Canadian short story writer Alice Munro won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Eighty-two-year-old Munro is only the 13th woman to win the 112-year-old prize.
Munro didn’t publish her first collection of short stories until she was 37 years old, but her stories have always been well-received. Lots of her stories share similar themes and characters, but each story has its own twists and turns.
Even though she’s won Canada’s most famous literary award, the Giller Prize, twice, winning the Nobel Prize for Literature is the cherry on top of Munro’s career. “It brings this incredible recognition, both of her and her career, and of the dedication to the short story,” said one person.
Along with the well-respected title comes 1.3 million dollars. Munro said everything was “so surprising and wonderful” and that she was “dazed by all the attention and affection that has been coming my way.”
Munro knew she was in the running——she was named the second-most likely person to win this year’s prize, after Haruki Murakami (村上春树）of Japan——but she never thought that she would win.
Munro’s win also represents the long way Canadian writers have come. “When I began writing there was a very small community of Canadian writers and little attention was paid by the world. Now Canadian writers are read, admired and respected around the globe,” Munro said on Thursday.
She is technically not the first Canadian to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, but many like to think that she is. In 1976 Saul Bellow, who was born in Quebec but moved to Chicago when he was still a child, won the prize. Even though he was born in Canada, he is mostly considered to be an American writer.
“This is a win for us all. Canadians, by our very nature, are not very nationalistic,” said Geoffrey Taylor. “But things like this suddenly make you want to find a flag.”
She wasn’t sure if she would keep writing if she won the prize, saying that it would be “nice to go out with a bang. But this may change my mind.”
1.What is the feature of Munro’s stories?
A. They have their own complicated (复杂的)contents.
B. They have similar story backgrounds.
C. They have specific themes for children.
D. They have the same characters in each book.
2.For Munro, the Nobel Prize is an award for______.
A. her love for Canadian culture
B. her devotion to the short story
C. her special form of writing
D. her career of editing short stories
3.What is implied in the sixth paragraph?
A. Canadian writers paid little attention to the prize.
B. Canadian writers are just a small community.
C. Canadian writers have long been ignored.
D. Canadians have a long way to win the prize.
4.What does the passage mainly tell us?
A. How Alice Munro wins the Nobel Prize
B. An introduction to the Nobel Prize in Literature
C. Alice Munro wins the Nobel Prize in Literature
D. A world famous writer, Alice Munro
假如你是红星中学学生会主席李明，根据学校安排，你给即将到你校任教的外籍教师Jack推荐一名学生助手（assistant）。请根据所给提示给Jack写封推荐信。
1. 欢迎Jack的到来；
2. 推荐刘佳做学生助手；
3. 刘佳的基本情况（18岁，高三学生，学校十佳学生）；
4. 刘佳的特点与特长（活泼、乐观；电脑技能；沟通能力；英语水平等）。
注意：词数：120~150；可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
阅读下面的短文，并根据短文后的要求答题。(请注意问题后的词数要求)
［1］Every year, lots of children die in traffic accidents, and many of these tragedies occur because child safety seats are not properly installed or are not used at all. As more and more families buy private cars, it’s time to _______________ the safety of children.
［2］Parents tend to let the child sit alone in the front passenger seat, or leave the child alone in the back of the car without any safety restraints, have the child held in an adult’s lap, or have the child use an adult’s safety belt. All of these can potentially add elements of danger for a child in a car.
［3］In the 1970s, Western countries began to research safety devices for children in cars. It was later found that special safety devices for children in cars will help to reduce injury by about 70 percent, and child safety seats play a key role in protecting children in case of traffic accidents.
［4］Since 1999, automakers have been required to put child restraint systems in cars in the United States. There are more than 25 million child safety seats in the United States, compared to only 600,000 in China. Today, more than 40 countries in the world have already issued relevant legal regulations, making it compulsory that children sit in safety seats. In Germany, the Netherlands and Japan, children under 12 years old are required to sit in child safety seats.
［5］China is a manufacturing base for child safety seats, but the market in China is still limited. As a result, while we export our products to other countries, our own children in China are rarely provided with safety seats for various reasons. We hope this situation will be improved.
1.What’s the main idea of Paragraph 2?(no more than 10 words)
2.Fill in the blank in Paragraph 1 with proper words. (no more than 5 words)
3.Explain the underlined sentence in Paragraph 5?
4.List at least 3 elements of danger for a child in a car.
1）
2）
3）
5.What does the author want to tell us by writing such an article? (no more than 12 words )
Televisions were among the most talked about items at the 2013 International Consumer Electronics Show last week in Las Vegas, Nevada. Some employed the most advanced technology ever.
Some of the TVs used a new technology called Organic Light Emitting Diodes, or OLED. They were thinner, lighter, offered better color and were brighter than traditional LEDs. Smart TVs this year were smarter. Many offered technology that let users have a more personalized experience. One such TV from the electronics company TCL uses sensors and voice recognition to determine who is watching. It then offers programming based on the specific user. Another TV from Panasonic offers a similar personalized user experience.
In addition to television technology, size also played a major part in CES 2013. Televisions varied in size from big to bigger, with at least two companies — Samsung and HiSense — exhibiting TVs measuring 110 inches.
The yearly Consumer Electronics Show is the biggest technology trade show in North America and one of the biggest in the world.
Gary Shapiro is president and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association, the group that organizes CES. He gave one of the keynote speeches on opening day.
“Now you know that CES is more than a trade show. It’s a gathering of the brightest minds and the top leaders from many industries and those seeking a glimpse into the future.”
That glimpse into the future included a look at digital health and fitness devices, which were also big at CES 2013. There were devices that track your activity and others that measure blood pressure, heart rate and weight. There was even a fork that tells you when you are eating too fast.
Cars, smart-phones, tablet computers and PCs also made news. And a 27-inch table computer drew quite a bit of attention.
CEA President Gary Shapiro says there was much to see but not nearly enough time to see it all. “You cannot see the show in the four days that you have. We have over 3200 different industries showing over 20,000 new products. It’s absolutely incredible.”
1.At the 2013 CES, which item drew the most attention?
A. Cars. B. Smart-phones. C. Computers. D. Televisions.
2.From the text, we can know that the TV from Panasonic _________.
A. is bigger than the others B. uses the technology of OLED
C. offers a personalized experience D. can track your activity
3.What can we know from Gary Shapiro?
A. CES is only a big trade show.
B. CES offers a glimpse into the future.
C. CES lasts only four days in all.
D. He thinks little of the new products’ quality.
4.At the CES, the biggest TV in size might be from ______.
A. HiSense B. Panasonic C. TCL D. CEA
5.From the passage we can infer that__________.
A. the CES is held every 4 years
B. at the 2013 CES, the TV section was crowded
C. if you watch TV every day, you needn’t see a doctor
D. tablet computers drew more attention at the 2013 CES
He’s not just a pretty face! Famous actor Josh Duhamel leads a group of youngsters in a two-mile charity beach run. He may be an attractive movie star, but there’s more to Josh Duhamel than a pretty face. The 40-year-old actor led a youth charity fun run for the third year running on Sunday, in aid of the Red Cross giving a hand to countries and places suffering natural disasters.
Josh sported the charity’s T-shirt and black baseball cap with black jogging bottoms as he joined a group of youngsters in the two-mile effort on Santa Monica Beach. Josh was clearly enjoying himself today, sprinting across the finish line raising both arms in a victory salute.
In March last year and January of 2010, Josh led thousands of runners and raised over $200,000 for both Japanese and Haitian earthquake relief efforts. And donations collected at this year’s Youth Run will go towards the American Red Cross PrepareSoCal campaign which helps Southern Californians get ready for disasters.
“I do the youth run because I feel that younger people may not be able to donate a lot of money but that doesn’t mean that they can’t contribute and make a difference,” Josh told the Red Cross website. “Bringing students of L. A. together for these events not only raises a lot of money, but also raises the spirits of those affected by any disaster and helps everyone young and old.”
Duhamel had won the title of Male Model of the Year in an International Modeling and Talent Association competition in 1997. Duhamel began his acting career as an extra in the music videos for Donna Summer’s song, “I Will Go With You” in 1998. Later that year, he won the role of Leo Pres on the ABC soap opera “All My Children”. He then began appearing in films, and his acting in the film “Transformers” as well as its sequels was so successful that he became a pop film star.
1.Josh Duhamel led the beach run to help the Red Cross ________.
A. raise money for places suffering from disasters
B. raise money for people suffering from diseases
C. find more young volunteers especially teenagers
D. build up a fame of having the spirit of entertainment
2.How did Josh Duhamel feel about his joining in the beach run?
A. He felt it the best way to kill time especially on weekends.
B. He disliked it when there were reporters coming here.
C. He thought it a best chance to make himself famous.
D. He found it enjoyable and exciting to be a member.
3.What will the received donations of this year be used for?
A. Helping Japanese and Haitian defeat earthquakes.
B. Helping Southern Californians get ready for disasters.
C. Helping Northern Californians get ready for disasters.
D. Helping relieve Southern Californians defeat earthquakes.
4.What is the aim of the youth run of L. A.?
A. To persuade more young people to keep the earth green.
B. To make the young realize the influence of famous people.
C. To inspire those affected by disasters and give them a hand.
D. To raise as much money as possible to help the old and young.
5.What is the main idea of the last paragraph?
A. The importance of the youth run started by the Red Cross.
B. The methods to join in the youth run led by Josh Duhamel.
C. The reason why Josh Duhamel leads the youth run.
D. The experiences and achievements of Josh Duhamel.
Valentine’s Day, for many couples, means cards, flowers, and candlelight dinners. For most couples it also means withdrawing money at the ATM to express their love. Fortunately, there are ways to save money by saving energy — even during the date — so you can spend the money you save on the things that really matter to your sweetheart. Here are five easy tips for those couples out there who want to save energy and save money:
A fireplace is always a perfect background to set up holiday decorations because of the space it provides, in addition to the grand role it plays in the house as being an important part of each room. If you plan on spending your Valentine’s Day near the fireplace, be sure to prevent the heat loss and make sure of the chimney efficiency. If you never use your fireplace, plug and seal the chimney flue.
If you plan on having a nice, romantic dinner at home and want to set the mood with proper lighting, use energy efficient light bulbs that save you money, and look for bulbs that are lower in lumens. Lumens tell you the brightness of the bulb. The lower the lumens, the weaker the light.
For those who plan to cook that romantic dinner, there are some simple energy efficient ways you can prepare that meal. For example, did you know that if you’re baking in a china or glass dish, you can typically set your oven for 25 degrees less than the recipe calls for? Learn more about saving energy while cooking.
For those couples who would like to have a movie night, plug your TV and DVD into an electronic power strip to save money on your gas of the car. By plugging in electronic devices into a power strip and turning it off when not in use, you can save up to $100 per year.
If you plan on going on a romantic “escape” from your house by car, be sure to check out these tips to reduce fuel consumption and costs.
1.How do most people spend their Valentine’s Day according to the passage?
A. They make green trips by riding bikes or walking dogs.
B. They go to visit their parents or grandparents together.
C. They stay at home making delicious food for lovers.
D. They spend money creating romantic environment.
2.What does the author advise you to do when you use a fireplace that night?
A. Try to burn less wood by covering the chimney.
B. Try to use more wood to produce more heat.
C. Try to hold more heat by using it effectively.
D. Try to make the room wetter than usual.
3.What does the author advise you to do if you choose to have dinner at home?
A. Choose the bulbs without lumens.
B. Choose the bulbs with lower lumens.
C. Choose the small bulbs with higher lumens.
D. Choose the colorful bulbs as many as possible.
4.How should you cook meals according to the author?
A. Adjust electricity amount according to different dishes.
B. Set the oven for 25 degrees higher than required.
C. Try to cook all kinds of food with a china dish.
D. Try to bake some cakes in a glass dish.
5.What is the greenest way for you to see a film on Valentine’s Day?
A. Just watch a DVD at home. B. Just see the film in the running car.
C. Go to the nearest theatre by bike. D. “Escape” from your house by car.
