When my daughter Sally was five, I bought Grimm’s Fairy Tales and read Snow White to her one night. At the end of the original Grimm tale, Snow White’s stepmother is made to put on red-hot iron shoes and dance until she falls down dead.
This came as something of a shock. I always thought fairytales had happy endings. And I didn’t want my five-year-old daughter going to sleep thinking: “Thank goodness they tortured (折磨) that old woman to death.” That’s when I decided to write fairy tales.
In the years that followed, I wrote tales non-stop and read them to Sally at bedtime. The Corn Dolly was based on a child who was always complaining; The Silly King was just a silly story Sally loved; I wrote The Witch and the Rainbow Cat for Sally because of her enormous appetite for stories about witches while Dr Bonocolus’s Devil is a new version of the Faust legend．
Nifobobinus, however, was different. I wrote this book when Sally was older and took up all things girls have to do — who’s friends with who, who stuck a sticker on the back of whose boyfriend, or whatever thing she felt funny.
Nicobobinus, the boy who could do anything, came out of my desire for a more innocent world. He lived a 1ong time ago, in a city called Venice. Only his best friend, Rosie, knew he could, and nobody took any notice of anything Rosie said, because she was always having wild ideas anyway.
Nicobobinus was so different that it turned out to be an instant hit. The Times called me “an author setting out to rival the classic fairytales”. I asked Sally what she thought of Nicobobinus. She said it was her favourite.
What led the writer to start writing fairy tales for her daughter?
| A．The frightening ends of past fairy tales. |
| B．His daughter’s strong interest in fairy tales. |
| C．His desire to let his daughter know more stories. |
| D．His attempt to fill his daughter’s bedtime with something. |
We can infer from the third paragraph that the writer _____.
| A．was a very productive fairy tale writer |
| B．based all his stories on some old legends |
| C．never described witches in his fairy tales |
| D．created his stories out of his own interest |
When creating Nicobobinus, the first thing the writer considered was _____.
| A．the changes of his daughter’s interests |
| B．what story the publisher wanted to get |
| C．ways to keep his daughter Sally innocent |
| D．the difference of the story from other stories |
The underlined word “rival” in the last paragraph can be replaced by _____.
| A．follow | B．explore | C．challenge | D．recommend |
In the summer of 1978 an English farmer was driving his tractor through a field of wheat when he discovered that some of his wheat was lying flat on the ground. The flattened wheat formed a circle about six meters across. Around this circle were four smaller circles of flattened wheat. The five circles were in a formation like five dots. During the following years, farmers in England found the strange circles in their fields more and more often.
The circles are called “crop circles” because they appear in the fields of grain ― usually wheat or corn. The grain in the circles lies flat on the ground but is never broken; it continues to grow, and farmers can later harvest it. Farmers always discover the crop circles in the morning, so the circles probably form at night. They appear only in the months from May to September.
At first, people thought that the circles were a hoax. Probably young people were making them as a joke, or farmers were making them to attract tourists. To prove that the circles were a hoax, people tried to make circles exactly like the ones that farmers had found. They couldn’t do it. They couldn’t enter a field of grain without leaving tracks, and they couldn’t flatten the grain without breaking it.
Many people believe that beings from outer space are making the circles to communicate with us from far away and that the crop circles are messages from them.
Scientists who have studied the crop circles suggested several possibilities. Some scientists say that a downward rush of wind leads to the formation of the circles — the same downward lash of air that sometimes causes an airplane to crash. Other scientists say that forces within the earth cause the circles to appear. There is one problem with all these scientific explanations: crop circles often appear in formations, like the five-dot formation. It is hard to believe that any natural force could form those.In the summer of 1978, an English farmer discovered in his field that ______.
| A．some of his wheat had been damaged |
| B．some of his wheat had fallen onto the ground |
| C．his grain was growing up in circles |
| D．his grain was moved into several circles |
The underlined word "hoax" in Paragraph 3 is probably ______.
| A．a research on the force of winds |
| B．a special way to plant crops |
| C．an experiment for the protection of crops |
| D．an attempt made to fool people |
Which of the following may prove that the crop circles are not made by man?
| A．The farmers couldn’t step out of the field. |
| B．The farmers couldn’t make the circles round. |
| C．The farmers couldn’t leave without footprints. |
| D．The farmers couldn’t keep the wheat straight up. |
One explanation given by scientists for the crop circles is that they are made by _____.
| A．airplane crashes | B．air movement |
| C．unknown flying objects | D．new farming techniques |
In New York, Ma witnessed the Alibaba Group opening on the New York stock exchange with the largest initial public offering (IPO，新股发行) in American history. “Alibaba, the world’s largest Internet commerce company makes China equal to the US in the rapidly increasing global competition for technological innovation (创新) and economic transformation ” commented the South China Morning Post.
It has also made Ma China’s richest man with a fortune of around $25 billion (153 billion yuan), reported Reuters.
It’s reported that Ma’s rags-to-riches journey is just as spectacular as his Internet empire. Ma failed the national college entrance exams twice before he was finally in Hangzhou Normal University on his third attempt and failed in finding a suitable job several times. Also, Mr. Ma is a big believer in perseverance, which was proved in his English study experience.
However, it was his vision and goals that launched his career.
During a short trip to the US as an interpreter in 1995, Ma first experienced the Internet. He believed in the Internet’s business potential when few other Chinese people did. He started Alibaba in his Hangzhou apartment, with 17 friends and $60,000 of funds. At the time, when e-commerce was unheard of in China, “I called myself a blind man riding on the back of blind tigers,” he once said, according to The Guardian. His unusual ideas earned him the nickname “Crazy Jack Ma”.
Indeed, Ma is different. Although he is very thin and about 160cm tall, “Ma is yet animated and forceful, said The Guardian. “He is funny, creative, and a compelling (引人注目的) speaker.
Ma told Time magazine that he was “old for the Internet”. He started to slow down and looked around. According to The Wall Street Journal, Ma “plans to open a tai chi club with the actor Jet Li, build an entrepreneur (企业家) university in Hangzhou and continue to work on several environmental projects.”What made him into e-commerce industry?
| A．His foresight and ambitions. |
| B．His English learning experience. |
| C．His belief in perseverance. |
| D．His 17 friends and $60,000 funds. |
What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 5 mean?
| A．Ma is a blind man riding on a blind tiger. |
| B．Ma had no confidence in his business future. |
| C．Ma knew little about e-commerce. |
| D．Ma had not enough money at that time. |
What’s the personality of Ma Yun according to the passage?
| A．Funny and competitive. |
| B．Determined and creative. |
| C．Rich and different. |
| D．Attractive and believable. |
What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．The Development of Alibaba Group |
| B．Ma Yun’s Personal Life |
| C．Ma Yun’s Crazy Success |
| D．E-commerce in China |
(Reuters) --- A stampede killed at least 36 people during New Year's Eve celebrations in Shanghai, authorities said, but the police denied reports that it was caused by people rushing to pick up fake money thrown from a building overlooking the city's famous waterfront.
It was the worst disaster in the modern city since 58 died in an apartment building fire in 2010.
The cause of the crush has still to be confirmed, though state media and some witnesses have said it was at least partly aroused when people rushed to pick up coupons that looked like bank notes.
A man named Wu said the fake money had been thrown down from a bar above the street as part of the celebrations.
"This incident happened after the stampede," police said in a brief statement, without saying what the real cause was.
Another witness said there had been a problem away from the area where the fake bills were thrown, with people trying to get on to a raised platform overlooking the river.
Xinhua news agency said that people had been trampled on after falling down on the steps up to the platform.
Authorities had shown some concern about crowd control in the days leading up to New Year's Eve. They recently canceled an annual 3D laser show on the Bund, which last year attracted as many as 300,000 people.
On New Year's Eve, Beijing also canceled a countdown event in the central business district, Chinese media said, due to police fears about overcrowding.
The Shanghai government said on its official microblog that an inquiry had begun, and that all other New Year events had been canceled.
In 2004, 37 people died in a stampede in northern Beijing, on a bridge at a scenic spot, during the Lunar New Year holiday.According to the passage, why did people go to the Bund?
| A．To meet their old friends and relatives. |
| B．To celebrate the New Year’s Eve. |
| C．To watch an annual 3D laser show. |
| D．To pick up bank notes. |
What can be inferred according to the passage?
| A．Some possible measures had been taken by authorities. |
| B．People like 3D laser show better than any other events. |
| C．The local government had shown their worry about overcrowding. |
| D．The celebrations in Beijing were influenced by this stampede. |
What’s the passage about?
| A．A countdown event in Beijing. |
| B．A laser show on the Bund. |
| C．An apartment fire in Shanghai. |
| D．A stampede on New Year’s Eve in Shanghai. |
Why was Bastille important to the citizens of Paris? The building of the Bastille had been started in 1370 under Charles V. By the seventeenth century, it had stopped to be important for defense. Cardinal Richelieu turned it into a prison. It was not an ordinary prison to punish common crimes. Its huge doors closed only on enemies of the King. The Bastille's workings were secret. Prisoners were taken to it in closed vehicles. Soldiers on guard duty had to stand with their faces to the wall. No talking was allowed. Worst of all, a prisoner never knew if he would be there a day, a week, a year, or forever. Only the King's letter could set him free.
Over the years, the number of arrests by King's letter had become fewer. By the time of its fall, most of the prisoners were writers who had written against the corruptions(贪污腐败) of the government. Voltaire, the famous French writer, spent a year there in 1717-1718, and another 12 days in 1726.
For those who believed in free speech and free thinking, the Bastille stood for everything evil. The day it was captured, only seven prisoners were found inside. Still, the Bastille was hated by the people. It was a symbol of the King's complete power.The Bastille had been a prison ______.
| A．since the time of Charles V |
| B． since 1370 |
| C．before the seventeenth century |
| D．since the time of Cardinal Richelieu |
According to the passage, which of the following statements is FALSE?
| A．Anyone who did something wrong could find himself suddenly in the Bastille. |
| B．The Bastille was only for those who were opposed to the King. |
| C．Things done in the Bastille were hardly known to people outside. |
| D．Voltaire was twice put in the Bastille. |
At the time of its fall, the Bastille housed ______.
| A．a large number of prisoners |
| B．a lot of writers who had been against the government |
| C．only a few prisoners |
| D．some dozens of people who believed in free speech and free thinking |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The King could put people in, or let them go out, as he wanted. |
| B．Over the years the number of prisoners in the Bastille was getting more and more. |
| C．All prisoners in the Bastille had to stay there for life. |
| D．At the time it was captured, there were so few prisoners in it that it meant little to the people. |
It is a hot summer day，and you feel thirsty. A friend gives you a glass of cold lemonade．How do you feel when you see the glass? Will you describe your feeling as happiness or as pleasure? I believe you will say it is a feeling of pleasure．There is a connection between these two kinds of feelings，and sometimes one causes the other，but they are not the same．Pleasure is more dependent on the five senses while happiness is independent of them．
When you are happy，little unpleasant events usually do not disturb you．When you are unhappy，you feel as if everything is against you．You may compensate for it by eating chocolate and sweets because this gives you pleasure；yet you stay unhappy．A person may smoke cigarettes because it gives him pleasure，yet，this does not make him happier，especially if he knows the fact that it is not good for his health
The physical world is always in a changing state．At each moment a new thing is being created，changed，transformed and then destroyed．This is the normal state of things and no one can change it．If we stay still in a certain state，we are sure to experience unhappiness sooner or later．On the other hand，if we adjust to the environment，nothing can influence our moods．Then outer events have nothing to do with our inner joy of mind．
The room of the mind was filled with worry or fear．If you are free of thinking about them, the room has been emptied，and then you will see what is happening and experience it When your mind stays quiet，you will see that happiness comes from the inside．What does the underlined phrase“compensate for”in Paragraph 2 most probably mean?
| A．to make a suitable payment for |
| B．to let out your anger for |
| C．to provide with a balancing effect for |
| D．to solve the problems for |
According to the passage, in which of the following situations can you feel happy?
| A．A friend gives you a glass of cold lemonade when you feel thirsty． |
| B．You eat chocolate and sweets when you feel as if everything is against you． |
| C．Smoke cigarettes even though you know the fact that it is not good for your health． |
| D．You are free from worry or fear when your mind stays quiet． |
We can learn from the passage ．
| A．happiness is more dependent on the five senses |
| B．pleasure sometimes arouses happiness |
| C．you feel happy when nothing around you changes in a certain state |
| D．you feel unhappy because you have to adjust to the environment |
Which can be the best title for the passage?
| A．Pleasure Leads To Happiness | B．Happiness Changes Us |
| C．Happiness Is Within Us | D．Stay A Quiet Mind |
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