There are some topics that readers never grow bored with, and the search for a suitable partner（伴侣） is one of them. Pride and Prejudice（傲慢与偏见）by Jane Austen, first published in 1813, tells the story of five young women, all of whom are looking for a husband. In order to fully understand the novel, the readers must know that at the time when Jane Austen was writing, if a family was not rich, the daughters needed to marry well in order to live a comfortable, independent life. That is the reason why Mrs Bennet, the mother of the five girls, is so eager to have her daughters married.
The heroine of the story is Elizabeth Bennet, and as in all good romantic novels, she and Darcy, the man she finally marries, remain separate until the very end of the story. The wealthy Darcy is a proud, unsociable man, and when Elizabeth hears that he has insulted（侮辱） both her and her family, she dislikes him very much. Poor Darcy then falls head over heels in love with Elizabeth, and has to work terribly hard to persuade her to change her mind about him. He succeeds of course, and they live happily ever after.
Set at the turn of the 19th century, the novel is still attractive to modern readers. It has become one of the most popular novels and receives great attention from literary scholars（学者）.Modern interest in the book has resulted in a number of dramas（戏剧）and a lot of novels and stories modeling(模仿) after Austen’s memorable (难忘的)characters or themes. To date, the book has sold some 20 million copies worldwide.
Jane Austen is rightly famous for her style. Her sentences have a wonderful rhythm（韵律）, and she makes such clever, true comments about people. It is not surprising that Pride and Prejudice has lasted. In the 19th century, a poor girl in Britain was often encouraged to .
| A．master the skills of writing | B．marry the one she loved |
| C．change her life by marrying rich | D．obey her parents |
What do we know about Elizabeth and Darcy?
| A．They both come from poor families and wish to marry rich. |
| B．They’ve experienced ups and downs but get married in the end. |
| C．They get separated from each other shortly after being married. |
| D．Darcy falls over and gets hurt but Elizabeth still loves him. |
According to the passage, Pride and Prejudice _________.
| A．inspired many other novels and many plays have been produced based on it. |
| B．was first published in 1813 and sold 20 million copies soon |
| C．tells a sad love story which moves generations of readers |
| D．is set at the turn of the 19th century and not well received worldwide |
A mouse happened to look through a hole in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package. “What food might this contain?” The mouse wondered. But he was sad to discover it was a mousetrap (老鼠夹子).
Back to the farmyard, the mouse announced this warning: “There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!”
The hen clucked (咯咯地叫) and scratched, raised her head and said, “Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a great concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it.”
Then the mouse turned to the pig. The pig sympathized, but said, “I am very sorry, Mr. Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured you are in my prayers.”
Then the mouse turned to the cow and repeated the same words. The cow said, “Moo, Mr. Mouse. I’m sorry for you, but it’s no skin off my nose.”
So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and sadly faced the farmer’s mousetrap alone. That very night a sound was heard throughout the house – the sound of a mousetrap catching its prey (猎物). The farmer’s wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see it. It was a poisonous snake whose tail was caught in the trap. The snake bit the farmer’s wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital. When she returned home, she still had a fever.
Everyone knows fresh chicken soup is good to treat a fever. So the farmer took his knife to the farmyard. The hen was killed.
But his wife’s sickness continued. Friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig.
The farmer’s wife did not get well but died. So many people came for her funeral that the farmer had the cow killed to provide enough meat for all of them for the lunch.
The mouse looked on it all from his hole in the wall with great sadness.What did the mouse do when it returned to the farmyard?
| A．It warned its neighbors of the danger. |
| B．It argued with its neighbors loudly. |
| C．It had a warm talk with its friends. |
| D．It tried hard to cheer its friends. |
Which of the following is mentioned in the story?
| A．The farmer was bitten by a snake. |
| B．The neighbors came for chicken soup. |
| C．The pig expressed its sympathy for the mouse. |
| D．The hen was sure that it’ll be bothered by mousetrap. |
Which of the following can best express the moral of the story?
| A．Out of sight, out of mind. |
| B．Mind works faster in time of danger. |
| C．Never put your nose into others’ business. |
| D．We should pull together in time of trouble. |
How does the author develop the passage?
| A．By argument. | B．By time. |
| C．By discussion. | D．By space. |
Do Algebra (代数) problems 15 through 25. Give the different forms of the verbs on page 50 of your French workbook. Read page 12 through 20 of the Shakespeare play, and when you have finished that, don’t forget to fill the missing chemical symbols on the Periodic Table of Elements worksheet.
Homework is a major part of going to class, and it helps students grasp important concepts. Luckily, you can do a few things to make homework less painful.
First, be sure you understand the assignment. Write it down in your notebook or day planner if you need to, and don’t be afraid to ask questions about what is expected. It is much easier to take a minute to ask the teacher during or after class than to struggle to remember later at night!
Second, use any extra time you have in school to work on your homework. Many schools have study halls that are specifically designed to allow students to study or get homework done. It is attractive to hang out with friends during study periods or unscheduled time, but the more work you can get done in school, the less you will have to do at night.
Third, pace yourself. If you don’t finish your homework during school, think about how much you have left and what else is going on that day, and then budget your time. Most high school students have between 1 and 3 hours of homework a night. If it is a heavy-homework day and it seems like you have got an assignment on every subject but gym and lunch, you will need to devote more time to homework schedule, especially if you are involved in sports or activities or have an after-school job.The first paragraph is probably _______.
| A．examination items | B．a list of homework. |
| C．some teacher tasks | D．some learning methods |
What is the author’s attitude towards homework’s effect on students?
| A．Opposing. | B．Impatient. |
| C．Approving. | D．Concerned. |
One way to reduce your burden of homework at night is to _____.
| A．take part in studying teams |
| B．appeal for teachers’ aid at any time |
| C．focus full attention on teachers’ lecture |
| D．make full use of the time at school |
Which of the following would be the best title of the passage?
| A．Why students should do homework |
| B．How to make homework less work |
| C．It is high time teachers gave less homework |
| D．Who is to blame for children’s poor eyesight |
Iceland is experiencing a book boom（繁荣时期）.
It is hard to avoid writers in Reykjavik. There is a phrase in Icelandic, “ad ganga med bok I maganum”, meaning everyone gives birth to a book. Literally, everyone “has a book in their stomach”. One in 10 Icelanders will publish one.
“Does it get rather competitive?” I ask the young novelist, Kristin Eirikskdottir. “Yes. Especially as I live with my mother and partner, who are also full-time writers. But we try to publish in alternate years so we do not compete too much.”
“Writers are respected here,” Agla Magnusdottir tells me. “They live well. Some even get a salary.” Magnusdottir is head of the new Icelandic Literature Centre, which offers state support for literature and its translation. “They write everything --- modern sagas(长篇英雄故事), poetry, children's books, literary and extraordinary fiction --- but the biggest boom is in crime writing,” she says.
So what has led to this phenomenal book boom? I would say it is due to a crop of good writers, telling interesting tales with elegant economy and fantastic characters.
Iceland's black lava(火山岩) riverbeds, its steaming, bubbling earth, with its towering volcanoes and fairytale streams also make it the perfect setting for stories. Solvi Bjorn Siggurdsson, an Icelandic novelist, says writers owe a lot to the past. “We are a nation of storytellers. When it was dark and cold we had nothing else to do,” he says. “Thanks to the poetic works and medieval（中世纪的） sagas, we have always been surrounded by stories. After independence from Denmark in 1944, literature helped define our identity.”
Siggurdsson shows respect to Iceland's Nobel Literature winner, Halldor Laxness, whose books are sold in petrol stations and tourist centres across the island. Locals name their cats after Laxness and pay a visit to his home. “When Laxness won the Nobel Prize in 1955 he put modern Icelandic literature on the map,” Siggurdsson tells me. “He gave us confidence to write.”The underlined phrase in the passage suggests that ________.
| A．Icelanders love collecting books. |
| B．Icelanders love writing very much. |
| C．there are a lot of great books in Iceland. |
| D．it is competitive to publish a book in Iceland. |
What kind of book is the most popular in Iceland?
| A．Poetry. | B．Medieval sagas. |
| C．Crime novels. | D．Children’s stories. |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?.
| A．Siggurdsson won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1955. |
| B．Icelanders publish books to increase their income. |
| C．Writers in Iceland don’t benefit from its literary tradition. |
| D．Iceland possesses some factors to be a perfect setting for stories. |
An American research company shows that $248.7 billion online sales are expected by 2014. It seems as if we can’t get enough of spending money through countless online clicks today. Following are some of the incredible things that you can buy online!
1) Parents
51-year-old Michael Amatrudo from Connecticut put a posting on Craig list in 2009 to sell his elderly parents, asking for $155 in return.
2) Chewing Gum
Bidding for Britney Spears’ chewing gum reached $14,000 in 2004. The pop star’s half-eaten sandwich also went for over $500.
3) Kidney Stone
Star Trek actor William Shatner sold his kidney stone for $20,000 when he put it up for sale online to see how much a piece of him was worth. He ended up giving the money to charity.
4) An Imaginary Friend
This imaginary guy went (or might still be going) by the name of Jon Malipieman and was sold on eBay for $3,000 by a man who claimed:
“My imaginary friend Jon Malipieman is getting too old for me now. I am now 27 and I feel I am growing out of him. He is very friendly. Along with him, I will send you what he likes and dislikes, his favorite things to do and his personal self portrait.”
5) Souls
The website demonical.com is probably the creepiest site I have ever visited. You can sell your own soul or buy the souls of people such as Fidel Castro and Woody Allen (both selling for $950). Bill Gate, whoever that is, has his soul for sale at $1,300 while Michael Jacobsen’s soul is being sold for $3000.
6) A Rock That Looks Like Meat
The screen shot from eBay tells us that people are bidding over $1 million for this “naturally formed bbq pork rock”. Absolute madness.What is the author’s purpose for writing the passage?
| A．To introduce some unbelievable things online. |
| B．To call on customers to resist the products. |
| C．To attract readers to visit the related websites. |
| D．To encourage readers to buy the things online. |
Which is probably sold at the highest price according to the passage?
| A．Chewing Gum. | B．Kidney Stone. |
| C．An Imaginary Friend. | D．A Rock That Looks Like Meat. |
According to the text, _____ is most likely to have starred in a film.
| A．Britney Spears | B．William Shatner |
| C．Jon Malipieman | D．Fidel Castro |
What can be inferred from the text?
| A．Michael Amatrudo charged a high price for selling his elderly parents. |
| B．William Shatner sold the kidney stone so as to donate the money to charity. |
| C．Jon Malipieman was sold because he was not wanted any longer. |
| D．The soul of Michael Jacobsen is worth more than that of Woody Allen. |
My father passed away in a nursing home on a September day. I never remembered him telling me he loved me. Upon hearing his death, I didn’t feel the need to cry. I struggled with my lack of strong feelings over his passing, knowing it was not healthy for me to avoid sadness.
On Christmas Day of the year, I was reflecting on as many good memories of my father as I could. I decided to work out my feelings, so I sat down and wrote my father a letter.
Dear Daddy,
I remember something today. I remember when I was 3 years old, mom carried me right before bedtime and you sang “Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep” to me, and I remember your voice like it was just yesterday. I remember the warmth of you lying next to me and how special I felt at that moment. Then my mom carried me off to my own bed to tuck me in.
I remember times when I could sit out on the porch with you and watch an approaching thunderstorm, and you would tell me the scientific facts behind lightning and thunder. I thought you knew everything.
I remember you taking my two brothers and me on trips to a stream out in the country on summer days. We would walk along the stream, picking wildflowers to take home to mother.
I want to thank you for giving me an appreciation of nature and science and of God’s beautiful creation, Earth. I want to thank you for making us take part in “family worship” every evening after dinner. I remember that Bible stories and the Golden Rule on how to treat others, and I learnt how to appreciate music in my life from the hymns we sang. I also learnt to harmonize with my sisters.
And most of all, I want to forgive you. I forgive you for not being able to tell me that I was a special girl and that you loved me. I longed for your spoken affection. But I realize something in your own upbringing would not allow you to express your feelings verbally（口头地）. I realize that you did the best that you could with what you knew.
I signed the letter and put it into my wooden box to join many other cards and letters from my family and loved ones that I cherished. But somehow, it had not brought any relief I desired.
On New Year’s Eve, I remember the letter to my father. I took it outside to the yard. Then I built a fire and dropped it into the flame and watched it burn.
As I thanked my father for giving me life, the tears came. I released all the grief and whispered, “you were my father… and I love you.”Why did the writer struggle with the feelings upon hearing her father’s death?
| A．Because she couldn’t accept her father’s death. |
| B．Because she wanted to hold back her sadness. |
| C．Because she knew she should have felt sad. |
| D．Because she had a mixed feeling of love and hatred. |
The writer spent much happy time doing memorable things with father EXCEPT that ___.
| A．father sang songs for her before bedtime |
| B．father taught her nature, science, and history |
| C．father took her on trips in nature |
| D．father read Bible stories for her |
It can be inferred from the text that ______.
| A．the writer burned the letter directly after finishing writing it |
| B．father’s growth influenced his way of expressing himself |
| C．the writer never expected father to express his true feelings |
| D．the writer didn’t forgive her father completely after his death |
Which can be chosen as the best title for the story?
| A．Daddy, I miss you. |
| B．A regretful letter to father |
| C．Happy time with daddy |
| D．The flames of forgiveness |
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