It’s hard to find Alice Munro in the media. Even after she won the 2013 Nobel Prize in Literature, the Canadian writer just appeared for a quick interview and then dropped out of sight. On Dec 29, she still didn't seek the spotlight（聚光灯）when she was named one of the five Women of the Year by the Financial Times.
In Munro's eyes, ordinary lives always hide larger dramas. So she records what we casually think of as the everyday actions of normal people. She often focuses on life in her hometown, a small village in Ontario which she is most familiar with. She writes about the ordinary things in the village－fox forming, trees filled in the Ontario wilderness, poor country alcohol and long last illnesses. Above all, she talks about girls and women who have seemingly ordinary lives but struggle against daily misfortune. She has a special talent for uncovering the extraordinary in the ordinary. These are ordinary people, ordinary stories, but she has the magic. Her precise language, depth of detail and the logic of her storytelling have made her stories inviting.
Runaway, one of Munro’s representative works, is a good example of her writing style. One of the stories centers on the life of an ordinary woman Carla, who lives in a small Canadian town with her husband Clark. The story slowly forms a picture of Carla, trapped in a bad marriage, her unhappiness building into desperation until she decided to flee. The story of Carla is a story of the power and betrayals of love. It is about lost children and lots of chances that we can all find in life. There is pain beneath the surface, like a needle in the heart.
Since she published her first collection of short stories in 1968, Munro has won many awards, with the Nobel Prize being her biggest honor. On Oct. 10, 2013, the Nobel Prize committee named Munro the “master of the contemporary short story”.
1.We learn from Paragraph 1 that Alice Munro_________.
A. didn't get on well with the media
B. remained modest though very successful
C. didn’t value the title of Women of the Year
D. was surprised at winning the Nobel Prize
2.What makes Alice Munro’s stories fascinating according to the text?
A. Her writing techniques. B. The complicated plots.
C. The humorous language. D. Her rich imagination.
3.What is the text mainly about?
A. Alice Munro and her hometown. B. The awards Alice Munro won.
C. Alice Munro and her writing style. D. Alice Munro’s literary life.
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。错误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. 每处错误及其修改仅限一词。
2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
Last night a strong wind as well as a heavily rain struck our area. News came that the trees in the park two kilometers away from our school was blown down. This afternoon, they set off the park to do some cleaning. The head of the park met us or gave us some advice on how to clear away the falling trees, branches and leaves. Some times later, we were working hard when it begins to rain. Because few of us had taken along umbrellas or raincoats, so we were all wet. A rain lasted about an hour and it was a pity that they had to stop our work.
Hardly can you succeed 1. doing something perfectly the first time you do it. 2., when you do something for the first time, it is time to give up the idea of perfection.
I remember the first time I 3. (drive) a car in traffic after getting my driver’s license. I was very nervous in that heavy traffic--- my driving style showed that I wasn’t a very confident driver. Now I’m much more 4. (experience) as a driver. 5. I still don’t consider myself a perfect one, I’m much more confident behind the wheel than what I was 6. I started.
In general, 7. is useless working hard for doing something perfectly when you do it for the first time. You are setting the bar so high that you just feel bad when you are 8. (able) to meet the level you have set.
Also, perfection is just another way 9. (delay), so trying to be perfect is just 10. waste of time. You should work hard for excellence instead.
In March, I experimented with cutting my work hours by 17% to see how it would affect my
____ and well-being.
For two weeks, ______ working from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and reading a work-related book during lunch, I worked from 9 a.m. to 5p.m. and took a half-hour lunch ______.
Parts of my experience were ______ — for example, I felt quite rushed during the first few days of the ______. Other parts were less expected — like the fact that I was just as productive as before. But the most surprising finding is that I ______ spending more money.
On a (n) ______ workday, I dine on something particular, like a peanut butter and banana sandwich, while ______ in the Business Insider Kitchen. But during the first week of the experiment, I was so excited about the ______ that I wandered happily to the local food shop and ______ a sandwich that I ate while sitting in Madison Square Park. When I left work early, and ______ when I was killing time before plans with friends later in the evening, I ______ myself with tea and magazines.
So if you do decide to ______ your work hours, it’s probably wise to plan some ______ in advance — like visiting a ______ or a free museum that’s open during lunch or in the evenings, depending on your personality, ______ could potentially be even more meaningful than ______ at a coffee shop.
I should decide at some ______ in the future to go back to a(n) ______ workweek because that benefits me so much, and it’s certainly ______ I’ll keep in mind.
1.A. ability B. personality C. productivity D. nationality
2.A. more than B. other than C. or so D. instead of
3.A. breath B. chat C. look D. break
4.A. believable B. predictable C. comfortable D. reasonable
5.A. work B. step C. experiment D. progress
6.A. ended up B. started with C. speeded up D. lived with
7.A. terrible B. obvious C. flexible D. typical
8.A. sitting B. sleeping C. listening D. finding
9.A. freedom B. snack C. love D. happiness
10.A. borrowed B. bought C. found D. made
11.A. actually B. exactly C. especially D. quickly
12.A. educated B. reminded C. devoted D. entertained
13.A. take B. cut C. make D. spend
14.A. activities B. lists C. ideas D. goals
15.A. school B. factory C. library D. restaurant
16.A. that B. which C. where D. what
17.A. trying out B. putting out C. taking out D. hanging out
18.A. aspect B. point C. direction D. entrance
19.A. shorter B. cleverer C. easier D. longer
20.A. everything B. nothing C. something D. anything
To me, kindness is a chosen lifestyle. In my classroom, I tell my _____that every day they are offered a choice. They can’t choose what happens to them, but they can choose how they ______to it. Kindness is a ______. And it is a lifestyle. It isn’t something that we just choose once in a while---- it is a(n)______to live our lives.____, he chose how to react to it. To this day, seventeen years later , the nurses ______ write my mother letters. The ______? It was because of my father’s kindness to others even when he was _____ against the disease. He made kindness a lifestyle.
And I want to be ______ him.
Every day as a teacher, I try and teach my students the kindness lifestyle. Just recently, I turned 40 and a friend gave me 40 individual dollar bills. She challenged me to do something _____ with the money. I gladly accepted the challenge.
I gave 40 of my students one dollar each and challenged them to make a(n) _____. What happened? My Twitter and Instagram were ______with pictures of kids making the world a better place. One girl bought a dollar store stuffed animal(填充玩具). It was______that kids should have made a difference when they were given the___.
Living the kindness lifestyle _____ every day, every opportunity. As a high school teacher, I see _____ everywhere. In the hallways, in the lunchroom, in the locker room, ______words and gossip（随笔） fill the air. So I started a hashtag (标签) to _____ positive gossip called “third party compliments(称赞)”. The idea is that you talk about people behind their backs, but do it in a _____ way. In that way, the gossip that gets back to students makes their day instead of getting them down.
Our kindness lifestyle leaves a footprint on others, and let us be the movers and kindness-makers who________a better, more beautiful world.
1.A. teachers B. classmates C. students D. friends
2.A. respond B. refer C. return D. contribute
3.A. mood B. goal C. benefit D. choice
4.A. spirit B. way C. chance D. idea
5.A. Therefore B. Otherwise C. However D. Furthermore
6.A. still B. never C. once D. just
7.A. meaning B. solution C. purpose D. reason
8.A. working B. struggling C. seeking D. exercise
9.A. against B. with C. before D. like
10.A. reasonable B. private C. necessary D. creative
11.A. promise B. difference C. profit D. achievement
12.A. concerned B. equipped C. flooded D. decorated
13.A. confusing B. natural C. common D. amazing
14.A. opportunity B. advertisement C. payment D. introduction
15.A. means B. increases C. makes D. explains
16.A. progress B. negativity C. trust D. harmony
17.A. hurtful B. inspiring C. touching D. humorous
18.A. call off B. call for C. turn down D. set aside
19.A. honest B. flexible C. positive D. cautious
20.A. requires B. allows C. promotes D. works
Fun doesn’t have to be expensive
Everyone likes to have fun, but not everyone has much money to spend. Here are some free or cheap ways to enjoy yourself.
Get outside
Going outside in good weather can be a lot of fun, especially if you go with a friend. 1.
If you live in a city, you can go window-shopping. Or you can explore an old part of town and admire the buildings.
Try a hobby
While you’re out, take pictures of things you find. Planning and taking pictures can make you aware of the beauty all around you. Photographic equipment can be expensive, but it doesn’t have to be. You probably already own a camera or a cell phone that can take pictures. Other creative hobbies can also be done with basic materials. 2.
Find an event
Libraries often hold free public events. 3. And while you’re there, borrow a book or movie for free. Museums and universities also hold free events.
If you can’t find a free event, you can volunteer at an event that requires tickets. People who organize concerts and plays need help. 4. Sometimes they reward volunteers with free tickets.
Meet a friend
Relationships are often the best things in life. 5. Invite a friend for a walk, an event or a time working on your hobby. Hosting doesn’t have to be difficult. If your friend comes in the afternoon, you don’t have to serve a meal. You can sit and talk, play board games or card games or watch a movie.
A. A friend in need is a friend indeed
B. Stop by one to find out what’s going on.
C. Hike or bicycle on a nearby path or in a park
D. Whatever you do, find someone to share it with.
E. It’s a good idea to stay at home to watch a movie
F. You could set up or take down chairs or greet visitors.
G. Drawing and writing require nothing more than a pencil and paper.
