1 . In the mid-1990s, Tom Bissell taught English as a volunteer in Uzbekistan. He left after seven months, physically broken and having lost his mind. A few years later, still attracted to the country, he returned to Uzbekistan to write an article about the disappearance of the Aral Sea.
His visit, however, ended up involving a lot more than that. Hence this book, Chasing the Sea: Lost Among the Ghosts of Empire in Central Asia, which talks about a road trip from Tashkent to Karakalpakstan, where millions of lives have been destroyed by the slow drying up of the sea. It is the story of an American travelling to a strange land, and of the people he meets on his way: Rustam, his translator, a lovely 24-year-old who picked up his colorful English in California, Oleg and Natasha, his hosts in Tashkent, and a string of foreign aid workers.
This is a quick look at life in Uzbekistan, made of friendliness and warmth, but also its darker side of society. In Samarkand, Mr Bissell admires the architectural wonders, while on his way to Bukhara he gets a taste of police methods when suspected of drug dealing. In Ferghana, he attends a mountain funeral followed by a strange drinking party. And in Karakalpakstan, he is saddened by the dust storms, diseases and fishing boats stuck miles from the sea.
Mr Bissell skillfully organizes historical insights and cultural references, making his tale a well-rounded picture of Uzbekistan, seen from Western eyes. His judgment and references are decidedly American, as well as his delicate stomach. As the author explains, this is neither a travel nor a history book, or even a piece of reportage. Whatever it is, the result is a fine and vivid description of the purest of Central Asian traditions.
1. What does the underlined word “that” in paragraph 2 refer to?| A．Developing a serious mental disease. |
| B．Taking a guided tour in Central Asia. |
| C．Working as a volunteer in Uzbekistan. |
| D．Writing an article about the Aral Sea. |
| A．Romantic. | B．Eventful. | C．Pleasant. | D．Dangerous. |
| A．To introduce a book. |
| B．To explain a cultural phenomenon. |
| C．To remember a writer. |
| D．To recommend a travel destination. |
The idea of writing a poem might feel frightening
3 . In 1916, two girls of wealthy families, best friends from Auburn, N. Y. — Dorothy Woodruff and Rosamond Underwood — traveled to a settlement in the Rocky Mountains to teach in a one-room schoolhouse. The girls had gone to Smith College. They wore expensive clothes. So for them to move to Elkhead, Colo. to instruct the children whose shoes were held together with string was a surprise. Their stay in Elkhead is the subject of Nothing Daunted: The Unexpected Education of Two Society Girls in the West by Dorothy Wickenden, who is a magazine editor and Dorothy Woodruff’s granddaughter.
Why did they go then? Well, they wanted to do something useful. Soon, however, they realized what they had undertaken.
They moved in with a local family, the Harrisons, and, like them, had little privacy, rare baths, and a blanket of snow on their quilt when they woke up in the morning. Some mornings, Rosamond and Dorothy would arrive at the schoolhouse to find the children weeping from the cold. In spring, the snow was replaced by mud over ice.
In Wickenden’s book, she expanded on the history of the West and also on feminism, which of course influenced the girls’ decision to go to Elkhead. A hair-raising section concerns the building of the railroads, which entailed (牵涉) drilling through the Rockies, often in blinding snowstorms. The book ends with Rosamond and Dorothy’s return to Auburn.
Wickenden is a very good storyteller. The sweep of the land and the stoicism (坚忍) of the people move her to some beautiful writing. Here is a picture of Dorothy Woodruff, on her horse, looking down from a hill top: “When the sun slipped behind the mountains, it shed a rosy glow all around them. Then a full moon rose. The snow was marked only by small animals: foxes, coyotes, mice, and varying hares, which turned white in the winter.”
1. What can we learn about the girls from paragraph 3?| A．They enjoyed much respect. | B．They had a room with a bathtub. |
| C．They lived with the local kids. | D．They suffered severe hardships. |
| A．A news report. | B．A book review. | C．A children’s story. | D．A diary entry. |
In the novel Journey To the West, most of the characters are not human, but they show recognizable human
Another reason for the novel’s success is that it is more than just
| grab violent weapon daybreak desperate civilization preservation construction nevertheless |
I don’t get so much time to read these days, but
The book is set in the future at a time when the world is experiencing a long and
In a
I don’t want to spoil it by saying too much but l highly recommend this book if you enjoy this genre!
| icy slip stare fetch blank aside curtain three-story blanket backwards |
“The Last Leaf” is a beautiful short story written by O. Henry. In the story, the two main characters, Johnsy and Sue, lived in a studio apartment in a
Sue went to
The next morning, Johnsy asked Sue to open the
However, Mr Behrman died from pneumonia. In a snowing and raining night, he painted his masterpiece – a vine leaf on the wall outside of Johnsy’s window.
注意：
1.词数150左右；
2.可以适当增加细节以使行文连贯。
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8 . It was 2 o’clock in the morning when Gatsby called at Nick’s.
“Let’s go to Coney Island, old sport, in my car. ”
“It’s too late, ” Nick replied.
“Well, what about a swim in my pool! I haven’t used it this summer yet. ”
“I must go to bed. ”
“All right. ”
He appeared to be waiting for something, looking at Nick.
“I’m going to phone Daisy tomorrow and invite her to tea. How about the day after tomorrow?”
Gatsby paused before answering. “I must cut the grass first. ”
He then said, “Well, I run a little business that might interest you… You might earn some money. ”But Nick refused his offer.
It was raining on the day they had fixed to have tea at Nick’s. At three o’clock, the front door opened and Gatsby hurried in. )
They went into the living room where Gatsby sat down. From time to time, he looked through the windows at the rain. Finally, he got up and said he was going home.
“Nobody’s coming to tea. It’s too late! I can’t wait all day. ”
“Don’t be silly. It’s only two minutes to four. ”
He sat down miserably and, at the same time, Daisy’s car drove up to Nick’s house.
They went in. What a big surprise! The living room was empty. Then there was a knock at the door. Gatsby was standing there in the rain. He disappeared quickly into the living room.
Gatsby was standing and staring at Daisy. She was sitting, frightened but composed, on the edge of a chair.
“We’ve met before, ” Gatsby said.
“Not for many years, ” Daisy added quickly.
“Five years next November, ” said Gatsby automatically.
Gatsby was quiet but his eyes moved continuously from Nick to Daisy. Nick left them together after a while.
When he went back in, Daisy and Gatsby were sitting on the couch, looking each other in the eyes. All their embarrassment had gone. Daisy’s face was covered with tears. But there was a change in Gatsby that really surprised Nick. He radiated a feeling of joy that filled the room. He hadn’t stopped looking at her once, as if nobody else was there.
1. Why did Gatsby call on Nick at 2 am?| A．To fix the date with Daisy. |
| B．To offer Nick a well-paid job. |
| C．To drive to Coney Island with Nick. |
| D．To invite Nick to swim in his pool. |
| A．Gatsby had Nick’s house emptied. |
| B．Gatsby was standing in the rain. |
| C．Gatsby left Nick’s house somehow. |
| D．Gatsby should make a “casual meet”. |
| A．Frightened-composed-happy. |
| B．Anxious-embarrassed-joyful. |
| C．Tired-surprised-disappointed. |
| D．Impatient-amazed-dedicated. |
| A．Gatsby’s visit. | B．Gatsby’s offer. |
| C．Nick’s grassland. | D．Nick’s tea. |
内容包括：
(1)使用钉钉(DingTalk)的方法：
(2)在线中国诗词课程的特色。
注意：
(1)词数100左右：
(2)开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Chris,
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Yours,
Li Hua
10 . POETRY CHALLENGE
Write a poem about how courage, determination, and strength have helped you face challenges in your life.
Prizes
3 Grand Prizes: Trip to Washington, D. C. for each of three winners, a parent and one other person of the winner’s choice. Trip includes round-trip air tickets, hotel stay for two nights, and tours of the National Air and Space Museum and the office of National Geographic World.
6 First Prizes: The book Sky Pioneer: A Photobiography of Amelia Earhart signed by author Corinne Szabo and pilot Linda Finch.
50 Honorable Mentions: Judges will choose up to 50 honorable mention winners, who will each receive a T-shirt in memory of Earhart’s final flight.
Rules
Follow all rules carefully to prevent disqualification (不合格).
·Write a poem using 100 words or fewer. Your poem can be any format, any number of lines.
·Write by hand or type on a single sheet of paper. You may use both the front and back of the paper.
·On the same sheet of paper, write or type your name, address, telephone number, and birth date.
·Mail your entry to us by October 31 this year.
1. How many people can get “First Prize”?| A．3. | B．6. | C．50. | D．100. |
| A．A special T-shirt. |
| B．A book named Sky Pioneer. |
| C．A free plane trip. |
| D．A picture of Amelia Earhart. |
| A．Writing a poem by hand. |
| B．Using both sides of the paper. |
| C．Writing a poem with 120 words. |
| D．Mailing the entry on October 29. |
| A．prize winners | B．book readers |
| C．poetry lovers | D．disqualified competitors |
