The son of a piano producer, Elwyn Brooks White was born in Mount Vernon in a wealthy family．And he was raised with the mix of sophistication（富有经验）and common sense that would mark his writing．
After graduation, White spent a year as a newspaper reporter in New York City, then decided to drive across the country with a friend．The trip gave White a lifetime of anecdotes．“When they ran out of money," White's friend, James Thurber, noted, "they played for their supper and their gasoline on an interesting musical instrument that White had made out of some pieces of wire and an old shoe．"
When White returned to New York City in the mid-1920s, he spent a few years bouncing between advertising jobs and unemployment before trying his hand again at writing．Not very seriously, he sent some essays to a new magazine called The New Yorker．Since its founding in 1925, the magazine had struggled to find its niche, and White's work helped put The New Yorker on the map．His essays were funny and sophisticated; they spoke equally to socialites(社会名流）and cab drivers, professors and repairmen．Through his essays, which he wrote for nearly 50 years, White helped give The New Yor
ker its voice and identity．
In 1945, already a leading literary figure, White switched to his second occupation writing children's books．He moved from New York to a farm in Maine, where he raised chickens and geese． Seeking a way to amuse his nieces and nephews, White started to write stories for them．“Children were always after me to tell them a story and I found I couldn't do it," he said．“ So I had to get it down on paper．”
By the time he died from Alzheimer's disease in 1985, White's essays had appeared in more literary collections in colleges than those of any other writer．Many said his essays matched his personality: sophisticated without being simple, critical without being mean．
1.What do we learn from Paragraph 2?
A. White took the trip to realize his lifelong dream．
B. The trip had a lasting effect on White's personality．
C. The travelling companion found White's music talent．
D. White had many experiences to talk about after the trip．
2.The underlined part "its niche" means something that ．
A. suits its sponsors' tastes
B. protects its social identity
C. helps to build its own style
D. voices its authors' concern
3.What do we know about White's works?
A. They originally came from the stories told by his nieces．
B. They were intended for people of different social status．
C. They helped The New Yorker find its position on the map．
D. They were chosen by college textbooks when they came out．
Is it possible that the sinking of the Titanic was caused by a ghost? A lot of the story below is true…but did it really happen quite like this?
Our story begins not in the icy cold waters of the North Atlantic, but rather thousands of miles away in Egypt. It is here, perhaps, that we can find the start of the mystery(谜) of the Titanic, in the year 1910, in the great city of Cairo.
One day, a famous professor of Egyptian history called Douglas Murray was staying in Cairo, when he was contacted by an American adventurer.
The American had something unusual to offer Murray, something that was certain to thrill him: a beautiful ancient Egyptian mummy case, containing the mummy of an Egyptian queen. It was over 3000 years old, but in beautiful condition —gold, with bright paintings on it. Murray was delighted with both the object and the asking-price. He gave the man a cheque immediately.
The cheque was never cashed. That evening the American adventurer died. For his part, Murray arranged to have the treasure sent back to Britain. However, it was not long before he learnt more about the beautiful mummy case: On the walls of the tomb in which it had been discovered, there were messages which warned of terrible consequences to anyone who broke into the tomb. Murray was disbelieving of these warnings until a few days later, when a gun he was holding exploded in his hand, shattering his arm. The arm had to be cut off.
After the accident, Murray decided to return to his homeland. On the return journey, two of his companions died mysteriously, and two servants who had handled the mummy also passed away. The now-terrified Murray decided he would get rid of the cursed case as soon as he arrived in London. A lady he knew named Janet Jones said she would like it, so he gave it to her. Shortly afterwards, Jones’ mother died, and she herself caught a strange disease. She tried returning the mummy, but naturally Murray refused it. In the end, it was presented to the British Museum.
Even in the museum, the mummy apparently continued to cause strange events. A museum photographer died shortly after taking pictures of the new exhibit, and a manager also died for no apparent reason. In the end, the British Museum decided to get rid of the mummy too. They sold it to a collector in New York.
At the start of April 1912, arrangements for the transfer were complete, and the mummy began the journey to its new home. But the New Yorker never received the mummy or its case. For when the Titanic sank, one of the objects in its strong-room was the mummy case. Or so they say.
1.From the passage, we know Professor Murray ________.
A. used to work for the British Museum
B. was a Bri
tish professor of Egyptian history
C. didn’t believe the mummy really brought bad fortune
D. was a famous American adventurer
2.In Paragraph 6, the underlined word “cursed” is closest in meaning to
A. uncomm
on B. expensive
C. unlucky D. forgotten
3.In what order did the following events occur?
a. The case was given to the British Museum.
b. Janet Jones caught a mysterious illness.
c. Murray’s arm was cut off
d. The mummy case was sold to an American.
e. A man who took a picture of the case died.
f. Warnings were written on the tomb’s walls.
A. c, f, b, a, e, d B. d, f, b, c, a, e
C. f, a, c, b, e, d D. f, c, b, a,e, d
4.According to the passage, where is the Egyptian mummy now?
A. In New York. B. In Egypt.
C. Under the sea. D. At the British Museum.
Just a couple of hours ago, I was on the plane, ready to fly home from London. The flight had been delayed by a few hours so it felt good to be so close to takeoff. I had my iPod in place and a new book to read. Then, over the loudspeaker came the pilot’s voice: “The ground crew has found a metal instrument in one tire. We regret that we must cancel this flight.”
The passengers’reactions that announcement led to were interesting. One man close to me began to argue with a flight attendant. A couple in another row complained loudly. A businessman in a black suit actually kicked the seat in front of him. Yet some passengers responded differently. An elderly gentleman smiled as he helped others take their bags down from the overhead compartments (行李厢). A teenager, rather than trying to rush off the plane like most of the other passengers, stopped to help a woman with a disability. The lady sitting next to me laughed and said: “Hey, it’s not the end of the world,” before she made a call to her kids and shared her adventure with them. The wisest among us have a remarkable ability to maintain grounded when times get tough.
No life is perfect; mine certainly isn’t. We all must face challenges, both large and small. You and I have the power to choose to rise above the external circumstances. We always have the choice to be strong and kind when things fall apart.
That’s grace under pressure. My seatmate was right—things could have been so much worse. Anyway, I am safe. I have my health. I have two wonderful children. I have work I love and so much to be grateful for. Sure I now have to wait a few hours to catch the next flight home.
1.What caused the passengers’ different reactions?
A. The loudspeaker.
B. The delay of the flight.
C. The ground crew’s fault.
D. The pilot’s announcement.
2.Who turned his anger on the seat?
A. The teenager helping the disabled.
B. The old man taking bags down.
C. The man in a dark suit.
D. The man close to me.
3.What did the woman sitting next to the author do?
A. She assisted a disabled woman.
B. She made a phone call to her family.
C. She helped others carry their luggage.
D. She told moving stories to her children.
4.What can we learn from the story?
A. Our life is full of ups and downs.
B. It is natural to be scared under pressure.
C. We should help each other in times of difficulty.
D. We should be positive and calm when life is hard.
假设你是李华，正在英国学习，想参加学校的一个“中西文化交流俱乐部”，你希望成为其中的一员。请根据下列要点用英文给组织者写一封申请信：
1.个人情况：年龄，性别；
2.个人条件：英语水平，对西方文化感兴趣，善于与人交流；
3.目的：结交朋友，了解更多中西文化之间的差异。
注意：
1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
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假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均限一词;
2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
There are many hurricanes occur around the world every year. Knowing what to do during a hurricane is of great important to survive.
Listening to the weather forecast so that you know when a hurricane is coming. If a hurricane warning is issued, stop doing whatever you’re busy with, which is always the most efficient way to avoid caught in a hurricane. If you were walking outside, stop and find a shelter under which can protect you from a hurricane. If you are in your car when a hurricane comes, remain in it and turn on the engine, waiting until the hurricane dies down. If you are inside your house, do remember to close the windows and doors until you are sure when the wind is not that strong enough to blow it open.
Qing Ming Jie (All Souls' Day) is a time to remember1.dead. It is a major Chinese festival which2.(fall) in early spring. It is an occasion for the whole family to leave the home and to sweep the graves of their forefathers.
Qing Ming is popularly associated with Jie Zi Tui,3.lived in Shanxi province in 600 B.C.Legend has it that Jie saved his starving lord's life by serving a piece of4.own leg. When the lord 5.(succeed)in becoming the ruler of a small kingdom, he invited his faithful follower to join him. But Jie declined the invitation,6.(prefer) to lead a quiet life with his mother in the mountains.
Believing that he could force Jie out by burning the mountain, the lord ordered his men to set the forest on fire.7., Jie chose to remain where he was and was burnt to8.(die).To honor Jie, the "cold food feast day" began, when no fire could be lit.
As time passed, the Qing Ming festival replaced the "cold food" festival. To make the festival even more9.(meaning),some time should be spent to remind the younger members of the family10. contributions of their ancestors, and the story of Jie Zi Tui.
