In December,2010,many American newspapers publish a list of the best books of the year. Freedom by Jonathan Franzen is one of the most repeatedly praised books on this year’s list of favorites. It tells about the ups and downs of the Berglund family over many years. Mr.Franzen fills the book with sharp observations about American politics, culture and society.
Jennifer Egan’s book A Visit from the Goon Squad takes place in 13 chapters over 40 years. The story moves back and forth in time,from different viewpoints. One main character is former rock musician Bennie Salazar who works for a record company. The other main character is a troubled young woman named Sasha who works for Bennie. The reader learns about their pasts and those of their friends.
The main character in The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman is a failing English Language newspaper published in Rome,Italy. Each chapter of the book tells about a reporter or editor working for this paper. Their stories are filled with intelligence and great personality.
Two of the most popular nonfiction books of 2010 were about rock and roll stars. Just Kids is by rock singer Patti Smith. It tells about her friendship with the artist Robert Mapplethorpe in the 1960s and 1970s before they became famous. Life is the autobiography of Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards. It is an honest and exciting look at the development of rock and roll and the wild times this famous band has experienced.
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand tells about a man named Louis Zamperini. She tells about his extraordinary survival story after his plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean during Would War Two.
Stacy Schiff has received great praise for her book Cleopatra: A Life. It tells about one of the most misrepresented and famous women in his story, Cleopatra. She ruled ancient Egypt about 2,000 years ago. One critic said Ms. Schiff has brought Cleopatra to life again by unearthing her story from centuries of lies.
小题1:The following books are related to music EXCEPT________.| A．The Imperfectionists | B．A Visit from the Goon Squad | | C．Just Kids | D．Life |
小题2:If your major is the history of ancient Africa, you may pay attention to ________.| A．Freedom by Jonathan Franzen | | B．Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand | | C．The Imperfections by Tom Rachman | | D．Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff |
小题3:Which book will give you a practical understanding of the USA?| A．Life | B．Cleopatra: A Life | | C．Freedom | D．A Visit from the Goon Squad |
小题4:The last sentence of the passage implies that ________.| A．Stacy Schiff is an archaeologist | | B．the critic finds the character in the book very real | | C．the critic speaks highly of Cleopatra in history | | D．Stacy Schiff tells a story about an imaginary Egyptian queen |
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小题1:A
小题2:D
小题3:C
小题4:B |
试题分析：本文介绍了7本书的简介及评论。
小题1:细节题：根据第三段对The Imperfectionists 这本书的介绍可知该书与音乐无关。故选A。
小题2:推理题：根据最后一段内容可知，Cleopatra：A Life这本书介绍了古埃及女王Cleopatra。故选D。
小题3:细节题：根据第一段对Freedom这本书的介绍尤其是该段最后一句话“Mr.Franzen fills the book with sharp observations about American politics, culture and society”弗伦岑先生填满了美国的政治，文化和社会尖锐的意见书。故选C。
小题4:推理题：文章最后一句话的意思为：一位评论家说 Ms.Schiff从几个世纪的谎言中挖掘出了Cleopatra女王，赋予了她新的生命。这说明这位评论家认为这本书中的人物很真实。故选B。 |
核心考点
试题【In December,2010,many American newspapers publish a list of the best books of th】；主要考察你对
题材分类等知识点的理解。
[详细]举一反三
In most languages, a greeting is usually followed by “small talk”. Small talk means the little things we talk about at start of a conversation. In English-speaking countries people often make small talk about the weather: “Nice day, isn’t it?” But there is something special about small talk. It must be about something which both people have the same opinion about. The purpose of small talk is to let both people agree on something. This makes meeting people easier and more comfortable. People usually agree about the weather, so it is a safer topic for small talk. But people often disagree about religion or politics so these are not suitable topics for small talk in English. The topics for small talk also depend on where the conversation is taking place. At football matches, people make small talk about the game they are watching: “Great game, isn’t it?” At bus stops, people may comment about the transport system: “The bus service is terrible, isn’t it?”
Greetings and small talk are important parts of conversation in any language. The way people greet each other and the things they talk about, however, may be different from one language to another. This shows that there is much more to learn when we learn a language than just the vocabulary and the grammar of the language. We also have to learn the social behavior of the people who speak it.
小题1:Small talk __________ .| A．is a kind of conversation with short words | | B．is a greeting when people meet each other | | C．is to let people disagree about something | | D．is something we talk about to start with a conversation |
小题2:Why do people need small talk?| A．To choose a topic for conversation. | | B．To agree about the weather. | | C．To let meeting people become easier and more comfortable. | | D．To learn a language. |
小题3:The passage suggests that when we learn a language ,__________．| A．we should grasp the importance of the language | | B．we should know the culture of the language | | C．we should only master the grammar and vocabulary | | D．we should learn about the transport system of the country |
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阅读下列短文，从每小题所给的四个选项(A. B. C和D) 中，选出最佳选项。
Is veg food healthier than non-veg food? I feel this is a very common topic that people speak on．Please give me your opinions on this topic．
| Rao
12-18-08
| So far as veg food is concerned, it is also proved to be a healthy and nutritious diet, but has very few items which can provide us with proteins, but if you see non-veg food like eggs, chicken, and many more, such foods have a large content of proteins in them.
| Sai
12-19-08
| Man basically is herbivorous（食草的）. If we look at the animal kingdom
We can see that all the herbivorous animals have the similar dental（牙齿的）
structure, which clearly shows that the human being also ought to be vegetarian
by birth. It is only the living conditions that make man carnivorous（食肉的）.
The vegetarian foods are easily digestible.
| Santos
12-20-08
| Non-veg food items are better than veg items. A healthy person requires complete diet and veg+ meat makes the diet complete. The only caution that needs to be taken is not to have non-veg items on a daily basis. Once in a week or couple of weeks will be best.
| Krishna
01-03-09
| When we eat non-veg, we are all veg by nature. The chicken that we eat feeds on grains, the mutton that we eat feeds on grass, and the fish that we eat feeds on simple plants. So non-veg food by logic（逻辑）is better and suited for hauman beings.
| Khan
01-05-09
| Non-veg food is equally important in our diet as it helps in many ways, especially fish and other seafood as fish contains omega 3 which makes our immune system（免疫系统）stronger. Do you know that most of the veg food put together does not contain as much omega 3 as fish alone contains!
| Khan
01-05-09
| Non-veg food is equally important in our diet as it helps in many ways, especially fish and other seafood as fish contains omega 3 which makes our immune system（免疫系统）stronger. Do you know that most of the veg food put together does not contain as much omega 3 as fish alone contains!
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小题1:According to Rao, what is the problem with veg food?| A．It damages our immune system. | B．It has few nutrients. | | C．It contains too much omega | D．It is lacking in protein. |
小题2:In the opinion of Sai, humans are born vegetarian because humans______.| A．have the same teeth structure as plant-eating animals | | B．believe that veg foods are good for their teeth | | C．belong to the plant-eating animal family | | D．can adapt to the living conditions like plant-eating animals |
小题3:What advice is given by Santos?| A．To have a saily veg+ meat diet. | | B． Not to eat non-veg food every day. | | C．To eat digestible food every day. | | D．Not to eat food without protein. |
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Coin confusion
Rachel looked through troubled eyes at her sister and said, "I wouldn"t have thought Eric would be a thief." Her sister Sarah replied, "Whoa, that"s a accusation to make against your best friend!"
Rachel remembered two days ago when she had brought out her coin collection for Eric to . At the end of that day, Rachel"s mother asked her to do her a favor, so she asked her friend," Is it okay if I leave you for a few minutes?" Eric said, "Go ahead. I’ll clean up here," at the piles of coins on the floor.
When Rachel returned, it never occurred to her to her coins until two days later that she realized some quarters were .
Sarah said, "Why don"t you just ask him?"
"Ask him what? Hey, best friend, did you my coin collection?" Rachel thought for a moment, if that would be a good idea. The theft of her collection left her with a feeling of "How could I have misjudged my friend"s ?"
The next day Rachel went to Eric"s house. Eric was acting funny sort of nervous, like he couldn"t be . In fact, Rachel thought Eric acted like someone with a secret. Anger blossomed as Rachel watched Eric pretend to be kind, Eric had obviously stolen from her. Rachel finally could not stand it anymore and stood up. Suddenly, Eric ,"I can"t stand it anymore!" Rachel was astonished at hearing her own burst forth from her friend! Instead of sounding , Eric sounded excited. He pulled something from underneath the chair.
"Go to open it! I was going to wait until your birthday, but I can"t wait." Slowly, Rachel lifted the top of the . Laid out in front of her were all of the quarters from her coin collection. Each quarter was in its own in a new collection case. Each quarter shone like it was new.
Rachel felt rush over her neck and ears. She said , "Thank you! This means... a great deal to me." She was grateful that Eric had cut her before she said something she would . Eric was exactly the type of person she wanted as a friend!
| 小题1: | | A．repeated | B．false | C．baseless | D．serious |
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| 小题2: | | A．clean | B．store | C．choose | D．see |
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| 小题3: | | A．working | B．gesturing | C．playing | D．glaring |
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| 小题4: | | A．seek | B．select | C．check | D．collect |
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| 小题5: | | A．destroyed | B．messed | C．missing | D．decreasing |
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| 小题6: | | A．replace | B．steal | C．pick | D．remove |
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| 小题7: | | A．deciding | B．knowing | C．asking | D．minding |
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| 小题8: | | A．stupidity | B．abandon | C．failure | D．betrayal |
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| 小题9: | | A．favour | B．character | C．appearance | D．method |
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| 小题10: | | A．still | B．confident | C．generous | D．silent |
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| 小题12: | | A．expressed | B．condemned | C．yelled | D．argued |
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| 小题13: | | A．purpose | B．choices | C．desire | D．thoughts |
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| 小题14: | | A．shocked | B．curious | C．guilty | D．cruel |
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| 小题16: | | A．spot | B．form | C．condition | D．style |
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| 小题18: | | A．absently | B．unwillingly | C．weakly | D．fearfully |
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| 小题20: | | A．suspect | B．explode | C．tolerate | D．regret |
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London has always been known for its "black fogs". In the winter of 1952, a milky white fog rolled into the city. As the smoke poured into the air, it was so hard to see that people had to walk in front of the buses to guide them. In this way, the most serious air pollution disaster in history began. When it was over, more than 4,000 people had been killed by the thick black smog.
New York City has had several London-type smogs since 1950. Each time, 100 to 400 deaths were caused by the smog. Although these smogs were not as deadly as London"s, New York City has the worst air pollution problem in the United States.
In all the killer smogs, factories and homes poured smoke and fumes into the air from the furnaces. The chemical fumes combined with the water droplets in the fog to form harmful substances. These substances caused the illness of those who breathed the polluted air.
Usually, such harmful fumes rise into the upper air and are blown away by the wind. But sometimes there is an unusual weather condition called a temperature inversion. A layer of cold air remains near the ground as smoke and fumes pour into it. This is covered by an upper layer of warm air that acts like a lid. It prevents the polluted cooler air from rising. The harmful fumes pile up and make people ill. The smog may be so thick that airports are closed and chains of collisions occur on the highways.
Another type of smog occurs in Los Angeles. Here the weather may be clear and sunny. But stinging eyes and dry coughs show that harmful chemicals fill the air. The smog is due to invisible gases, mostly from automobile exhaust. Because these chemicals are changed by the sun high up in the air, it is called photochemical smog. It contains automobile exhaust fumes and nitrogen oxides changed by the sun"s rays. Added to these are sulfur dioxide and other fumes from factories and oil refineries. Photochemical smog is found in many large cities all over the world.
Killer smogs don"t happen very often, fortunately. But in Beijing, a combination of automobile exhaust fumes, home furnace smoke, and factory waste gases pours into the air. This may also happen in the suburbs, or out in the country, where large factories have been built. A number of harmful substances have been found in the air there. When these substances are breathed in day after day, the health of the population is affected.
小题1:Why do people call this phenomenon "black fog"?| A．It is black and dirty. | | B．It can affect the health. | | C．It can kill people. | | D．It is too thick for people to see something. |
小题2:What can reduce the air pollution according to the passage"?| A．Water. | B．Wind. | C．The sun. | D．Cold air. |
小题3:When photochemical smog happens in the city, .| A．many people will be killed | | B．black smoke may pour into the air | | C．the weather may be fine | | D．people have to walk to work |
小题4:From the passage we know that the most serious black smog disaster took place in .| A．London | B．New York | C．Los Angeles | D．Beijing |
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Donna is 19 years old and loves animals, which is why I’m always happy to leave my dog with her when I go on holiday. Donna also helps to train hunting dogs, but recently, her boyfriend told me, she returned home from a farm in tears after being told to hit some dogs.
“She wasn’t being asked to hit them because they didn’t behave well,” he said. “She was told to punch these puppies with a closed fist simply to let them know who is the boss,” Donna refused. Good for Donna. In my view, you hit an animal for only two reasons: as a way to teach it an important lesson to protect it from danger, such as not into the road; or because you like hurting animals.
Last summer, I attended a horse race. I don’t know much about horses, but I was alarmed when I saw a horse with a huge ulcer (溃疡) on its legs. “Surely this horse won’t race?” I asked. I was very surprised that nobody in the crowd seemed concerned.
The horse began the race, but later it fell heavily. It had broken its leg. The next thing I saw was its dead body in a bag, being driven past. No one seemed to care, except those who had bet on it. I know people care for horse racing, but do they really care for horses? I doubt it.
Oh, but it’s a tradition, I hear you say. Wouldn’t the world be a boring place if we didn’t occasionally hit, shoot and chase animals? Traditions are made by man and can be unmade. It was once acceptable to kill servants when their master died, to visit the mental hospitals to laugh at the patients or to watch public execution (执行死刑).
Nor should it be forgotten that in our progress to a more civilized world, animals have played an important role: they have fed us, carried us, worked for us, rescued us, died for us and sometimes just saved us from loneliness. Surely by now they deserve our kindness. At the very least, they deserve our respect.
小题1:Donna was asked to hit the young dogs because ________.| A．they misbehaved | | B．their owner disliked them | | C．people on the farm enjoy hurting them | | D．it was a way to train them to obey people |
小题2:What does the underlined word in paragraph 2 probably mean?| A．strike | B．stroke | C．scold | D．pump |
小题3:What is the author’s purpose in telling the readers the story about the horse?| A．To explain the traditional horse race to readers. | | B．To prove that the weak horse can’t win in the race. | | C．To show that animals are treated unfairly by humans. | | D．To say that people care more for horses than horse racing. |
小题4:Which of the following is NOT true?| A．People no longer watch killing criminals in public. | | B．The author cannot accept anyone who hits the animals. | | C．It was a traditional practice to kill servants for their dead master. | | D．The author thinks it is possible to change the traditions made by man. |
小题5:What’s the best title of the passage?| A．No One Cares for Animals Nowadays. | | B．Let’s Protect the Endangered Animals. | | C．Show Animals the Respect They Deserve. | | D．The Stories Between Animals and People. |
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