In the winter of 1664-65, a bitter cold fell on London in the days before Christmas. Above the city, an unusually bright comet (彗星) shot across the sky, exciting much prediction of a snow storm. Outside the city wall, a woman was announced dead of a disease that was spreading in that area. Her house was locked up and the phrase “Lord Have Mercy On Us” was painted on the door in red.
By the following Christmas, the virus that had killed the woman would go on to kill nearly 100,000 people living in and around London — almost a third of those who did not flee.
In The Great Plague (瘟疫), historian A. Lloyd Moote and microbiologist Dorothy C. Moote provide a deeply informed account of this plague year. Reading the book, readers are taken from the palaces of the city’s wealthiest citizens to the poor areas where the vast majority of Londoners were living, and to the surrounding countryside with those who fled. The Mootes point out that, even at the height of the plague, the city did not fall into chaos. Doctors, nurses and the church staff remained in the city to care for the sick; city officials tried their best to fight the crisis with all the legal tools; and commerce continued even as businesses shut down.
To describe life and death in and around London, the authors focus on the experiences of nine individuals. Through their letters and diaries, the Mootes offer fresh descriptions of key issues in the history of the Great Plague: how different communities understood and experienced the disease; how medical, religious, and government bodies reacted; how well the social order held together; the economic and moral dilemmas people faced when debating whether to flee the city; and the nature of the material, social, and spiritual resources supporting those who remained. Based on humanity (人性), the authors offer a masterful portrait of a city and its inhabitants attacked by — and daringly resisting — unimaginable horror.
1.What can we learn from Paragraph 1?
A.A comet always follows a storm.
B.London was under an approaching threat.
C.London was prepared for the disease.
D.The woman was the beginning of the disease.
2.What do the Mootes say about London during the Great Plague?
A.The city remained organized.
B.The plague spared the rich areas.
C.The people tried a lot in vain.
D.The majority fled and thus survived.
3.Why do the Mootes focus on the nine individuals?
A.They were famous people in history.
B.They all managed to survive the Plague.
C.They provided vivid stories of humanity.
D.They united by thinking and acting as one.
4.What’s the purpose of this text?
A.To introduce a new book.
B.To correct a misunderstanding.
C.To report a new research.
D.To show respect to the authors.
One day after more than a month of classes, I read aloud a paragraph from my book, recognizing all of the characters smoothly except for one. I sat back and started to register the achievement: I was actually reading Chinese. The language was starting to make sense. But before the sense of satisfaction was half formed, Teacher Liao said, “Budui!”
It meant, literally, “Not correct.” You could also translate it as no, wrong, nope, uh-uh. Flatly and clearly incorrect. There were many Chinese words that I didn’t know, but I knew that one well.
A voice in my head whined: All of the rest of them were right; isn’t that worth something? But for Teacher Liao it didn’t work like that. If one character was wrong it was simply budui.
“What’s this word?” I asked, pointing at the character I had missed.
“Zhe — the zhe in Zhejiang.”
“Third tone?”
“Fourth tone.”
I breathed deeply and read the section again, and this time I did it perfectly. That was a victory — I turned to Teacher Liao and my eyes said (or at least I imagined them saying): How do you like me now? There seemed to be some satisfaction in her eyes, but she simply said, “Read the next one.”
It was her way of teaching. Success was expected and failure criticized and immediately corrected. You were right or you were budui; there was no middle ground.
I grew to hate budui. The bu was a rising tone and the dui dropped abruptly, like building my confidence and then breaking down all at once. And it bothered me all the more because I knew that Teacher Liao was only telling the truth: everything I did with the language was budui. I was an adult, and as an adult I should be able to accept criticism where it was needed. But that wasn’t the American way; I wanted to be praised for my effort; I didn’t mind criticism as long as it was candy-coated. In China, the single B on the report card matters much more than all the As that surround it. Keep working; you haven’t achieved anything yet.
And so I studied. I was frustrated but I was also stubborn; I was determined to show Teacher Liao that I was dui.
1.Which of the following can best replace “whined” in Paragraph 3?
A.burst out. B.gave in.
C.returned. D.complained.
2.What did the writer expect from Teacher Liao after he tried again?
A.Immediate correction. B.A new challenge.
C.An encouraging response. D.A strict comment.
3.How did the writer feel about the Chinese way of teaching?
A.Candy-coated. B.Weakness-focused.
C.Interest-driven. D.Criticism-absent.
4.What can we infer from the text?
A.The writer was struggling with Liao’s teaching.
B.The American way of teaching is better for adults.
C.The writer was not gifted in language learning.
D.Teacher Liao was not friendly with her students.
An increasing number of students worldwide are considering studying abroad. The application process varies from country to country. If you’re looking for a university with a strong international outlook but feel swept over by all the application options, here is some guidance to get you started.
UK
International students must apply to universities in the UK through a system known as Ucas. This system allows students to apply to up to five universities with just one application. It costs £20 for a single choice or £25 for more than one choice.
The application consists of a series of questions to determine the student’s schooling and predicted grades. The biggest part of the application form is the personal statement, in which applicants should describe their personal interests and related experiences.
Switzerland
Switzerland has four official languages and is bordered by five countries so it is no surprise that its universities are among the most international in the world. International applicants may need to take an entrance exam if they have a foreign school certificate, and must also prove that they have a good grasp of the French language, usually through taking a language exam. The full application costs 50 Swiss Francs for a holder of a Swiss diploma and 150 Swiss Francs for holders of foreign diplomas.
Canada
International applicants have to write up a personal profile as part of their application, which is very similar to the personal statement required for a UK university application. Students will also have to prove their English-language competency—there are nine ways to meet the English Language Admission Standard, which are listed on many university websites.
Singapore
The process of applying to a Singaporean university is very much alike, but overseas students may be delighted to find that the domestic applicants have to cover the same procedures: filling out an online application form and submit identification documents, supporting documents and an application fee of S$20.
1.Which country requires international applicants know French well?
A.UK. B.Switzerland.
C.Canada. D.Singapore.
2.What part of the application is similar between the UK and Canada?
A.The application system. B.The number of universities.
C.The application cost. D.The personal statement.
3.What’s special about the application process in Singapore?
A.Applicants need to pay a lot. B.It is much simpler than elsewhere.
C.It’s no different for native students. D.The competition is even more fierce.
阅读下面短文， 根据所给情节进行续写， 使之构成一个完整的故事．
Twenty years ago， I drove a taxi for a living． One night I went to pick up a passenger at 2：30 a． m． When I arrived to collect her， I found the building was dark except for a single light in a ground floor window．
I walked to the door and knocked， "Just a minute，" answered a weak， elderly voice．
After a long time， the door opened． A small woman in her eighties stood before me． By her side was a small suitcase．
I took the suitcase to the car， and then returned to help the woman． She took my arm and we walked slowly towards the car．
She kept thanking me for my kindness． "It's nothing，" I told her． "I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated．"
"Oh， you're such a good man．" She said． When we got into the taxi， she gave me an address， and then asked， "Could you drive through downtown？"
"It's not the shortest way，" I answered quickly．
"Oh， I'm in no hurry，" she said． "I'm on my way to a hospice （临终医院）． I don't have any family left． The doctor says I don't have very long． "
I quietly reached over and shut off the meter （计价器）． For the next two hours， we drove through the city． She showed me the building where she had once worked， the neighborhood where she had lived， and the furniture shop that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl．
Sometimes she'd ask me to slow down in front of a particular building and would sit staring into the darkness， saying nothing．
At dawn， she suddenly said， "I'm tired． Let's go now．" We drove in silence to the address she had given．
"How much do I owe you？" she asked．
"Nothing．" I said．
"You have to make a living，" she answered． "Oh， there are other passengers，" I answered． She said thanks to me， but she looked so sad．
注意：
1．所续写的短文词数应为150左右；
2．应使用5个以上短文中标有下划线的关键词语；
3．续写部分分为二段，每段的开头语已经为你写好；
4．续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语．
Para 1：
Almost without thinking， I bent and gave her a hug．
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Para 2：
I was on my way to visit her．
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
阅读下面的短文，根据其内容写一篇60词左右的内容概要。
Recently, a professor of philosophy in the United States has written a book calledMoney and the Meaning of Life. He has discovered that how we deal with money in our day-to-day life has more meaning than we usually think. One of the things he asks his students to do is to keep a record of every penny they spend for a week. From the way they spend their money, they often see what they really value in life.
He says our relation with others often becomes clearly defined when money enters the picture. You might have wonderful friendship with somebody and you think that you are very good friends. But you will know him only when you ask him to lend you some money. If he does, it brings something to the relationship that seems stronger than ever before. Or it can suddenly weaken the relationship if he doesn’t. This person may say that he has a certain feeling, but if it is not carried out in the money world, there is something less real about it.
Since money is so important to us, we consider those who possess a lot of it to be very important. The author interviewed some millionaires in researching his book.
Answer: The most surprising thing is why people give me so much respect. I am nothing. I don’t know much. All I am is rich.
People just have an idea of making more and more money, but what is it for? How much do I need for ant given purposes in my life? In his book, the professor uncovered an important need in modern society: to bring back the idea that money is an instrument rather than the end. Money plays an important role in the material world, but expecting money to give happiness may be missing the meaning of life.
阅读下面短文, 在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。
Patricia Pania wanted to be a mother and homemaker. But 1.life was turned upside down when a motorist, 2. (distract) by his cellphone, ran a stop sign and crashed into the side of her car. The impact killed her 2-year-old daughter. Four months later, Pania reluctantly 3.courageously decided to try to educate the public and to fight 4.laws to ban drivers from using cellphones 5.a car is moving. In her first speech, Pania was visibly trembling and her voice was soft and uncertain. But as 6. got into her speech, a dramatic transformation took place. She stopped 7.(shake) and spoke with 8. strong voice. For the rest of her talk, she was a forceful and compelling speaker. She wanted everyone in the audience to know 9. she knew without having to learn it from a personal tragedy. Many in the audience were moved to tears and to action. In subsequent presentations, Pania gained reputation 10. a highly effective speaker.
