Amazon just released its list of the 10 best-selling books of 2014,and chances all you’ve already seen people reading them on the train.It's not too late to read—or reread—the bestsellers of the year.The following are the top four of them.
“The Invention of Wings”by Sue Monk Kid
Set in the south in the early 1800s,this Oprah Book Club book follows the complicated relationship between Handful,a slave,and Sarah,her owner,as they grow up together from childhood.Their confusing friendship,in the face of politics and societal norms,becomes a beautiful and difficult thing to watch as it changes over time.
“Gray Mountain”by John Grisham
When the economic recession(萧条)causes Samantha Kofer to lose her Wall Street law firm job.she takes a job at a legal aid clinic in Virginia until she can hopefully get back to big law.But while her new job,for the first time,puts her front and center in the court room,it also puts her in terrible danger.
“All the Light We Cannot See”by Anthony Doerr
This National Book Award Finalist follows both Marie—Laure,a blind French girl living with her father during World War II,and Werner,a German orphan with a skill for building and fixing radios.As their paths cross,this moving story will question how life and art are influenced by war.
“Twenty Seconds Ago(Jack Reacher,#19)”by Lee Child
After years of being out of the Army,Jack Reacher is pulled back into service at the CIA and State Department after someone tried to shoot the president of France.In Child’s latest Jack Reacher installment(系列丛书),Reacher finds himself face to face with all old enemy and old memories.
25.If you prefer emotional(情感)stories,you’ll choose _______________.
A.The Invention of Wings and Gray Mountain
B.All the Light We Cannot See and Twenty Seconds Ago
C.The Invention of Wings and All the Light We Cannot See
D.Twenty Seconds Ago and Gray Mountain
26.What is Samantha Kofer?
A.A lawyer. b.A doctor. C.A merchant. D.An official.
27.Which book has won the top honor?
A.The Invention of Wings B.All the Light We Cannot See
C.Gray Mountain D.Twenty Seconds Ago
28.What type of writing is this text?
A.A test report. B.An announcement.
C.A book review. D.Introduction of books.
The Man Booker Prize for Fiction is awarded for a novel written by a writer from the Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland and it aims to represent the very best in contemporary fiction. The prize was originally called the Booker-McConnell Prize, which was the name of the company that sponsored it, though it was better-known as simply the ‘Booker Prize’. In 2002, the Man Group became the sponsor and they chose the new name, keeping ‘Booker’.
Publishers can submit books for consideration for the prize, but the judges can also ask for books to be submitted that they think should be included. Firstly, the Advisory Committee gives advice if there have been any changes to the rules for the prize and selects the people who will judge the books. The judging panel changes every year and usually a person is only a judge once.
Great efforts are made to ensure that the judging panel is balanced in terms of gender(性别) and professions within the industry, so that a writer, a critic, an editor and an academic are chosen along with a well-known person from wider society. However, when the panel of judges has been decided, they are left to make their own decisions. Meanwhile, the prize sponsor has no further right to take part in any more.
The Man Booker judges include critics, writers and academics to maintain the consistent quality of the prize and its influence is such that the winner will almost certainly see the sales increase considerably, in addition to the£50,000 that comes with the prize.
13. Who can submit books to the prize?
A. Judges. B. Writers.
C. Readers. D. Sponsors.
14. Why is the prize named the Man Booker Prize?
A. Because the prize is given to writers from the Commonwealth.
B. Because the prize was known as simply the ‘Booker Prize’.
C. Because the prize is sponsored by the Man Group and they kept the name.
D. Because the prize is aimed to award the very best contemporary fiction.
15. Which task can be done by the Advisory Committee?
A. Changing the rules for the prize on their own.
B. Selecting the judging committee.
C. Making decisions on who is the winner.
D. Submitting books for consideration for the prize.
16. The consistent quality of the prizes is guaranteed by ________.
A. the prize money
B. the gender of the judges
C. the make-up of the panel of judges
D. the increase in sales of the winner
One day a rich man took his son on a trip to the country. He wanted to show his son how the poor lived so he could be thankful 61 his wealth.
They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of 62 would be considered a poor family.
On their return the father asked his son 63 (explain) what he had learnt. The boy, who had remained silent and deep in thought on the journey home, 64 (reply) in a way that shocked his father.
The boy said he wanted to become a farmer. He envied the farmers who had the beautiful night stars to give them light 65 his family had only expensive lanterns. His wish to have a farm 66 he could go swimming in an endless river instead of the garden pool in their home. Finally he asked his father, "What makes us safer, large walls around our house 67 friends that will protect us?"
The boy finished by saying, " 68 the trip I thought we were rich but today I learnt who is 69 (true) rich. "With this the boy got up and walked away, leaving his father sitting on their comfortable sofa, totally 70 (speech).
My _________(本国的)language is Chinese.
短文改错
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文,请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误,每句中最多有两处,每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加:在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧),并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除:把多余的词用斜线(\)划掉。
修改:在错的词下划一横线,并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意:1.每处错误及其修改均限一词。
2.只允许修改10处,多者(从第11处起)不计分。
Dear Robert,
Thank for your letter of May 12th . How glad I was when I get it. I’d be very happy to be your pen friends. Now allow me introduce myself to you. I’m a boy student aged seventeen, study in Senior Three of Binhai High School. I’m a monitor of my class. I am about to take the National Matriculation Entrance Examination after twenty days, that is, between June 7 and 8. You know. I want very much to be a doctor working for poor peasants that I try to make fully use of every hour and study far into the night every day.
Best wishes!
Yours truly,
Bob
一Are you sure you will be back for the class get-together next weekend.
--- .
A. Forget it. B. You bet!C. I will. D. So what?
Don’t take a chance to do violence to the law. If you did, you could never ________it.
A. get away from B. break away from
C. do away with D. get away with
If he takes on this work, he will have no choice but _____ an even greater
challenge .
A. meets B. meeting C. meet D. to meet
Mrs. Green treats her students as if they ________ her children.
A. are B. were C. had been D. would be
I walked up to the top of the hill with my friend, ________we enjoyed a splendid view of the lake.
A. which B. where C. who D. that
It was a cold night in September. The rain was drumming on the car roof as George and Marie Winston drove through the empty country roads towards the house of their friends, the Harrisons, where they were going to attend a party to celebrate the engagement of the Harrisons' daughter, Lisa. As they drove, they listened to the local radio station, which was playing classical music.
Suddenly the music on the radio was interrupted by a news announcement: "The Cheshire police have issued a serious warning after a man escaped from Colford Mental Hospital earlier this evening. The man, John Downey, is a murderer who killed six people before he was captured two years ago. He is described as large, very strong and extremely dangerous. People in the Cheshire' area are warned to keep their doors and windows locked, and to call the police immediately if they see anyone acting strangely.”
Marie shivered. "A crazy killer. And he's out there somewhere. That's scary.”
"Don't worry about it,” said her husband. "We're nearly there now. But this car is losing power for some reason.”
As he spoke, the car began to slow down. Finally they rolled to a halt, as the engine died completely. Just as they stopped, George pulled the car off the road, and it came to rest under a large tree,
"Blast!” said George angrily. "Now we'll have to walk in the rain.”
"But that'll take us an hour at least,” said Marie, "And I have my high-heeled shoes and my nice clothes on. They'll be ruined!”
"Well, you'll have to wait while I run to the nearest house and call the Harrisons. Someone can come out and pick us up," said George.
"But George! Have you forgotten what the radio said?"
"You'll have to hide in the back of the car. Lock all the doors and lie on the floor in the back, under this blanket. No one will see you. When I come back, I'll knock three times on the door. Then you can get up and open it. Don't open it unless you hear three knocks," George opened the door and, slipped out into the rain. He quickly disappeared into the blackness.
Marie quickly locked the door and settled down under the blanket in the back for a long wait.
Suddenly she heard three slow knocks, one after the other, also on the roof of the car. Was it her husband? Should she open the door? Then she heard another knock, and another. This was not her husband. It was somebody or something else. She was shaking with fear, but she forced herself to lie still. The knocking continued----bump, bump, bump, bump.
Many hours later, as the sun rose, she was still lying there. The knocking had never stopped all night long. She did not know what to do. Where was George? Why had he not come for her?
Suddenly, she heard the sound of three or four vehicles, racing quickly down the road. Someone had come! Marie sat up quickly and looked out of the window.
The three vehicles were all police cars. Several policemen leapt out. One of them rushed towards the car as Marie opened the door. He took her by the hand.
"Get out of the car and walk with me to the police vehicle. Miss! You're safe now. Look straight ahead. Keep looking at the police car. Don't look back. Just don't look back.”
Something in the way he spoke filled Marie with cold horror. She could not help herself. About ten yards from the police car, she stopped, turned and looked back at the empty vehicle.
George was hanging from the tree above the car, a rope tied around his neck. As the wind blew his body back and forth, his feet were bumping gently on the roof of the car-bump, bump, bump, bump.
1.What was the reason for the news announcement on the radio?
A.Some people had been seen acting strangely in the Cheshire area.
B.The police were warning of accidents on the roads in the bad weather.
C.Six people, including John Downey, had been murdered.
D.A dangerous prisoner had escaped.
2.Why did Marie stay in the car when George left?
A.She was afraid to go out in the dark.
B.So no-one would steal the car.
C.Her clothes weren't suitable for the rain.
D.She wanted to get some sleep.
3.Why did the policeman tell her not to look back when he brought her out of the car?
A.The killer was waiting behind her.
B.He wanted her to forget everything that had happened during the night.
C.He didn't want her to see the damage done to the car.
D.He didn't want her to see the body of her husband.
In China, as in many countries, the north-south divide runs deep. People from the north are seen as hale and hearty, while southerners are often portrayed as cunning, cultured traders. Northerners are taller than southerners. The north eats noodles, while the south eats rice—and according to new research, when it comes to personality, that difference has meant everything.
A study published Friday by a group of psychologists in the journal Science finds that China’s noodle-slurping northerners are more independent, show more “analytic thought” and divorce more frequently. By contrast, the authors write, rice-eating southerners show more qualities traditionally associated with East Asian culture, including more “holistic thought” and lower divorce rates.
The reason? Cultivating rice, the authors say, is a lot harder. Picture a rice paddy, its delicate seedlings tucked in a bed of water. They require careful tending and many hours of labor—by some estimates, twice as much as wheat—as well as reliance on irrigation systems that require neighborly cooperation. As the authors write, for southerners growing rice, “strict self-reliance might have meant starvation”.
Growing wheat, by contrast, the north’s staple grain, is much simpler. One Chinese farming guide from the 1600s quoted in the study advised aspiring farmers that “if one is short of labor power, it is best to grow wheat.”
To produce their findings, the authors evaluated the attitudes of 1,162 Han Chinese students in Beijing and Liaoning in the north and in Fujian, Guangdong, Yunnan and Sichuan in the south. To control for other factors that distinguish the north and south—such as climate, dialect and contact with herding cultures—the authors also analyzed differences between various neighboring counties in five central provinces along China’s rice-wheat border.
According to the authors, the influence of rice cultivation can help explain East Asia’s “strangely persistent interdependence”. For example, they say South Korea and Japan have remained less individualistic than Western countries, even as they’ve grown wealthier.
The authors aren’t alone in observing the influence various crops have on shaping culture. Malcolm Gladwell in his 2008 book Outliers also drew connections between a hard-working ethic (measured by a willingness to fill out long, boring questionnaires) and a historical tradition of rice cultivation in places such as South Korea and Japan, given that the farming of such crops is arguably an equally boring chore.
Title: How China’s North-South Divide Has Influence on (71)______ Personality
| (72)______ in personality | ●China’s northerners (73)______ on noodles, and they are thought of as hale, hearty and taller with more (74)______ and “analytic thought” as well as higher divorce rates ●On the contrary, the southerners prefer eating rice and have more “holistic thought” and lower divorce rates |
| Reasons | ●Planting rice needs twice more (75)______ than planting wheat ●Cultivating rice relies on irrigation system that requires neighbors to (76)______ well ●If you are over independent, you might (77)______ in the south ●If you are (78)______ in labor power, it is best to grow wheat in the north |
| The Research | ●The attitudes of 1,162 Han Chinese students were evaluated ●Other unrelated factors like climate, dialect and herding cultures were carefully (79)______ ●The result shows the influence of rice cultivation can result in more cooperation and explain East Asia’s “strangely persistent interdependence” |
| Another(80)______observation | Malcolm Gladwell also found the influence crops have on culture in his 2008 book Outliers |
One minute means a lot in one's life.
During his college years,Rogers 41 a summer in an Idaho logging camp(伐木场).When the boss had to leave for a few days,he put Rogers in charge.
“ 42 if the men refuse to follow my orders?” Rogers asked. He thought of Tony,an immigrant worker who 43 all day,giving the other men a 44 time.
“Fire them,” the boss said.Then,as if 45 Rogers' mind,he added,“I suppose you think you are going to fire Tony if you get the 46 .I'd feel 47 about that.I have been logging for 40 years.Tony is the most 48 worker I've ever had.I know he is a troublemaker and that he 49 everybody and everything.But he comes in first and leaves last.There has not been an 50 for eight years on the hill where he works.”
Rogers took over the next day.He went to Tony and spoke to him.“Tony,do you know I'm in charge here today?”Tony grunted(嘟囔).“I was going to fire you the first time we tangled(纠缠), 51 I want you to know I'm not,”he told Tony, 52 what the boss had said.
When Rogers finished,Tony 53 the spadeful(铲子)of sand he had held and tears streamed 54 his face.
That day Tony worked harder than ever before.
Twelve years later Rogers met Tony again who was now the 55 for railroad construction for one of the largest logging companies in the West.Rogers asked him how he came to California and happened to have such 56 .
Tony replied,“If it not be for the one 57 you talk to me back in Idaho,I kill somebody someday.One minute 58 my whole life.”
Effective managers know the 59 of taking a moment to point out what a worker is doing well.But what a 60 a minute of yes can make in any relationship!
41. A.wasted B.spent C.trained D.traveled
42. A.What B.How C.Why D.Who
43. A.troubled B.helped C.smiled D.spoke
44. A.easy B.surprising C.happy D.hard
45. A.recognizing B.having C.bearing D.reading
46. A.chance B.order C.support D.evidence
47. A.proud B.bad C.ugly D.well
48. A.quarrelsome B.elegant C.reliable D.silent
49. A.respects B.protects C.hurts D.hates
50. A.accident B.chance C.opportunity D.argument
51. A.and B.or C.besides D.but
52. A.lying B.adding C.smiling D.replying
53. A.threw B.dropped C.carried D.lifted
54. A.through B.on C.down D.in
55. A.boss B.worker C.engine-driver D.immigrant
56. A.railroad B.companies C.life D.success
57. A.word B.thing C.minute D.lesson
58. A.save B.change C.color D.lose
59. A.importance B.method C.result D.influence
60. A.choice B.decision C.difference D.conclusion
New Yorkers and visitors to the Big Apple will get to ring in the Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year in the U.S., in style with a fireworks display on the Hudson River set to music written by Academy Award-winning composer Tan Dun.
The display is part of the second annual “Happy Chinese New Year: Fantastic Art China” festival held in New York on February 5-10, 2016. The China Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA), the U.S.-China Cultural Institute and the Cultural Associate of the Committee of 100 announced this year’s events on November 18 at a press conference at the Lincoln Center.
The “Fantastic Art China” festival will feature a larger and more diverse series of artistic and cultural events across New York’s top cultural venues (地点) and landmarks, including the Lincoln Center, Empire State Building and Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.
This year’s theme focuses on exploring the complicated relationship between sound and image, said Professor Yu Ding from CAFA, who is also president of Fantastic Art China and in charge of the festival’s design. Lunar New Year, which celebrates the “Year of the Monkey” in 2016, is an opportunity to bring China’s modern art to mainstream America, and the festival serves as an innovative approach to establishing cultural exchange between China and New York City, Yu said.
UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Tan Dun’s music is a new edition that will be featured at several venues, including a major art exhibition at the Javits Center, events at the Lincoln Center and the fireworks display on the Hudson, which will take place on the evening of February 6. Five barges (游艇) on the river will launch the fireworks designed by CAFA that will tell a story about celebration and conservation.
“We Chinese are fond of nature, so the best way to celebrate the Lunar New Year is to salute with the sounds of nature, such as sounds of water, stone and bamboo,” said Tan Dun at the press conference, “And it will be fun to use the music of water during the firework display.”
In addition to the fireworks, a special lighting show at the Empire State Building will illuminate New York City during the holiday.
Chinese New Year is being recognized as a public school holiday for the first time in New York. Children from the National Dance Institute, which represents 75 schools, will perform traditional Chinese dances at the Lincoln Center and the Javits Center. And, in celebration of the “Year of the Monkey” events will feature a conservation message about the endangered golden monkey in China.
28. The theme of this year’s celebration is centered on ________.
A. diversity of Chinese traditional festivals
B. relationship between sound and image of nature
C. endangered species and environment protection
D. cultural exchange between China and America
29. The coming “Year of the Monkey” is to be celebrated in New York by ________.
A. sailing on the Hudson River along with a new-year speech
B. holding a special concert at the Empire State Building
C. setting off fireworks and holding a special lighting show
D. taking a week off and organizing Chinese dance contests
30. What does the underlined word “illuminate” (in Para. 7) most probably mean?
A. Lighten. B. Surround. C. Decorate. D. Broaden.
31. This passage is written mainly in order to ________.
A. compare some traditional festivals in China and America
B. attract visitors to America for the coming new-year celebration
C. strengthen the cultural co-operation between China and America
D. report celebration activities for the “Year of the Monkey” in New York
When two Bangs meet
Sheldon Cooper is a scientific genius on the popular American TV show---The Big Bang Theory. He finally met his match last year: Stephen Hawking.
This is not the first time that the scientist has appeared on TV. He has also been on Star Trek (in 1987) and The Simpsons (in 1989). Each time, he played himself.
Hawking, 71, is perhaps the world’s most famous scientist after Albert Einstein. He has spent his whole life studying the beginning and the end of the universe, including the Big Bang theory.
The Big Bang theory explains the early development of the universe. According to the theory, about 13.7 billion years ago everything was all squeezed together in a tiny, tight little ball, and then the ball exploded. The results of that explosion are what we call the universe.
Hawking has always tried to make science more popular with people. His book: A Brief History of Time was published in 1988. In the book he shares his understanding of the universe in simple language. The book tries to explain many subjects about the universe to common readers, including the Big Bang, black holes and light cones (光锥).
Hawking’s achievements are even greater if you think about his disability. When he was 21, Hawking caught a bad illness that slowly stopped him from moving or talking. Now he sits on a wheelchair with a computer by his side. To communicate, he moves two fingers to control the computer’s mouse. He chooses his words from the screen, which are then spoken by a voice synthesizer (合成器).
Hawking also believes that there might be aliens in space. However, he believes they are probably very dangerous, so we should not look for them. “I imagine they might exist in very big ships ... having used up all the resources from their home planet,” Hawking said in a British documentary named Into the Universe with Stephen Hawking.
29. What does the “two Bangs” in the title refer to?
A. The director of the TV show and the founder of it.
B. The director and the actor of “The Big Bang Theory”.
C. The scientific genius on the TV show and the one in real life.
D. The founder of the “Big Bang” theory and Sheldon.
30. The Big Bang theory mainly explains _____.
A. how the universe started B. what the universe is like
C. how old the universe is D. how the universe exploded
31. According to the passage, which of the following about Hawking is TRUE?
A. He was born with a disability. B. He played an artist in Star Trek.
C. He uses a computer to communicate. D. He believes aliens are our friends.
I ______ to reach the manager for the last two hours but the line is always busy.
A. tried B. have tried C. had tried D. have been trying
假如你是李华,你的美国网友Jack想参加中央电视台的星光大道(Avenue of Stars),特写信向你询问相关情况。请你根据所给要点提示给他写一封回信,告知相关事宜。
要点提示:
1.简单介绍星光大道:普通人展示才艺的舞台,深受观众喜爱;
2.参赛选手展示才艺:唱歌、跳舞等;
3.报名:网上提前报名;
4.建议:学一些简单的汉语。
注意:
1.字数100字左右;
2.可适当增加细节,以使行文连贯;
3.书写整洁。
参考词汇:参赛选手 participant
Dear Jack,
_____________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
--- Chinese is the most difficult language to learn, isn’t it?
--- It depends. ________ more about the history of Chinese characters and you will find it more meaningful to learn.
A. Known B. Knowing C. To know D. Know
We eat what our friends eat, according to a new study presented at the Agricultural and Applied Economic Association’s 2013 annual meeting in Washington, D.C.
The study, conducted by researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (U of I) and Oklahoma State University, provided fresh confirmation of how much our environment influences our eating habits. The scientific team analyzed the lunch receipts from a restaurant in Stillwater, Oklahoma that agreed to use three menus designed by the researchers for three months in 2010. One group of diners — the control group — used the restaurant’s original menus with item and price listings. The second group received menus with calorie counts and the third group used menus that had both calorie counts and a traffic light symbol designed to indicate calorie ranges. A green traffic light meant a food option was 400 calories or less, a yellow light indicated 401 calories to 800 calories and a red light was placed next to choices with more than 800 calories.
By analyzing diners’ receipts, the researchers found interesting patterns in what patrons(老主顾)ordered. They also interviewed servers and found that people who were part of larger parties and received menus with traffic lights typically ordered healthier options, which the researchers say suggests the influence of peer pressure.
The researchers then created a model to assess how customers felt about their choices. Based on the popularity of menu items, the researchers determined the probability that individuals were satisfied with their choice. Interestingly, this gauge(测量标准)of satisfaction was influenced by expected factors such as price and calories, but also by fellow diners’ menu choices as well. They found that even if a customer initially felt less satisfied about their choice of say, a salad, they felt better about it if their friends ordered an item within the same menu category.
“The big takeaway from this research is that people were happier if they were making similar choices to those sitting around them,” study author Brenna Ellison, an economist at the U of I, said in a statement. “If my peers are ordering higher-calorie items or spending more money, then I am also happier, or at least less unhappy, if I order higher-calorie foods and spend more money.” So if you’re hoping to eat better, try dining with friends who do too.
33. The scientific team came to their conclusion by ________.
A. analyzing receipts from diners using specially designed menus.
B. studying information from the receipts
C. comparing calorie counts and ranges that appear in different menus
D. analyzing the connection between diner’s choices and calorie counts
34. According to the research findings, those who ordered healthier options tended to ______.
A. ask the servers for recommendations and notice the calorie counts
B. eat with friends and be concerned about calorie ranges of the food
C. be more affected by their friends’ preference of the choice of food
D. have a much unhealthier eating habit when they ate alone
35. The word “takeaway” is closest in meaning to ________.
A. conclusion B. success C. illustration D. judgment
请阅读下面短文和表格,并按照要求用英语写一篇150词左右的文章。
The other day, BBC broadcast its documentary(纪录片) “Are Our Kids Tough Enough? — Chinese School”, in which the British and Chinese teaching styles competed against each other, with both sides tested after four weeks to see who comes out on top.
In this unique experiment, five Chinese teachers took over a British classroom with 50 teenagers aged 13 and 14 in a British school for one month and taught them in a typical Chinese way: no talking, no questions and experiencing the severe classroom discipline within an extended school-hour from 7 a. m. to 7 p. m. In the meantime, another group of students were guided in the British teaching style: free talking, free questioning, thinking for themselves and relaxing learning atmosphere.
At the end of the documentary, all the pupils took part in the same exams in a few subjects. Next is the result.
| Mathematics | Chinese | Science | |
| Chinese style | 67.74 | 46.88 | 58.33 |
| British style | 54.84 | 36.46 | 50 |
Faced with the result, many netizens in Britain made a strong suggestion to their Education Minister that Britain should learn from China and adopt China’s educational style.
【写作内容】
假设英国教育部长正在向中国学生征询对上述建议的看法,请你给他写封信表达你的看法。
1. 用约30个单词完成上文的概要。
2. 用约120个单词发表你的观点,你应该
(1) 阐述你对“英国教育该不该采用中国方式”的看法;
(2) 用2~3个理由或论据支撑你的观点。
【写作要求】
1. 写作时不能直接引用原文语句。
2. 作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称。
【评分标准】
内容完整,语言规范,语篇连贯,词数适当。
Dear Minister,
____
____. It is said you are collecting opinions from Chinese students. The following is my view.
____
Your sincerely,