Removing the sleeve(封套), you will find a book that is entirely white, except for the names of its author and subject in elegant black type on the cover. It is the perfect design for the biography of a man who insisted that even the insides of his products be perfectly constructed, and that his factory wails flash in the whitest white.
The cover was the only part of the book Steve Jobs wanted to control, writes Isaacson in his introduction. Though Mr. Jobs pushed the biographer of Albert Einstein and Benjamin Franklin to write in his own way, generously allowing the writer more than 40 interviews, this book offers quite a different view of Mr. Jobs, who won much praise from his fans after his death on October 5th at the age of 56.
As a biographer of Albert Einstein and Benjamin Franklin, Mr. Isaacson knows how to celebrate long-dead genius, but he claimed that "Steve Jobs" would not be entirely praiseful words. The picture he paints, particularly in the first half of this book, is not nice. Mr. Jobs emerges as a controlling and often cold-blooded character. A child of the 1960s counter-culture (反主流文化), he hated, materialism and lived in simply furnished houses ( in part because he was too particular about furniture). But when Apple went public in 1980, he refused to give any share to Daniel Kottke, a Iongtime supporter and soul mate from college. "He has to abandon the people he is close to," observes Andy Hertzfeld, an early Apple engineer.
Mr. Jobs was undoubtedly possessing an extraordinary ability to attract others and inspire a kind of faith that could not be questioned. But also he could be cold and cruel. If he disapproved of an employee's work, he often shamed him. "This is who I am," he once said after being challenged,"and you can't expect me to be someone I'm not. " This disgusting personality wasn't always helpful,but it served a purpose, writes Mr. Isaacson, many would "end their chain of horror stories by saying that he got them to do things they never dreamed possible. "
Mr. Isaacson treats "Steve Jobs" as the biography of record, which means that it is a strange book to read so soon after its subject's death. The biography for Jobs is believed to have the perfect design because __
| A．it follows Jobs' style |
| B．its cover is entirely white |
| C．black and white are his favorite . |
| D．it is designed by a famous biographer |
The picture of Jobs that Isaacson paints in his book is __
①cruel ②humorous ③particular ④generous
| A．①③ | B．②③ | C．①④ | D．③④ |
It can be safely concluded that
| A．Jobs is highly spoken of in the book |
| B．Isaacson doesn't think Jobs a good man |
| C．Jobs didn't care about the design of the book |
| D．all descriptions of Jobs are not nice in the book |
This passage can be classified as
| A．a personal diary | B．a book review | C．a news report | D．a TV interview |
A trip to the library can change your life.That is the idea of the Get It Loud in Libraries project，which challenges the habit of speaking in a low voice.The sweet tones of singer Diana Vickers rang out recently，surrounded by books as well as fans，at Lancaster Library.Plan B，Adele，Florence and the Machine，Speech Debelle，and the Thrills have also performed for the project.
This fiveyear project aims to increase access(进入) to libraries while developing youth talent and has attracted more than 8,500 visitors,5,000 of whom are firsttime library users.
“I think it’s wonderful，”Vickers says.“I’ve been playing in front of big crowds and I’m excited about close environments where you can be close to your fans.”
As a child growing up in nearby Blackburn，she says that her school library was a “second home”to her.When she was young she loved PeterRabbit and Mr.Men books，and later her favorites included LittleWomen and TheLovelyBones.
Attracted by the stage，the young who would once never have been to a library have been returning to borrow books and CDs.The project’s founder，Stewart Parsons，has worked in libraries for 25 years.He feels that the concerts have made libraries something that the young want to be part of.A mother，Lauren Zawadzki，sent him a text message after a concert：“Your work is great！！！Both Izaak and Dom have been reading in the library for the last half hour...You should be proud.They would never have suggested that before the concerts.”
Parsons hopes that the activity is changing the way people view libraries.“My big worry is that libraries trail(拖拉)behind slightly；they shouldn’t.This is about bringing libraries up to date.The beautiful thing is that people are reconnecting with the library in a way they haven’t done before.”The Get It Loud in Libraries project aims to ________.
| A．collect money for libraries to buy books |
| B．attract more people to read in libraries |
| C．provide a performing place for music lovers |
| D．develop youth talent for singing |
According to the passage，Vickers’s attitude towards Libraries project is that of ________.
| A．praise | B．unconcern |
| C．doubt | D．worry |
What can we know about Diana Vickers from the passage?
| A．She once worked at a library. |
| B．She doesn’t like being close to her fans. |
| C．She liked reading in her childhood. |
| D．She complains about the noisy environment. |
According to the passage，Zawadzki ________.
| A．advised libraries to keep quiet |
| B．praised Parsons for helping her reading |
| C．found her children’s talent for singing |
| D．praised the Get It Loud in Libraries project |
Do you know about a series of books that say they are “for dummies”？ These American selfhelp books have been translated into more than thirty nine languages including Chinese，Arabic，Russian，French，German，Greek and Spanish.
“Dummy” is a word for a stupid person.The dummies books are not really for stupid people.They are designed to show people how to do something they may never have tried before，like painting a house or learning a language.The books all say in a funny way that they are for dummies，such as World History for Dummies，Rabbits for Dummies，Chinese Cooking for Dummies，and Wedding Planning for Dummies.The first such book，DOS for Dummies，was published in 1991.It helped people learn how to use the DOS operating system for computers.Since then，more than one hundred fifty million dummies books have been sold.
The dummies.com website explains the idea behind the books.It says that they show people can be taught to do anything.First they can make fun of ideas that are difficult to understand.Then they show how the information can be interesting and easy.The publishers say that the books do not provide more information than necessary.They give readers just enough information to do what they want.They say that the dummies books give the best and easiest way to do something.And the books use simple and easy language.
There are more than one thousand different dummies books.A report in New York Times says that the top-selling dummies books are those that explain technology and personal finance.
The publishers say that the best-selling dummies books are those providing information many people need－like information about diseases，education and cooking.People interested in opera，car repair and wine can also find dummies books to help them.And there are even more dummies books to come.The publishers say that they publish about two hundred new dummies books every year.Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
| A．Books for Dummies |
| B．The Easiest，the Best |
| C．Self-Help Books |
| D．New Ideas behind the Books |
The dummies books have been popular because ________.
| A．they provide just what is needed and are easy to understand |
| B．they provide abundant information on the concerning subject |
| C．people can learn to do anything with just one copy |
| D．people can save lots of money through self-teaching |
According to New York Times，we know that books on ________ sell best.
| A．technology and personal finance |
| B．opera and car repairing |
| C．diseases and education |
| D．cooking and world history |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．The first dummies book was on Chinese cooking. |
| B．The dummies books will continue to be popular. |
| C．Fifty million different dummies books have been published. |
| D．The simple language was intended for child readers. |
US chat show queen Oprah Winfrey surprised 300 members of her audience (观众) by saying she would send them on a trip to Australia in December.Winfrey will also film an episode (集) of her show at the Sydney “Oprah” House.
The Australian government said it was spending AUS$(澳元) 3 million to help bring The Oprah Winfrey Show to the country.
Tourism Minister (旅游部部长) Martin Ferguson insisted it was money well spent as it would put Australia in the spotlight，with the popular TV show watched by 40 million Americans and screened in 145 countries.“Oprah is a famous name and she has the power to improve Australia’s image as an important tourist country，” he said in a statement.
Winfrey made the announcement on Monday.After telling the audience that she might take them on a trip to New York，Philadelphia or Los Angeles，she said her last season would provide something “bigger”．
“I started to think about where I would most want to go.Maybe I should take all of you with me to the other side of the world.We’re going to Australia！”she said.
Several episodes will be filmed during the trip，which had been planned for almost a year and will take in beaches，Sydney Harbour and so on.It marks the first time that the show will be filmed with its US audience outside North America.The Australian trip follows a similar act in 2004 when Winfrey gave a car to each member of her audience.
Winfrey is to start her own television channel (频道)，the Oprah Winfrey Network，in 2011，at the age of her 57.What ’s the Australian government’s aim in inviting Oprah Winfrey?
| A．To spread Australia’s culture. |
| B．To develop Australia’s tourism. |
| C．To introduce The Oprah Winfrey Show to the country. |
| D．To improve the relations between the two countries |
Which word can best describe Martin Ferguson’s attitude towards Oprah Winfrey’s Australian trip?
| A．Worried. | B．Doubtful. |
| C．Proud. | D．Confident. |
Which of the following about Winfrey is TRUE?
| A．She once brought her audience outside North America in 2004. |
| B．Her Australian trip and episodes have been planned for a month. |
| C．She will film her show at Sydney Harbour. |
| D．She was born in the year of 1964. |
What might be the best title for the text?
| A．Oprah Winfrey takes audience to Australia |
| B．Australians love to see The Oprah Winfrey Show |
| C．Americans want to know more about Australia |
| D．Oprah Winfrey will start her own channel |
Lisa was running late.Lisa,25，had a lot to do at work，plus visitors on the way: her parents were coming in for Thanksgiving from her hometown.But as she hurried down the subway stairs，she started to feel uncomfortably warm.By the time she got to the platform，Lisa felt weak and tired－maybe it hadn’t been a good idea to give blood the night before，she thought.She rested herself against a post close to the tracks.
Several yards away，Frank,43，and his girlfriend，Jennifer，found a spot close to where the front of the train would stop.They were deep in discussion about a house they were thinking of buying.
But when he heard the scream，followed by someone yelling，“Oh，my God，she fell in！” Frank didn’t hesitate.He jumped down to the tracks and ran some 40 feet toward the body lying on the rails.“No! Not you! ”his girlfriend screamed after him.
She was right to be alarmed.By the time Frank reached Lisa，he could feel the tracks shaking and see the light coming.The train was about 20 seconds from the station.
It was hard to lift her.She was just out.But he managed to raise her the four feet to the platform so that bystanders could hold her by the arms and drag her away from the edge.That was where Lisa briefly regained consciousness，felt herself being pulled along the ground，and saw someone else holding her purse.
Lisa thought she’d been robbed.A woman held her hand and a man gave his shirt to help stop the blood pouring from her head.And she tried to talk but she couldn’t，and that was when she realized how much pain she was in.
Police and fire officials soon arrived，and Frank told the story to an officer.Jennifer said her boyfriend was calm on their 40minute train ride downtown－just as he had been seconds after the rescue，which made her think about her reaction at the time.“I saw the train coming and I was thinking he was going to die，” she explained.What was the most probable cause for Lisa’s weakness?
| A．She had run a long way. |
| B．She felt hot in the subway. |
| C．She had done a lot of work. |
| D．She had donated blood the night before. |
Why did Jennifer try to stop her boyfriend?
| A．Because they would miss their train. |
| B．Because he didn’t see the train coming. |
| C．Because she was sure Lisa was hard to lift. |
| D．Because she was afraid the train would kill him. |
How did Frank save Lisa?
| A．By lifting her to the platform. |
| B．By helping her rise to her feet. |
| C．By pulling her along the ground. |
| D．By dragging her away from the edge. |
The passage is intended to ________.
| A．warn us of the danger in the subway |
| B．show us how to save people in the subway |
| C．tell us about a subway rescue |
| D．report a traffic accident |
Historians say Harriet Tubman was born in the year 1820.Nobody really knows. But we do know that Harriet Tubman was one of the bravest women ever born in the United States.
From a very early age，Harriet knew how slaves suffered. At six years old，she was sent to the fields. Working outside not only made her body strong but also made her learn about the Underground Railroad，on which she helped hundreds of people escape from slavery later. She also learned many things from the other slaves，which one day would help her lead her people to freedom. She became more of a rebel (反叛者)．
In 1844，at about age 24，she married a free black man named John Tubman. By now，Harriet was sure she wanted to try to escape. Suddenly，the time came. Her owner died. Though opposed by her husband，she decided to escape. With the help of the Underground Railroad，and through a variety of suffering she finally crossed the border into Pennsylvania，where slavery was banned.
Now that Harriet was free，she did not forget the hundreds of other slaves back in Maryland. Harriet traveled back and forth eighteen times，helping about 300 slaves escape into free territory. She became an expert at hiding from slave hunters. The people she helped called her Moses. At one time，anyone finding Harriet was promised $40,000 for catching her－dead or alive.
During the Civil War，Harriet Tubman went into enemy territory to spy for the North. She also served as a nurse. After four years of bloody fighting，the North won the war.
After the fighting ended，Harriet Tubman returned to Auburn，New York. She kept working. She traveled and gave speeches to raise money for better education for black children. She also worked for women’s rights and housing. Harriet Tubman died in 1913.She was about 93 years old. By that time，she was recognized as an American hero. The United States government gave a funeral with military honors for the woman known as Moses.Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
| A．A History of American Black Slaves |
| B．Cruel American Civil War |
| C．Information on the Underground Railroad |
| D．A Brief Introduction to Harriet Tubman |
Which of the following is true of the Underground Railroad?
| A．It was a system that helped slaves escape from the South to North. |
| B．It was a special train，on which slaves couldn’t be found easily. |
| C．It was a special place where slaves could hide themselves. |
| D．It was a group of people who would like to help the blacks. |
The sentence “Later，she told a friend，‘I felt like I was in heaven.’” can be placed at the back of Paragragh ________.
| A．2 | B．3 |
| C．4 | D．5 |
According to the text，we know that ________.
| A．slavery was banned in all the states in America before the Civil War |
| B．Harriet Tubman raised money for better education for white children |
| C．the government gave her a funeral because she was Moses |
| D．Harriet Tubman still worked for black people after the Civil War |
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