson chaired a panel （专家组）of five judges who selected the shortlist from 124 submissions. The coronavirus pandemic meant their meeting had to be virtual, but Hodgkinson said he and his panel still managed to discuss the line-up for more than six hours.

The winner will be announced on 19 May.

1.We can learn from the 2nd paragraph that_____________.

A.Rijneveld is a young male writer.

B.Rijneveld and the translator Michele Hutchison will share the $50,000 prize.

C.Daisy Johnson was the youngest writer shortlisted for a Booker prize this year.

D.The Discomfort of Evening is partly adapted from Rijneveld’s own experiences.

2.Which can we infer from the passage?

A.Rijneveld’s brother died from a skating accident.

B.The judges of the work speak highly of Rijneveld’s language.

C.Six novels reveal the shocks and violence of early youth on a Dutch dairy farm.

D.Hodgkinson and his panel were unhappy to discuss the line-up online for over six hours.

3.Why did the panel have a virtual judging meeting?

A.Because of the coronavirus pandemic.

B.Because there were too many submissions.

C.Because it was more effective online.

D.Because the judges lives too far away from each other.

4.What is the most suitable title of the passage?

A.Booker prize winner will be announced

B.Rijneveld, one of the most youngest Booker winner

C.International Booker prize shortlist led by 28-year-old’s debut

D.The Discomfort of Evening a novel running for the International Booker

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Kenneth Williams 1. (consider) one of the greatest British comedy actors of the twentieth century. His voice, as his outstanding gift, actually defended him as a 2. (perform). Williams would often spend weeks 3. (decide) how a character should sound and this “voice” determined his approach to each role. 4. even after he had chosen his “voice”, he didn’t always stick to it. In the middle of a single performance, he would occasionally change the tone or speed of his speech, for 5. (great) comic effect. While still a beginner, he felt he should be given the freedom to do as he wished on stage and often 6. (ignore) his directors’ instructions. This greatly annoyed some directors, who refused 7. (work) with him. Sometimes, he would completely ignore the script and make up his own lines during performance. Although he was proud of his ability to go “off script”, he became extremely angry if other actors tried to do the same, 8.(argue) that they were simply not good at it. Williams loved to make his audience laugh. When performing a scene 9. there were few laughs, he would often make up 10. own jokes, which always entertained the audience, but sometimes also ruined the scene.

高二英语语法填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

One of the most successful singers of the twentieth century, Ella Fitzgerald has made several different styles of her own. She was born in Virginia but was brought up in an orphanage in Yonkers, New York. Chick Webb spotted her in an amateur competition when she was sixteen. He engaged her to sing with his band and when he died in 1939, she took over.

Unlike Bessie Smith, Ella Fitzgerald taught herself the sentimental music so popular in the 1930’s — songs like “My Heart Belongs to Daddy”— and her recordings became best-sellers. During the 1940’s she developed her own “scat singing” — a breathless, nonsense—syllable style—for songs like “Flying Home” and “Lady Be Good.”

Ella Fitzgerald was the perfect musical partner for her friend, the trumpeter Louis Armstrong, matching him in warmth and artistry. “I just like music, period,” she said. “To me, it’s a story. There’s only one thing better than singing…. It’s more singing.”

1.What does the passage mainly discuss?

A. A comparison of Ella Fitzgerald and Bessie Smith.

B. The musical career of Ella Fitzgerald.

C. Ella Fitzgerald’s early childhood.

D. Ella Fitzgerald’s most recent recordings.

2.The underlined word “spotted” means ________.

A. noticed            B. brought up            C. employed            D. recognized

3.What does the passage imply about Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong?

A. They were the founders of “scat singing”.

B. They played the same musical instruments.

C. They performed well together.

D. They were a married couple.

高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

Barbara McClintock was one of the most important scientists of the twentieth century. She made important discoveries about genes and chromosomes (染色体).

Barbara McClintock was born in 1902 in Hartford, Connecticut. Her family moved to the Brooklyn area of New York City in 1908. Barbara was an active child with interests in sports and music. She also developed an interest in science.

She studied science at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Barbara was among a small number of undergraduate students to receive training in genetics in 1921. Years later, she noted that few college students wanted to study genetics.

Barbara McClintock decided to study botany, the scientific study of plants, at Cornell University. She completed her undergraduate studies in 1923. McClintock decided to continue her education at Cornell. She completed a master’s degree in 1925. Two years later, she finished all her requirements for a doctorate degree.

McClintock stayed at Cornell after she completed her education. She taught students botany. The 1930s were not a good time to be a young scientist in the United States. The country was in the middle of the great economic Depression. Millions of Americans were unemployed. Male scientists were offered jobs. But female geneticists were not much in demand.

An old friend from Cornell, Marcus Rhoades, invited McClintock to spend the summer of 1941 working at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. It is a research center on Long Island, near New York City. McClintock started in a temporary job with the genetics department. A short time later, she accepted a permanent position with the laboratory. This gave her the freedom to continue her research without having to teach or repeatedly ask for financial aid.

By the 1970s, her discoveries had had an effect on everything from genetic engineering to cancer research. McClintock won the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1983 for her discovery of the ability of genes to change positions on chromosomes. She was the first American woman to win an unshared Nobel Prize.

1.When did McClintock receive a doctorate degree?

A. In 1921.　　 B. In 1923.　　 C. In 1925.　　 D. In 1927.

2.During the great economic Depression in the US, _______.

A. young scientists had trouble finding a job

B. female geneticists were not wanted at all

C. male geneticists were in great demand

D. male scientists were mostly out of job

3.Which of the following jobs may be most beneficial to McClintock’s research?

A. The job as a botany teacher.

B. The temporary job in the genetics department.

C. The permanent position in the laboratory.

D. The job of cancer research.

4.McClintock was awarded a Nobel Prize because of _______.

A. her life-long research in botany and biology

B. her contribution to genetic engineering

C. her discoveries about genes and chromosomes

D. her unshared work in the laboratory

5.The text is likely to appear in _______.

A. a biography　　 B. a history paper

C. a newspaper　　 D. a philosophy textbook

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析