Over the course of his long and amazing career, W. Somerset Maugham( 1874-1965) achieved great success as a novelist and a playwright. Not happy with just being a writer, Maugham was also a spy. But this was less of a success than his writing.
Dec 15, 2016 marked 51 years since his death, and Maugham’s works have never been out of print. Of Human Bondage(1915) was his masterpiece. The title comes from the great 17th century Dutch philosopher Baruch Spinoza. The philosopher thought that human beings were slaves to what they wanted and needed. That’s exactly what Philip Carey, the hero of the novel, experiences.
Carey is a slave to his emotional needs. He doesn’t get much love when he is a child, so he looks for love later. After losing both his parents early in his life, Carey is raised by a paternal uncle who is emotionally cold. In his adult life, he goes from woman to woman and job to job, as he finds it a struggle to find either personal happiness or the right job for his talents. Not wanting to become a lawyer, he is eventually trained and qualified as a physician.
But true love is much harder to find. He finds that he attracts women he has no feelings for and falls in love with those who have no interest in him or, worse, try to take advantage of him. He is torn apart by the pain of his helpless love of a waitress and not being able to return the love of a young artist.
Although Maugham tried to hide it, the book is about his own life. Carey’s loveless childhood and romantic troubles were Maugham’s own. However, he managed to turn these painful details into a story that would interest readers who share his characters’ feeling.
Maugham does not just write about his life in the novel. He writes about deeply personal things in a way that speaks to everyone about their wants and needs.
1.In which field did Maugham achieve great success?
A. Politics. B. Writing.
C. Sport. D. Philosophy.
2.What can we infer from Paragraph 2?
A. Maugham’s works may never appear in print.
B. Maugham’s works become a big hit overnight.
C. Maugham’s works don’t top the best-seller list.
D. Maugham’s works are still popular among readers.
3.The hero, Carey, in Of Human Bondage _________.
A. is the master of his own emotions
B. thinks it’s much easier to find true love
C. has strong emotional needs for lack of love
D. rescues himself from being a slave to his needs
4.What is the article mainly about?
A. Maugham’s masterpiece. B. Maugham’s beliefs.
C. Maugham’s love for writing. D. Maugham’s popularity.
Brisbane is an exciting city, voted as one of the most liveable cities in Australia. Its fine food will make you hate to leave. Here are four famous restaurants.
Aria
For a fine dining experience in Brisbane, it is hard to go past Aria by award winning well-known chef Matt Moran. With a beautiful setting at the Eagle Street Pier overlooking the Brisbane River, Aria is all about beautifully presented food. This is what Alia differs from other restaurants. The menu here is seasonal with different lunch and dinner options, and prices are set depending on how many courses you choose.
Bavarian Bier Café
There are lots of fantastic restaurants that overlook the Brisbane River and the Story Bridge. A big favorite is the Bavarian Bier Café where you can enjoy amazing German food, with big cups of Bavarian beer to drink and cookies to go with it. Prices are quite reasonable and the views are some of the best you’ll get in Brisbane.
E’cco Bistro
Set in an old tea warehouse building, E’cco Bistro has been serving up amazing food in Brisbane for over 20 years. E’cco Bistro is run by chef Philip Johnson who focuses on using the best local produce to create dishes where the materials do the talking. The menu has a good variety of dishes at reasonable prices, with dishes such as lobsters with sweet and sour onions, carrot, mushroom.
The Plough Inn
Plough Inn is one of the best pubs to go to for food in Brisbane. No matter when you come in, it is sure to satisfy all of your appetite. Pub dining is huge in Brisbane and the dining experience has moved away from the basic pub bugs of old, now offering extensive menus with restaurant quality food. The pub atmosphere is still there however, and the food is generally still cheap, plentiful and not too fancy.
1.What makes the food served by Aria special?
A. Its taste. B. Its price.
C. Its appearance. D. Its variety.
2.Which restaurant would you like to go to if you are a lover of German food?
A. Aria B. Bavarian Bier Café
C. E’cco Bistro D. The Plough Inn
3.In which aspect is Philip Johnson expert?
A. Cooking food with local food materials.
B. Presenting his food in an attracting way.
C. Offering beer with delicious cookies.
D. Creating a traditional pub atmosphere.
Write an English composition in 120)-150 words according to the instructions given below in Chinese.
假如你是明后中学的李华，你的朋友李楠给你写了一封信，告诉你他要开发一个新的APP，用这个软件共享衣服，想要征集大家的看法，你是否愿意共享你的衣服，给出理由（信的格式已给）。
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Translation: Translate the following sentences into English, using the words given in the brackets.
1.究竟是什么激发小王学习电子工程的积极性？(motivate)
2.网上支付方便了客户，但是牺牲了他们的隐私。(at the cost of)
3.让我的父母非常满意的是，从这个公寓的餐厅可以俯视街对面的世纪公园，从起居室也可以。(so)
4.博物馆疏于管理，展品积灰，门厅冷落，急需改善。(whose)
Directions: Read the following passage. Summarize the main idea and the main point(s) of the passage in no more than 60 words. Use your own words as far as possible.
Where are the bees?
Bees are essential to the production of food we eat. Bees make honey, but they also pollinate large areas of crops, such as straw berries, apples and onions. About a third of the food we eat is a result of pollination of the bees. Unfortunately, bees have been disappearing at an alarming rate.
In 2006, bee keepers started reporting about something called Colony Collapse Disaster (CCD).The main sign of CCD is the loss of adult honey bees from a hive. In October of 2006, some beekeepers reported that they had lost between 30 and 90 percent of their hives.
There were many theories for the disappearance of the bees. But the most convincing one has to do with pesticides and lifestyles of bees today. Nowadays, beekeeper get most of their income not from producing honey but from renting bees to pollinate plants. This means that the life of the typical bee now consists of travelling all around the country to pollinate crops as the seasons change. That means a lot of traveling on trucks, which is very stressful to bees. It is not unusual for up to 30% of the hive to die during transport due to stress. In addition, bees that spend most of their time locked up on trucks are not exposed to what they usually live on. Instead, they live on a sweet liquid from corn, usually polluted with pesticides.
The exact reason for the disappearance of bees is not sure, but losing bees is very costly to the economy. The bee pollination services are worth over $8 billion a year. With no bees, pollination will have to be done by hand, which would have effects on the quality of food and increased food priced. We hear a lot about big environmental disasters almost every day. But one of the biggest may just be the less of that tiny flying insect.
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Everything about nuclear energy seems terrifically big: the cost, construction and decommissioning—and the fears of something going badly wrong.
The future, however may well be much smaller. Dozens of companies are working on a new generation of reactors that, they promise, can deliver nuclear power at lower cost and reduced risk.
These small-scale plants will on average generate between 50MW and 300MW of power compared with the 1,000MW-plus from a conventional reactor. They will draw on modular manufacturing techniques that will reduce construction risk, which has plagued larger-scale projects. Supporters believe these advanced modular reactors (AMRs)—most of which will not be commercial until the 2030s—are critical if atomic power is to compete against the rapidly falling costs of solar and wind.
“The physics hasn’t changed. It’s about much cleverer design that offers much-needed flexibility in terms of operation,” said Tim Stone, long-term industry adviser and chairman of Nuclear risk Insurers, which insures nuclear sites in the UK.
Since the Fukushima meltdown in Japan in 2011, safety fears have threatened nuclear power. But the biggest obstacle today is economic. In western Europe, just three plants are under construction: in the UK at Hinkley point C in Somerset; at Flamanville in France; and at Olkiluoto in Finland. All involve the European Pressurized Reactor technology of EDF that will be used at Hinkley Point. All are running years late and over budget. In the US, the first two nuclear projects under way for the past 30 years are also blowing through cost estimates.
The UK, which opened the world’s first commercial nuclear reactor in 1956, is one of the few western nations committed to renewing its ageing fleet to ensure energy security and meet tough carbon reduction targets. It is seen as a proving ground, by many in the industry, of nuclear power’s ability to restore confidence.
However, the country’s agreement with EDF to build two units at Hinkley Point—which together will generate 3.2GW of electricity—has come under severe criticism over its cost. The government is looking at different funding models but said it still sees nuclear power as vital to the country’s future energy mix. Small reactors, it believes, have the potential to generate much-needed power from the 2030s.
A nuclear sector deal, unveiled last month, promised up to ￡56m in funding for research and development into AMRs and attracted interest of start-ups from around the world. The government hopes the funding will give the UK a lead in the global race to develop these technologies, helping to provide energy security while also creating a multibillion-dollar export market for British engineering companies.
1.Which of the following is true about the advanced modular reactors (AMRs)?
A. AMRs produce more power than traditional reactors
B. Small in scale, AMRs rose more safety risks
C. So far, most AMRs have not been put into use yet
D. Governments prefer energy of solar and wind to that of AMRs
2.In paragraph 5, the author mentions the plants in Western Europe and the US to ________.
A. prove that nuclear power has been threatened by safety concern.
B. show that the construction of nuclear power plants cost more that the budget available.
C. indicate the construction of nuclear plants are slow in speed.
D. point out that most power plants have adopted the latest nuclear technology.
3.What can be inferred from the passage?
A. Some people have lost confidence in the development of nuclear plants
B. The UK government seeks to reduce the negative impact of nuclear power on its economy.
C. The plan to build two power plants in Hinkley Point has been deserted
D. a kind costs for small modular reactors would be higher relative to large nuclear reactors.
4.Which of the following can serve as the best title of this passage?
A. Britain counts on nuclear energy to keep lights on
B. Traditional nuclear plants boom with mini reactors
C. Nuclear’s share of power generation remain stead
D. Nuclear power looks to shrink its way to success
