| 1. 难度：中等 | |
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Shirley Temple, who died on February 10, 2014, was that rare example of a Hollywood child star who, when the cameras stopped rolling, carved out a new career. For four years, she was Hollywood’s biggest box-office star representing the kind of sweet, innocent girl that everyone wanted as their daughter. However, years later, she reappeared as a successful politician. Shirley Temple was born in Santa Monica, California on 23 April 1928. Encouraged by her mother, she learned to dance while she was just three. In 1934, Stand Up and Cheer became her first film and the film was a great success. At the age of six she was earning $1,250 a week — more than $21,000 at today’s values. Across the world, audiences flocked to see her in films such as Little Miss Marker, The Little Colonel and The Littlest Rebel. In 1935 she was awarded a special Oscar (Academy Award) and her foot and hand prints were added to those of stars such as Jean Harlow and Mary Pickford outside Grauman’s Chinese theatre in Hollywood. The peak of her film career came in 1939 when The Little Princess became a box-office success. Temple starred in a total of 43 feature films. But she found it difficult to maintain her film career in adulthood and retired from Hollywood in 1950. She disappeared from the spotlight for nearly 20 years. She returned to the public eye in 1967, as a Republican candidate for Congress. When Nixon became president, he rewarded her with an appointment to the American delegation to the United Nations. Then, in 1974, President Ford appointed her the United States Ambassador(大使) to Ghana. George Bush Snr, appointed her Ambassador to Czechoslovakia. Shirley Temple drew a line between her childhood stardom and her later political career. “Some people are stuck on this image of the little girl,” she once said. “She is not me. We shouldn’t live in the past; my life is now.” Nevertheless, for many across the world, the name Shirley Temple always called to mind a superstar child. 1.Shirley Temple died at the age of _____. A. 75 B. 80 C. 86 D. 90 2. What happened to Shirley Temple when she was 7 years old? A. She won a special Oscar. B. She began to learn to dance. C. She appeared in her first film. D. She retired from Hollywood. 3. Which of the following represents the peak of Shirley Temple’s film career? A. Stand Up and Cheer. B. Little Miss Marker. C. The Little Colonel. D. The Little Princess. 4. We can infer that _____. A. the films in which Shirley Temple starred in adulthood were not popular B. Jean Harlow and Mary Pickford appeared in the same film with Temple C. Shirley Temple succeeded in being elected as Congresswoman in 1967 D. Shirley Temple was the youngest person to receive an Academy Award
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| 2. 难度：中等 | |
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Phil Donahue，the former television talk show host，had something of a reputation for giving clergy（神职人员）a hard time，and he has said the reason he’s that way is that he has little respect for them．Most clergy will do anything for some media attention，he says．In his autobiography(自传)，however, he tells about an encounter with a minister who was different．It happened while Donahue was a young television reporter in Ohio，and one day he was sent to West Virginia in the bitter cold winter to cover a mine disaster．He went by himself in a battered little car, carrying a mini camera to film the story． It was so cold when he got there，however, the camera wouldn’t work．So he put it inside his coat to warm it up enough to run．In the meantime，the families of the trapped miners were gathered around．The),were just simple mining people—women，old men，and children．Several of the trapped men were fathers． Then the local minister arrived．He was tall and thin，and he didn’t speak well at a11．But he gathered all the families around in a circle，and the held one another in their arms while he prayed for them． As this was going on，Donahue was still trying to get his camera to work，and he was extremely disappointed because he couldn’t film the scene．Finally，after the prayer was over，Donahue managed to get his camera operating．So he told the minister he had his camera working now and asked if the minister would please do the prayer again so he could film it for the evening news． This simple West Virginia preacher, however，told Donahue，“Young man，we don’t pray for the news．I’m sorry，but we’ve already prayed，and I will not pose．” To this day，Donahue remembers that minister with respect．You don’t forget that kind of character，no matter who you are or what you believe． 1.We can learn from Paragraph 1 that Donahue _______________． A．used to show much respect for clergy B．thinks most clergy tend to attract media attention C．used to have a hard time dealing with clergy D．always misunderstands clergy 2.For what purpose did Donahue go to West Virginia one day? A．To report on an accident． B．To rescue the miners． C．To film the praying of a minister． D．To witness a disaster． 3.What do we know about Donahue’s camera? A．It was advanced and hard to operate． B．The low temperature prevented it working properly． C．It was all right before the prayer started． D．It needed to be repaired． 4.What did the minister refuse to do? A．To pray for the accident． B．To make up the news． C．To cooperate with the reporter． D．To pray for the trapped miners on TV 5.What’s the main idea of the passage? A．The clergy are having a hard time． B．Praying saved the trapped miners． C．A minister who gains Donahue’s respect． D．A mine disaster happened in Virginia．
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| 3. 难度：中等 | |
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The adolescent girl from Tennessee was standing on the stage of a drama summer camp in New York．But the girl didn’t feel joyful．She was not the leggy，attractive Hollywood type．In fact，she described herself as stupid． This girl was Reese Witherspoon，who had wanted to be a country singer and admired and respected Dolly Patton very much． That day at the end of the camp her coaches told her to forget about singing．They suggested she think about another career．She took their words to heart．After all，why shouldn’t she believe the professionals? But back at home in Nashville，her mother—a funny，happy，optimistic woman—wouldn’t let her feel depressed．Her father，a physician，encouraged her to achieve in schoo1．So she worked hard at everything and was accepted at Stanford University． And at 1 9，she got a part in a low-budget movie called Freeway, which prepared for her role in the movie Pleasantville．But her big break came with Legally Blonde． “If you can’t sing and you aren’t charming，play to your strengths．If you’re going to make it in this business，better focus on what you’re good at，”she told the interviewer later． And then came the offer that took her back to her Nashville—playing the wife of a country star Johnny Cash，a singing role． All of a sudden the old fears learned on that summer stage were back．She was so nervous on the stage．But she didn’t give up on the movie or herself．She spent 6 months taking singing lessons again．She learned to play the Autoharp．And the hard work built up her confidence． Last March，Reese Witherspoon walked up on another stage，the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood，and accepted the Oscar as Best Actress for her heartbreaking，heartwarming singing role as June Carter Cash in Walk the Line． 1.Why was Reese Witherspoon sad that day? A．The experts advised her to give up singing． B．Dolly Parton told her to leave the stage． C．The coaches described her as foolish． D．The professionals considered her ignorant． 2.What can be inferred from Paragraph 4? A．Reese was an optimistic girl． B．Her parents supported her a lot． C．Her parents were disappointed with her． D．Reese blamed herself all day long． 3.Which of the following is true according to the passage? A．Reese’s mother was a physician． B．Freeway was Reese’s big break． C．Reese won the Oscar for Walk the Line． D．New York was Reese’s home town． 4.How did Reese succeed in playing the singing role? A．She did her best to make herself leggy and attractive． B．She tried hard to forget about that summer stage． C．She practised Autoharp lessons for more than 6 months． D．She regained her confidence through hard work． 5.What can we learn from Reese’s experience? A．Two heads are better than one． B．When in Rome，do as the Romans do． C．Where there is a will，there is a way． D．Hope for the best，and prepare for the worst．
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| 4. 难度：中等 | |
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IT is safe to say that George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950), the Irish-born writer, is more famous for being George Bernard Shaw than he is for his writings today. Few of Shaw’s more than 60 plays, novels and essays are performed or read anymore. And yet Shaw genuinely helped make our modern world. Although you’d be lucky to get a chance to see one of his dramas today, in his time he turned the theater into a vehicle for the discussion of social issues, not only in Britain but on the stage of the world. In a way Shaw was someone who created the modern culture of Britain.
Where the theater had been dominated by entertainment, Shaw used it to teach people the importance of paying attention to the issues of their day. The plight (苦难) of the poor and the working class, the situation of women and the institutions of society, such as the education system ---- Shaw was among the most well-known figures making these topics central to public debate. His first play, Widowers’ Houses (1892), deals with the question of slum (贫民窟) housing. His Mrs Warren’s Profession (1893) brought a controversial topic to the stage. Shaw was an important mover and shaker in new political movements too. He was an early member of the Fabian Society, which argued for the socialist cause in the UK. Shaw was also the founder (in 1895) of one of the now most famous colleges in the world, the London School of Economics. If few of his works have really stood the test of time, many of his quotations have become part of the furniture of the English language. “Youth is wasted on the young,” he wrote. He also knew how to sum up a political philosophy(哲学) in a few memorable words. For instance: “A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.” 1. Shaw’s influence on the modern world comes mainly from ______. A. the changes he brought to the British culture B. his philosophies on the role of government C. his awareness of social problems of his day D. the support for the London School of Economics 2. Widowers’ Houses is a play that mainly focuses on ______. A. the failure of the UK education system B. the housing problems of poor people C. robbery incidents in slum areas D. socialist movements in the UK 3. By describing Shaw’s quotations as “part of the furniture of the English language”, the author means that Shaw’s words ______. A. have become the best part of English B. have greatly developed the English language C. have made the English language philosophical D. have become an inseparable part of the English language 4. Which of the following about George Bernard Shaw’s works is TRUE? A. They should be adapted for modern readers. B. They are mostly about the lives of working class. C. They deal with important social issues of their day. D. Most of them are still performed on the stage of the world today.
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| 5. 难度：中等 | |
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BERLIN (Reuters)—Germany’s postal service has announced plans to explore improved service and help protect the environment by getting “fetch friends”—ordinary people traveling across cities—to deliver parcels on their way. It is hoped that the move, which will be tested in the coming months, might lessen traffic in inner cities and reduce CO2 emissions(排放). This should help DHL, a division of the German postal service, reach its target of improving the company’s carbon efficiency by 30 percent before 2020. “As the world’s biggest logistics(物流) provider, we recognize a special responsibility to reduce the impact on the environment as much as possible,” said Frank Appel, Chief Executive Officer of Deutsche Post DHL, in a statement referring to a variety of measures being considered. The “fetch friends” find out online about parcels that need delivering to people who live or work along the way that they are planning to travel through the city. They then select the ones that they want to take. Codes(编码) sent to their mobile phones tell the volunteers where to pick the packages up. Parcels can be taken part of the way or passed on to another volunteer but all volunteers need to have the right code on their mobile phone so the track and trace system can be updated. Logistics companies will be responsible for looking after the operation to make sure that the privacy of post is respected. It’s hoped that this could be done using mobile phones but DHL says it recognizes that some security issues remain to be worked out. 1. According to the passage, the “fetch friend” program ________. A. has been tested for months B. aims to reduce the cost of the service C. employs environmentalists to help with deliveries D. encourages ordinary people to help cut the carbon footprint 2. Which of the following statements is TRUE of DHL? A. It belongs to the Germany’s postal service. B. It has the most up-to-date tracking system in Germany. C. It has succeeded in improving its carbon efficiency by 30%. D. It has designed many measures to improve its service speed. 3.What may be a problem with the new service according to the article? A. Volunteers’ not allowing to select parcels. B. The wrong codes in the mobile phones. C. The possibility that parcels could be opened on the way. D. Parcels’ being taken to the destination by a single volunteer. 4.What might be the best Title for the best passage? A. New Challenges for the Postal Service B. A Greener Way to Deliver Parcels C. Solutions for Global Warming D. Statements from DHL
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| 6. 难度：中等 | |
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Einstein's connection with the politics of the nuclear bomb is well known: He signed the letter to President Franklin Roosevelt that persuaded the United States to take the idea seriously, and he engaged in postwar efforts to prevent nuclear war. But these were not just the isolated actions of a scientist dragged into the world of politics. Einstein's life was, in fact, "divided between politics and equations(方程式)." Sickened by what he saw as the waste of human lives during the First World War, he became involved in antiwar demonstrations. His support of civil disobedience did little to endear him to his colleagues. Then, following the war, he directed his efforts toward reconciliation(调停) and improving international relations. And soon his politics were making it difficult for him to visit the United States, even to give lectures. Einstein's second great cause was Zionism(犹太复国主义). Although he was Jewish, Einstein rejected the idea of God. However, a growing awareness of anti-Semitism(反犹太主义), both before and during the War, led him gradually to identify with the Jewish community, and later to become an outspoken supporter of Zionism. His theories came under attack. One man was accused of motivating others to murder Einstein and fined a mere six dollars. When a book was published entitled 100 Authors Against Einstein, he retorted, "If I were wrong, then one would have been enough!" When Hitler came to power, Einstein then in America declared he would not return to Germany. While Nazi attacked his house and confiscated his bank account, a Berlin newspaper displayed the headline "Good News from Einstein--He's Not Coming Back." Fearing that German scientists would build a nuclear bomb, Einstein proposed that the United States should develop its own. But he was publicly warning of the dangers of nuclear war and proposing international control of nuclear weaponry. Throughout his life, Einstein's efforts toward peace probably achieved little and won him few friends. His support of the Zionist cause, however, was recognized in 1952, when he was offered the presidency of Israel. He declined, saying he was too naive in politics. But perhaps his real reason was different:" Equations are more important to me, because politics is for the present, but an equation is something for eternity." 1.The reason why Einstein was against the war was that __ A. he tried to get involved in politics B. the nuclear bomb could be built by German scientists C. many people died during the war in vain D. President Franklin persuaded him to do so 2. We can learn from the passage that Einstein __ A. believed in God B. was proud of being Jewish C. suggested that nuclear weaponry should be banned D. made great achievements in peace 3. The examples in paragraph 4 are used to prove __ A. many people in support of Zionism hated Einstein B. the reason why Einstein would not return to Israel C. Einstein was in danger of being killed D. Einstein didn't enjoy his popularity in the field Of politics 4.What is the structure of the passage?
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