It happened to me recently. I was telling someone how much I had enjoyed reading Barack Obama’s Dreams From My Father and how it had changed my views of our President. A friend I was talking to agreed with me that it was, in his words, “a brilliantly（精彩地）written book”. However, he then went on to talk about Mr Obama in a way which suggested he had no idea of his background at all. I sensed that I was talking to a book liar.
And it seems that my friend is not the only one. Approximately two thirds of people have lied about reading a book which they haven’t. In the World Book Day’s “Report on Guilty Secrets”, Dreams From My Father is at number 9.The report lists ten books, and various authors, which people have lied about reading, and as I’m not one to lie too often (I’d hate to be caught out), I’ll admit here and now that I haven’t read the entire top ten. But I am pleased to say that, unlike 42 percent of people, I have read the book at number one, George Orwell’s 1984.I think it’s really brilliant.
The World Book Day report also has some other interesting information in it. It says that many people lie about having read Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Fyodor Dostoevsky (I haven’t read him, but haven’t lied about it either ) and Herman Melville.
Asked why they lied, the most common reason was to “impress” someone they were speaking to. This could be tricky if the conversation became more in depth!
But when asked which authors they actually enjoy, people named J. K. Rowling, John Grisham, Sophie Kinsella (ah, the big sellers, in other words). Fortytwo percent of people asked admitted they turned to the back of the book to read the end before finishing the story (I’ll come clean: I do this and am astonished that 58 percent said they had never done so).
1.How did the author find his friend a book liar?
A. By judging his manner of speaking.
B. By looking into his background.
C. By mentioning a famous name.
D. By discussing the book itself.
2.Which of the following is a “guilty secret” according to the World Book Day report?
A. Charles Dickens is very low on the topten list.
B. 42% of people pretended to have read 1984.
C. The author admitted having read 9 books.
D. Dreams From My Father is hardly read.
3.By lying about reading, a person hopes to ________.
A. control the conversation B. appear knowledgeable
C. learn about the book D. make more friends
4.What is the author’s attitude to 58% of readers?
A. Favorable. B. Uncaring.
C. Doubtful. D. Friendly.
Some people will do just about anything to save money. And I am one of them. Take my family’s last vacation. It was my six year old son’s winter break from school, and we were heading home from Fort Lauderdale after a weeklong trip. The flight was overbooked, and Delta, the airline, offered us $400 per person in credits to give up our seats and leave the next day. I had meetings in New York, so I had to get back. But that didn’t mean my husband and my son couldn’t stay. I took my nine month old and took off for home.
The next day, my husband and son were offered more credits to take an even later flight. Yes, I encouraged — okay, ordered — them to wait it out at the airport, to “earn” more Delta Dollars. Our total take: $1,600. Not bad, huh?
Now some people may think I’m a bad mother and not such a great wife either. But as a big time bargain hunter, I know the value of a dollar. And these days, a good deal is something few of us can afford to pass up.
I’ve made a living looking for the best deals and exposing（揭露）the worst tricks. I have been the consumer reporter of NBC’s Today show for over a decade. I have written a couple of books including one titled Tricks of the Trade: A Consumer Survival Guide. And I really do what I believe in.
I tell you this because there is no shame in getting your money’s worth. I’m also tightfisted when it comes to shoes, clothes for my children, and expensive restaurants. But I wouldn’t hesitate to spend on a good haircut. It keeps its shape longer, and it’s the first thing people notice. And I will also spend on a classic piece of furniture. Quality lasts.
1.Why did Delta give the author’s family credits?
A. They took a later flight.
B. They had early bookings.
C. Their flight had been delayed.
D. Their flight had been cancelled.
2.What can we learn about the author?
A. She rarely misses a good deal.
B. She seldom makes a compromise.
C. She is very strict with her children.
D. She is interested in cheap products.
3.What does the author do?
A. She’s a teacher.
B. She’s a housewife.
C. She’s a media person.
D. She’s a businesswoman.
4.What does the author want to tell us?
A. How to expose bad tricks.
B. How to reserve airline seats.
C. How to spend money wisely.
D. How to make a business deal.
Doctors are known to be terrible pilots. They don’t listen because they already know it all. I was lucky: I became a pilot in 1970, almost ten years before I graduated from medical school. I didn’t realize then, but becoming a pilot makes me a better surgeon. I loved flying. As I flew bigger, faster planes, and in worse weather, I learned about crew resource management（机组资源管理）, or CRM, a new idea to make flying safer. It means that crew members should listen and speak up for a good result, regardless of positions.
I first read about CRM in 1980. Not long after that, an attending doctor and I were flying in bad weather. The controller had us turn too late to get our landing ready. The attending doctor was flying; I was safety pilot. He was so busy because of the bad turn, he had forgotten to put the landing gear（起落架）down. He was a better pilot — and my boss — so it felt unusual to speak up. But I had to: Our lives were in danger. I put aside my uneasiness and said, “We need to put the landing gear down now!” That was my first real lesson in the power of CRM, and I’ve used it in the operating room ever since.
CRM requires that the pilot/surgeon encourage others to speak up. It further requires that when opinions are from the opposite, the doctor doesn’t overreact, which might prevent fellow doctors from voicing opinions again. So when I’m in the operating room, I ask for ideas and help from others. Sometimes they’re not willing to speak up. But I hope that if I continue to encourage them, someday someone will keep me from “landing gear up”.
1.What does the author say about doctors in general?
A. They like flying by themselves.
B. They are unwilling to take advice.
C. They pretend to be good pilots.
D. They are quick learners of CRM.
2.The author deepened his understanding of the power of CRM when________.
A. he saved the plane by speaking up
B. he was in charge of a flying task
C. his boss landed the plane too late
D. his boss operated on a patient
3.In the last paragraph “landing gear up” probably means ________.
A. following flying requirements
B. overreacting to different opinions
C. listening to what fellow doctors say
D. making a mistake that may cost lives
4.Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
A. CRM:A New Way to Make Flying Safe
B. Flying Makes Me a Better Doctor
C. The Making of a Good Pilot
D. A Pilot Turned Doctor
The National Gallery
Description:
The National Gallery is the British national art museum built on the north side of Trafalgar Square in London. It houses a diverse collection of more than 2,300 examples of European art ranging from 13th century religious paintings to more modern ones by Renoir and Van Gogh. The older collections of the gallery are reached through the main entrance while the more modern works in the East Wing are most easily reached from Trafalgar Square by a ground floor entrance.
Layout:
The modern Sainsbury Wing on the western side of the building houses 13th to 15th century paintings, and artists include Duccio, Uccello, Van Eyck, Lippi, Mantegna, Botticelli and Memling.
The main West Wing houses 16th century paintings, and artists include Leonardo da Vinci, Cranach, Michelangelo, Raphael, Bruegel, Bronzino, Titian and Veronese.
The North Wing houses 17thcentury paintings, and artists include Caravaggio, Rubens, Poussin, Van Dyck, Velázquez, Claude and Vermeer.
The East Wing houses 18th to early 20thcentury paintings, and artists include Canaletto, Goya, Turner, Constable, Renoir and Van Gogh.
Opening Hours:
The Gallery is open every day from 10 am to 6 pm (Fridays 10 am to 9 pm) and is free, but charges apply to some special exhibitions.
Getting There:
Nearest underground stations: Charing Cross(2minute walk), Leicester Square (3minute walk), Embankment (7minute walk), and Piccadilly Circus (8minute walk).
1.In which century’s collection can you see religious paintings?
A. The 13th. B. The 17th.
C. The 18th. D. The 20th.
2.Where are Leonardo da Vinci’s works shown?
A. In the East Wing.
B. In the main West Wing.
C. In the Sainsbury Wing.
D. In the North Wing.
3.Which underground station is closest to the National Gallery?
A. Piccadilly Circus. B. Leicester Square.
C. Embankment. D. Charing Cross.
根据图画，写一篇英语短文，描述今昔通讯方式的变化，以及这些变化给人们生活带来的影响。
注意：
1．词数：不少于120字
2．生词：通讯：communicate(with sb．)vi. communication （n．） 互联网：the Internet
Great changes have taken place in the way of communication in people’s life in recent years. ______________________________________________________________
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请修改下面的短文。短文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧)，并在此符号下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线( \ )划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。
My grandpa was used to dislike television. He thought that people spent too much time watching it. A lot of his friends, therefore, always talked about the sports programs and films on it. They never read many books or go out in the evenings so he refused to buy a TV set.
Last year he was 60 and retired his job. My father bought him a TV set, said “It will make you to learn some of the latest news”. It is quite true. He has watched all the news programs. He knows far much about the world now. And he reads more books, either. In fact, he thinks he may follow one of the Open University TV course next year. Perhaps he’ll get a degree when he is 65.
