She was known to millions as the "Queen of Crime" or the "Duchess (女公爵) of death". But surprisingly, she hated violence and blood, and knew nothing of the weapons most often used in murder. "I don't think I dare look at a really horrible and damaged body." Agatha Christie once said.
But her pen dared travel where her eyes would not. In a 50-year writing career, Christie's murder stories made her the world's best-known mystery writer. She is outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare.
Her works have been turned into films and TV series, and a line of computer games is to be released over the next six years.
"My grandmother liked to use new ways to reach people who wanted to enjoy her work," said Christie's grandson, Mathew Pritchard. "Turning her stories into PC games allows us to introduce classic mysteries to new audiences."
Born in 1890 in England, Christie was educated at home and began her writing career while working as a nurse during World War I. She went on to produce 79 novels and numerous short stories, dying at the age of 86.
"With her knowledge of murder, Christie could have been a teacher at police academies," said one fan. By saying "her pen dared travel where her eyes would not", the writer means
| A．she would like to make a trip with her pen rather than other things |
| B．she couldn't live without her pen |
| C．she could describe anything with her pen that she would not like to face |
| D．she made up stories with her pen |
By which means can't we learn the works of Christie?
| A．Watching TV. | B．Going to the cinema. | C．Reading novels. | D．Playing computer games. |
Mathew Prichard's words suggest that _
| A．Christie had been trying to write different stories in different styles |
| B．Christie was fond of changing styles while writing |
| C．Christie's works are short of audiences |
| D．People began to lose interest in Christie's works |
The fifth paragraph mainly
| A．tells us Christie is a productive writer | B．gives us a brief introduction of Christie |
| C．tells us when Christie took up writing | D．tells us why Christie was popular |
It was time for Mr. Rocco to shut up shop when I hurried into the florist’s. “Now, what is it you want?” Mr. Rocco turned to me. “I want the most beautiful flower you have.” I replied. “And just how much do you have to pay for this most beautiful flower?” I held out a wet hand showing a quarter and dime. He nodded, and then showed me a plant on the counter. “I can give you this one for 35 cents.” he said. “Aw, gee,” I protested, “it looks like a weed!” About 18 inches high, the plant was in a small pot covered with faded red paper. “Now trust me, boy—I promise that tomorrow morning when you get up, you will find your most beautiful flower.” said Mr. Rocco. I knew him to be a good honest man, so I agreed to take it.
It was almost midnight when I arrived home. Mom was seriously sick and using the front bedroom. I looked in to see if she was asleep, and then quietly tiptoed in and set the plant on the table beside her bed. I wanted her to be surprised when she woke on Mother’s Day.
The next morning, I dressed and hurried downstairs. The sun was shining through kitchen window as I looked into Mom’s room. She motioned for me to come in, then glanced over at the table where the plant was. Holy mackerel! There were three big yellow trumpet-shaped（喇叭状的）blooms. It was just like Mr. Rocco said—the most beautiful flower I ever saw! When I looked at Mom, she was smiling as tears streamed down her cheeks. She held out her hand for me to come near, then pulled me close and hugged till it hurt. Then, remembering her contagious condition and that she wasn’t supposed to touch me, she quickly let me go.
My dear mom died the next night. The moment she hugged me turned out to be the most wonderful moment of my life. Not only had that beautiful plant helped show just how much I loved her, but I’d always know how much she loved me. The author didn’t like the plant recommended by Mr. Rocco at first because ______.
| A．the packing of the plant was shabby |
| B．the plant was more a weed than a flower |
| C．the plant appeared too ordinary to be the most beautiful |
| D．he thought Mr. Rocco was reluctant to do the deal with him |
Mother’s condition was contagious (Line 6, Para.3) for ______.
| A．she was at the death’s door | B．she suffered from the illness |
| C．others were sick of her appearance | D．virus might spread from her to others |
When mother hugged the author tightly, she was showing that ______.
| A．she liked being given gifts |
| B．she valued what the author had done for her |
| C．she was aware of the approaching of death |
| D．she was touched by the beauty of the flower |
The story is mainly developed by______________.
| A．time | B．logic | C．comparison | D．cause and result |
Which may be the best title of the passage?
| A．Flowers of Love | B．A Son’s Love for Mother |
C．Low Price, High Value |
D．A Special Mother’s Day |
A new walking, talking robot from Japan which has black hair and a woman’s face that can smile will attend a fashion show. It has trimmed down（减少）to 43kg, but it still hasn’t reached the safety standards required to share the catwalk with human models.
Developers at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, a government-backed organization, said their “cybernetic（全自动控制的）human” wasn’t ready to help with daily housework or work side by side with people—as many hope robots will be able to do in the future.
“In technology, it hasn’t reached that level,” said Hirohisa Hirukawa, one of the robot’s developers. “Even as a fashion model, people in the industry told us she was short and had a rather ordinary figure.”
For now, the 158 cm tall black-haired robot named HRP-4C—whose predecessor（前任）had weighed 58 kg — will mainly serve to draw and entertain crowds. Developers said the robot may be used in amusement parks or to perform human movement, as an exercise instructor, for instance.
HRP-4C was designed to look like an ordinary Japnese woman, although its silver-and-black body reminds people of a space suit. It will appear in a Tokyo fashion show — without any clothes — in a special part just for the robot next week.
The robotic framework（框架）for HRP-4C, without the face and other coverings, will go on sale for about 20 million yen（日元） each. Its programming technology will be made public so other people can come up with fun moves for the robot, the scientists said.
Japan is one of the leading robotics industries in the world, and the government is pushing to develop the industry as a road to growth.What do we know about HRP-4C’s predecessor?
A．It is shorter than HRP-4C . B．It is cleverer than HRP-4C .
C．It is taller than HRP-4C . D．It is heavier than HRP-4C .According to the passage, how many of the following could HRP-4C do?
a． drawing pictures
b. walking and talking
c. doing housework
d. working with people
e. smiling
| A．2 | B．3 | C．4 | D．5 |
Which of the following about HRP-4C is TURE?
| A．It wears a space suit. |
| B．Its price is 20 million dollars. |
| C．It can be used as an exercise instructor. |
| D．As a fashion model, it has a perfect figure. |
HRP-4C’s programming technology will be made public to .
| A．make money | B．make new frameworks |
| C．let other people improve it | D．help make new face and coverings |
What does the passage mainly talk about?
A．The purpose of making HRP-4C. B．Robotics industry in Japan.
C．A new Japanese robot. D．Japanese and robots.
A good night’s sleep in the early years of life could be very important in preventing a child becoming obese, say scientists. Babies and pre-school children who sleep for less than ten hours a night are more likely to be overweight when they are older, research has found. Experts believe that those who do not get enough sleep are more likely to feel hungry and want more calorie-rich food during the day.
Former research has linked sleeping with obesity in adults and teenagers, but this is one of the first to look at very young children. Researchers from the Universities of Washington and California looked at the sleeping habits of almost 1,000 children under the age of five. They found those who had less than ten hours’ sleep were twice as likely to be overweight five years later.
Childhood obesity has doubled over the past 10 years. A quarter of secondary school pupils are now judged to be so overweight that their health is in danger. Experts believe sleep, or lack（缺乏）of it, could be a major cause of this. On average children are sleeping for an hour less than they did 30 years ago. Last year Chinese researchers looked at more than 5,000 youngsters and found that those who were able to catch up on （补充）sleep at the weekend were far less likely to get body weight problems. Scientists have also found a link between lack of sleep and diabetes（糖尿病）. Last year Canadian researchers discovered those who did not get seven or eight hours’ sleep a night were two and a half times more likely to become sick.The underlined word “obese” in the first paragraph may mean .
| A．quite protective | B．very sad |
| C．very fat | D．quite young |
According to Chinese researchers, if a person who lacks sleep can get more sleep during weekends, .
| A．he won’t get hungry easily | B．he will feel tired all the time |
| C．there will be little chance of him becoming fat | |
| D．it will be very hard for him to fall asleep at night |
From the passage we know .
| A．too little sleep will result in illness besides obesity |
| B．in the past people didn’t connect sleep with weight |
| C．fat children must have slept less than 10 hours five years ago |
| D．most children are unhealthy because of little sleep |
What would be the best title of the passage?
| A．A good night’s sleep helps the development of kids’ brain! |
| B．Ten hours’ sleep prevents overweight in kids! |
| C．Children are sleeping much less nowadays! |
| D．More teenagers get weight problems! |
Where can you most probably read this passage?
| A．In the latest news. | B．In a children’s book. |
| C．In a health magazine. | D．In a scientist’s diary. |
Farah was sitting in the kitchen going over the party list with her mother. The exams were over and Farah wanted to invite her friends for a party.
“Farah, aren’t you going to invite Hafsa?” her mother asked. Hafsa had been her best friend since childhood.
“Mother, you know I am now a part of Purple Girls Club and we have some rules about people we can be friends with,” Farah answered.
“Really? And what are the rules?” her mother asked.
“Well, only very pretty girls can be part of our group. And Hafsa is so…you know …dark.”
“I canno
t believe it,”her mother said angrily.
As Farah left the kitchen, her father called her from the living room.
Farah went to her father and paled when she saw the exam report in his hands. “Farah, what has happened to your grades? You have failed in Mathematics,” her father said.
Farah had no answer. The truth was that the activities of Purple Girls Club left her with very little time for studies.
“Farah, it says that you can take part in supplementary exams（补考）. If your grades don’t improve then, I’ll cancel（职消）your trip to Spain.”
Farah went to her room and called Gina, the leader of Purple Girls Club. “Gina, can you help me to complete my notes before the exams?”
Gina laughed. “Exams? Who cares about exams?”
One by one, she called her friends in the club but no one seemed to care or wanted to help.
Farah knew Hafsa would help her. Farah also knew Hafsa had been hurt by her, but Hafsa said, “If you need any help, just let me know. We can study together till your exams.”
Next Monday, as two friends entered the school together, Gina called out.
“Farah, you know our rules. You cannot be friends with those who do not belong to our club.”
“Gina, I have a new rule about friendship,” Farah replied.After Farah became a member of Purple Girls Club, she chose a friend according to a person’s .
| A．looks | B．usual activities | C．grades | D．favorite colors |
Farah became pale after going to her father because .
| A．he didn’t allow her to go to Spain | B．she didn’t do well in her exams |
| C．she had to leave Purple Girls Club | D．he asked her to improve her grades |
．Which word can best describe Hafsa?
| A．Silly | B．Beautiful | C．Rude | D．Kind |
From the passage, we can know that .
| A．Hafsa is a member of Purple Girls Club |
| B．Gina will help Farah with her exams |
| C．Gina doesn’t care about exams |
| D．Farah would like to invite Hafsa to the party |
What lesson can we learn from the passage?
| A．A friend in need is a friend indeed. | B．A perfect friend will never be found. |
| C．Be slow in choosing a friend. | D．Friendship can be developed easily. |
阅读下列短文, 从每题所给的选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卷上将该项涂黑。
C
This hotel in the trees is famous in the world. People, who know very little about Kenya, know of Treetops. When King George VI died, Princess Elizabeth was staying on the 
Treetops, and when she came down from there, “She succeeded him as the queen of the country”. Th
is hotel in the middle of the forest shows the pleasure of Africa. When you visit it, you will be sent into the heart of the forest by hotel buses, and then a guide, with a gun to protect you against big game, will go with you to the Treetops. Before and after dinner, for the whole night if you wish, you can sit on the corridor (走廊), watching animals come to the water pool. The earliest hotel Treetops was built round a large tree on the opposite side of th
e water, but that was destroyed by fire and the new hotel Treetops, which is built round several trees, is much bigger.
The dining room at
Treetops is small, and the waiters cannot walk round to serve guests, a clever “railway service” has been invented. Guests take their food as it passes slowly in front of them, along a line in the center of the table.
There are many animals around the Treetops. When you visit them, you can see:
— Animals and their babies are waiting to greet the guests.
— Animals, enjoying the Treetops pool in the daylight.
— A long bodied, long ring tailed very active cat-like animal is a special one coming out at night.
He hunts and eats anything he can overpower, and his teeth and claws can do you harm.
— Some other animals that have a thick coating of fur to keep them warm in the cold forest nights.
— Many buffaloes (水牛) coming near to the Treetops for water and salt during the day or night.
In Paragraph One, “succeeded” means ______.
| A．did what she was trying to do | B．gained her purpose |
| C．got a position on the death of the King | D．completed a difficult task |
Which of the following description about “the cat-like animal” is NOT true?
| A．It comes for food only at night. | B．It lives in the trees at Treetops. |
| C．Its teeth and claws can do people harm. | D．It can catch any other animal in the forest. |
According to the passage. Treetops is famous in the world because ______.
| A．it can show the pleasure of Americans living in Africa |
| B．Princess Elizabeth got to the crown when coming down from there |
| C．they are built round several trees to provide adventures for visitors |
| D．there are many animals that can be trained and become lovely pets |
We can learn from the passage, that the guests ______.
| A．should not play games on the Treetops | B．could enjoy their dinner as usual |
| C．could not sit on the corridor at night | D．should keep off the cat-like animals |
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