Nineteenth-century writers in the United States, whether they wrote novels, short stories, poems or plays, were powerfully drawn to the railroad in its golden years. In fact, writers responded to the railroads as soon as the first were built in the 1830’s. By the 1850’s, the railroad was a major presence in the life of the nation. Writers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David saw the railroad both as a boon(要求) to democracy(民主国家) and as an object of suspicion. The railroad could be and was a despoiler(掠夺者) of nature, furthermore, in its manifestation of speed and noise. It might be a despoiler of human nature as well. By the 1850’s and 1860’s, there was a great distrust among writer and intellectuals of the rapid industrialization of which the railroad was a leading force. Deeply philosophical historians such as Henry Adams lamented the role that the new frenzy for business was playing in eroding traditional values. A distrust of industry and business continued among writers throughout the rest of the nineteenth century and into the twentieth.
For the most part, the literature in which the railroad plays and important role belong to popular culture rather than to the realm of serious art. One thinks of melodramas, boys’ books, thrillers, romances, and the like rather than novels of the first rank. In the railroads’ prime years, between 1890 and 1920, there were a few individuals in the United States, most of them with solid railroading experience behind them, who made a profession of writing about railroading—works offering the ambience of stations, yards, and locomotive cabs. These writers, who can genuinely be said to have created a genre, the “railroad novel”, are now mostly forgotten, their names having faded from memory. But anyone who takes the time to consult their fertile writings will still find a treasure trove of information about the place of the railroad in the life of the United States.
1.The underlined word “it” in the passage refers to______.
A. railroad B. manifestation C. speed D. nature
2.In the first paragraph, the author implies that writers’ reactions to the development of railroads were______.
A. highly enthusiastic B. both positive and negative C. unchanging D. Disinterested
3. According to the passage, the railroad played a significant role in literature in all of the following kinds of books except_______.
A. thrillers B. boys’ books C. romances D. important novels
4. The phrase “first rank” in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to______.
A. largest category(类别) B. highest quality C. earliest writers D. most difficult language
5. Which of the following topics is the main idea of passage?
A. The role of the railroad in the economy of the USA
B. Major nineteenth century writers
C. The conflict between expanding industry and preserving nature
D. The railroad as a subject for literature
Welcome Aboard Your Piccadilly Flight To Heathrow
The Piccadilly line to Heathrow（伦敦希思罗机场）is not only the most convenient way to travel but also the most cost-effective. So the next time you’re travelling to Heathrow, make sure you fly Piccadilly line.
Your Piccadilly flight features：
● Departures from 36 stops on the Piccadilly line, or from over 200 stations only one change way
● Service every 5 minutes to and from Heathrow throughout the day
● Journeys from central London taking less than 50 minutes
● Only ￡ 3.70 for a single adult fare
● See tables below for journey times
Fares to and from central London
● Adult single ￡3.70
● Child single ￡1.50
If you are traveling as a group, then you are allowed to use the Family Travelcard, which means each adult can travel for ￡3.40 and each child for ￡0. 80.
The group must consist of 1 or 2 adults travelling with 1-4 children（from 09:30 Monday-Friday and at any time weekends and Public Holidays）.
Members within the group do not need to be related.
Travelling to Heathrow
|
|
Mon-Sat |
Sun |
||||
|
From |
Journey Time |
Frequency |
First Train |
Last Train |
First Train |
Last Train |
|
Earls Court |
39 mins |
5 mins |
05:55 |
00:43 |
07:15 |
23:49 |
|
Piccadilly Circus |
49 mins |
5 mins |
05:45 |
00:32 |
07:05 |
23:38 |
Travelling from Heathrow
|
|
Mon-Sat |
Sun |
||||
|
To |
Journey Time |
Frequency |
First Train |
Last Train |
First Train |
Last Train |
|
Earls Court |
34 mins |
5 mins |
05:13 |
23:49 |
05:57 |
23:30 |
|
Piccadilly Circus |
45 mins |
5 mins |
05:13 |
23:49 |
05:57 |
23:30 |
1. Which of the following statements is true about the Piccadilly line?
A. The Piccadilly line is the most convenient one around the world.
B. Taking the Piccadilly line can save more money than any other public transportation.
C. The Piccadilly line is the only public transportation to Heathrow.
D. The flight from Earls Court to Piccadilly Circus takes 39 minutes.
2.At what time does the first train from Earls Court arrive at Heathrow on Sunday?
A.07:49 B.06:34 C.07:54 D.06:31
3.When taking the Piccadilly line, whether to or from Heathrow, one may___________.
A. get to the destination within 34 minutes
B. get to the first stop no later than 23:30
C. get a discount once traveling in groups
D. expect a train every 5 minutes at the stop
He only finished fourth in this year's Super Boy talent show. But it didn't stop him capturing the hearts of thousands of fans. He can hit high notes with ease. And he is very modest. Zhang Jie,25,shed(流) sweat and tears all the way through the competition, but he never gave up.
“No matter how life treats him, he always fights back bravely ,”said Wu Chunyan, a Senior 2 student in Hubei. “He has never lost his dream of being a singer.” The road to fame is always rocky, and Zhang is no exception. As a college student he was majoring in tourism. He was considering becoming a tourist guide after graduation until he entered a singing competition.
His life changed after he competed in My Show. He won first place and signed with a record company. “I was very excited and regarded it as a way to take me closer to my dream,” he said. But the company gave him little money to make music and slowly began to ignore him. Zhang even borrowed money to buy costumes. “Life has its ups and downs. But the tough reality only makes me stronger,” he said.
He forgot he was once a champion of a talent show and joined Super Boy. His decision got support from his family who worked hard to make ends meet. His mother sold rice noodles on a street in his hometown, but she said she would “support him forever.”
“I have the dream to buy a large house for my parents, where my mom can get a large window sill to grow flowers,” said Zhang.
1.Which of the following is the best title of the passage?
A. An easy way to success B. A rocky path to success
C. A clever boy D. A successful boy
2. From the passage, we can know that _________.
A. he once won the first place in Super Boy talent show.
B. he finished fourth in My Show.
C. he is an exception on his way to fame.
D. after signing with a record company, he didn’t get much money.
3. When he met with difficulty in a record company, he decided to _______.
A. join Super Boy B. tell the others he was a champion
C. give up on his way to success D. quarrel with the boss
4.Before he joined in a singing competition, his dream was to become________.
A. a great scientist B. a good college student
C. a famous singer D. a tourist guide
Once upon a time, there were two men. One was hard-working and had a lot of 36 and perseverance (毅力), while the other was 37_ and never did any work. One night, they decided to have a competition between them. The contest was simple: the 38 _person to see daylight would be the winner, and the winner would__ 39_a prize. Both men agree to do it, and the competition started.
The hard-working man immediately_ 40 and ran towards the west after the sun, while the lazy man just sat there and_ 41__ . The hard-working man, looking at the competitor, _42__ at his foolishness and kept going at his quick pace. Running through the jungles, swimming 43 _the rivers and seas, and he kept running and running, __44__ that he would reach his goal sooner or later. Meanwhile, the lazy man was still sleeping.
The hard-working man had been 45_ for 6 hours already, and he was surprised that he still had not 46__ daylight. Thinking it would be just around the corner, he 47_ on running until he finally came back to where he started, 24 hours 48 _. Upon arriving, he saw the lazy man seated there, smiling and waiting for him, holding the 49 he earned.
The hard-working man was 50 how this lazy man could earn it—he hadn't done anything at all! Then the lazy man said," You are 51 a persevering and patient man, but you were running towards the 52 , running after the sun that kept moving away from your_ 53__ whereas I just waited for the sun to come to me. You were lucky. If I had decided to 54 you and not to tell you, you would be continuing this pursuit (追赶) till your death." The hard-working man knew in his heart that the lazy man was right.
Sometimes, perseverance can__ 55_ you from the truth that what you are doing is wrong.
1.A. hobbies B. ideas C. patience D. money
2.A. lazy B. patient C. kind-hearted D. hard-working
3.A. last B. first C. second D. only
4.A. accept B. keep C. win D. defeat
5.A. set in B. set aside C. set up D. set out
6.A. worked B. drank C. slept D. played
7.A. laughed B. glared C. stared D. looked
8.A. across B. through C. over D. past
9.A. representing B. believing C. emphasizing D. complaining
10.A. swimming B. jumping C. resting D. running
11.A. admired B. invented C. found D. realized
12.A. commented B. carried C. figured D. depended
13. A. before B. later C. next D. further
14.A. money B. medal C. prize D. gold
15.A. believing B. recognizing C. discussing D. wondering
16.A. true B. indeed C. certain D. hardly
17.A. west B. east C. north D. south
18.A. ears B. hands C. sight D. mind
19.A. hide from B. learn from C. keep from D. come from
20.A. make B. let C. blind D. protect
—May I open the window to let in some fresh air ?
—_____.
A. Come on ! B. Take care ! C. Go ahead ! D. Hold on !
The project _____ by the end of 2011, will expand the city’s telephone network to cover 2000000 users.
A．being completed B．completed
C．to be completed D．having been completed
