You may have heard of the book Moby Dick(《白鲸记》), written by the American author Herman Melville. You may also know that Moby Dick is considered one of the greatest novels ever written. However, it might surprise you to find out Herman Melville was not always a highly regarded author.
Melville’s first two novels, Typee and Omoo, were widely read and financially successfully. They were both exciting tales of adventures at sea and experiences with people in foreign lands. Melville became quite famous. However, upon the publication of his third book, Mardi, Melville’s popularity began to weaken. He was no longer interested in telling tales of pure adventure, and his writing took on a style that alienated(使疏远) the general reading public of his time.
Melville published Moby Dick in October of 1851. it was an original novel, combining aspects of sociology and philosophy, which confused readers by its complex symbolism. The book sold poorly.
Melville’s next book, Pierre, was almost completely disregarded by the public. Debt frustration and ill health finally forced Melville to take a low-paying job as a customs inspector. Eventually, Melville abandoned prose(散文) and began to write poetry.
The Civil War is the main subject of Melville’s poetry. He and his brother made a trip to the front line, and he published a book of poems, Battle-Pieces and Aspects of War, based on this experience.
Melville died in 1891 at the age of 72. at this point, his work had been completely forgotten by the public. His talent was to go unrecognized for the next thirty years. Then, in 1920s, his reputation began to improve as critics and readers rediscovered his work. Today Moby Dick is one of the best-known novels ever penned by an American author.What were Melville’s first two novels mainly about?
| A．His travel experience. |
| B．His successful communication skills. |
| C．Adventurous experiences in the front line. |
| D．Adventurous voyages and foreign experiences. |
We can learn from the text that Moby Dick________.
| A．sold a little better than Pierre. |
| B．was Melville’s favorite novel. |
| C．was copied from other books. |
| D．made Melville popular again. |
The text may be taken from___________.
| A．a writing guide |
| B．a literary journal. |
| C．a science magazine. |
| D．a critical book on literature. |
What is the text mainly about?
| A．The main works of Melville. |
| B．The skills in Melville’s writing. |
| C．The ups and downs of Melville. |
| D．The reason for Melville’s failure. |
Maybe it is true that we do not know what we have got until we lose it，but it is also true that we do not know what we have been missing until it arrives.
It takes an hour to like someone，and a day to love someone，but it takes a lifetime to forget someone. Giving someone all your love is never an assurance(保证)that they will love you back. Do not expect love in return；but if it does not，be content it has grown in yours. Do not rely on one's appearance；it can trick you. Do not rely on wealth；even that fades away. Rely on someone who makes you smile，because it takes only a smile to make a dark day seem bright.
There are moments in life when you miss someone so much that you just want to pick them from your dreams and hug them. Dream what you want to dream；go where you want to go；be what you want to be，because you have only one life and one chance to do all the things you want to do.
The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past. You cannot go on well in life until you let your past failures and heartaches go off. May you have enough happiness to make you sweet，enough trials(考验)to make you strong，enough sorrow to keep you human，enough hope to make you happy. The happiest people do not necessarily have the best of everything；they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. Happiness waits for those who cry，those who appreciate the importance of people who have touched their lives. Always put yourself in others' shoes. If you feel that it hurts you，it probably hurts the other person，too.
When you were born，you were crying and everyone around you was smiling. Live your life so that when you die，you are the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.In this passage，the writer wants to tell us ______.
| A．what to do in our life |
| B．where to go with other persons |
| C．how to treat our life |
| D．how to get on well with other persons |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．If you give someone your love，you are sure to receive love in return. |
| B．We often don't know what we have lost until it happens someday. |
| C．It is wise not to rely on anybody because you are likely to be cheated. |
| D．If it takes you a short time to love someone，you will forget the person. |
One should ______ the painful past according to the writer.
| A．value | B．remember | C．consider | D．forget |
In the last paragraph the writer is actually telling us that a person in the world should be one who ______.
| A．can accept the suggestions made by others |
| B．can live happily and forget the past |
| C．does good for other people and is respected and loved by them |
| D．has made a lot of money for himself before he dies |
Mark Twain was a great writer. He was from the USA. He was born in 1835. He was also a famous speaker. He was famous for his sense of humour. Many people liked to listen to him talk because he liked to tell some interesting stories to make people laugh all the time.
One day Mark Twain was going to a small town because of his writing. Before he was going to leave, one of his friends said to him that there were always a lot of mosquitoes in the town and told him that he’d better not go there. Mark Twain waved (摇动) his hand and said, “It doesn’t matter. The mosquitoes are no relatives of mine. I don’t think they will come to visit me.”
After he arrived at the town, Mark Twain stayed in a small hotel near the station. He went into his room, but when he was just about to have a rest, quite a few mosquitoes flew about him. The waiters felt very sorry about that. “I’m very sorry, Mr Mark Twain. There are too many mosquitoes in our town.” One of them said to him.
Mark Twain, however, made a joke, saying to the waiter, “The mosquitoes are very clever. They know my room number. They didn’t come into the wrong room.” What he said made all the people present laugh heartily.
But that night Mark Twain slept well. Do you know why? That was because all the waiters in the hotel were driving the mosquitoes away for him during the whole night.
That day Mark Twain went to the town _____.
| A．to see one of his friends |
| B．because he was told there were a lot of mosquitoes there |
| C．because he wanted to do something there for his writing |
| D．to see one of his relatives |
The waiters felt sorry because _____.
| A．they did something wrong to Mark Twain |
| B．their hotel was too small |
| C．the room was not very clean |
| D．there were quite a few mosquitoes in Mark Twain’s room |
All the people present laughed heartily because _____.
| A．the mosquitoes were very clever and they didn’t come into the wrong room |
| B．the mosquitoes knew Mark Twain’s room number |
| C．Mark Twain made a joke |
| D．Mark Twain gave the waiters some nice presents |
From the story we know _____.
| A．no mosquitoes troubled Mark Twain in the night |
| B．the owner of the hotel told the waiters to look after Mark Twain well at night |
| C．Mark Twain didn’t have a good rest that night |
| D．there were not mosquitoes in the hotel any longer |
You choose to be a winner!
The Winners Club is a bank account specially designed for teenagers. It has been made to help you better manage your money. The Winners Club is a transaction account(交易账户)where you receive a key-card so you can get to your money 24/7—that’s 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!
It’s a club with impressive features for teenagers:
●No account keeping fees!
You’re no millionaire so we don’t expect you to pay large fees. In fact, there are no account keeping or transaction fees!
●Excellent interest rates!
You want your money to grow. The Winners Club has a good rate of interest （利息）which gets even better if you make at least two deposits(储蓄)without taking them out in a month.
●Convenient
Teenagers are busy—we get that. You may never need to come to a bank at all. With the Winners Club you can choose to use handy tellers and to bank from home using the phone and the Internet. . . You can have money directly deposited into your Winners Club account. This could be your pocket money or your pay from your part-time job!
●Mega magazine included
Along with your regular report, you will receive a FREE magazine full of good ideas to make even more of your money. There are also fantastic offers and competitions only for Winners Club members.
The Winners Club is a great choice for teenagers. And it is so easy to join. Simply fill in an application form(申请表). You will have to get permission from your parent or guardian (so we can organize that cool key-card)but it is easy. We can’t wait to hear from you. It’s the best way to choose to be a winner!The Winners Club is a bank account intended for _______ .
| A．parents | B．teenagers | C．winners | D．adults |
If you want to be a member of the Winners Club, you must _______.
| A．be an Internet user | B．be permitted by your parent |
| C．have a big sum of money | D．be in your twenties |
What is the purpose of this text?
| A．To set up a club. |
| B．To provide part-time jobs. |
| C．To organize key-cards. |
| D．To introduce a new banking service. |
Mr. Brown worked in a factory of a small town. He had been there for twenty years before one day he was sent to the capital for important business. He was quite excited because he had never been there before. Before he set off, he asked his wife and three daughters if they wanted him to buy something for them in London. Mrs. Brown began to think it over and then she said she wished her husband would be able to buy a nice umbrella for her, and so did their three daughters. As he was afraid he would forget it, he drew an umbrella on his hand. To his regret, he lost it at the station.
On the train Mr. Brown sat opposite to an old woman. The woman’s umbrella was so nice that he carefully looked at it and said to himself not to forget to buy a few umbrellas like it. When the train arrived at the station in London, he said good-bye to the old woman, took his bag and her umbrella and was going to get off.
“Wait a minute, sir,” shouted the old woman. “That’s my umbrella!”
Now Mr. Brown noticed that he had taken her umbrella. His face turned red at once and said in a hurry,“Oh, I’m very sorry, Madam! I didn’t mean it!”
Seven days later Mr. Brown left the capital. To his surprise, he met the old woman and sat opposite to her again. Looking at the four umbrellas, the old woman was satisfied with herself. “It seems that I had a better choice than the other four women.” She thought.We can learn from the passage that Mr. Brown was ______.
| A．a conductor | B．a thief |
| C． a worker | D．an umbrella maker |
The underlined word “it” in the first paragraph refers to ______.
| A．his ticket | B．his drawing | C．his bag | D．his umbrella |
Why did Mr. Brown take the woman’s umbrella?
| A．Because the woman misplaced it beside Mr. Brown. |
| B．Because it was much like his own umbrella. |
| C．Because he thought the woman would not notice it. |
| D．Because he was lost in thought. |
How did Mr. Brown get the four umbrellas?
| A．He picked them on the train. |
| B．He bought them in London. |
| C．He brought them from his small town. |
| D．He stole them from four women. |
Hundreds of years ago, news was carried from place to place by people on foot or by horse. It took days, weeks and sometimes months for people to receive news. Now it is possible to send words and pictures around the world in seconds. Billions of people learn about news stories of their own country and all over the world every day, either by watching TV or reading newspapers.
Newspapers have been an important part of everyday life since the 18th century. Many countries have hundreds of different newspapers. How do newspaper editors decide which news stories to print? Why do they print some stories and not others? What makes a good newspaper story?
Firstly, it is important to report news stories. TV stations can report news much faster than newspapers. Yet, newspapers give more about the same story. They may also look at the story in another way, or they may print completely different stories to those on TV.
Secondly, a news story has to be interesting and unusual. People don’t want to read stories about everyday life. As a result, many stories are about some kind of danger and seem to be “bad” news. For example, newspapers never print stories about planes landing safely; instead they print stories about plane accidents.
Another factor(因素) is also very important in many news stories. Many people are interested in news in foreign countries, but more prefer to read stories about people, places and events in their own country. So the stories on the front page in Chinese newspapers are usually very different from the ones in British, French and American newspapers.According to the passage, how do people learn about news stories in the world now?
| A．They carry news stories and tell others from place to place on foot or by horse. |
| B．They tell each other what they have seen with their eyes. |
| C．They watch TV or read newspapers. |
| D．They listen to the radio every day. |
The difference between newspaper stories and TV news reports is that _______ .
| A．people can learn more about the same news story from a newspaper |
| B．people can read the news story more quickly in a newspaper |
| C．people can read news stories in other countries |
| D．people can read news stories about their own country |
To make a good newspaper story, how many factors does the passage talk about?
| A．Two. | B．Three. | C．Five. | D．Six. |
According to the passage, which of the following can you most possibly watch on TV?
| A．You often play football with your friends after school. |
| B．Your teacher has got a cold. |
| C．A tiger in the city zoo has run out and hasn’t been caught. |
| D．The bike in front of your house is lost. |
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