1 . The scent of hot bread drifting from the shops along the Street of Flour was sweeter than any perfume Arya had ever smelled. She took a deep breath and stepped closer to the pigeon. It was a plump one, speckled brown, busily pecking at a crust that had fallen between two cobblestones, but when Arya’s shadow touched it, it took to the air.

Her stick sword whistled out and caught it two feet off the ground, and it went down in a flurry of brown feathers. She was on it in the blink of an eye, grabbing a wing as the pigeon flapped and fluttered. It pecked at her hand. She grabbed its neck and twisted until she felt the bone snap.

Compared with catching cats, pigeons were easy.

She tied the pigeon to her belt and started down the street. A man was pushing a load of tarts by on a two-wheeled cart; the smells sang of blueberries and lemons and apricots. Her stomach made a hollow rumbly noise. “Could I have one?” she heard herself say. “A lemon, or…or any kind.”

The pushcart man looked her up and down. Plainly he did not like what he saw. “Three coppers.”

Arya tapped her wooden sword against the side of her boot. “I’ll trade you a fat pigeon,” she said.

“The Others take your pigeon,” the pushcart man said.

The tarts were still warm from the oven. The smells were making her mouth water, but she did not have three coppers... or one. She gave the pushcart man a look, remembering what Syrio had told her about seeing. He was short, with a little round belly, and when he moved he seemed favor his left leg a little. She was just thinking that if she snatched a tart and ran he would never be able to catch her when he said, “You be keeping your filthy hands off. The gold cloaks know how to deal with thieving little gutter rats, that they do.”

Arya glanced warily behind her. Two of the City Watch were standing at the mouth of an alley. Their cloaks hung almost to the ground, the heavy wool dyed a rich gold; their mail and boots and gloves were black. One wore a long sword at his hip, the other an iron cudgel. With a last wistful glance at the tarts, Arya edged back from the cart and hurried off. The gold cloaks had not been paying her any special attention, but the sight of them tied her stomach in knots. Arya had been staying as far from the castle as she could get, yet even from a distance she could see the heads rotting atop the high red walls. Flocks of crows squabbled noisily over each head, thick as flies. The talk in Flea Bottom was that the gold cloaks had associated themselves with the Lannisters, their commander raised to a lord, with lands on the Trident and a seat on the king’s council.

1. The story is set in a place where ______.

A．people raised pigeons	B．only privileged people lived
C．people sold and bought food	D．the watchmen received training

2. In depicting the inviting smell of the tarts, the writer used ______.

A．metaphor	B．overstatement
C．personification (拟人)	D．rhetoric rhyme

3. What is the key meaning of the underlined word “seeing” in the context?

A．Remembering people’s appearance so that you can recognize them.

B．Perceiving people’s intention so that you can properly talk to them.

C．Understanding people’s living conditions so that you can help them.

D．Knowing people’ strengths and weaknesses so that you can beat them

4. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．Arya was more hunger than terrified in the story.

B．The Lannisters was a big enemy of the gold cloaks.

C．The atmosphere of the castle was agreeable and welcome.

D．The authority treated the executed people’s dead bodies in a cruel way.

2 . Not Waving but Drowning

Stevie Smith (1902-1971)

Nobody heard him, the dead man, but still he lay moaning:

I was much further out than you thought, and not waving but drowning.

Poor chap, he always loved larking, and now he's dead.

It must have been too cold for him, his heart gave away, they said.

Oh, no no no, it was too cold always （Still the dead one lay moaning）.

I was much too far out all my life, and not waving but drowning.

‘Not Waving But Drowning’ by Stevie Smith describes the emotional situation of a speaker whose true sufferings go unnoticed by all those around her. The poem begins with the speaker stating that there is a dead man who is not really dead. He is not dead because his story has more to offer to the world. His death came at the hands of apathy (冷漠). The speaker knows this to be true as she is struggling out in the ocean waters. She’s trying desperately to get someone’s attention but all the onlookers believe her to be “waving” rather than “drowning”. Then the speaker criticizes the emotionless reaction of the beach-goers by describing their words regarding the dead man. They see him, attempt to recall something about his life, and then declare him dead without ceremony They believe that it must have been “too cold” for him and that his heart gave out. The speaker continues to say that it has always been “too cold” for her. She has always been too far out to the sea to make people understand her, especially now when she needs understanding the most.

On the surface the poem is about a man who drowns because his movements are mistaken for friendly waving. Taken less literally, however, it speaks to the pain of being misunderstood and the frequent failure of communication between human beings, closely related to which is its potential suggestion of mental illness. That is, the poem can be taken as an extended metaphor (暗喻) for the specific pain of diseases like depression, which makes the man feel like “drowning” yet unable to effectively ask for help. It’s worth noting here that Smith herself struggled with depression for much of her life, and her own experience likely informed the poem. The man’s mistaken gestures, in this reading, indicate the divide between appearance and reality, between how people dealing with such illness are feeling inside and how the world sees them or how they present themselves to the world.

1. What’s the first paragraph mainly about?

A．An introduction of the poet.	B．The explanation of the poem’s content.
C．The appreciation of the poem's images.	D．An analysis of the poem's creation background.

2. What does the underlined phrase “without ceremony” possibly mean?

A．Casually.

B．Definitely.

C．Formally.

D．Violently.

3. According to the passage, what’s to blame for the man’s death in the poem?

A．His inner desire for death.	B．His misleading gestures for help.
C．His being drowned for so long a time.	D．His failed communication with people around.

4. What can we conclude from this passage?

A．People usually believe what they see.

B．People can't turn a blind eye to whoever is in trouble.

C．People should re late to what those in need truly need.

D．People with mental illnesses must help themselves out.

3 . Ada Palmer is a professor of European history at the University of Chicago. Her science-fiction series, Terra Ignota, was inspired by 18th-century philosophers such as Voltaire and Diderot. “I wanted to write a story that Voltaire might have written if Voltaire had be enable to read the last 70 years’ worth of science fiction and have all of those tools available (可获得的) for his use,” Palmer says in a radio program called Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy.

Palmer says that Voltaire could actually be considered the first sci-fic writer, thanks to a place he wrote in 1752. “Voltaire has a short story called Micromégas, in which an alien from Saturn and an alien from a star near Sirius come to Earth. They are extremely big in size. They explore Earth and have trouble finding life forms because to them a whale is the size of a flea (跳蚤)”, she says. They eventually realize that the tiny little spot of wood on the ground is a ship, and it’s full of living things, including humans, and they make contact. So it’s a first-contact story.

Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel Frankenstein is often considered the first sci-fi novel. Voltaire was writing much earlier than Shelley, so should he have the title instead? It depends on your definition (定义) of science fiction. “Micromégas doesn’t involve technology,” Palmer says, “so if you define science fiction as depending upon technology—and being about, in the Frankenstein sense. Is man’s knowledge giving us access to powers beyond what we’ve had before? What does that mean?’—it isn’t asking that. But ‘aliens and first contact’ is a very significant science fictional element.”

So there’s no obvious answer to the question of who should be considered the first sci-fi writer. Palmer says it’s more important to ask the question than to arrive at any particular answer. “I don’t want to argue, ‘Yes, definitely, everybody’s histories of science fiction should start with Voltaire,” she says. “But I do want to argue that everybody’s histories of science fiction will be richer by discussing whether Voltaire is the beginning of science fiction, or whether it’s earlier or whether it’s later. Because that gets at the question of what science fiction is.”

1. What do we know about Micromégas according to the text?

A．It is widely accepted as a science-fiction story.

B．It has a big influence on today’s science fiction.

C．Its main characters have trouble finding humans.

D．Its content is about humans’ exploration of space.

2. Why does Ada Palmer regard Voltaire as a sci-fi writer?

A．One of his stories focuses on technology.	B．His story involves aliens from other planets.
C．He described human-alien contact in a story.	D．Her science fiction was inspired by his writing.

3. What does Ada Palmer really want to discuss when it comes to science fiction?

A．Its true origin.	B．What it can cover.
C．Its colourful expressions.	D．Why it is interesting.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Ada Palmer and science fiction.	B．Was Voltaire the first sci-fi author?
C．Technology’s role in science fiction.	D．What is science fiction really about?

4 . Uncertainty pops up frequently in conversations. The pandemic, and the growing climate disasters heighten our awareness of our inability to control many current challenges. No wonder we’re invaded by anxiety and isolation. We know there are stress-reduction techniques like yoga and exercise. Another much-overlooked one that restores sense of well-being is poetry.

Poetry reconnects us with the beauty of the world, while also naming its difficulties. Rather than dismissing hardships, poetry reminds us that others have also lost a loved one, experienced disappointments—have suffered as we now suffer. Poetry allows us to identify our personal confusions, breaks our feeling of isolation, and confirms our sense of belonging. Poetry leads us toward wisdom and acceptance.

Science agrees. The Arts & Mind Lab at Johns Hopkins University offers convincing evidence that poetry is good for our health. A study from 2013 in Philippines showed that guided poetry writing sessions significantly lessened depression in a group of abused adolescents. Written eight hundred years ago, the poem “The Guest House” invites us to view life’s experiences and the feelings that arise from them as temporary visitors in the “guest house” of self. With patience and compassion, the author Jalal al-Din Rumi advises us to recognize that even negative moods are precious teachers for our growth.

Think of poetry as an entrance to a timeless place where we find comfort, companionship, connection, wisdom, and healing. Poetry names the disconnects as well, where we have gone blind to threats and personal sorrows that threaten to overwhelm us. With its precision of language, and its naming of experience, poetry, in a small space, usually one page, packs a wallop. Entering a poem, readers can sense painful experiences are re-framed and can be given a new understanding by a poem. That’s because poetry reflects a rich mix of the sweetness and bitterness in life. It refreshes our minds and offers invented landscapes of imagery. For your own peace of mind, I encourage you to take up a friendship with poetry.

1. What does the first paragraph mainly focus on?

A．The much-ignored healing power of poetry.	B．The inability to overcome difficulties in life.
C．The pressure reduced by yoga and exercise.	D．The urgent situation of people’s mental state.

2. What is the function of poetry according to paragraph 2?

A．Poetry dismisses hardships.

B．Poetry promotes peopled intelligence.

C．Poetry overlooks sufferings of the world.

D．Poetry enables us to connect emotionally with others.

3. What does Rumi suggest readers do in The Guest House?

A．Embrace downsides with optimistic attitudes.	B．Take the initiative to experience hardships.
C．Take youth into consideration seriously.	D．View ourselves as temporary guests.

4. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．Poems force readers to feel sweet or bitter.

B．Poems turn a blind eye to threats and sorrows.

C．Poems possess overwhelming power despite limited lines.

D．Poems reshape painful experiences and restrict our minds.

7 . “What if I told you that I murdered Basil?”

“You couldn’t murder anyone, Dorian. He probably fell into the Seine from a bus. By the way, where’s that wonderful portrait he did of you? Oh! I remember now. You told me years ago that you sent it to Selby Manor and that it got lost or stolen on the way. What a pity! I wanted to buy it. I wish I had now.” Lord Henry said.

“I never really liked it,” said Dorian.

“How have you kept your youth, Dorian? You must have some secret. I’m only ten years older than you are, and I’m wrinkled and old. Please, tell me your secret. To get back my youth, I’d do anything in the world, except take exercise, get up early, or be respectable.”

When Dorian arrived home that night, he sent his servant to bed, and sat down on the sofa in the library. Then he began to think about his life.

“I’ve been an evil influence on my friends, and I’ve ruined the lives of many good young people,” he thought, “Ah! Why did I pray for the portrait to grow old, and for me to stay young? I worshiped beauty and eternal youth, but they ruined me. It’s better not to think of the past. Nothing can change that. I must think of the future. James Vane is dead. Alan Campbell is dead, too. He shot himself one night in his laboratory.”

“I’m safe now,” he continued. “Basil painted the portrait that ruined my life. I can’t forgive him for that. Everything is the portrait’s fault.”

He began to wonder about the portrait. “If I’m good, maybe the portrait will become beautiful again,” he thought. “I’ll go and look.”

He took the lamp from the table and went upstairs. As he unlocked the door, he smiled. “Yes, I’ll be good,” he thought, “I won’t be frightened of this portrait any more.”

He went upstairs to the room and locked the door. Then he pulled the purple cloth off the portrait. He gave a cry of pain. The portrait was more horrible. His face looked more evil. There was new blood on the hand and on the feet.

Dorian trembled with fear. Dorian looked round the room and saw the knife that stabbed Basil Hallward. It was bright and shining.

“This knife killed the artist, and now it will kill the artist’s work,” he thought.

He grabbed the knife, and then he stabbed the portrait with it.

1. What do we know about Lord Henry from the passage?

A．He doubted slightly whether Dorian murdered Basil.

B．He would do whatever he could to get back his youth.

C．The portrait he wanted to buy was stolen by Selby Manor.

D．The truth about how Dorian kept his youth was hidden from him.

2. What can we infer from the passage?

A．Dorian admitted he was badly affected by his friends.

B．Alan Campbell shot himself one night in his laboratory.

C．Dorian blamed his sufferings on the portrait and Basil.

D．Dorian wanted to kill himself so that the portrait could become normal.

3. What does the underlined word “worshiped” mean in paragraph 6?

A．Admired.

B．Deserved.

C．Maintained.

D．Ignored.

4. Why did Dorian stab the portrait at the end of the story?

A．Because the portrait aroused too much curiosity of his friends.

B．Because the portrait reflecting his soul made him suffer great pain.

C．Because he was jealous of the portrait which would never grow old.

D．Because he thought the portrait would take his youth and beauty away.

8 . More than anything, this is a book about unconditional love—a bond between a caring woman and a loyal dog. Harley’s Harlequin Heart written by Christy Jaeger and_________through the narration(叙述)of the dog Harley, shows why the power of love can overcome the_________that is part of every life journey. It also teaches us how we can make the world a(n)_________place together with dogs.

Harley takes us along on all his_________with his owner Jaeger—from growing up, being trained, to going to dog shows. Then one day, Harley is_________with bone cancer. Fortunately, it appears that there’s enough time to explore_________“Jaeger told me that everyone has a sixth sense, which_________ them when something’s not right. Looking back, I’m glad she paid attention to her_________alarm.” Harley thought.

Through surgery, this smart dog_________. It isn’t easy and he tells us about his pain and fears. But chances of__________look promising. After this experience, Harley__________realizes that when someone has cancer, the entire family will__________. However, all the people playing a part in the__________form a connection that is unbreakable .

Harley’s__________with cancer might concern adults considering reading this book with their children. But Jaeger through Harley’s__________ provides such a friendly, positive perspective(观点) that there is so much more reason to__________this book. Besides, it helps greatly that the book has a(n)__________ ending.

As Jaeger notes, “The book__________love to all who read it. This small element can be__________in the human and animal worlds.” Love can defeat all. That__________couldn’t be any clearer than in this wonderful book.

1.

A．explained

B．presented

C．designed

D．included

2.

A．misfortune

B．unease

C．inconvenience

D．discomfort

3.

A．easier

B．safer

C．better

D．richer

4.

A．packages

B．dreams

C．burdens

D．adventures

5.

A．diagnosed

B．attacked

C．loaded

D．faced

6.

A．mysteries

B．problems

C．cures

D．challenges

7.

A．forbids

B．hits

C．informs

D．warns

8.

A．active

B．inner

C．useful

D．sudden

9.

A．pushes through

B．bends down

C．cheers up

D．gets off

10.

A．treatment

B．recovery

C．victory

D．entry

11.

A．innocently

B．automatically

C．gradually

D．accidentally

12.

A．suffer

B．behave

C．perform

D．delay

13.

A．grouch

B．circle

C．protection

D．process

14.

A．competing

B．battling

C．continuing

D．mixing

15.

A．development

B．discovery

C．imagination

D．description

16.

A．possess

B．close

C．share

D．print

17.

A．typical

B．happy

C．ridiculous

D．sudden

18.

A．spreads

B．sends

C．expands

D．devotes

19.

A．decisive

B．logical

C．attractive

D．influential

20.

A．routine

B．force

C．message

D．image

9 . Arthur Conan Doyle

Arthur Conan Doyle is an icon of British literature, world renowned for his crime fiction creation, “Sherlock Holmes”. His ability to create exciting stories filled with mystery still resonates with readers today, and modern reincarnations (再生) in both film and television mean Holmes is as popular as ever. The creation of such an extraordinary world would be an impossible task for most, so where did Doyle find the inspirations behind its conception?

The topics, characters and events that unfold within Doyle’s creations may seem far removed from you or I, but for Arthur, they were much closer to home. The main inspiration for Holmes was Arthur’s professor at Edinburgh Medical School, Dr. Joseph Bell. The doctor, armed with fantastic scientific knowledge and remarkable abilities in observation and deduction (演绎), would know someone’s occupation and habits from the tiniest details. On one occasion, he shocked his class by deducing the occupation of a patient simply from his accent, schedule, and hands. Additionally, working with murder investigations, illnesses and dead bodies through his studies, Doyle became very knowledgeable about this area.

Since school, Doyle’s talent as a writer was clear as fellow pupils paid him in sweets just to continue his stories, so you would have to assume that the success of Sherlock on the national stage brought Doyle great happiness, right?

Well, not quite. Few people know that it didn’t take long for Doyle to get frustrated with the character. While he ranked his work highly, he actually felt that his career had, “gone off the rails” and wrote to his mother saying, “I must save my mind for better things.” Doyle saw Sherlock as an unwelcome distraction from more serious work which is why he killed him off in The Final Problem. Holmes and Moriarty plunge to their deaths at the Reichenbach Falls and Sherlock Holmes was finished.

But, as with any Holmes tale, there is a twist! Fans were extremly angry and canceled their subscriptions for The Strand Magazine in record numbers. The continuous pressure from fans and publishers finally led Doyle to publish a new story, The Hound of Baskervilles, in 1901. This, however, was set before the death of Sherlock so the complete resurrection (复活) happened in 1903, with The Adventure of the Empty House, in which it is revealed that only Moriarty fell and Holmes faked his death.

1. Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A．The success of Sherlock Holmes made Doyle instant famous.

B．The invention of film and television has helped to promote Sherlock Holmes.

C．Doyle found inspiration mainly from Dr. Joseph Bell and his teacher in school.

D．Doyle’s writing capabilities was long recognized by his peers.

2. Why did Doyle feel frustrated with Sherlock Holmes?

A．The character was not as keen as Dr. Joseph Bell.

B．He couldn’t make much money from the book.

C．The book kept him from writing serious literature.

D．He was attacked by the fans of the book.

3. What can you infer from the passage?

A．Doyle didn’t show talent for writing until he met Dr. Joseph Bell.

B．The success of Sherlock Holmes was bitter-sweet to Doyle.

C．Many movies are adapted from the story of Sherlock Holmes.

D．Doyle was involved in murder investigations in order to write Sherlock Holmes.

4. This passage is most probably taken from ________.

A．a booklet of Doyle museum	B．a website for fans of Holmes
C．a literary magazine	D．an academic report

10 . The writer of the Epilogue (结语) to my copy of Goethe’s Faust, Hanns W Eppelsheimer, refers to “human arrogance (傲慢), rising up against the spirits, in order to seize a piece of power for itself, with the aid of wizard ryand magic,” as “a very old theme”. He adds: “At the beginning of modern times, when the Renaissance set science free, the simple desires for power, wealth and sensual pleasure (感官享乐) came to be joined by the new striving for unlimited knowledge. ” Enter the historical Faust, the semi-biographical stories about his life.

Let’s go much further back in time. At the beginning of the ancient Biblical Book of Job (圣经·约伯记), the “sons of God” and Satan come before God. “And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job?” (Note the word “servant”). God confirms Job’s goodness. Satan counters that Job is good only because he is in receipt of God’s favours. If he were to suffer, he would curse God. God empowers Satan to test Job, making him suffer. Job loses his family and his animals and his health and retains only the company of his wife. His wife urges Job to curse God, but he refuses firmly.

The story ties into the problem of why good people suffer, where Goethe borrows a theme into Prologue but has changed it out of all recognition:

The Lord: Do you know Faust?

Mephistopheles: The Doctor?

The Lord: My servant!

God acknowledges that Faust serves him, through his striving, despite the mistakes he is sure to make; and Faust remains aware of the correct path to take through life. While God, indeed, permits Mephistopheles to try to divert (转移) Faust from his “fountainhead”. Mephistopheles appreciates the favour and sets to work. And then we meet Faust himself, alone in his study at night, at the beginning of the drama proper, and he speaks for himself:

Ah, now I’ve studied philosophy, jurisprudence and medicine, and alas, theology as well, ardently and painstakingly, from beginning to end.

He has learnt a great deal; but he wants to learn more, beyond the bounds of handed down knowledge — metaphysics (形而上学), perhaps, or the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge.

Early in Part 1 of the drama, Faust makes his own bargain with Mephistopheles: if he ever relaxes from his striving and wishes to stay still, in the beautiful moment, then Mephistopheles can take his soul. Compared to Job, Goethe’s hero, instead, is not made to suffer: rather, new enjoyments of life are opened up to him. Unfortunately, Faust’s own joy can be at the expense of other people. (The tragedy of Part 1 is that of Gretchen and her family)

In Part 2, regretful about his faults before, Faust engages in good works, especially, the reclamation of low-lying land from the sea (填海造陆). There arises, though, from the writings of the New Testament (圣经新约), the question as to whether good works are sufficient to ensure salvation (救赎) — a Christian theological (基督教神学的) debating point. St Paul explores this: “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law”. Luther is saying here that “a man is justified, without the deeds of the law, only by faith.” He adds the “only”. On this view, Faust’s good works cannot be sufficient for his salvation. We can add that Faust does not have faith, either.

Finally, at the end of the drama, Faust does have one moment of relaxation, and, accordingly, Mephistopheles tries to arrest his soul. But, in the event, Mephistopheles is cheated of his long-sought-after prize — by the intervention of angels, including a transformed Gretchen. Faust is enabled to ascend (上升) to Heaven. Faust’s salvation, on Goethe’s terms, relies upon his own striving, the appearance of the “eternal feminine (永恒女性)”, and the words of forgiveness uttered by his female victim (Gretchen).

Let’s talk briefly about the nature of the completed Faust. It is almost entirely in verse(诗歌). It is extremely long. Whereas many verse dramas of Shakespeare and his contemporaries average roughly 2000 lines, and Part 1 of Faust has 4,612 lines, and Part 2 has 7,499! Moreover, Part 2 has literally hundreds of parts. Therefore, either Part poses great challenges, whenever a staging is contemplated.

I conclude, indeed, that Faust is a poem, and not a play, a drama or a tragedy as ordinarily conceived.

1. What’s function of the first paragraph?

A．To introduce the topic.

B．To inform readers of the Epilogue to Faust of his version.

C．To advertise a classic book.

D．To introduce a translator called Hanns W Eppelsheimer.

2. What does the underlined word “him” in Para. 2 refer to?

A．God.

B．Satan.

C．Job.

D．Faust.

3. Which statement is TRUE about Faust?

A．Part 1 of the drama: Unsatisfied, Faust has learnt a lot in his long life, but he pursues the knowledge from Mephistopheles, which. is a trap designed by God. He gains great joy at the cost of Gretchen’s tragedy.

B．Part 2 of the drama: Repentant (忏悔的), Faust devotes himself to a great cause, which still cannot make up for what he has done before according to a Christian theological debating point, as he doesn’t have faith.

C．At the end of the drama : Faust does have one moment of relaxation, but Mephistopheles doesn’t take his “prize” because of angles’intervention. Faust is ascended to Heaven, made a true hero.

D．At the end of the drama : Gretchen, the female victim in this play or so-called “eternal feminine”, forgives Faust, completing his salvation.

4. Which statement is FALSE about Faust?

A．There are many different versions of Faust.

B．Goethe adapts Bible in a totally different way in Prologue of Faust.

C．It can’t be a easy job for Goethe to finish Faust alone.

D．Faust is actually a brilliant long poem with more than ten thousand lines.

5. Which is the most suitable title of the passage?

A．Goethe: A Talented Prophet (先知)

B．Faust: A Tragic Verse

C．Gretchen: A Poor-Fated Lover

D．Devil: A Forever Deceiver