Charles Dickens is often thought of as one of the greatest British writers.February 7 marked the 200th anniversary of his birthday. Yet for many, his language is old-fashioned and his stories often improbable. So why do so many people know and read Dickens today?
One reason is the British government's insistence that every child studies a Dickens novel at school. Alongside William Shakespeare, Dickens is on every English literature school reading list.His stories, though often long by today's standards, are great moral tales. They are filled with colorful characters.
Earlier this month a ceremony was held in Portsmouth ,where Dickens was born Prince Charles said at the ceremony, Dickens used his creative genius to campaign passionately for social justice, his characterization is a fresh today as on the day is was written.
His books stand out from many other writers because of his insight into human nature. Dickens like Shakespeare tells us truths about human behavior. They are as true in the 21st century as they were to his readers in the 19th century.
Readers have returned to Dickens’ books again and again over the years to see what he has to say about their own times.
No surprise then that it was Dickens whom Britons turned to during the economic crisis in the last couple of years. Dickens helped them make sense of a world that was rapidly falling apart. The BBC adapted one of his less well-known novels, Little Dorrit, into a popular television drama thatintroduced many Brits to the novel for the first time. A dark story about greed and money, it was the perfect illustration of bad times.
As long as Dickens’s novels have something to say to modern audiences, it seems likely that he will remain one of Britain’s best-loved writers.In the article, the author intends to tell us ______.
| A．why Dickens’ novels still appeal to readers in modern times |
| B．that Dickens’ works are no longer popular among young people |
| C．why the British government puts Dickens on school reading lists |
| D．that Dickens and Shakespeare’s works are required for study at school |
In Britain, people still read Dickens because of ______.
a) romance in his books
b) moral value in his books
c) his colorful characters
d) his insight into human nature
e) government education requirement
f) his prediction of the current economic crisis
| A．abdf | B．bcde | C．bdef | D．abed |
We can infer from the article that ______.
| A．it’s better to read Dickens in time of difficulty |
| B．Dickens was a great social observer of his time |
| C．human nature seems worse during bad times |
| D．Dickens’s novels are short and easy to read |
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．Little Dorrit is one of Dickens’ best-known novels. |
| B．Dickens’ novels are of greater value during economic crisis. |
| C．Dickens’ works have gained more popularity than Shakespeare’s |
| D．Dickens’ novels are still of realistic significance to today’s world. |
Two of the hardest things to accomplish in this world are to acquire wealth by honest effort and, having gained it, to learn how to use it properly. Recently I walked into the locker room of a rather well known golf club after finishing a round. It was in the late afternoon and most of the members had left for their homes. But a half - dozen or so men past middle age were still seated at tables talking aimlessly and drinking more than was good for them. These same men can be found there day after day, and, strangely enough, each one of these men had been a man of affairs and wealth, successful in business and respected in the community. If material prosperity were the chief necessity for happiness, then each one should have been happy. Yet, it seemed to me, something very important was missing, else-there would not have been the constant effort to escape the realities of life through scotch and soda. They knew, each one of them, that their productivity had ceased(停止). When a fruit tree ceases to bear its fruit, it is dying. And it is even so with man.
What is the answer to a long and happy existence in this world of ours? I think I found it long ago in a passage from the book of Genesis which caught my eye while I was looking through my Bible. The words were few, but they became memorably impressed on my mind. “In the sweat of the face shall you eat the bread."
To me, that has been a challenge from my earliest recollections (memories). In fact, the battle of life, of existence, is a challenge to everyone. The immortal words of St. Paul, too, have been and always will be a great inspiration to me. At the end of the road I want to be able to feel that I have fought a good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.Which of the following is indicated in the first paragraph?
| A．Wealth results from honest effort. |
| B．The men seated at tables in the locker room are lost in the significance of life. |
| C．For some people, no way can be found to escape the realities of life other than scotch and soda. |
| D．The men acquire wealth by planting fruit trees. |
The underlined sentence "In the sweat of the face shall you eat the bread " means ____.
| A．Bread tastes delicious when sweat pours off your face |
| B．No pains, no gains |
| C．Failure is the mother of success |
| D．Bread comes from the sweat on your face |
We learn from the passage that the author_______.
| A．was a wealthy person in the community |
| B．held a positive attitude towards an active life |
| C．was fond of associating with celebrities (名人) |
| D．kept a secret of the reason why he was so impressed |
What is implied in the passage by the writer?
| A．To use wealth properly, eat, drink and be merry. |
| B．Where there is a will, there is a way. |
| C．As life is but like a dream, a man is like a fruit tree. |
| D．If you cease to struggle, you cease to live. |
完形填空：共20题 每题2分 共40分
My three-year-old granddaughter fell from the bicycle before I could catch her. Emily there for a moment, calculating her chances of survival. the chances were in her favor, she sat up with a that quickly turned into tears when she saw the blood on her knee. I took her in my arms, saying words of as I carried her into the house to deal with her hurt.
With much comfort, she let me wash and put ointment (药膏) on her .
I kissed her cheek.“All now, sweetie？”
“No, Grandma, you haven't said the Mommy ，” she said.
I ran a list of Mommy words through my mind：Please？Thank you？I love you?
“You know, Grandma. Mommy them to make me all better.”Emily took a deep breath and recited, “A little kiss, a little hug, I give you these, with all my love.”
My mind raced and I ．It was the same little song that I had said to my ，my mother to me，and her mother to her. My grandmother died when my mother was eight. There had been nothing left but her dear ．When she became a mother herself, she the gentle love of her mother and the remembered comfort of the “Mommy words” that made all things go away and only the good remain. Hearing it now, I realized that though I had never met my grandmother, I did her. We were mothers—we were at the heart.
It was my grandmother had written her legacy (遗产) of love on the hearts of four of mothers. I heard my grandmother's, my mother's, my daughter's, my granddaughter's, and my own voice through time.
“Don't ， Grandma. I am all better，” Emily said, wiping the tears from my face. We kissed and hugged, and said the Mommy words to each other.
A．lay B．sat C．stood D．slept
A．Doubting B．Wishing C．Proving D．Figuring
A．joke B．reply C．gesture D．smile
A．praise B．comfort C．thankfulness D．encouragement
A．foot B．arm C．knee D．cheek
A．warmer B．better C．nicer D．safer
A．words B．accents C．dialogues D．speeches
A．directly B．cautiously C．quickly D．eagerly
A．says B．keeps C．announces D．teaches
A．failed B．remembered C．refused D．laughed
A．friends B．parents C．children D．neighbors
A．stories B．books C．gifts D．memorie
A．passed on B．took over C．gave up D．showed off
A．hard B．soft C．old D．bad
A．fear B．know C．forget D．believe
A．disappointed B．surprised C．worried D．connected
A．because B．since C．as though D．not until
A．groups B．generations C．types D．pairs
A．mixing B．rising C．shouting D．shaking
A．stop B．move C．cry D．wait
Two years ago, three scientists traveled to the Antarctica to explore a secret world hidden _________ the ice.
| A．among | B．beneath | C．beyond | D．opposite |
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