Dickens was the most popular novelist of his time, and remains one of the best-known and most-read of English authors. He created some of the world’s best-known fictional characters and is regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era.
Among fellow writers, Dickens has been admired. Leo Tolstoy, G. K. Chesterton, and George Orwell praised his realism and comic voice as well as his drawing people’s attention to children and the poor. The French writer Jules Verne called Dickens his favorite writer, writing his novels “stand alone, dwarfing all others by their amazing power and suitable expression.” The Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh was inspired by Dickens’s novels in several of his paintings like Vincent’s Chair and in an 1889 letter to his sister stated that reading Dickens, especially A Christmas Carol, was one of the things that was keeping him from killing himself
A Christmas Carol is most probably his best-known story, with frequent new adaptations. It is also the most-filmed of Dickens’ stories, with many versions dating from the early years of cinema. According to the historian Ronald Hutton, the current state of the observance of Christmas is largely the result of a mid-Victorian revival of the holiday spearheaded by A Christmas Carol. William Makepeace Thackeray called the book “a national benefit, and to every man and woman who reads it a personal kindness”.
At a time when Britain was the major economic and political power of the world, Dickens highlighted the life of the forgotten poor and disadvantaged within society. Through his journalism he campaigned on specific issues — such as sanitation and the workhouse — but his fiction probably demonstrated its greatest prowess (非凡的才能) in changing public opinion on class inequalities. The exceptional popularity of Dickens’ novels not only displayed his outstanding ability to create attractive storylines and unforgettable characters, but also ensured that the Victorian public confronted issues of social justice that had commonly been ignored.
1.What is the second paragraph mainly about?
A.Vincent van Gogh appreciates Dickens’ novels very much.
B.George Orwell sees Dickens’ novels as a minor of society.
C.Jules Verne thinks highly of Dickens and Dickens’ novels.
D.Dickens’ fellow writers comment on his novels positively.
2.What is Thackeray’s attitude towards A Christmas Carol?
A.Critical. B.Appreciative.
C.Doubtful. D.Unconcerned.
3.What made Dickens’ novels popular?
A.Their highlights of the public life in the Victorian era.
B.Their vivid characters and focus on social inequalities.
C.Their presentation of Dickens’ love for his journalism.
D.Their description of British economic and political power.
4.In which section of a magazine may this text appear?
A.Science. B.Entertainment.
C.Literature. D.Health.
Ever since Zion Williamson was 5 years old, he wanted to be a basketball star. But to get there, he needed a lot of encouragement and coaching along the way, and there was no one that better than his mother, Sharonda Sampson. She coached Zion in every youth basketball league he ever played. Sampson was a collegiate track star and later became a middle school health and physical education teacher.
He has got up at 5:30 a.m. to head to the outdoor court and play basketball since he was 9 years old. Zion's hard work began to pay off when he entered high school, where he became a YouTube hit for his high-flying dunks （灌篮）and powerful moves. But Sampson wanted her son to not only work hard at being great but study how the legends of the game went about their skills.
“When I started playing, my mom said there were three players she wanted me to watch — Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Michael Jordan,” Williamson said. “Even though I wasn't alive when he （Jordan） was doing those things, it just attracted me. Everything he did was just incredible.”
The national spotlight shined on Zion during his one year of collegiate basketball at Duke University, where he was coached by five-time national champion Mike Krzyzewski. The most storied rivalry in the collegiate game is between Duke and North Carolina, where Jordan won a national championship back in the 1980s.
Shortly after his freshman season, Zion declared for the NBA Draft. Sampson was by her son's side when he was chosen by the Pelicans as the top player. “I wouldn't be here without my mom” said Zion with tears streaming down his face after his selection.
Zion was brilliant in the first 19 games of his regular-season NBA career, averaging over 23 points and six rebounds per game, before the coronavirus （冠状病毒）crisis forced the league to shut down. The 19-year-old Zion says he's been staying fit and will be ready to go when the league resumes.
1.What do we know about Zion from the first two paragraphs?
A.He was trained mainly by his mother.
B.He dreamed of being a basketball star at 9.
C.He was famous for his mother at YouTube.
D.He coached his mother in basketball leagues.
2.Why did Zion's mother ask him to watch three players?
A.She wanted to make Zion beat them one day.
B.She expected Zion to learn much from them.
C.She required Zion to join their basketball teams.
D.She wished Zion to like the same players as she.
3.What did Zion mean by “I wouldn't be here without my mom”?
A.He would join the NBA with his mom
B.He would stand beside his mother firmly.
C.His success related to what his mom did.
D.He followed her wherever his mother went.
4.What is the writer's purpose in writing the text?
A.To encourage people to learn from Zion.
B.To explain why Zion likes playing basketball.
C.To prove Zion has a gift for playing basketball.
D.To introduce an NBA basketball player.
If you’re among the millions of people spending more time at home in these special times, you may find you’re reading more — and there are lots of new books arriving to keep you entertained.
The Fascinators
By Andrew Eliopoulos
A must-read for persons who like magic, “The Fascinators” is an attractive tale of young love and friendship. In a town where magic is opposed, a group of friends brought together by an amateur magic club guide their love lives, relationships and social mix-ups.
The Paris Hours
By Alex George
“The Paris Hours” takes place over the course of a single day in 1927 in the City of Light, but is told through the stories of four characters. The story explores the effects and events of World War I and the magnificence of Paris through four characters’ angles, and the climax brings their paths together in an exciting read that you won’t be able to put down.
The Queen’s Secret
By Karen Harper .
A fictional account set in 1939 about the mother of Queen Elizabeth Ⅱ, once described by Hitler as “the most dangerous woman in the world.” She decides to make the reign of her husband, King George VI, successful, through a story that’s full of royal secrets. This book is a must-read for history lovers and fans of “The Crown.”
The Tourist Attraction
By Sarah Morgenthaler
This is a romantic story that takes place in — you guessed it — Moose Springs, Alaska. The owner of a small-town diner frequented by tourists, named The Tourist Trap, crosses paths with an out-of-towner love interest through an act of kindness.
1.Who might be more interested in the book written by Andrew Eliopoulos?
A.History lovers. B.Magic lovers.
C.Travel lovers. D.War lovers.
2.Which of the following tells about stories happening in the First World War?
A.The Tourist Attraction. B.The Fascinators.
C.The Queen’s Secret. D.The Paris Hours.
3.What kind of book is The Tourist Attraction?
A.A love story. B.A folk tale.
C.A detective story. D.A historical story.
假如你是李华，中国传统节日端午节（Dragon Boat Festival）即将到来，请你写一封邀请信，为来中国留学的朋友Tom简要介绍端午节庆祝活动，并邀请他一起庆祝节日。
注意：1.词数100左右；2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Tom,
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
词汇运用
1.While he was giving the English speech, he sometimes ________ (查阅)to the notes.
2.To some people, happiness is being ________ (包围,围绕)by family and friends
3.Carbon dioxide prevents heat ________ escaping into space.
4.Can you _________ (解释,说明)for your behavior on that night?
5.No one knows how this world came into ________ (exist).
6.By now, his restaurant ________ (应该,应当)to be full of people.
7.I think I will buy her a present and ________ (道歉).
8.The water supply has been cut ________ because the workers are repairing the main pipe.
9.________ (装备,配备)with new farming methods, they have been able to use less farmland to produce more.
10.With Teachers’ Day ________ (接近,靠近), our class decided to hold a party to celebrate the important day.
My kids and I were in the costume store yesterday, getting ready for Halloween, and they saw a Donald Trump mask. “Is he a good guy or a bad guy?” they asked.
I knew they were_________of the worst character－Will Ferrell in the film “Batman”, who starts good but becomes _________later, so I said something about how all people have a little good and a little bad in them. Of course, I wanted to say: “Son, that man is not_________bad guy, but one of the worst men our species has ever_________. He had every right, every_________ to do good, but he chose_________.”
We have the chance to make this_________, every day.
Maybe Grandpa Milt was really such a(n)_________. Decades ago, his mother, on her way home from a late-night meeting of her Jewish charity organization, disappeared. She was_________by workmen in an abandoned lot the following morning, her clothes__________, he skull (头骨) broken. Alive but__________ , she was brought to Lincoln Hospital and__________six hours later. This tragedy left him an orphan(孤儿).
__________, grandpa didn’t seek revenge (复仇). It’s not his__________. He was the kind of guy who found a way to make himself__________ through excellence. Milt was hardworking, handsome, kind, and all of this made him known. He__________from New York University with a degree and became a teacher, finally a billionaire.
Most likely, he__________ the heartbreak but toughed his way through it, went forward, ________a life worth living, and found peace. There is a superpower worth remembering__________a wrong can create positive changes in our world today. Sometimes,__________is the best revenge.
1.A.hearing B.complaining C.approving D.thinking
2.A.cool B.ill C.bad D.poor
3.A.truly B.only C.naturally D.normally
4.A.produced B.accepted C.required D.expected
5.A.desire B.guidance C.opportunity D.route
6.A.pity B.evil C.kindness D.freedom
7.A.mistake B.change C.choice D.effort
8.A.example B.trouble C.scene D.point
9.A.left B.buried C.protected D.discovered
10.A.returned B.torn C.cleaned D.burned
11.A.unconscious B.unhappy C.unsatisfied D.unharmed
12.A.escaped B.cried C.calmed D.died
13.A.Instead B.Therefore C.However D.Besides
14.A.day B.way C.pay D.say
15.A.famous B.healthy C.clever D.busy
16.A.resigned B.fled C.retired D.graduated
17.A.made use of B.took pride in C.dealt with D.gave away
18.A.created B.changed C.tested D.saved
19.A.learning B.correcting C.sharing D.favoring
20.A.politeness B.brightness C.friendliness D.happiness
