Basketball， running and swimming are popular events（项 目） at the Olympics． But there are also some events that are not as popular． Some are even very strange． Let's see if you have any knowledge about the following events．
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Tug﹣of﹣war This event started in 1900 and left the Olympics in 1920，The team wins if they pull the rope past a certain point first．Interestingly，more than one team from a country can enter in this event．This makes it possible for one country to win several medals． |
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Rope climbing It first appeared as an Olympic sport in 1896．The climber who spends the shortest time reaching the top is the winner．The rope used to be 15 meters long． Years later， it was shortened to 8 meters， for some reason． After 1932， there was no rope climbing in the Olympics． |
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Race walking In race walking，walkers have to win the race by walking．To make sure that they do not run，race walkers must have one foot on the ground at all times．Race walking has been an Olympic sport since 1904． Men enter in 20 kilometer and 50 kilometer races； women only race 20 kilometers． |
（1）Which of the following events left the Olympics in 1920？
A． Rope climbing．
B． Basketball．
C． Tug﹣of war．
D． Race walking．
（2）The rope in rope climbing was meters long in 1896．
A．8
B．15
C．20
D．50
（3）Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage？
A． One country can only enter one team in tug﹣of﹣ war．
B． Rope climbing first appeared in the 1932 Olympics．
C． Women in race waking can enter in the 50 kilometer race．
D． Race walking is still an event at the Olympic Games today．
It was last January， when I'd just finished a charity （慈善） and was on the train back home， that I put down my phone and started writing thank﹣you notes to people who had helped，
When I got off the train， I felt amazingly good． The next day，I wrote more thank﹣yous and the same feeling of happiness hit me again． I suddenly had the idea： Why not keep on doing this for every day of the year？
To keep on task， I decided to pick out a different theme for each month． January was charity．February would be neighbors， I decided， And I thought of a number of names right away： the owner of our local bookstore， who let me and my little son in before the store opened and offered to play his favorite songs； our babysitter， who dropped off a bag of old board games for our kids to play， …
While writing the notes， I realized how often I had spent my time on the phone moving from app to app， appreciating （欣赏） other people's lives． Writing thank﹣you notes allowed me the time to do something different， paying more attention to my own life．
In the following months， I wrote to my friends， doctors， teachers and parenting role models． In July， my"food" month， I wrote to Julie，who used to cook at my favorite restaurant．It went like this：
Dear Julie，
I've been finding myself missing you lately． Thank you for hosting and cooking beautiful and thoughtful food． Jake and I will never forget when you sent out biscuits shaped into the number VI for our sixth anniversary （周年纪念日）．We talk about it every year．
Thank you． We miss you．
Love，
Gina
I was happy to receive a note back from her． Julie replied，"I don't think I've ever received such a touching letter before， I' m going through a hard time right now， and this helps．"
On December 31，I wrote my last card ﹣ to Jake， my husband，and our two kids．And I took a picture of us， so I could remember the feeling welling up inside me． Gratitude．
（1）The underlined word "this" in Paragraph 2 means ．
A． writing thank﹣you notes
B． putting the phone away
C． taking the train back home
D． raising money for charity
（2）How did Julie most probably feel after reading the note from Gina？
A． Shy and surprised．
B．Pleased and relaxed．
C． Nervous and excited．
D． Moved and encouraged．
（3）The theme of the December notes might be ．
A． photos
B． family
C． holidays
D． community
（4）What did Gina get by doing her task according to the passage？
A． Many thanks from her neighbors．
B． More time to appreciate her own life．
C． More help from people around her．
D． Happy moments to be with her friends．
（5）The best title for the passage can be ．
A． My Thank You Year
B． An Amazing Trip
C． Happiness inside Us
D． Important People in Our Life
Whenever I'm invited to somebody's house for the first time， I'll take a close look at their bookshelves．What they keep on their shelves，in my eyes，is a reflection （反映） of their personal tastes and interests．The books on a bookshelf tell the story of a life．
My own shelves are a kind of roadmap through my life， telling a chronological tale． First up come my favorite childhood reads， like Watership Down and His Dark Materials． The collection then moves on to teenage things I read in school ﹣ Nineteen Eight﹣Four， The Handmaid's Tale and A Clockwork Orange． Finally， we come out of full﹣time education and enter the real world， and this part is a reflection of my professional （职业的） life， from the first exciting days of work experience to the present．
If you pointed to any book on my shelves， I could name the year I got it， where I was working，and probably where I was living at the time．
___▲____It is an easy way to get to know about his hopes， dreams and interests． And a big part of that story is how we arrange （排列） our books， and get on with them． It's such a personal thing，different from each other． Some want to be with their books in every room， others have them on
shelves， behind glass or simply lining their floors． Each home has a story to tell through the way they live with their books．
It's often said that what we read says something about who we are． The way we fill our bookshelves might also send a message about ourselves． From the pile of books on your bedside table to your well﹣organized shelves， whether we notice it or not， our book collections are telling a story before a single page has been turned．
（1）The book son the writer's own shelves are organized according to ．
A． their prices
B． their writers
C． his personal interests
D． the periods of his life
（2）Which of the following is the best sentence to fill in the blank in Paragraph4？
A． Every book is worth reading．
B． Each bookshelf holds a special dream．
C． Book collections tell so much about a person．
D． The books a person reads depend on his choices，
（3）The writer seems to agree that ．
A． we'd better not put our books on the floor
B． the way we arrange our books shows our tastes
C． the books at our bedside are usually more important
D． we Can know about a person by reading the message he sends
（4）It can be learned from the passage that the writer is probably ．
A． a book lover
B． a story teller
C． a shelf collector
D． a fashion designer
It's late evening in the middle of the winter． The snow is deep， but off I go into the wild．Suddenly， I hear it： the howl （嚎叫） of wolves． Excitedly， I walk faster in the direction of the howling．
I've been working as a volunteer wolf tracker in Yellowstone National Park for over a year． It's my job to follow wolves to record information about them． Like wolves， however， I don't work alone． I'm one of a team of people who have been in a project to help reintroduce wolves to the park．
Humans have always feared wolves． From fairy tales to movies， the wolf is always the bad guy a danger to humans and other animals． In the 1920s， the organizers of the park shared this view about wolves and made the decision to drive them away from the park．As a result，the number of elk（麋鹿）in the park increased． The elk started looking for food near river banks since they didn't have to worry about wolves．This， in turn， stopped trees from growing along the rivers， doing great harm to the environment there．
The return of wolves has already made a big difference． To begin with， the elk soon learned to stay away from the rivers， so new trees have been able to grow there． The trees become home to new wildlife， such as birds， and provide food for more animals．
The park is now becoming more and more popular with those who want to see wolves in their natural environment． It has also helped the local people make more money， Tourists visit the area，stay in the local hotels， and eat in the local restaurants．
Looking at the wild animals and the beautiful sceneries around me， I am amazed at the changes the wolf has made to Yellowstone．And happily，it is playing a good guy in this story．
（1）According to the passage， one of a wolf tracker's jobs is to ．
A． catch wolves in the park
B． feed wolves in the wild
C． stop wolves from killing elk
D． collect information about wolves
（2）Why did the organizers drive the wolves away from the park in the 1920s？
A． The wolves were always howling at night．
B． The elk in the park were in danger of dying out．
C． The wolves had done great harm to the environment．
D． The park was thought to be unsafe with wolves around．
（3）Paragraphs 4 and 5 are mainly about the that wolves have brought to Yellowstone．
A． risks
B． troubles
C． changes
D． competitions
（4）What does the writer mean by the underlined sentence in the last paragraph？
A． Wolves are important to Yellowstone．
B． Yellowstone has been home to wolves．
C． The wolf and the elk live in peace now．
D．The number of wolves is growing fast．
Is there a connection between music and language？According to recent studies，the answer is yes：Music helps develop certain language abilities in the brain．
A study from Northwestern University shows that playing a musical instrument can improve a person's hearing ability． As a part of the study， two groups of people listened to a person talking in a noisy room．The people in the first group were musicians， while those in the second group had no musical training．The musicians were found to be able to hear the talking person more clearly．
Musicians hear better， says study leader Nina Kraus， because they learn to pay attention to certain sounds． For example， when the violinists play in an orchestra （管弦乐队），they must listen closely to what they are playing and ignore （忽视） the other sounds． In this way， musicians can hear certain sounds better， even in a room with lots of noise．
Gottfried Schlaug，a doctor at Harvard Medical School，works with stroke （中风） patients．Because of their illness， these people cannot say their names，addresses， or other information normally．However， they can still sing． Dr． Schlaug was surprised to find singing words helped his patients finally speak． Why does this work？Schlaug isn't sure． Music seems to be able to make different parts of the brain active， including the bad parts． In some way， this helps patients use those parts of the brain again．
So music is not only enjoyable， but also good for us in many other ways． Playing an instrument or singing， says Nina Kraus， can help us do better in school and keep our brain sharp as we get older．
（1）What were the people in tbe first group asked to do in the study of Nothwestern University？
A．Listen to different kinds of music．
B． Make some noise in an empty room．
C． Give the second group musical training．
D． Find out what the talking person was saying．
（2）The writer uses the example of violinists in Paragraph 3 to explain ．
A． how musicians play in an orchestra
B． how musicians ignore certain sounds
C． why musicians have better hearing ability
D． why musicians are not afraid of loud noise
（3）Gottfried Schlaug helps his stroke patients speak by ．
A． playing music for them
B．getting them to sing words
C． teaching them to play instruments
D． joining the bad parts of their brain
（4）What is the main purpose of the passage？
A． To introduce different ways of playing music．
B． To give some advice about making our brain active．
C． To show the relationship between music and language abilities．
D． To sbare the results of recent studies on treating stroke patients．
It's a school holiday today． It's warm and the sun is shining．It's the perfect day for an outing． Zack，Vera， Kelly and Tim are discussing what they are going to do． Let's listen and see what happens…
Zack： Hey you guys， it would be a shame to stay inside on a day like this． How about taking the bus to Stanley and going to the beach？
Tim： [excitedly] That sounds great．
Kelly：I'm in! But can we go to the mall first so I can get some suntan oil？
Zack： [hesitantly（犹豫地）] Well， Kelly， I suppose we've got time…
Vera： And we can stop off in Tsim Sha Tsui and get something to eat first．I'm sorry，but I don't think I'll be able to get anything good once we get there．
Zack： I don't know， Vera ﹣it's already eleven o'clock．．
Tim： Actually， why don't we have a look at Stanley， Market before we go to the beach？ The bus stops right in front of the market． I want to look for some casual shirts and trousers．
Kelly： Oh， yes， Tim， let's do that．Maybe they have some trendy swim suits，and some jewellery…
Zack： [to himself] This is really awful! [to the others] Look， I don't want to go to a restaurant or go shopping﹣I just want to go to the beach on a nice day． You all said you'd go with me， but if you don't want to， you don't have to． See you later．
[sound of a door opening and closing ]
Vera： Somebody's not glad!
Tim： Well， it was his idea to go out， after all．
Kelly： Oh， dear， poor Zack． I'm going to call him．
[on the telephone] Hi， Zack？ Look， just wait at the bus stop for me． I'm coming now． I won't go to the mall．
Tim： Tell him I'm coming too． We don't need to stop at the market．
Vera：[sighs（吸气）] Oh， all right． I can risk having lunch at the beach， I guess．
Kelly：[on the telephone] Zack？ We're all coming now． We should all enjoy this great day together．
[to the rest] OK， let's go． We shouldn't keep Zack waiting．
Tim：[hurriedly] OK， come on， everybody…[fade]
（1）What does "I'm in!" in line 7 mean？
A． I'll come too．
B． I'm on the bus．
C． I'm at home now．
D． I've made a decision．
（2）In lines 9 and 10， Vera thinks that ．
A． it's more fun to have lunch in Tsim Sha Tsui
B． the food at Stanley Beach isn't very good
C． the others will be angry because of her suggestion
D． she will be hungry by the time they get to the beach
（3）In line 22， who does "somebody" refer to？
A． Kelly．
B． Tim．
C． Vera．
D． Zack．
（4）Which of the following might be the best title for the play？
A． How to Make Decisions
B． Let's Plan a Trip!
C． Stop for a While
D． Keep It Simple!
Dear Sir/Madam，
①It is now common to go online in the home， yet a recent survey showed that ninety﹣five percent of parents do not know what websites their children visit． I strongly believe that a training project should be started to help parents to improve their Internet and computer skills so that they can better monitor and guide their children．
②One advantage of providing training is that it would get parents to pay more attention to their children's online activities． If they had a better understanding of the Internet， they would see the need to make sure that their children use it properly and responsibly．
③Another argument for providing training to parents is that it would allow parents to help their children with their schoolwork．These days， a lot of homework needs to be done on computers． If parents have poor computer skills， they will be of little or no help with homework， which can make them upset．Some people argue that it is good that students can work independently on computers． However， it is clear that students， especially young students， often need this kind of home support．
④Improving parents' Internet and computer skills might also be a good way or parents to improve their relationships with their children．These days，children spend a lot of their free time on computers．If parents want to be part of that free time，they need to see that playing on computers can be a fun family activity．Joining their children can help parents bridge the generation gap（代沟） between them and their children．
⑤I strongly believe that children need to be helped and guided to use the Internet in a proper and responsible way， and so training is extremely important．
Yours faithfully．
Pat Chan
（1）In the letter， the writer ．
A． thinks parents should improve their Internet and computer skills
B． advises children not to spend a lot of their free time on computers
C． tries to make children less worried about their online schoolwork
D． explains why parents should pay more attention to their children
（2）Which of the following best shows the structure of the passage？
（3）The letter is probably from the part of in a newspaper．
A． culture
B． sports
C． health
D． Education
Top Global Cities
What makes a city great？ To answer this question， the creators of The Global Cities Index（全球城市指数）" look at the following areas：
The 2018 Global Cities Index
The Global Cities Index is a list of the world's most powerful and important cities．Here are the top 10 cities on the 2018 index． Some top cities are strong in five areas．
Future Leaders
Which cities will become more powerful in the future？ Creators of the Global Cities Index predict the most growth in the following places：
• Asia： Beijing and Shanghai are both business centers and will continue to grow． In a few years， they will be as powerful as New York． Some Indian cities have a lot of business potential（潜力）， too．
• South America： Some cities in Brazil and Colombia will become more powerful． In these cities， life for many people is improving．
• The Middle East： Istanbul in Turkey， Cairo in Egypt， etc． will hold more power in international politics and business﹣especially in helping East and West work together．
In 10 years， the top cities on the index may be different， but one thing is certain： tomorrow's global cities will be more powerful than ever．
（1）Which is the most powerful city in 2018 from the Global Cities Index？
A． Beijing．
B． New York．
C． London．
D． Paris．
（2）According to the reading，which part of the world will grow most in the area of politics？ ___
A． Asia．
B． South America．
C． The Middle East．
D． Europe．
（3）The writer most probably agrees that ．
A． a top global city needs to be strong in several areas
B． Brazil will be the world's fastest﹣growing country in 10 years
C． tomorrow's global cities will probably be less powerful than today's
D． the Global Cities Index will probably list the same top cities 10 years from now
How would you feel if someone decided to take away your park？ Well that's what's happening in my community． There's a park that some people want to turn into a golf course（高尔夫球场）．Let me tell you why I think it's a bad idea．
First， a park is meant to be for the whole community． Not everyone likes golf， so not everyone will get to use the park． This isn't fair． A community park should have open spaces for everyone to use．
Second， to make way for the golf course，lots of playground equipment（设施）will have to be moved or knocked down， which is a waste of time and money．It's also a waste of perfectly good equipment，The swings， for example， will probably just end up as litter．
Third， what about giving young people something to do？Not all kids are crazy about golf．At the moment， the park has a skating place and a playground． These attract lots of kids from the community． If you turn the park into a golf course， these kids won't have anywhere to go and they won't have anything to do．This means that they will stay at home and turn on a video game rather than get some exercise． It also means that they might be out on the street causing trouble．Wouldn't it be better to give them something to do at the park？
Finally，golf is expensive．Building a golf course and maintaining（维护） it costs a lot of money．Who is going to pay to maintain the golf course？ What about those people who can't afford to join a golf club？That means that the golf course will only be available to people with lots of money．
Turning our park into a golf course is a bad idea．I suggest we have a community meeting before plans go any further．
（1）Some people want to change the park into ．
A． a golf club
B． a golf course
C． a parking place
D． a skating place
（2）According to Paragraph 4， having nowhere to go will make some children ．
A． go to get some exercise
B． fall in love with golf
C． play video games at home
D． go to the street and make friends
（3）Which of the following shows the structure of the passage？
（P＝ Paragraph）
（4）What is the writer's purpose in writing this passage？
A． To help carry out further plans．
B． To make the park more beautiful．
C． To encourage children to go skating．
D． To stop the golf course from being built．
A lot of animals travel from one place to another． We call this migration．
In Africa， large animals， like elephants and zebras， migrate to find food and water． They usually follow the same ways every year．
A lot of birds migrate to find food and better weather， too． They are usually birds that eat insects．They spend the summer in northern Europe， because there are lots of insects there．In the winter there aren't any insects， so the birds fly south to southern Europe and Africa，
Some insects migrate， too． In North America， millions of monarch butterflies fly south to spend the winter in Mexico， California and Florida， where it's warmer． They travel 50﹣65 km each day and they travel about 1，125 km，
Some fish migrate to breed（繁殖）．Salmon（鲑鱼） can swim over 20，000 km in their life．They are born in rivers in Ireland， Scotland and other places in northern Europe． The young fish swim down the river to the sea and into the Atlantic Ocean．They live in the ocean until they are adults．Then they return to the river where they were born， They lay their eggs in the river and then they usually die． Salmon do this， because their eggs are safer in the river， Other fish can't eat them．
Arctic terns （北极燕鸥） travel the furthest when they migrate． They spend the summer in the Arctic，but when winter comes they fly to the Antarctic， because it's summer there． The next year they fly back to the Arctic again．In one year these small birds travel 36 ，000km from one end of the earth to the other and back again． Nobody knows how they do it．
（1）According to the passage， monarch butterflies in North America migrate to ．
A． find insects
B． look for water
C． find better weather
D． produce young
（2）Adult salmon swim back to the river because ．
A． they won't be eaten by other big fish
B． they want to lay eggs in a safer place
C． they are getting ready to die there
D． they want to go where they grew up
（3）Which of the following is true about animals' migration？
A． Elephants in Africa usually travel the same way each year．
B． Most birds fly to southern Europe and Africa in summer．
C． Some insects travel 1，125 km each day．
D． Salmon swim 20 ，000 km each year．
（4）The example of Arctic terns in the last paragraph is used mainly to show ．
A． the distance of migration
B． the purpose of migration
C． the direction of migration
D． the time of migration
An American friend has invited you to visit his family． You've never been to an American's home before， what should you do？ The answer is： when you're the guest， you should just make yourself at home． That's American hospitality（好客）
American hospitality begins at home—especially about food． Most Americans agree that good home cooking beats restaurant food． When you are invited for a meal， you might ask，"Can I bring anything" The host will answer，"No， just yourself．" For most informal（非正式的） dinners， you can wear any comfortable clothes you like． Arrive on time， or call to tell your hosts if you can't． During the dinner talk guests will often praise the hostess（女主人for the wonderful meal． Of course． the biggest praise is to eat lots of food!
When you' ve had enough． you might offer to clean the table or wash the dishes．But since you're he guest， your hosts may not let you． Instead， they may invite everyone to move to the living room for dessert with tea or coffee． There the hosts and the guests may continue to have a talk．After about an hour's talk， it's time for you to leave．
If you come to an American's home， you'd better let the hosts know ahead of time unless you're very close friends． especially when you want to stay tor a few days．Here's a good rule for guests：Short stays are best．Even relatives，for example，their aunts， uncles or cousins，don't usually stay for several weeks every time．While you 're staying with an American family，try to keep your living area clean and tidy．Your host family will thank you for your consideration． And they may even invite you back!
Most Americans consider themselves hospitable people． and they are proud of making guests happy．
（1）What should we do when we are guests at an American's home？
A． Bring a lot of gifts．
B． Make ourselves at home．
C． Stay for several weeks every time．
（2）In American when you are invited for a meal， you' d better leave the host family ．
A． just after the meal
B． about an hour after the meal
C． about two or three hours after the meal
（3）Which of the following is NOT true？
A． Most Americans think good home food is better than restaurant food．
B． In America， you can wear comfortable clothes for most informal dinners．
C． In America， you are free to come as guests without telling the hosts first．
（4）The underlined word "consideration" in the fourth paragraph（段） means" "in Chinese．
A．体贴
B．大方
C．聪明
（5）What can be the best title of the passage？
A． American Food
B． American Family
C． American Hospitality
House of Soup |
|||
Food |
Soup 1 |
Soup 2 |
Soup 3 |
beef |
chicken |
pork |
|
potatoes |
tomatoes |
carrots |
|
onion |
tofu |
cabbage |
|
Price |
￥35 |
￥30 |
￥25 |
On Sale |
From Monday to Friday￥60 For Soup 1 & 2 |
||
From Saturday to Sunday Y50 For Soup 2&3 |
|||
（1）What kind of meat can you see in Soup 3？
A． Beef
B． Chicken
C． Pork
（2）If you have 50 yuan， you can buy two kinds of Soup on ．
A． Monday
B． Thursday
C． Sunday
（3）From the form， you can get the information of ．
A． the price
B． the address
C． the telephone number
Jiaozi， also known as Chinese dumplings， is a must﹣have during holidays in Northern China．It dates back to ancient times．
Jiaozi is one of the most important foods in Chinese New Year．Since jiaozi is in the shape of ancient Chinese gold or silver ingots（银锭）， it symbolizes wealth （象征着财富）． Traditionally， the members of a family get together to make dumplings on New Year's Eve．They may hide a coin in one of the dumplings．The person who finds the coin will be likely to have good luck． As the Spring Festival marks the start of a new year，people choose to eat jiaozi in the hope of having a good future in the coming new year．
Based on your taste， you can make different kinds of Chinese dumplings using different fillings．There is no set rule as to what makes dumpling fillings． They can be anything from vegetables，meat or seafood． Whatever the fillings are， the wrapping （包） skill needs to be exquisite （精美的） to make jiaozi good﹣looking．
As China is a country with a vast territory（幅员辽阔），there are differences in different areas in ways of making jiaozi or even serving it． For example， dumpling wrappers are made with a rolling stick in Beijing and Hebei province， while in some parts of Inner Mongolia， wrappers are hand﹣pressed．
（1）When did Chinese people probably begin to have jiaozi？
（2）What does jiaozi symbolize？
（3）Why do people choose to cat jiaozi on New Year's Eve？
（4）Do people need to follow set rules to make dumpling fillings？
（5）How are dumpling wrappers made in some parts of Inner Mongolia？
Have you ever seen a solar panel （太阳能电池板）in your neighborhood？ Solar panels take energy from the sun and turn it into electricity．Over the past ten years， the price of solar panels has gone down greatly．In many parts of the world，solar energy is now the cheapest form of electricity． More and more people have started using solar energy to power （给……供电）their homes．
However， solar panels also have their problems．They stop working at night and on rainy days． Is it possible to make them produce electricity all of the time？
Scientists at Suzhou University， China， have invented a new solar panel now． It can produce electricity not only from solar energy but also from falling rain． When a raindrop falls on the solar panel and then rolls （滚动） down， it creates friction （摩擦力） on the surface of the panel， which can then be turned into electricity．
Sun Baoquan is one of the inventors．"Our new invention can produce electricity in any weather during the day，" he says．"It can even provide electricity at night if there is rain．"
The solar panel， however， does not make much electricity from falling rain．So Sun Baoquan is still working hard to improve it． The scientist also wants to make solar panels more flexible， which are as soft as clothing．
The field of solar energy is developing fast． Scientists around the world have been improving solar panels． Some have been working on ways to join solar panels and wind power together． Some have been trying to use sunlight to produce liquid and gas fuels （ 液体和气体燃料）．
（1）Which energy is now the cheapest form of electricity in many parts of the world？
A． Solar energy．
B． Water energy．
C． Wind energy．
（2）What is one of the problems of common solar panels？
A． The price of them is rising．
B． They can't work all of the time．
C． They can hardly power people's homes．
（3）Why is the new solar panel more scientific and useful？
A． It has a larger size than a common one．
B． It produces more electricity from falling rain than solar energy．
C． It can produce electricity day and night and even in rainy conditions．
（4）What does the underlined word "flexible" mean in Paragraph 5？
A．柔软的
B．光滑的
C．坚硬的
（5）We can infer （推断） from this text that ．
A． there is no room for developing solar energy
B． there is no end to the research in the field of solar energy
C． solar energy has completely taken the place of other kinds of energy
On June 9th，1870， Charles Dickens died at the age of 58． The next day， a headline in The New York Times read： "Death of the Great Novelist …Will Be Remembered by the People …"
The headline was not overstating （夸大） the popularity of Dickens．Even today， the British novelist is loved by readers all over the world．Dickens created some unforgettable characters． You must have heard of or even read some of his novels： Oliver Twist， A Christmas Carol and A Tale of Two Cities． A Tale of Two Cities has sold more than 200 million copies． Since 1897， there have been more than 300 film and TV adaptations （改编版本）of Dickens' works．A Christmas Carol alone has had nearly 50．
Natalie Mcknight is a literature professor （文学教授） who studies Dickens and his works．She explains why the novelist has remained so popular． One important reason， she says，is that Dickens wrote from his heart． He tried hard to produce emotional effects （情感效果） among his readers． In his works，he paid special attention to the "little man" at the bottom of society in the UK， which deeply mirrored the social reality at that time． A Christmas Carol， for example， was written to make every reader think about how they could make a difference to their society． People always enjoy works that make them laugh， cry and think． Many other 9th﹣century novelists wrote entertaining （娱乐的） works． However， few of them worked as hard as Dickens to touch the readers deeply．
Dickens wrote about situations and emotions that still interest people today． He used his pen to fight social inequality and gave voice to the poor． His works led to many important social changes． Readers always enjoy seeing poor people rise and succeed．
This year marks the 150th year of Dickens' death． It's another chance to remember this great writer． Will you read or re﹣read some of his famous works？
（1）What is Paragraph （段落）2 mainly about？
A． Personality of Dickens．
B． Appearance of Dickens．
C． Popularity of Dickens．
（2）As a novelist， why has Dickens remained so popular？
A． He wrote for fun．
B． He wrote from his heart．
C． He mainly wrote for the upper class．
（3）When people read Dickens' novels， they could ．
①meet the "little man" at the bottom of society in the UK
②know about the social reality at that time
③not be influenced by the works at all
④think about how to make a difference to their society
A．①②③
B．②③④
C．①②④
（4）What does the underlined word "inequality" mean in Paragraph 4？
A．不平等
B．不现实
C．不稳定
（5）The purpose of writing this text is probably to ．
A． introduce Charles Dickens' life and death
B． encourage readers to read or re﹣read Charles Dickens' works
C． present the similarities between Charles Dickens and other writers
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