1 . This year the US will honour one of the country’s most famous writers — Mark Twain (1835—1910). Most readers know that his real name was Samuel Longhome Clemens, but how many know where the pen name “Mark Twain” came from?
The answer shows Clemens’ colourful early life before he became a writer. “Mark Twain” was the cry shouted on a ship when the ship entered a part of a river that was two fathoms (6 feet) deep. “Twain” is an oldfashioned way of saying “two”. Twain trained as a ship pilot on the Mississippi river for two years, a time that he wrote about in the humourous Life on the Mississippi (1883).
The famous river would become an important theme in many of his works — who could forget the journey of the Huck and Jim along it in his most famous book, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884)?
With little education, he had to teach himself how to write stories. Whenever possible, he would go to public libraries. There he spent much time reading and thinking, which greatly helped him with his writing.
On the other hand, his life experiences gave him wonderful material to write about and attract readers. Twain wrote in a style that has been called “local colour” because it shows great knowledge of local people and their customs.
This gift is very clear in the two books for which Twain is still celebrated today. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and its followup The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which many people call “The Great American Novel”.
The most amazing invention in the book is the voice of Huck himself. Huck did not enjoy schooling. It shows in the way he uses language, in a spoken style. Only a master like Twain could copy the way a young southern boy talked so well.
1. According to the passage, what is the best part of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn?| A．The deep social meaning. |
| B．The exciting life experiences. |
| C．The special way that Huck talks. |
| D．The nice view of the Mississippi. |
| A．At the beginning of Paragraph 2. |
| B．At the beginning of Paragraph 3. |
| C．At the beginning of Paragraph 4. |
| D．At the beginning of Paragraph 5. |
| A．Mark Twain’s career as a great writer. |
| B．Mark Twain’s interest in describing local life. |
| C．Mark Twain’s achievements in American literature field. |
| D．Mark Twain’s life experiences which influenced his writing. |
| A．Twain’s talent for selfteaching. |
| B．Twain’s “local colour” writing style. |
| C．Twain’s good sense of humour. |
| D．Twain’s experiences as a ship pilot. |
2 . Jane Eyre, written by Charlotte Brontё, was first published in 1847. Widely considered as a classic, it is not just a romance novel, but an educational story. Women can learn so much from this great Victorian heroine. This is not to suggest that Jane doesn’t have shortcomings (缺点).
You can overcome your past however bad it is. In the novel, Jane Eyre is made miserable as a child by her horrible relatives.
Don’t be afraid to express your mind. In the novel she is not scared to voice her opinions when necessary. Talking helps improve relationships as well.
Be positive.
| A．Jane’s life is painful |
| B．You can decide your life |
| C．Her cousin, John, is the worst |
| D．However, there’s much to be learnt from the way she chooses to live |
| E．It is weak and silly to say you can’t bear what your fate requires you to bear |
| F．Remember that the possibilities of life are endless for those who take risks |
| G．Therefore, it is much better to talk about things than to hide unspoken anger |
3 . The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (1939- ), Canadian
Because of pollution, many women are infertile(不育的). New laws create the job of handmaid, a woman who can have babies for rich families. This is the story of Offred, a handmaid. Offred works for Fred and his family. She wonders if she can get away, and she has to hurry.
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell (1903-1950), English
The novel is set in the future, but it is the year 1984. Winston Smith lives in London, part of the English country Oceania. There are three countries in the world: Oceania, Eurasia and Eastasia. Big Brother is the leader of Oceania. The government controls everything, even people’s thoughts.
Winston, a government worker, meets Julia, another worker, and they fall in love—a crime in Oceania. The government discovers their secret, and Winston and Julia must go to the Ministry of Love, a centre for enemies of Big Brother.
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (1894-1963), English
London, 600 years in the future. The Controllers are the rulers of the world. People don’t know war, disease or pain. They enjoy sports and spare time, but they are not free. The Controllers create babies in factories. Adults are divided into five social classes. When a man from a wild area of the world gets to London, he criticises the society. In the end, he has to choose between joining them or dying.
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (1920-2012), American
It is 24th century America. People can’t read or own books, as books are against the law. The population gets all their information from the television. Guy Montag is a fireman. Firemen don’t stop fires; they start them. They burn books at a temperature of 451 degrees. One day Montag meets young Clarisse, who makes him question the society he lives in. Soon Montag gets interested in the books he is supposed to destroy.
1. Which book describes Winston and Julia’s love?| A．The Handmaid’s Tale. |
| B．Nineteen Eighty-Four. |
| C．Brave New World. |
| D．Fahrenheit 451. |
| A．It was written in 1894. |
| B．It is set in 24th century America. |
| C．It describes a society without freedom. |
| D．It predicts people’s perfect life in the future. |
| A．They are well-known historical novels. |
| B．They were all written by American authors. |
| C．They centre on the future government of America. |
| D．They are about imaginary places where life is hard. |
4 . Teaching Poetry
No poem should ever be discussed or “analysed”, until it has been read aloud by someone, a teacher or a student. Better still, perhaps, read it twice, once at the beginning of the discussion and once at the end, so the sound of the poem is the last thing one hears.
All discussions of poetry are, in fact, preparations for reading it aloud, and the reading of the poem is, finally, the most telling “interpretation” of it — suggesting tone, rhythm, and meaning all at once. Hearing a poet read in his or her own voice, on records or on films, is obviously a special reward. But even those aids to teaching can not replace the student and teacher reading it or, best of all, reciting it.
I have come to think, in fact, that time spent reading a poem aloud is much more important than “analysing” it, if there isn’t time for both. I think one of our goals as teachers of English is to have students love poetry. Poetry is “a criticism of life”, and “a heightening of life”. It is “an approach to the truth of feeling”, and it can “save your life”. It also deserves a place in the teaching of language and literature more central than it presently occupies.
I am not saying that every English teacher must teach poetry. Those who don’t like it should not be forced to communicate this to anyone else. But those who do teach poetry must keep in mind a few things about its essential nature, about its sound as well as its sense, and they must make room in the classroom for hearing poetry as well as thinking about it.
1. To have a better understanding of a poem, one should _________.| A．analyse it by oneself | B．discuss it with others |
| C．practise reading it aloud | D．copy it down in a notebook |
| A．to enjoy poetry | B．to become poets |
| C．to become teachers | D．to understand life |
| A．The teaching of poetry is more important than any other subject. |
| B．More importance should be given to the teaching of poetry. |
| C．Poetry is the foundation of all language and literature courses. |
| D．One cannot enjoy life fully without an understanding of poetry. |
| A．provide equipment | B．build a school |
| C．set up a house | D．leave a certain amount of time |
5 . Time Flies for Ms. Wiz tells the story of Lorraine Boyce and the students of Wyndclifle Junior High School, Birmingham. With this novel, the reader will experience the adventure towards the 16th century when Queen Elizabeth I ruled the Britain, and the 19th century when the Crimean War happened.
Jack — the naughty boy in the third grade, Nabia — Jack’s classmate, and Ms. Wiz — the famous witch(巫师)who often failed in her spell, are the main characters in this story.
Mr. Bailey, who was giving a history class, was cheated to go to the principal’s office. Shortly after Mr. Bailey left the classroom, Ms. Wiz appeared with a time machine. When Ms. Wiz chatted with the students, Jack — who was seized by curiosity, was messing with Ms. Wiz’s time machine. As a result, he disappeared in a puff of smoke. To bring Jack back to the present, Nabia and Ms. Wiz went to the past with the time machine.
Nabia and Ms. Wiz faced various problems when they were looking for Jack, starting from pretending as Queen Elizabeth to rescue a 16-years-old girl and almost been caught by the villagers, until became prisoners in the arena(竞技场)of the Crimean War. When they were trying to escape from the war, Nabia managed to find Jack, who was also caught by soldiers of the war. Having managed to escape together, the three of them — Nabia, Jack, and Ms. Wiz could go back to the present safely.
The usage of language and words in this novel are easy to understand. Besides, the story tells us that we have to keep our behavior or do not be naughty, so that we won’t bring troubles to others. The other message of the story is do not underestimate others if we cannot do something important like helping others when they have problems.
1. Who cheats Mr. Bailey to go to the principal’s office?| A．Jack. | B．Nabia. | C．Ms. Wiz. | D．The principal. |
| A．He takes interest in it. | B．He wants to go to the past. |
| C．He plays a trick in Ms. Wiz. | D．He wants to save his friends. |
| A．Nabia and Ms. Wiz were caught by the villagers. |
| B．A 16-years-old girl saved Jack, Nabia and Ms. Wiz. |
| C．Jack, Nabia and Ms. Wiz became prisoners in the war. |
| D．Jack, Nabia and Ms. Wiz failed to return to the present in the end. |
| A．Reviews of the book. | B．Positive side of the book. |
| C．Backgroud of the story. | D．Information of the author. |
6 . I have always loved the Arthurian legend (传奇), as there is something quite special about King Arthur, and of course Merlin, my favourite character from the stories.
Death of an Empire is the second volume in MK Hume’s “Merlin” series which details Merlin’s life from birth. Merlin travels across the Roman Empire in search of his father, a voyage of discovery to understand just who he was. Eventually Merlin gets involved in the fight against the Hun’s invasion (入侵) of Europe at the Battle of the Catalaunian Plain.
Serving under the General Flavius Aetius, Merlin builds a reputation by saving the lives of thousands of soldiers. When he finally reaches Rome, he saves many more. But a far deadlier conflict between Emperor Valentinian and Senator Petronius Maximus is around the corner and Merlin must use all his strength to carry out his work.
If I had to choose just one word to describe this novel, there would be no other choice than “immersive (身临其境的)”. There has clearly been a serious amount of research carried out by the author. Combined with the descriptive prose and imaginative story, the book really does attract you from almost the very start. The story really does feel like you are a part of it as Merlin travels across the Roman Empire.
The author does a great job of mixing the rich history with established Arthurian legend. The battle scene is handled very effectively. The author employs a very effective form to show the main fight and this not only adds a degree of tension and a good level of excitement but almost makes you feel like you are right there hearing about what happened.
Death of an Empire is a very fine novel, a wonderfully rich tale and a rewarding story.
1. Why does Merlin travel across the Roman Empire?| A．To visit King Arthur. | B．To enjoy a nice view. |
| C．To get a well-paid job. | D．To find out his origin. |
| A．It is a mixture of history and legend. |
| B．It features difficult language. |
| C．It speaks highly of an emperor. |
| D．It is a masterpiece of Merlin. |
| A．An effective description. | B．A long-running battle. |
| C．A wonderful feeling. | D．A well-known legend. |
| A．A news report. | B．A history story. |
| C．A book review. | D．A science fiction. |
7 . Born in Ryazan, Russia, the hometown of Russian poet Sergei Yesenin, Anastasia Podareva seems to be destined for a similar career.
Podareva, 28, has loved poetry since she was a girl, when her father would introduce her to works by great Russian poets such as Alexander Pushkin and, of course, Yesenin. Growing up, she wrote many poems in both Russian and English. After she came to China to study in 2013, the world of Chinese poetry opened up before her.
She soon gave herself a poetic Chinese name, Tang Xilan, with “tang” referring to the Tang Dynasty (618-907), when Chinese poetry entered a golden age, and both “xi” and “lan” are characters taken from The Book of Songs, the earliest collection of Chinese poetry. Her name means an orchid (兰花) that blooms in the morning.
“One thing that strikes me in reading and writing Chinese poetry is the power of the language-it’s melodious (悦耳的) and rhythmic,” says Podareva in My China Surprise, a video series produced by 21st Century.
Over the past decade, Podareva has won awards in multiple poetry writing competitions, published her own Chinese poetry collections, and participated in Chinese Poetry Conference, one of the leading poetry-themed TV programs in China. On top of that, her most unforgettable memory is that one of her poems was turned into a song. And even better: She sang it herself. The poem, titled If, was written in early of 2020 at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
After witnessing China’s unity as it faced the pandemic, Podareva felt as one with the Chinese people. “I wanted to create something positive to help inspire and encourage people in times of difficulty,” she says. “Some people may praise China in a very straightforward way, but I prefer to express my feelings about the country through different styles of poems.”
1. What can we learn about Podareva before she came to China?| A．She fell in love with poetry. |
| B．She learned from Yesenin in person. |
| C．She became a famous poet in Russia. |
| D．She translated Russian poems into English. |
| A．It dates from the Song Dynasty. | B．It showcases her success in China. |
| C．It relates to the Chinese poetry. | D．It has beautiful rhythm and melodies. |
| A．Podareva’s poetry journey in China. | B．Podareva’s amazing talent in singing. |
| C．Podareva’s fight against the pandemic. | D．Podareva’s impression of Chinese poetry. |
| A．People have trouble in gaining inspiration. |
| B．Podareva has deep love for Chinese people. |
| C．Poetry is the best form of showing emotions. |
| D．China’s unity was challenged by the pandemic. |
| A．Buy the book from him. |
| B．Finish the story in a day. |
| C．Read the book this weekend. |
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