Success is often measured by the ability to overcome adversity. But, it is often the belief of others that gives us the courage to try.
J. K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter book series, began writing at age 6. In her biography, she remembers with great fondness when her good friend, Sean, whom she met in secondary school, became the first person to encourage her and help build the confidence that one day she would be a very good writer.
“He was the first person with whom I really discussed my serious ambition to be a writer. He was also the only person who thought I was bound to be a success at it, which meant much more to me than I ever told him at the time.”
Despite many setbacks Rowling persevered in her writing, particularly fantasy stories. But it wasn't until l990 that she first conceived the idea about Harry Potter. As she recalls, it was on a long train journey from London to Manchester that “the idea of Harry Potter simply fell into my head. To my immense frustration(沮丧), I didn't have a functioning pen with me, and I was too shy to ask anybody if I could borrow one. I think, now, that this was probably a good thing, because I simply sat and thought, for four(delayed train) hours, and all the details bubbled up in my brain, and this scrawny, black-haired, bespectacled boy who didn't know he was a wizard became more and more real to me.”
That same year, her mother passed away after a ten-year battle with multiple sclerosis, which deeply affected her writing. She went on to marry and had a daughter, but separated from her husband shortly afterwards.
During this time, Rowling was diagnosed with clinical depression. Unemployed, she completed her first novel in area cafes, where she could get her daughter to fall asleep. After being rejected by l2 publishing houses, the first Harry Potter novel was sold to a small British publishing house.
Now with seven books that have sold nearly 400 million copies in 64 languages, J. K. Rowling is the highest earning novelist in history. And it all began with her commitment to writing that was fostered by the confidence of a friend !Who believed J. K. Rowling was to be a good writer?
| A．Her friend Sean. | B．Her mother. | C．Her daughter. | D．Her husband. |
Rowling first came up with the idea about Harry Potter .
| A．at the age of 6 | B．on a train journey |
| C．after her mother's death | D．in her secondary school |
She felt frustrated on the train because .
| A．her train was delayed for four hours |
| B．she didn't have a pen with her |
| C．her mind suddenly went blank |
| D．no one would offer her help |
It can be concluded from Paragraph 5 and 6 that Rowling is .
| A．open-minded | B．warm-hearted | C．good-natured | D．strong-willed |
The text mainly tells us .
| A．hardship makes a good novelist |
| B．the courage to try is a special ability |
| C．you can have a wonderful idea everywhere |
| D．encouragement contributes to one's success |
Most American students have to say goodbye to fancy (高档的) fruits these days. In school restaurants across the country, cheaper fruits like apples and oranges have taken their place.
“People are afraid to spend now.” said Linda Morrow, who owns a shoe and handbag store. “They don’t know what the future will bring”. During the financial crisis (金融危机), several of the country’s biggest banks have been forced to sell or close. This has made lots of Americans afraid to buy expensive things.
The crisis began last year. Experts (专家) think it was because US banks lend money too easily. Last year a lot of people and companies, who borrowed money, found themselves unable to pay it back. This left the banks, as well as the people who put their money in the banks, without money. Since the banks borrowed money between themselves and even across borders (国界), the whole world was in trouble.
This month the US government agreed on a $700 billion plan to try to save the financial market. But no one is sure whether it will help or not. Last week presidents from 20 countries promised to work together to find a way out of the money trouble. This passage is probably taken from ___________.
| A．a story book | B．a novel | C．a newspaper | D．an advertisement |
Why are people in the US afraid to spend?
| A．Because they think it’s unnecessary |
| B．Because they don’t have the habit of spending money |
| C．Because they worry about their future |
| D．Because they don’t have any money |
From the passage, we still don’t know ________.
| A．when the financial crisis began |
| B．when the financial crisis will end |
| C．why some of the US banks closed |
| D．whether the crisis has spread to other countries |
The best title for the passage is ___________.
| A．Ways to Save Money |
| B．Financial Crisis facing the World |
| C．Banks in the USA |
| D．The USA Becoming Poor |
If you exhibit positive characteristics such as honesty and helpfulness, the chances are that you will be thought as a good-looking person, for a new study has found that the perception （认知） of physical attractiveness is influenced by a person's personality．
The study, which was led by Gary W．Lewandowski, has found that people who exhibit negative characteristics, such as unfairness and rudeness, appear to be less physically attractive to observers．In the study, the participants viewed photographs of opposite-sex individuals and rated them for attractiveness before and after being provided with information about their personalities．
After personality information was received, participants also rated the probability of each individual' s becoming a friend and a dating partner．Information on personality was found to significantly change the probability, showing that cognitive （认知的） processes modify （修改） judgments of attractiveness．
"Thinking a person as having a desirable personality makes the person more suitable in general as a close relationship partner of any kind," said Lewandowski．
The findings show that a positive personality leads to greater expectation of becoming friends, which leads to greater expectation of becoming romantic partners and, finally, to being viewed as more physically attractive．The findings remained consistent regardless of how "attractive" the individual was formerly thought to be or of the participants' current relationship status．
"This research provides a positive outcome by reminding people that personality goes a long way toward determining your attractiveness; it can even change people's impressions of how good-looking you are," said Lewandowski．In the study the participants were required to _____．
| A．try to make friends with each other |
| B．try to prove positive characters make people more attractive |
| C．exhibit negative characters such as unfairness and rudeness |
| D．rate one's attractiveness by photos before and after knowing her or his personality |
What's the CORRECT order of how cognitive processes modify judgments of attractiveness?
a．find a person with a positive personality
b．view the person more physically attractive
c．want to make friends with the person
d．want to be his/ her romantic partner
| A．a→c→d→b | B．d→c→b→a | C．c→b→a→d | D．a→d→c→b |
Which of the following is WRONG according to the passage?
| A．The research reminds people to pay more attention to the personality． |
| B．Personality can change people's impressions of one's appearance． |
| C．The judgment of one's attractiveness always stays unchanged． |
| D．Positive personality may lead to more friends． |
The passage is written in a（n） _____ tone．
| A．subjective | B．objective | C．sceptical | D．negative |
Who are the intended readers of this passage?
| A．People with positive characteristics． |
| B．Good-looking people． |
| C．People with negative characteristics． |
| D．General people． |
Poetry Writing Classes Online
Consider it the caviar （鱼子酱） of literature: tiny eggs with wonderful taste． Poetry has inspired the human soul for thousands of years and there are those who still treasure its magnificence．If you hear mermaids singing or feel the wind or see the sun rising in ribbons then you are one of these happy few．Excellence in poetry is mysterious, but a quest（探索） worth pursuing．In our courses, you will learn to control sound, structure, line, word, theme etc．into well-crafted poems and you will improve your precision by experimenting with various time-honored forms．You will also learn how and where to market your work．
Level I
Poetry Writing 10-Week Workshop
Using a balance of lecture, exercise, and comment on work from the instructor and classmates, this course gives students a firm grounding in all the basics of poetry writing．
·Write two-six poems
·Lectures on basics of poetry craft
·Writing exercises
·Present work for critique （评论）（two times）
PoetryI is for beginners or anyone who wants to brush up on the fundamentals．
Online Classes
Registration Fee: $25．
Tuition: $395, Returning Students $365．
Each class strictly limited to 16 students, aged 18 and up
·You can still enroll in this class!
Advanced
Poetry Writing 10-Week Workshop
Focusing on developing projects and receiving comment from the instructor and classmates, this course helps students sharpen their skills and work toward completion of publishable work．Begin or refine two-six poems．
·Lectures that expand on basics of poetry craft
·Writing exercises
·Present work for in-depth critique （two times）
Online Classes
Registration Fee; $ 25．
Tuition: $395．Returning Students $365．
Each class strictly limited to 14 students, aged 18 and up．
·You can still enroll in this class!You learn the following on Poetry Writing Classes Online EXCEPT _____
| A．where you can sell your poems |
| B．why it's worth seeking excellence in poetry |
| C．how to write a well-crafted poem |
| D．how to sharpen your skills in poetry |
If you rejoin the online poetry writing classes, you should pay _____．
| A．$390 | B．$410 | C．$395 | D．$365 |
If you are a beginner, you can start the courses from _____．
| A．July 14 | B．Aug 14 | C．July 6 | D．Oct 6 |
In Advanced Poetry Writing Class, you are asked to _____.
| A．lay steady foundations for the basis of poetry writing |
| B．hand in your poems getting ready for publication |
| C．make comments on the work of your classmates |
| D．give some lectures on basics of poetry craft |
The passage is most probably from a _____．
| A．newspaper advertisement | B．book review |
| C．scientific magazine | D．news report |
Bali is an Indonesia island that is rich in indigenous （本土的） culture．A lot of people say that Balinese culture is unique and that the people of Bali have always been contented with the "now"．If you ask a Balinese person what heaven is like, the probable answer will be "just like Bali"．This only goes to show that most Balinese people are happy to be where they are and never worry．
One factor that contributes to this laidback lifestyle is the culture of close family ties in Bali．In the Balinese culture, support is always available．Balinese extended families are so tightly knit that all members usually reside in the same complex．
Balinese culture is based on a form of this religion, which is called "Hindu Darma"．This religion reached the island during the eleventh century．Most of the family customs and
traditions as well as community lifestyles of the Balinese people are influenced by this．The religious influence even expands widely into the arts, which makes Bali distinct from the rest of Indonesia．
In spite of the fact that tourists flood to the island every year, Balinese people have managed to conserve their culture．Almost every native of Bali is an artist in some form or another．Parents and villagers have passed on their skills to their children, who all seem to have inclinations （爱好） either to music, dance, painting, and decor．
Another remarkable mark of the Balinese culture is the series of ceremonies and rituals known as the Manusa Yadnya．This marks the different stages of Balinese life．Cremation （火葬） is very popular on this island—and unlike in the West, death is a joyous and colorful event for the Balinese．What do we know about Balinese according to the first two paragraphs?
| A．They lead a very relaxing but unwealthy life． |
| B．They live in large families and are close to each other． |
| C．Their family members are distributed in different places． |
| D．Their extended families live too close together to get along well． |
Bali is distinguished from the rest of Indonesia by _____．
| A．people's tight family relationship |
| B．the family customs and traditions |
| C．people's great affection for religion |
| D．the influence of Hinduism on their culture |
The underlined word "conserve" in Para．4 can be best replaced by "_____"．
| A．preserve | B．spread | C．form | D．expand |
When a person dies in Bali, it is a common practice to _____．
| A．express deep sorrow at his death |
| B．celebrate the death like a great event |
| C．sing and dance joyfully in his honor |
| D．remember what he did in his lifetime |
What is the text mainly about?
| A．Balinese religion． | B．The lifestyle of Balinese． |
| C．Balinese culture． | D．The tourism in Bali． |
Tom arrived at the bus station quite early for the London bus. The bus for London would not eave until five to twelve. He saw a lot of people waiting in the station. Some were standing in lines, others were walking about. There was a group of school-girls. Their teacher was trying to keep them in order. Tom looked around but there was nowhere for him to sit.
He walked into the station cafe. He looked up at the clock there. It was only twenty to twelve. He found a seat and sat down, facing a large mirror(镜子) on the wall. Just then, John, one of Tom's friends, came in and sat with Tom.
"What time is your bus?" asked John.
"Oh, there is plenty of time yet, "answered Tom.
"Oh, I'll get you some more tea then," said John.
They talked while drinking. Then Tom looked at the clock again.
"Good heavens! It's going back-ward!" he cried. "A few minutes ago it was twenty to twelve and now it's half past eleven."
"You are looking at the clock in the mirror," said John.
Tom wanted to kick(踢) himself for being so foolish. The next bus was not to leave for another hour. He has never liked mirror since then.The London bus left ______________.
| A．at 11:55 | B．at 5:12 | C．before 11:55 | D．after 11:55 |
Tom went into the station cafe because ____________.
| A．John asked him to have a cup of tea |
| B．he wanted a drink there |
| C．he would meet a friend of his |
| D．it was early yet and he wanted to find a place to sit |
What time was it in fact when he looked at the clock in the mirror?
| A．Half past twelve. |
| B．Half past eleven. |
| C．Twenty to twelve. |
| D．Half past one. |
When Tom sat in the station café, who came in?
| A．his friend | B．his father | C．his uncle | D．his girlfriend |
Which of the following is true?
| A．Tom missed his bus. |
| B．He has liked mirror since then. |
| C．The next bus would leave soon. |
| D．Tom arrived London on time. |
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