Is it possible that the sinking of the Titanic was caused by a ghost? A lot of the story below is true…but did it really happen quite like this?
Our story begins not in the icy cold waters of the North Atlantic, but rather thousands of miles away in Egypt. It is here, perhaps, that we can find the start of the mystery(谜) of the Titanic, in the year 1910, in the great city of Cairo.
One day, a famous professor of Egyptian history called Douglas Murray was staying in Cairo, when he was contacted by an American adventurer.
The American had something unusual to offer Murray, something that was certain to thrill him: a beautiful ancient Egyptian mummy case, containing the mummy of an Egyptian queen. It was over 3000 years old, but in beautiful condition —gold, with bright paintings on it. Murray was delighted with both the object and the asking-price. He gave the man a cheque immediately.
The cheque was never cashed. That evening the American adventurer died. For his part, Murray arranged to have the treasure sent back to Britain. However, it was not long before he learnt more about the beautiful mummy case: On the walls of the tomb in which it had been discovered, there were messages which warned of terrible consequences to anyone who broke into the tomb. Murray was disbelieving of these warnings until a few days later, when a gun he was holding exploded in his hand, shattering his arm. The arm had to be cut off.
After the accident, Murray decided to return to his homeland. On the return journey, two of his companions died mysteriously, and two servants who had handled the mummy also passed away. The now-terrified Murray decided he would get rid of the cursed case as soon as he arrived in London. A lady he knew named Janet Jones said she would like it, so he gave it to her. Shortly afterwards, Jones’ mother died, and she herself caught a strange disease. She tried returning the mummy, but naturally Murray refused it. In the end, it was presented to the British Museum.
Even in the museum, the mummy apparently continued to cause strange events. A museum photographer died shortly after taking pictures of the new exhibit, and a manager also died for no apparent reason. In the end, the British Museum decided to get rid of the mummy too. They sold it to a collector in New York.
At the start of April 1912, arrangements for the transfer were complete, and the mummy began the journey to its new home. But the New Yorker never received the mummy or its case. For when the Titanic sank, one of the objects in its strong-room was the mummy case. Or so they say.
1.From the passage, we know Professor Murray ________.
A. used to work for the British Museum
B. was a Bri
tish professor of Egyptian history
C. didn’t believe the mummy really brought bad fortune
D. was a famous American adventurer
2.In Paragraph 6, the underlined word “cursed” is closest in meaning to
A. uncomm
on B. expensive
C. unlucky D. forgotten
3.In what order did the following events occur?
a. The case was given to the British Museum.
b. Janet Jones caught a mysterious illness.
c. Murray’s arm was cut off
d. The mummy case was sold to an American.
e. A man who took a picture of the case died.
f. Warnings were written on the tomb’s walls.
A. c, f, b, a, e, d B. d, f, b, c, a, e
C. f, a, c, b, e, d D. f, c, b, a,e, d
4.According to the passage, where is the Egyptian mummy now?
A. In New York. B. In Egypt.
C. Under the sea. D. At the British Museum.
Just a couple of hours ago, I was on the plane, ready to fly home from London. The flight had been delayed by a few hours so it felt good to be so close to takeoff. I had my iPod in place and a new book to read. Then, over the loudspeaker came the pilot’s voice: “The ground crew has found a metal instrument in one tire. We regret that we must cancel this flight.”
The passengers’reactions that announcement led to were interesting. One man close to me began to argue with a flight attendant. A couple in another row complained loudly. A businessman in a black suit actually kicked the seat in front of him. Yet some passengers responded differently. An elderly gentleman smiled as he helped others take their bags down from the overhead compartments (行李厢). A teenager, rather than trying to rush off the plane like most of the other passengers, stopped to help a woman with a disability. The lady sitting next to me laughed and said: “Hey, it’s not the end of the world,” before she made a call to her kids and shared her adventure with them. The wisest among us have a remarkable ability to maintain grounded when times get tough.
No life is perfect; mine certainly isn’t. We all must face challenges, both large and small. You and I have the power to choose to rise above the external circumstances. We always have the choice to be strong and kind when things fall apart.
That’s grace under pressure. My seatmate was right—things could have been so much worse. Anyway, I am safe. I have my health. I have two wonderful children. I have work I love and so much to be grateful for. Sure I now have to wait a few hours to catch the next flight home.
1.What caused the passengers’ different reactions?
A. The loudspeaker.
B. The delay of the flight.
C. The ground crew’s fault.
D. The pilot’s announcement.
2.Who turned his anger on the seat?
A. The teenager helping the disabled.
B. The old man taking bags down.
C. The man in a dark suit.
D. The man close to me.
3.What did the woman sitting next to the author do?
A. She assisted a disabled woman.
B. She made a phone call to her family.
C. She helped others carry their luggage.
D. She told moving stories to her children.
4.What can we learn from the story?
A. Our life is full of ups and downs.
B. It is natural to be scared under pressure.
C. We should help each other in times of difficulty.
D. We should be positive and calm when life is hard.
假设你是李华，正在英国学习，想参加学校的一个“中西文化交流俱乐部”，你希望成为其中的一员。请根据下列要点用英文给组织者写一封申请信：
1.个人情况：年龄，性别；
2.个人条件：英语水平，对西方文化感兴趣，善于与人交流；
3.目的：结交朋友，了解更多中西文化之间的差异。
注意：
1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
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假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。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（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
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限一词;
2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
There are many hurricanes occur around the world every year. Knowing what to do during a hurricane is of great important to survive.
Listening to the weather forecast so that you know when a hurricane is coming. If a hurricane warning is issued, stop doing whatever you’re busy with, which is always the most efficient way to avoid caught in a hurricane. If you were walking outside, stop and find a shelter under which can protect you from a hurricane. If you are in your car when a hurricane comes, remain in it and turn on the engine, waiting until the hurricane dies down. If you are inside your house, do remember to close the windows and doors until you are sure when the wind is not that strong enough to blow it open.
Qing Ming Jie (All Souls' Day) is a time to remember1.dead. It is a major Chinese festival which2.(fall) in early spring. It is an occasion for the whole family to leave the home and to sweep the graves of their forefathers.
Qing Ming is popularly associated with Jie Zi Tui,3.lived in Shanxi province in 600 B.C.Legend has it that Jie saved his starving lord's life by serving a piece of4.own leg. When the lord 5.(succeed)in becoming the ruler of a small kingdom, he invited his faithful follower to join him. But Jie declined the invitation,6.(prefer) to lead a quiet life with his mother in the mountains.
Believing that he could force Jie out by burning the mountain, the lord ordered his men to set the forest on fire.7., Jie chose to remain where he was and was burnt to8.(die).To honor Jie, the "cold food feast day" began, when no fire could be lit.
As time passed, the Qing Ming festival replaced the "cold food" festival. To make the festival even more9.(meaning),some time should be spent to remind the younger members of the family10. contributions of their ancestors, and the story of Jie Zi Tui.
One day, a train was approaching the small town of Cheekyville. On the train was a_______ guy with a big suitcase. He was called William Warbler and he looked very _______indeed. But what made him most unusual was the fact that whenever he needed to_______ he did it by singing opera. It didn’t matter to William whether it was simply a matter of answering a brief greeting, like “good day”. He would ________“Goood dayyy to youuuuuu..... toooooo!”
No one could get a normal,________word out of him. And, as no one knew how he made his living and he lived quite simply, always wearing the same old second-hand suit — they often ________ him.
They _______his singing, calling him “crazy”. William had been in Cheekyville for some years, when, one day, a rumor(谣言) _________round the town: William had ________ a role in a very important opera in the nation’s capital, and there were posters everywhere ________ the event was a great ________. And to everyone’s surprise in Cheekyville---when William was being _______by reporters, he answered their questions by speaking ________singing. And he did it with good____________ and with a clear and pleasant voice.
From that day, William gave up singing _________. Now he did only during his stage appearances and world tours. Some people suspected ________he had changed, but others still had no idea, and continued believing him to be somewhat mad. They wouldn’t have thought so_________ they had seen what William kept in his big suitcase. It was a large stone with a hand-carved message on it. It said “Practice every second, for you never know when your _______will come.”
Little did people know that rather _______he got the role in the opera because the________had heard William singing while out buying a newspaper.
1.A. strange B. handsome C. funny D. sensitive
2.A. strong B. special C. common D. anxious
3.A. debate B. practice C. sing D. communicate
4.A. shout B. respond C. repeat D. tease
5.A. singing B. spoken C. written D. printed
6.A. disrespected B. loved C. appreciated D. disturbed
7.A. made fun of B. got addicted to C. took pride in D. made sense of
8.A. developed B. reflected C. spread D. expressed
9.A. refused B. ruined C. created D. got
10.A. confirming B. advertising C. approving D. assessing
11.A. benefit B. discovery C. success D. experience
12.A. opposed B. blamed C. interviewed D. welcomed
13.A. other than B. rather than C. more than D. less than
14.A. service B. remarks C. signs D. manners
15.A. at all hours B. at all points C. at certain time D. at times
16.A. how B. why C. that D. where
17.A. while B. because C. if D. since
18.A. chance B. money C. inspiration D. wisdom
19.A. carefully B. quickly C. naturally D. accidentally
20.A. director B. writer C. actress D. teacher
