Many cities have subways and underground public transportation to take locals and tourists alike rapidly around the city.However, there’s something different about riding a London subway.It may not look different, but the historical value of one of England’s most popular forms of transportation is enough to make riding the subway a must when visiting London.With a little under 300 different stations, the subway can take you almost anywhere you need to go.
Riding a London subway, a person from other countries will notice one major difference: in London, people do not look at each other.In fact, eye contact is avoided at all times.That’s not rudeness―people are just too busy to bother looking.
Busy doing what, you ask? Well, they’re certainly not using the time for a moment of quiet thinking.Nor are they reading a book.New technology has replaced quiet habits.Today the only acceptable form of book on the London underground is an e-book.
Apple must earn a fortune from London commuters(使用月票上下班者).Since the launch of the iPhone in 2007, over 40,000―yes, that’s 40,000 “apps” have been designed.
Commuters love them because they are the perfect time-fillers.One “app”, called iShoot, is a game that features tanks.Another one, Tube Exits, tells passengers where to sit on the train to be closest to the exit of their destination.iSteam clouds the iPhone screen when you breathe into the microphone.You can then write in the “steam” on your phone screen.
For those without an iPhone, another Apple product, the iPod, may be the distraction(消遣)of choice.It’s not just teenagers who “plug in” to their music-iPods are a popular way to pass the time for all ages.
And if games, e-books and music aren’t enough to keep you occupied, then perhaps you would prefer a film? The development of palm DVD technology means many commuters watch their favorite TV shows or films on the way to work.With all these distractions, it’s amazing that people still remember to get off the train.
1.Those who want to save time to reach where they go can download ______ to their iPhones.
A.iShoot |
B.iPod |
C.iSteam |
D.Tube Exits |
2.People in London do not make eye contact on the subway because ______.
A.they are going to work and have no time to communicate with each other |
B.they are busy playing games, reading e-books, listening to music or watching film |
C.they feel sleepy because of getting up early |
D.they love reading books and do not want to be disturbed |
3.The underlined word “apps” in the fourth paragraph means ______.
A.computers |
B.fortune from London commuters |
C.computer companies |
D.programs downloaded for the iPhone |
4.Which word best describes the writer’s attitude towards commuters’ behaviors ?
A.for |
B.neutral |
C.against |
D.hateful |
5.The main idea of the passage is that ______.
A.London commuters are unfriendly to strangers |
B.technology is changing how London commuters spend their traveling time |
C.Apple has earned a lot of money from selling 40,000 apps |
D.riding a London subway is a must when visiting London |
Susan Sontag (1933 ------ 2004) was one of the most noticeable figures in the world of literature. For more than 40 years she made it morally necessary to know everything----- to read every book worth reading, to see every movie worth seeing. When she was still in her early 30s, publishing essays in such important magazines as Partisan Review, she appeared as the symbol of American culture life, trying hard to follow every new development in literature, film and art. With great effort and serious judgment, Sontag walked at the latest edges of world culture.
Seriousness was one of Sontag’s lifelong watchwords (格言), but at a time when the barriers between the well-educated and the poorly-educated were obvious, she argued for a true openness to the pleasure of pop culture. In Notes Camp, the 1964 essay that first made her name, she explained what was then a little-known set of difficult understandings, through which she could not have been more famous. Notes on Camp, she wrote, represents “a victory of ‘form’ over ‘content’, ‘beauty’ over ‘morals’”.
By conviction she was a sensualist (感觉论者), but by nature she was a moralist, and in the works she published in the 1970s and 1980s, it was the latter side of her that came forward. In Illness as Metaphor ------published in 1978, after she suffered cancer ------ she argued against the idea that cancer was somehow a special problem of repressed (被压抑的) personalities, a concept that effectively blamed the victim for the disease. In fact, re-examining old positions was her lifelong habit.
In America, her story of a 19th century Polish actress who set up a perfect society in California, won the National Book Award in 2000. But it was as a tireless, all-purpose cultural view that she made her lasting fame.
“Sometimes,” she once said, “I feel that, in the end, all I am really defending… is the idea of seriousness, of true seriousness.” And in the end, she made us take it seriously too.
1.It is implied but not stated in the first paragraph that Sontag _________.
A.was a symbol of American cultural life |
B.developed world literature, film and art |
C.published many essays about world culture |
D.kept pace with the newest development of world culture |
2.She first won her name through _________.
A.publishing essays in magazines like Partisan Review |
B.her story of a Polish actress |
C.her explanation of a set of difficult understandings |
D.her book Illness as Metaphor |
3.From the works Susan published in the 1970s and 1980s, we can learn that ________.
A.she was more of a moralist than a sensualist |
B.she was more of a sensualist than a moralist |
C.she believed repressed personalities mainly led to illness |
D.she would like to re-examine old positions |
4.According to the passage, Susan Sontag would agree to the ideas except _________.
A.We should try hard to follow every new development in literature, film and art. |
B.Cancer can be defeated because it is a special problem of repressed personalities. |
C.‘Form’ should be over ‘content’, ‘beauty’ should be over ‘morals. |
D.We should defend the idea of seriousness, of true seriousness. |
5.What is the passage mainly about?
A.A lifelong watchword: seriousness |
B.Susan Sontag is the symbol of American culture |
C.How Susan Sontag became famous |
D.An introduction to Susan Sontag and her watchword |
America is a mobile society. Friendships between Americans can be close and real, yet disappear soon if situations change. Neither side feels hurt by this. Both may exchange Christmas greetings for a year or two, perhaps a few letters for a while — then no more. If the same two people meet again by chance, even years later, they pick up the friendship. This can be quite difficult for us Chinese to understand, because friendships between us flower more slowly but then may become lifelong feelings, extending (延伸) sometimes deeply into both families. Americans are ready to receive us foreigners at their homes, share their holidays, and their home life. They will enjoy welcoming us and be pleased if we accept their hospitality (好客) easily. Another difficult point for us Chinese to understand Americans is that although they include us warmly in their personal everyday lives, they don’t show their politeness to us if it requires a great deal of time. This is usually the opposite of the practice in our country where we may be generous with our time. Sometimes, we, as hosts, will appear at airports even in the middle of the night to meet a friend. We may take days off to act as guides to our foreign friends. The Americans, however, express their welcome usually at homes, but truly can not manage the time to do a great deal with a visitor outside their daily routine. They will probably expect us to get ourselves from the airport to our own hotel by bus. And they expect that we will phone them from there. Once we arrive at their homes, the welcome will be full, warm and real. We will find ourselves treated hospitably. For the Americans, it is often considered more friendly to invite a friend to their homes than to go to restaurants, except for purely business matters. So accept their hospitality at home!
1.The writer of this passage must be ______.
A.an American |
B.a Chinese |
C.a professor |
D.a student |
2.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A.Friendships between Americans usually extend deeply into their families. |
B.Friendships between Americans usually last for all their lives. |
C.Americans always show their warmth even if they are very busy. |
D.Americans will continue their friendships again even after a long break. |
3.From the last two paragraphs we can learn that when we arrive in America to visit an American friend, we will probably be ______.
A.warmly welcomed at the airport |
B.offered a ride to his home |
C.treated hospitably at his home |
D.treated to dinner in a restaurant |
4.The underlined words “generous with our time” in Paragraph 3 probably mean ______.
A.strict with time |
B.serious with time |
C.careful with time |
D.willing to spend time |
5. A suitable title for this passage would probably be “______”.
A.Friendships between Chinese |
B.Friendships between Americans |
C.Americans’ hospitality |
D.Americans’ and Chinese’s views of friendships |
Wings of Angel
I used to hate myself because I wasn't "normal". Everyone else could play on the monkey bars and ride on a bicycle, but not 36 . I had a severe spinal cord disorder(脊髓病) and I knew I would always be much 37 than others. I hated going to school and I hated others 38 at me. I hated seeing others smiling broadly and standing 39 and tall. And most of all, I hated looking in the 40 and seeing an ugly hunchback(驼背).
My friends found me 41 because I didn't let other get close to me. I thought I was going to go on like this for the rest of my life 42 Angela appeared.
That afternoon, I was sitting by myself in a corner of the school—a spot where no one would 43 me. That's when I first heard your voice. "Hi. Can I sit down?"
I raised my head and there she was, with an irresistible smile on her round face. "What are you looking at?" you asked. "Ants." "What are they doing?" "No 44 ." "I bet they're playing games and make friends. Don't you think so?" That was how our 45 started and it didn't stop. We talked about everything under the sun—the ants, the clouds, my little niche(处境)—until it was sunset. Then suddenly, you saw my 46 . She just stared. My heart 47 . What I feared most had happened and I knew for sure she would 48 me now. She stood up, pointed at my back and said, "I know 49 your back is hunched." I closed my eyes like a criminal waiting to be 50 . I begged in my heart for her to 51 , but she just kept on going. "I know what you've got there. Do you?" "No," I answered 52 . She bent and whispered in my ears. "Your back is bunched because you've got a pair of wings from the angels."I was 53 . I looked into her eyes and her 54 touched my heart. From that day on, I started to learn to 55 myself because I have the wings of an angel and a kind_hearted friend.
1.A.them B.it C.me D.her
2.A.sadder B.shorter C.weaker D.slower
3.A.looking B.smiling C.aiming D.glaring
4.A.still B.alone C.straight D.together
5.A.street B.sun C.corner D.mirror
6.A.distant B.stubborn C.hopeless D.unfortunate
7.A.after B.before C.since D.until
8.A.disturb B.seek C.interrupt D.ignore
9.A.wonder B.idea C.sign D.action
10.A.connection B.competition C.conversation D.comprehension
11.A.face B.back C.eyes D.shoulders
12.A.sank B.beat C.broke D.ached
13.A.care for B.rely on C.look down upon D.put up with
14.A.that B.how C.whether D.why
15.A.accused B.arrested C.punished D.sentenced
16.A.relax B.leave C.stop D.pause
17.A.shyly B.weakly C.proudly D.firmly
18.A.astonished B.ashamed C.annoyed D.amused
19.A.wisdom B.generosity C.honesty D.kindness
20.A.control B.like C.comfort D.enjoy
Throughout the week, the boy _____most of the work in the manager’s office.
A.took on B.took off C.took in D.took over
Our country is developing at an amazing speed, which is _____makes me feel so proud.
A.that B.why C.what D.where