Mark Twain is someone Americans are taught to love. Older relatives, English teachers and the media always praise (表扬) him. But when you actually take the time to read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, you find that his work is more wonderful than you could ever imagine.
The novel describes a young boy named Tom Sawyer growing up in a small town along the Mississippi River. He explores the countryside on a riverboat with his friends, falls in love with girls, starts secret clubs and searches for treasure. Twain’s idea of childhood is magical – a time of imagination, wonder and, of course, adventure.
More importantly, through the eyes of Tom Sawyer, Twain cleverly makes fun of US culture. For example, Tom hates going to church, and Twain uses scenes of Tom there to mock religion and its old traditions.
Twain’s writing is full of these kinds of critical (批判的) points about culture and politics. That’s why he is so loved in the US – he wasn’t afraid to state his opinions, and he did so clearly.
He also believed strongly in women’s right to vote in elections and gave a famous speech on the subject, called “Votes for Women”, in 1901.
“Tom was a great hero once more – the pet of the old, the envy of the young,” Twain writes in Tom Sawyer. But he could just as well be describing himself.
1.According to the writer, after reading The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, you are likely to think__________.
A. it’s not worth all the praise
B. it’s as wonderful as you imagined
C. it’s better to read it with teachers
D. it’s even better than you imagined
2.What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?
A. A brief description of the novel.
B. Where Twain’s idea of childhood comes from.
C. How naughty and adventurous Tom Sawyer is.
D. What makes Tom Sawyer’s adventures so wonderful.
3.What does the underlined word “mock” mean?
A. make changes to B. make fun of
C. give reasons for D. give examples of
4.Why is Twain so loved in the US according to the article?
A. He supported women’s right to vote.
B. He wrote bad things about US wars abroad.
C. He criticized American culture and society clearly and cleverly.
D. He showed readers a magical childhood that everyone would love.
RAP/HIP-HOP
Known for their quick speech, some rappers can say more than 700 syllables (音节) a minute! If you like rap/hip-hop, you are energetic and have a way with words. You put a fresh spin（旋转）on things, whether it’s new moves on the dance floor or your hip style.
CLASSLCAL
In the 18th century, classical musicians were like rock stars. Beethoven and Mozart, for example, played in crowded concert halls. If you like classical, you are open to new ideas and like arguing with friends. Creative and imaginative, you can easily spend many hours reading, writing or painting.
COUNTRY
Country music came from the folk songs of English settlers(移民) of the southeastern United States. If you like country, you say your opinions well, which makes you the ideal class president or team head. You enjoy spending time with your family.
POP
Pop music is designed to attract almost everyone, and it does. Each year, the industry brings in about 30 billion dollars! If you like pop, you are attractive to your friends. You can make big things happen, like planning for a huge party or leading your team to victory(胜利).
ROCK
In the 1950s, rock music created a new culture. If you like rock, you are a risk-taker who never accepts no for an answer. You rise to any challenge, like doing very well in a big exam or landing the lead in the school play.
If these personalities don’t match you, that’s OK. These are just for fun.
1.What does the underlined part “You put a fresh spin on things” mean in the passage?
A. You have the ability to attract others’ attention.
B. You are always willing to make new friends.
C. You are willing to say your thoughts to others all the time.
D. You can say your idea in a clever way that makes it seem better than it really is.
2.If you like pop music, .
A. you are traditional and prefer to stay with your family
B. you are easy to accept new ideas
C. you are welcome and your friends all like to be with you]
D. you have a quick speech and can say 30 words in a minute
3.We can know from this passage that .
A. in the 18th century, classical musicians were like pop stars
B. country music came from the old songs of the English
C. pop music is liked by the largest number of people in the world
D. everyone can find his personality in this passage
4.What’s the main idea of the passage?
A. When music came into being.
B. How to like music.
C. Some basic information about music.
D. What your favorite music says about you.
Plants are very important living things. Life could not go on if there were no plants. This is because plants can make food from air, water and sunlight. Animals and man cannot make food from air, water and sunlight. Animals get their food by eating plants and other animals. Therefore animals and man need plants in order to live. This is why we find that there are so many plants around us.
If you look carefully at the plants around you, you will find that there are two kinds of plants: flowering plants and non-flowering plants.
Flowering plants can make seeds. The seeds are protected by the fruits. Some fruits have one seed, some have two, three or four, and some have many seeds. But a few fruits have no seeds at all. An example of a fruit without seeds is the banana fruit.
Most non-flowering plants do not grow from seeds. They grow from spores (胚芽). Spores are very small. Some spores are so small and light that they can float in the air. We may say that spores are quite the same as seeds. When these spores are all on wet and shady places, they usually grow into new plants.
1.The main idea of the first paragraph is that ______.
A. plants are important for life
B. plants cannot grow without air
C. there are many plants in the world
D. we can not live without water
2.What can we infer(推断) from the passage ?
A. Spores are seeds
B. Without plants, man will die out
C. All fruits of flowering plants have seeds
D. Of all living things animals are most important
3.This passage may be taken from______.
A. a medicine book B. a novel
C. a science magazine D. an experiment report
I was telling my boy Sonny the story of the hare and the tortoise. At the end I said, “Son, remember: Be slow and steady, and that will win the race. Don’t you think there’s something to learn from the tortoise?”
Sonny opened his eyes wide, “Do you mean next time when I’m entering for the 60-metre race I should wish that Billy, Tony and Sandy would all fall asleep halfway?”
I was shocked, “But the tortoise didn’t wish that the hare would fall asleep!”
“He must wish that already,” Sonny said, “Otherwise how could he be so foolish as to race with the hare? He knew very well the hare ran a hundred times faster than he himself did.”
“He didn’t have such a wish,” I insisted. “He won the race by pushing on steadily.”
Sonny thought a while. “That’s a lie,” he said. “He won it because he was lucky. If the hare didn’t happen to fall asleep, the tortoise would never win the race. He could be as steady as you like, or a hundred times steadier, but he’d never win the race. That’s for sure.”
I gave up. Today’s children are not like what we used to be. They’re just hopeless. 
1.The writer argued with his son because ______________.
A. he liked tortoises while his son liked hares
B. they disagreed about whether the tortoise was foolish
C. he tried to teach his son a lesson but the son had totally different opinion
D. he liked the story of the hare and the tortoise while his son didn’t.
2.Sonny believed that the tortoise ______________.
A. won the race by his own hard working
B. took a risk by agreeing to run a race
C. was not given a fair chance in the race
D. in fact did win the race luckily
3.Billy, Tony and Sandy must be_______________.
A. boys who were unknown to Sonny’s father
B. boys who Sonny has run races with before
C. boys who Sonny has never raced with before
D. boys who Sonny did not hope to race with again
4.According to the passage, who do you think learnt a lesson? ______________.
A. The tortoise B. Sonny
C. The hare D. Sonny’s father
Dear Kate,
It is very exciting that you are coming to our school so soon. you arrive, let me introduce to you what our school life is like.
Our school is a good where we can prepare ourselves well for the future. We have many wonderful teachers who are always ready to help. Though we pay a lot of attention to how we do in lessons, getting high scores is not the only reason to study. The encourage us to try out new ideas and ask questions in class. With their help we have developed all kinds of in both Arts and Science. Students can choose to any school clubs they are interested in. We can choose the subjects that we want to study. Last term I chose American Literature, because I wanted to learn famous American writers. This term I chose to attend classes because my father bought me a piano as a birthday present.
By the way, I was elected monitor of my class. Sometimes it can be to be a monitor, because I have to do a lot of work and attend many meetings. However, being a monitor has taught me a lot, such as for others and taking responsibilities and so on. When my class was given the title of “Model Class”, I was than ever before. So being a monitor an important part in my school life. I’m very pleased with my work.
I love my school and that you will have a pleasant experience here too. I am looking forward to seeing you soon.
Yours
Li Ping
1.A. WhenB. AfterC. BeforeD. Since
2.A. room B. space C. place D. house
3.A. need B. askC. wantD. offer
4.A. deep B. well C. fast D. hard
5.A. teachersB. parentsC. classmatesD. friends
6.A. activities B. characters C. personalities D. interests
7.A. joinB. trainC. designD. visit
8.A. also B. just C. yet D. only
9.A. with B. about C. for D. among
10.A. art B. music C. cooking D. dance
11.A. excitingB. tiringC. interestingD. surprising
12.A. cooking B. copying C. caring D. checking
13.A. luckier B. kinder C. stronger D. prouder
14.A. plays B. takes C. makes D. acts
15.A. wonder B. know C. hope D. feel
--- Would you mind my opening the window?
--- _________________________________
A. I would.
B. I’m afraid it’s too windy.
C. Yes, please go ahead.
D. Sure. I’m going to close it soon.
