As poets go, Robert Frost was no longer young when he published his first book of poems, A Boy's Will, in 1913. Though born in San Francisco, he came of a New England family which returned there when he was ten. Like many other writers, he had a brief brush with college and then supported himself by trying different jobs. However, he had been brought up on a farm and he liked farming. Most of all, he liked to write but he could not support himself by writing. In his late 30s he moved to England, where he produced his first book.
At the outbreak of World War I, Frost went back to farming in New Hampshire. Thereafter, although he made many journeys elsewhere, he considered the farm to be his home and its activities became the focus of his poetry.
Frost's verses(诗, 诗体) are a part of a great tradition, shaped by the Roman poet Vergil, whose poetry was mainly about farming. However, though he used farm situations in much of his poetry, he gave them a wide application. He might write about stepping on a rake(耙子) and describe the feeling when it hit him, but he used the incident to show how life gave us lessons.
Some talents in poetry are used up early, but not Frost's. He continued to publish fine poetry for fifty years. He reached the height of his popularity after World War II. If America had a national poet in the 20th century, it was Frost. He was chosen to read one of his poems at the inauguration（就职典礼）of the late President John F. Kennedy, the first poet ever so honored.
The 1.__________ of Robert Frost
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Personal Information |
Nationality |
American |
Topic of poetry |
2.__________ |
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Career |
3._____ |
Favorite |
Writing |
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4.____________ |
Born into a 5.__________ Having a brief brush with college Trying different jobs6._________Publishing his first book of poem in7.___________ Reaching the height of his popularity after 8._____________ |
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Achievements or honors |
Publishing fine poetry continually for fifty years Being regarded as9.____________ Being 10.___________to be chosen to read one of his poems at the inauguration of an American President |
Directions: Complete the following sentences according to the first given letter or the Chinese in the sentence.
1. The club is for _____and people in their early twenties, so that’s why some old people will not accept it.
2.All the teachers and students in our school are______(要求) to attend school assembly on Monday morning.
3.The mid-term exam is not a ______for all the students because it is so easy.
4.Jack disappeared for a few days, and when he came back, he didn’t give any _____of his strange behavior.
5.His parents felt regretful because they thought they were too _____on him.
6.There are some small differences between American English and Britain English. For example, in American English, we often say “on______”(假期) instead of “on holiday”.
7.The car accident was not the driver’s _______(过失) as there was a man suddenly running across the road.
8.It is hard for me to make a _______(决定). Can you tell me what to do?
9.As students, you have to_______ (平衡) work and play, or you might feel very confused.
10.How ________ (尴尬的) I was when I made a mistake with many people looking.
“You know, these cups bring to mind a tea quote(说法) I heard.” Mary’s aunt said.
She poured tea. There were four of them and there were four totally different cups on the table.
They took their tea cups.
“What quote?” Mary asked.
“Well, maybe I should rather say it is a story,” aunt said, “I heard that there was a wise teacher who took all his students for tea. They were surprised that all the cups on the table were different. Each of them took a cup and started drinking their tea, each looking at the cups of others. The teacher let them do that for a while and then said,‘ Do you notice your behavior? You are all looking at each other’s tea cup and I can see some of you with the broken ones are even envious(羡慕的) of the finer cups of others. Is this not so?’ ”
The students agreed, amused by their own behavior.
“You may have wondered why you all had different cups, but I put them here on purpose. You see they represent (代表) life itself. Life is like that tea and the cups are like the physical circumstances(状况) of your life. You all got the same thing in your cups — tea. And yet you can not truly enjoy it in your envy of another’s cup. It’s just the same with life. You forget to enjoy your own life when you concentrate on envying the circumstances of someone else’s life.
So now, close your eyes, and taste your own tea. Really taste it. And tell me — did it matter from which cup it came from?”
Aunt finished telling her short tea story and they all sat in silence for a while, tasting their tea. A sleepy fly buzzed(嗡嗡作响) past, a bird sang in the tree. And it really did not matter one bit from which tea cup they drank.
1. When the students found they had different tea cups, they_____________.
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A．were satisfied with their own cup |
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B．were angry about the broken cups they had been given |
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C．asked the teacher to get new cups for them |
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D．were curious about the difference between the cups |
2.From the text, we know that _____________.
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A．the teacher prepared different tea cups for each student |
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B．the teacher should have given the students the same cups |
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C．the teacher made the tea cups different by mistake. |
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D．each student took their time to choose a cup they liked |
3. According to the passage, by comparing the cups to the physical circumstances of people’s life, the teacher meant that people_______.
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A．should try different ways of life |
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B．shouldn’t focus on envy others’ physical circumstances |
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C．can never change their physical circumstances |
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D．should work hard for a better life |
4. In the passage the teacher’s message to the students was that _______.
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A．life is hard and boring for everyone |
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B．it is strange to be envious of the lives of others |
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C．everyone should learn to enjoy his own life |
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D．people act differently in different circumstances |
5. What can be the best title for the passage?
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A．More than tea in a cup |
B．The value of tea |
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C．Tea vs cup |
D．Enjoying tea with a broken cup |
Today, roller skating is easy and fun. But many years ago, it wasn’t easy at all. Before 1750, people never tried skating on wheels. That changed because of a man named Joseph Merlin. Merlin’s work was making instruments. In his free time he liked to play the violin. Merlin was a man with many ideas and many dreams. People called him a dreamer.
One day Merlin received an invitation to go to an important party. He was very pleased and a little excited. As the day of the party came near, Merlin began to think. He wanted to find a way to make a wonderful entrance at the party. Merlin had an idea. He thought that he would attract a lot of attention if he could skate into the room.
Merlin tried different ways to make himself roll. Finally, he decided to put two wheels under each shoe. These were the first roller skate shoes. Merlin was very proud of them. He dreamed of arriving at the party and skating into the room while playing the violin. He was sure that everyone would be very surprised.
On the night of the party Merlin rolled into the room, playing his violin. Everyone was really surprised to see him. There was just one problem. Merlin had no way to stop his roller skating. He rolled on, playing the violin. Then, with all eyes on him, Merlin hit into a huge mirror on the wall. The mirror broke into many pieces with a very loud noise. But nobody forgot Merlin’s wonderful entrance after that.
1.The story tells us that people began to enjoy roller-skating _______.
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A．before the year 1750 |
B．before the invitation |
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C．because of Joseph Merlin |
D．because it was dangerous |
2.People called Merlin a dreamer because ___________.
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A．he slept and dreamed a lot |
B．he was full of different ideas |
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C．he was a talented violinist |
D．he always made people’s dreams come true |
3.___________ made Merlin think of skating on wheels.
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A．Merlin’s work |
B．Merlin’s violin |
C．A huge mirror |
D．An important party |
4.What was Merlin’s problem after he rolled into the room?
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A．He couldn’t stop his roller-skating. |
B．He couldn’t attract a lot of attention. |
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C．Everyone was surprised at him. |
D．He couldn’t play the violin while rolling. |
5.The text is mainly about_________.
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A．a strange man |
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B．an unusual party |
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C．how roller skating began |
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D．how people enjoyed themselves in the 18th century |
Every day, in all kinds of weather, a lot of men and women go jogging (running slowing). 1.为什么慢跑这么流行呢？ Most people start jogging because they hear it is a very good form of exercise. 2.Jogging makes the heart strong and helps people control their weight. If you keep jogging every day, 3.你不必通过吃药来减肥。Jogging can also make you feel better about yourself.
Do you jog? If you do, 4.一定要向医生询求建议。Does jogging cost much? It costs almost nothing. But it is very important to have a good pair of shoes that are made for jogging. 5.If not, when you run on hard ground for a long time, it may cause your feet to hurt.
Do you know anything about Diane Birch? She is a young singer 1. music takes listeners back to the soul and pop music of the 1970s. She spent her childhood 2. moving from one place to another, she had settled in several countries 3. her parents finally moved back to the USA.
Diane Birch started learning to play 4.piano when she was about seven years old. When she moved back to the United States, she did not know much about popular culture. What she did know was classical music and religious songs. She learned all kinds of music, 5.jazz, rock and folk and she taught herself how to play 6. .
Diane Birch moved to Los Angeles when she was 7. enough to live independently. She later decided to take a singing class, 8. she could perform the music she had been writing since an early age. The songs she posted on her MySpace page caught attention of the music industry and led to a record deal.
