Agatha Christie (1890-1976) was born Agatha May Clarissa Miller in Devon, England in 1890, the youngest of three children in a conservative, well-to-do family. Taught at home by a governess and tutors, as a child Agatha Christie never attended school. She became skillful at creating games to keep herself occupied at a very young age. A bashful child, unable to adequately express her feelings, she first turned to music as a means of expression and, later in life, to writing.
In 1914, at the age of 24, she married Archie Christie, a World War I fighter pilot. While he was off at war, she worked as a nurse. It was while working in a hospital during the war that Christie first came up with the idea of writing a detective novel. Although it was completed in a year, it wasn’t published until 1920, five years later.
“The mysterious Affair at Styles” gave the world the unique Hercule Poirot, a retired Belgian police officer who was to become one of the most enduring characters in all of fiction. With his waxed moustache and his “little grey cell,” he was “meticulous (careful to do things correctly), a tidy little man, always neat, orderly and a bit absurd.”
Christie wrote more than 30 novels featuring Poirot. Among the most popular were” The Murder of Roger Ackroyd”(1926), “Murder on the Orient Expredd”(1934), and “Death on the Nile” (1937).
Another of Christie’s most well-known and beloved characters was introduced in “Murder at the Vicarage” in 1930. Miss Jane Marple, an elderly single in the old- fashioned English village of St. Mary Mead, solved all manner of mysteries with intense concentration and instinct.
Christies ultimately (finally)became the acknowledged Queen of the Golden Age. In all, she wrote over 66 novel, numerous short stories and screenplays, and a series of romantic novels using the pen name Mary Westmacott. Several of her works were made into successful feature films, the most notable being Murder on the Orient Express (1974). In short, she is the single most popular mystery writer of all time. In 1971 she was awarded the high honor of becoming a Dame of the British Empire.
1.Which of the following is the correct order in which the events happened?
a. Agatha became a Dame of The British Empire.
b. Agatha worked as a nurse
c. The Mysterious Affair at Styles was published.
d. Murder on the Vicarage Express was published
e. Murder on the Orient Express was filmed
f. Archie Christie went to the front as a fighter pilot.
A. f-b-d-c-e-a B. f-b-c-d-a-e
C. f-d-b-c-a-e D. f-d-c-b-e-a
2.What does the underlined word “bashful” probably mean?
A. Shy B. Conservative C. Stupid D. Sensitive
3.Mary Westmacott is_________________.
A. Agatha’s governess
B. the name of Agatha’s novel
C. another name for Agatha
D. the heroine of Agatha’s novel
4.Which of the following is NOT true about Hercule Poirot?
A. He was once a policeman
B. He paid much attention to details
C. He sometimes seems rather foolish
D. He solved mysterious with a sixth sense
5.In Agatha Christie’s life, What were the most popular novels that she wrote?
A; biography B. detective novel
C. romantic fiction D. science fiction
When 1. (ask) to point out one or two things that are most important to themselves, many put friends ahead of homes, jobs, clothes and cars.
A true friendship carries a long history of experience that determines 2._ we are and keeps us connected. It is a treasure we should protect. Unfortunately, the ___3. (good) friends you are, the more probable you’ll have disagreements. And the result can be what you don’t want 4. end to the relationship.
The good news is that most troubled friendships can be mended. First, don’t let your pride get in your way. Most of us can forgive each other when differences _5._____(bring) out in the open. Second, apologize when you’re wrong - even if you have been wronged .Over the course of a friendship, even the best people make mistakes. Sometimes, it may be best, 6. the wronged person takes the lead and apologizes. When you apologize, give your friend a chance to admit that he has been wrong. Third, see things 7. your friend’s point of view. And finally, accept that friendships change as 8. needs and lifestyle change. Making friends can sometimes seem easy. The hard part is keeping the connections strong during the 9. (nature) ups and downs that have an effect 10. all relationships. My suggestion: Consider friendship an honor and a gift, and worth the effort to treasure and nurture (培养).
When most people travel, they pick up all sorts of things: souvenirs, T-shirts, postcards and so on. However, Harry Loomer is . When he travels, he leaves something behind, something of lasting value — his .
Harry began donating blood at a college blood drive four decades ago. Since then, he has donated his blood . Not once or twice a year, but every 56 days — as often as the law . Even though he is now retired and extensively, it has not slowed him down at all.
For people who need blood, Harry is a/an . Since up to four people can _ from a single pint of blood, Harry Loomer, with a donation of 480 pints of blood, has played a big role in helping save hundreds of lives.
Connie Smith also gives blood regularly. She knows that donating blood requires little work and almost no while helping to save a life. “People need to know how vital it is to have blood on hand,” she says. “There is absolutely no for it.”
Connie is participating in a Red Cross programme designed to pair closely _ donors with people who need blood regularly because of long-term . She is paired with a child who needs a pint of blood every two weeks. To ensure an adequate _ for this young patient, Connie and another donor donate their blood every 56 days.
“It’s not always ,” Connie admits, “but it’s more than worth it to know that I’m helping that precious child. I’m sure if other people know how vital blood donations are, they would be to sacrifice too.”
1.A. unlucky B. strange C. different D. brave
2.A. help B. blood C. money D. smile
3.A. regularly B. monthly C. occasionally D. gradually
4.A. suggests B. allows C. requires D. believes
5.A. drives B. travels C. exercises D. researches
6.A. doctor B. father C. example D. hero
7.A. benefit B. suffer C. choose D. start
8.A. surprising B. fair C. generous D. reasonable
9.A. condition B. courage C. pain D. time
10.A. substitute B. access C. place D. reward
11.A. matched B. balanced C. linked D. involved
12.A. developments B. illnesses C. tests D. processes
13.A. support B. application C. supply D. attention
14.A. necessary B. helpful C. effective D. convenient
15.A. excited B. willing C. lucky D. able
An absolute description of the threat hanging over the world’s mammals, reptiles, amphibians(不如、爬行、两栖动物) and other life forms has been published by the well-known scientific journal, Nature. A special analysis carried out by the journal indicates that an astonishing 41% of all amphibians on the planet now face extinction while 26% of mammal species and 13% of birds are similarly threatened.
Many species are already critically endangered and lose to extinction, including the Sumatran elephant, Amur leopard and mountain gorilla. But also in danger of vanishing for the wild, it now appears, are animals that are currently rated as merely being endangered.
In each case, the finger of blame points directly at human activites The continuing spread of agriculture is destroying million of hectares of wild habitats(栖息地)every year, leaving animals without homes, while the introduction of newly-come species, often helped by humans, is also damaging native populations. At the same time, pollution and overfishing are destroying ocean ecosystems.
“Habitat destruction, pollution or overfishing either skill off wild creatures and plants or leaves them badly weakened,” said Derek Tittensor, an ocean ecologist at the World Conservation Monitoring Centre in Cambridge. “The trouble is that in coming decades, the additional threat of worsening climate change will become more and more common and could then kill off these survivors.”
The problem, according to Nature, is worsened because of the huge gaps in scientists knowledge about the planet’s biodiversity. Evaluations of the total number of species of animals and plants alive vary from 2 million to 50 million. In addition, evaluations of current rates of species’ disappearances vary from 500 to 36, 000 a year. “That is the real problem we face,” added Tittensor. “The scale of uncertainty is huge.”
In the end, however, the data indicate that the world is heading cruelty towards a mass extinction-which is defined as one involving a loss of 75% of species or more. This could arrive in less than a hundred years or could take a thousand, depending on extinction rates.
1.What’s the main idea of the first two paragraphs?
A. Figures about some wild animals are astonishing.
B. “Nature” is the famous journal around the world.
C. Many endangered species are close to extinction.
D. Some rare species have appeared around the world.
2.The direct reason for the extinction of some species is _____.
A. continuous appearance of new species
B. destructive activities of human beings
C. more and more homeless animals
D. the great change of ocean ecosystem
3.From paragraph 4 we know that another future threat is ______.
A. destruction of habitats
B. overfishing and pollution
C. the worsening climate change
D. killing off wild creatures and plants
4.What is the real problem we are facing now according to paragraph 5?
A. The killing of wild creatures and cutting of trees.
B. The global warming caused by human beings.
C. The destruction of ocean ecosystem by pollution.
D. Evaluation of current rates of species’ disappearances.
5.What does “This” in the last sentence refer to _____?
A. mass extinction
B. extinction rates
C. extinction time
D. 75% of species or more
If you are a sleep deprived(被剥夺) teacher, you may not be aware of the term woodpeckering(啄木鸟式点头), but you’ve probably done it. It happens the day following a bad night’s sleep. You’re sitting in a long meeting and you can barely keep your eyes open, so you support your head up with your hand. Next thing you know, you are moving your sleeping head back to its upright position. Do this a few times and you are woodpeckering.
I thought I knew sleep deprivation when I did my medical internship(实习) in hospital. That year I frequently went 36 hours with no sleep. When I finished my stay in neurology(神经内科), I welcomed the promise of full nights of sleep ever after. It went pretty well for the next 10 years until I became a school teacher and experienced a whole new level of sleep deprivation.
Teachers’ working hours go far beyond the 8 am to 5 pm schedule of kids in school. There are hours spent at staff meetings, correcting homework, preparing for the next day- and then there is the worrying. What I did in a hospital emergency room required no more intensive mental energy than what is need to keep 30 kids attentive enough to learn what I was teacher.
Good teachers are like magicians keeping a dozen balls in the air to come at right time, with alarm set for 6 am to finish grading papers, memories of the day that’s gone- including the students who didn’t understand something, forgot their lunch or were embarrassed by wrong answers. All these will become sleep-resistant barriers. And also with some financial stress, you’ll have a cycle of insomnia(失眠) with unwelcome consequences.
With inadequate sleep comes irritability(易怒), forgetfulness, lower tolerance of even minor annoyances, and less efficient organization and planning. These are the very mental useless that teachers need to meet the challenges of the next day. In wanting to do a better job the next day, the brain keeps bringing up the worries that deny the rest it needs.
1.After a bad night’s sleep, usually the direct effect for the next day is to ______.
A. keep one’s eyes open all the time
B. move head back and forth
C. raise one’s head in upright position
D. keep nodding like a woodpecker
2.The writer’s new level of sleep deprivation began since he _____.
A. did his medical internship in hospital
B. began to teach in a school
C. left hospital ten years ago
D. went 36 hours with no sleep
3.From paragraph 3 we can infer that ____.
A. teachers’ work is comfortable
B. correcting homework needs less time
C. working in hospital is even tougher
D. teaching needs more mental energy
4.Good teachers’ sleep problems are mainly due to the _____.
A. common sleep-resistant barriers
B. embarrassment for wrong answers
C. diligence and devotion to teaching
D. misunderstanding of their students
5.What does the writer really want to tell us in the last paragraph?
A. Unfavorable effects of inadequate sleep are various
B. Lay down worries and sleep well first for the next day.
C. Teachers should often practice mental muscles.
D. Better job has nothing to do with inadequate sleep.
Our most commonly held code for success is broken. Conventional wisdom holds that if we work hard we will be more successful, and if we are more successful, then we’ll be happy. If we can just find that great job, win that next promotion, lose those five pounds, happiness will follow. But recent discoveries in the field of positive psychology have shown that this code is actually backward: Happiness fuels success, not the other way around. When we are positive, our brains become more engaged, creative, motivated, energetic, and productive at work. This discovery has been repeatedly borne out by rigid research in psychology and neuroscience(神经学), management studies, and the bottom lines of organizations around the globe.
In The Happiness Advantage, Shawn Achor, who spent over a decade living, researching, and lecturing at Harvard University, draws on his own research—including one of the largest studies of happiness and potential at Harvard and others at companies like UBS to fix this broken code. Using stories and case studies from his work with CEOs of Fortune 500 in 42 countries, Achor explains how we can reprogram our brains to become more positive in order to gain a competitive ability at work.
Based on seven practical, actionable principles that have been tried and tested everywhere from classrooms to boardrooms, stretching from Argentina to Zimbabwe, he shows us how we can capitalize on the Happiness Advantage to improve our performance and maximize our potential.
A must-read for everyone trying to stand out in a world of increasing workloads and stress, The Happiness Advantage isn’t only about how to become happier at work. It’s about how to acquire the benefits of a happier and more positive mode of thinking to achieve the extraordinary in our work and in our lives.
1.Which of the following is the traditional code for success?
A. Hard word→success→happiness.
B. Success→happiness→hard word.
C. Happiness→hard word→success.
D. Hard work→ happiness→success.
2.What do we know about the new discovery in paragraph 1?
A. Conventional code for success is totally useless.
B. The more we are successful, the happier we are.
C. Positive psychology is really backward.
D. Happiness contributes greatly to success.
3.Why did the writer write the book The Happiness Advantages?
A. To reprogram one’s brain to be healthier.
B. To make people more positive and competitive.
C. To study stories and cases of CEOs.
D. To make a lecture at Harvard University.
4.The underlined phrase “capitalize on” in paragraph 3 is closes in meaning to ____
A. provide fund for
B. make full use of
C. write big letters for
D. stand out in
5.What is the purpose of the writer in writing the passage?
A. To help people stand out in the world.
B. To arouse people’s sense of happiness.
C. To help people decrease the work stress.
D. To strongly recommend the book.
