【推荐3】According to Guglielmo Cavallo and Roger Chartier, reading aloud was a common practice in the ancient world, the Middle Ages, and as late as the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Readers were “listeners attentive to a reading voice,” and “the text addressed to the ear as much as to the eye.” The significance of reading aloud continued well into the nineteenth century.

Using Charles Dickens’s nineteenth century as a point of departure, it would be useful to look at the familial and social uses of reading aloud and reflect on the functional change of the practice. Dickens habitually read his work to a domestic audience or friends. In his later years he also read to a broader public crowd Chapters of reading aloud also abound in Dickens’s own literary works. More importantly, he took into consideration the Victorian practice when composing his prose, so much so that his writing is meant to be heard, not only read on the page.

Performing a literary text orally in a Victorian family is well documented. Apart from promoting a pleasant family relationship, reading aloud was also a means of protecting young people from the danger of solitary (孤独的) reading. Reading aloud was a tool for parental guidance. By means of reading aloud, parents could also introduce literature to their children, and as such the practice combined leisure and more serious purposes such as religious cultivation in the youths. Within the family, it was commonplace for the father to read aloud Dickens read to his children: one of his surviving and often-reprinted photographs features him posing on a chair, reading to his two daughters.

Reading aloud in the nineteenth century was as much a class phenomenon as a family affair, which points to a widespread belief that Victorian readership primarily meant a middle-class readership, Those who fell outside this group tended to be overlooked by Victorian publishers。Despite this, Dickens, with his publishers Chapman and Hall, managed to distribute literary reading materials to people from different social classes by reducing the price of novels. This was also made possible with the technological and mechanical advances in printing and the spread of railway networks at the time.

Since the literacy level of this section of the population was still low before school attendance was made compulsory in 1870 by the Education Act, a considerable number of people from lower classes would listen to recitals of texts. Dickens’s readers, who were from such social backgrounds, might have heard Dickens in this manner. Several biographers of Dickens also draw attention to the fact that it was typical for his texts to be read aloud in Victorian England, and thus illiteracy was not an obstacle for reading Dickens. Reading was no longer a chiefly closeted form of entertainment practiced by the middle class at home.

A working-class home was in many ways not convenient for reading: there were too many distractions, the lighting was bad, and the home was also often half a workhouse. As a result, the Victorians from the non-middle classes tended to find relaxation outside the home such as in parks and squares, which were ideal places for the public to go while away their limited leisure time. Reading aloud, in particular public reading, to some extent blurred the distinctions between classes. The Victorian middle class defined its identity through differences with other classes. Dickens’s popularity among readers from the non-middle classes contributed to the creation of a new class of readers who read through listening.

Different readers of Dickens were not reading solitarily and “jealously,” to use Walter Benjamin’s term. Instead, they often enjoyed a more communal experience, an experience that is generally lacking in today’s world. Modem audiobooks can be considered a contemporary version of the practice. However, while the twentieth- and twentieth-first-century trend for individuals to listen to audiobooks keeps some eharacteristics of traditional reading aloud-such as “listeners attentive to a reading voice” and the ear being the focus—it is a far more solitary activity.

1. What does the author want to convey in Paragraph 1?

A．The significance of reading aloud.

B．The history of reading aloud.

C．The development of reading practice.

D．The roles of readers in reading practice.

2. How did the practice of reading aloud influence Dickens’s works?

A．He started to write for a broader public crowd.

B．He included more readable contents in his novels.

C．Scenes of reading aloud became common in his works.

D．His works were intended to be both heard and read.

3. How many benefits did reading aloud bring to a Victorian family?

A．2.	B．3.
C．4.	D．5.

4. Where could a London steel worker possibly have gone to for reading?

A．Trafalgar Square.	B．His/her own house.
C．Nearby bookstores	D．Working place.

5. What change did reading aloud bring to Victorian society?

A．Different classes started to appreciate and read literary works together.

B．People from lower social classes became accepted as middle-class.

C．A non-class society in which everyone could read started to form,

D．The differences between classes grew less significant than before.

6. What is likely to be discussed after the last paragraph?

A．New reading trends for individuals.

B．The harm of modem audiobooks.

C．The material for modem reading.

D．Reading aloud in contemporary societies.

【推荐1】My father never wanted his children to know what he did for a living. Dad worked in Plant C. Lying beside Lake Erie, it saw him in at sunrise and out at nightfall. Sometimes my mother would take my siblings (兄弟姐妹) and me to the public beach in our hometown of Ashtabula. She’d gather us round and point to the smokestacks, coughing clouds into the sky.

“Wave to daddy!” she’d shout. Four little hands would shoot into the air. I never knew what Dad did in Plant C, but during 34 years of hard work, he had surgery (手术) on his shoulder and hand. At 48, he had his first heart attack. He retired in 1993, right after the last kid graduated from college. But the damage was done. A few years later, the next heart attack killed him.

I saw my dad in plant C only once, when I took dinner to him. That night, I looked at my father, covered in sweat and coal, and for the first time I knew why he was so often angry for no reason.

Recently my father’s friend, Toby Workman, walked me there. I knew my father never wanted me to see it. At every station, he described the job and the danger. It was like listening to a foreign language. I walked past many DANGER signs. Toby put his hand on my shoulder. “Look”, he said, “you need to understand something. Your dad was a maintenance mechanic. He worked the most dangerous job. If something broke, he fixed it.”

A few days later, my daughter graduated from college. I gave her the hard hat Toby handed to me as I left, and this note: “Whenever you feel something difficult, put this on, look in the mirror, and remember your roots.”

1. How many siblings does the author most probably have?

A．Three siblings	B．Two siblings
C．Five siblings	D．Four siblings

2. Which of the following is true about the author’s father?

A．He didn’t suffer a heart attack until he retired.

B．He worked in Plant C for 48 years in all.

C．He was hardly angry in his daily life.

D．He did physical work in Plant C.

3. When Toby Workman described the author’s father’s job, the author ______.

A．felt familiar with the job	B．didn’t quite understand
C．wanted to learn a foreign language	D．decided to do the same work

4. The author gave her daughter the hat to hope that her daughter could ______.

A．remember her grandfather	B．overcome all difficulties
C．get encouraged by her grandfather	D．follow her grandfather’s work

【推荐2】When the economy is bad. I stop and remember a story about my great-grandmother.

In 1992, Dad graduated from high school. The depression was at its darkest stage and the family had just lost their farm. Without money, any dreams of going to college seemed hopeless.

But a recruiter from an excellent college called Carleton, 230 miles away in Minnesota, came to his town looking for potential students. Dad had been an outstanding athlete and was a straight-A student all through high school, excelling in math and science. The recruiter was impressed and Dad won a scholarship to attend Carleton. But there were obstacles, no transportation, and not a penny for food. He didn’t want to miss out on this opportunity of a lifetime, but there were no jobs to earn money. Discouraged, he feared he might not be able to go to Carleton.

It was then that my great-grandma took control. She said. “You have to stop thinking so negatively. It’s not what you don’t have; it’s what you do have. And what you have is a scholarship, the ability to work hard.”

And then she looked her wrinkled hands that had labored for 83 years, and dug into the folds of her long skirt, withdrawing from her pucker a five-dollar bill. She rocked the bill into Dad’s shirt packet. “You take this five dollars. It’s all I have. But with this, and faith in the Almighty, all your needs will be provided for. I’m sure of it.”

With nothing but the clothes on his back and a five-dollar bill in his pocket. Dad set out on the road to his future, leaving his childhood home behind him forever. He hitchhiked 230 miles. Throughout his four years at Carleton, he worked as a dishwasher in a restaurant and eventually married the owner’s daughter, my mother.

Great-grandma died at the age of 90. Her faith never changed. During tough times, I will always remember that nothing is difficult for those who don’t give up.

1. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT right?

A．The economy of the family was badly off then.

B．Dad could go to college with the assistance of the college.

C．Dad didn’t have enough money to buy food.

D．The night was the darkest after Dad’s graduation.

2. What the writer’s great-grandma’s words meant is that ________.

A．he laughs best who laughs last	B．God helps those who help themselves
C．all roads lead to Rome	D．actions speak louder than words

3. Faced with tough times, the author will ________.

A．work harder as a dishwasher in a restaurant

B．wait until others give him a hand

C．use the money to buy what he needs

D．fulfill his task and keep moving forward

【推荐1】阅读理解。

Stressed? It is shown in recent research that walking or cycling to work calms you down (traveling by bus or train is also better than driving).

Walking to work reduces stress and improves brain power, researchers say. Adults who stopped driving the car and started walking or cycling became calmer and found it easier to concentrate. A study of 18,000 Britons found that going to work by train or bus improved their well­being compared with driving.

The study, published in the journal Preventive Medicine, also found that the longer people spent walking or cycling, the happier or less stressed they were. However, stress levels and inability to concentrate worsened if they spent more time in the car.

Lead researcher Adam Martin, from the University of East Anglia's Norwich Medical School, said that despite the crowds and disruption, walking to bus stops or stations and being able to relax on the journey “cheer people up”. Two thirds drive to work, 18 percent use public transport, 11 percent walk and 3 percent cycle.

A research earlier this year found that commuters (乘公共车辆往返者) had small but statistically significant lower scores on all measures of well­being. The worst effects were witnessed in those whose journeys last between 61 and 90 minutes. But when commuting time reaches three hours or more, the negative effects disappear, the report said.

“The effects of commuting on personal well­being are the greatest for anxiety and happiness, suggesting that commuting affects day­to­day emotions more than overall evaluations of satisfaction with life or the sense that daily activities are worthwhile，” the report stated.

Dr Daniel Newman, from Cardiff University's Sustainable Places Research Institute, said, “This report says that many of us, who spend mornings and evenings sitting in traffic jam, already know: commuting can be a chore.”
1. What can be learned from Paragraph 1?

A．Driving for long drives people crazy.

B．Feeling stressed can be predicted.

C．Walking to work helps reduce stress.

D．Travelling by bus makes people excited.

2. Walking to work is something ________.

A．preferred by most people

B．easier to perform in daily life

C．making people more creative

D．beneficial to the sense of happiness

3. What does the underlined word “chore” probably mean?

A．Tiresome task.

B．Amazing challenge.

C．Meaningless thing.

D．Financial trouble.

4. What type of writing is this text?

A．A scientific report.

B．A transportation guide.

C．A policy announcement.

D．A new lifestyle introduction.

【推荐2】Ladies, if you find yourselves wandering an unknown city with a man who is questioning your directional abilities, don’t doubt yourselves.

A   recent   small   study   published   in   the   journal   Psychological   Science   found   that   the longstanding theory that women have a more difficult time reading maps wasn’t true.

Historically, men have performed better than women in studies that tested their spatial(空间的)ability.   But   the   leading study   author   Margaret Tarampi   and a   researcher   from the University of California, Santa Barbara theorized that social influences had an effect on this outcome: The cultural belief that women are worse at reading maps could be seen as a stereotype(固有模式) threat, meaning women believe they’re bad at something, so they perform poorly as a result. The researchers also theorized that women performed better at skills that involve a social element. In other words, if reading a map means helping someone else, they might perform better.

Tarampi and her team tested both theories on undergraduate students at UCSB across three separate experiments. And, indeed, the results showed that men scored better than women only when they were mentioned the stereotype of male superiority before the test.

When the researchers did not mention it and gave a social context for reading the map, women’s scores improved across the board. Women also performed better when the test maps simply included human figures, rather than just random objects and landmarks.

So ladies, next time you struggle to figure out whether you should make a left or right at the Louvre, take out your tourist map with a healthy dose of confidence.

1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?

A．To warn women of one of their shortcomings.

B．To introduce the topic of the passage.

C．To encourage women to read maps.

D．To state a social phenomenon.

2. Women are thought to be worse at reading maps because of .

A．a poor sense of direction	B．a lack of experience
C．a social stereotype	D．threats from others

3. Men performed better than women in the study when .

A．they were asked to help someone else by reading a map

B．they were informed of the stereotype before the test

C．the test maps simply included human figures

D．there were social elements in the map

4. What can be concluded from the passage?

A．Women can read maps as well as men.	B．Women are better drivers than men.
C．Women always have difficulty reading maps.	D．Women are better at spatial ability.

【推荐3】What’s a spacewalk? Any time an astronaut gets out of a spacecraft while in space, it is called a spacewalk. Astronauts go on spacewalks for many reasons. For example, experiments can be placed on the outside of a spacecraft. This lets scientists learn how being in space affects different things. By going on spacewalks, astronauts can also fix certain things instead of bringing them back to the earth to fix.

When astronauts go on spacewalks, they wear spacesuits to keep themselves safe. Inside spacesuits, astronauts have the oxygen they need to breathe and the water they need to drink. To keep the astronauts and the spacecraft safe, the astronauts must leave and go back to the spacecraft through a special door. When on a spacewalk, astronauts use safety tethers to stay close to their spacecraft, which connect the spacewalkers with the spacecraft. They keep astronauts from floating away into space. Another way astronauts stay safe during spacewalks is by wearing a SAFER. SAFER is worn like a backpack. It helps an astronaut move around in space.

How do astronauts train for spacewalks? One way is by going for a swim. Floating in space is a lot like floating in water. Astronauts practice spacewalks underwater in a huge special swimming pool. For every one hour they will spend on a spacewalk, astronauts need to train seven hours in the pool. Another way astronauts practice for a spacewalk is by using virtual reality(虚拟视镜). It looks and feels just like a spacewalk.

Today, only three countries have finished spacewalks independently. They are Russia, the United States and China. The first person to go on a spacewalk in the world was Alexei Leonov from Russia. Zhai Zhigang is the first Chinese astronaut to go on a spacewalk. The world record of spacewalks is held by Russian astronaut Anatoly Solovyev. He has been on 16 spacewalks and spent more than 82 hours outside in space.

1. What can an astronaut do by going on a spacewalk?

A．Fix different objects.	B．Collect any things he wants.
C．Carry out an experiment.	D．Study how things changes in space.

2. What does the underlined word “tethers” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Special ropes.	B．Spacesuits.
C．Spacecraft.	D．Special backpacks.

3. What can we learn from the last two paragraphs?

A．Walking in space is as easy as going swimming.	B．A virtual reality should be used in a spacewalk.
C．Only three countries have ever tried spacewalks.	D．Russia keeps the world record of spacewalks.

4. Where is this passage most likely from?

A．A diary.

B．A magazine.

C．A novel.

D．A guidebook.

【推荐1】On my first job as a sports editor for the Montpelier Leader Enterprise (MLE), I didn’t get a lot of fan mail, so my attention was caught by a letter on my desk one morning. The envelope bore the logo of the closest big-city paper, the Toledo Blade.

When I opened it, I read, “ Sweet piece of writing on the Tigers. Keep up the good work.”

It was signed by Don Wolfe, the sports editor. Because I was a teenager (being paid the grand total of 15 cents a column inch), his words could not have been more exciting. I kept the letter in my desk drawer until it got rag-eared. Whenever I doubted I had the right stuff to be a writer, I would reread Don’s note and walk on air again.

Later, when I got to know him, I learned that Don made a habit of writing a quick, encouraging word to people in all walks of life. “When I make others feel good about themselves,” he told me, “I feel good, too.”

Why are upbeat note writers in such short supply? My guess is that many who shy away from the practice are too self-conscious. They are afraid they will be misunderstood, sound old-fashioned or flattering. Also, writing takes time and it is far easier to pick up the phone. The drawback with phone calls, of course, is that they do not last. A note attaches more importance to our well-wishing. It is a matter of record, and our words can be read more than once, appreciated, and treasured.

What does it take to write notes that lift spirits and hearts? Perhaps just a desire and a willingness to express our appreciation. The most successful people write notes that are short on words and long on feeling, sincere, short, specific, and usually spontaneous (自发的) in nature.

It is difficult to be spontaneous, however, when you have to hunt for letter writing materials; so, keep paper, envelopes, and stamps close at hand, even when you travel. Fancy stationery (文具) is not necessary; it’s the thought that counts.

So, who around you deserves a note of thanks or approval? A neighbor, your librarian, a relative, your mate, a teacher, or your doctor? You do not need to be poetic. If you need a reason, look for a milestone, the anniversary of a special event you shared, a birthday, or holiday, and do not hold back your praise. Such words as “greatest” “smartest” “prettiest” make us all feel good. Even if your praises run a little ahead of reality, remember that expectations are often the parents of dreams fulfilled.

1. What kind of feeling did the author have after he read the letter from Don Wolfe？

A．Inspired.

B．Worry.

C．Shock.

D．Unhappy.

2. According to the author, many people don’t write upbeat notes mainly because they are ______.

A．afraid of being out of date	B．too shy to flatter others
C．prepared to make phone calls	D．too concerned about what others think

3. It can be learned from the last paragraph that ______.

A．praises often run ahead of reality	B．praises help in pursuing a dream
C．parents often write upbeat notes	D．parents expect children’s success

4. Which is the best title for the passage?

A．The Power of a Positive Note	B．Notes Help to Fulfill Dreams
C．The Necessity of Writing Notes	D．Note or Phone, Your Own Choice

【推荐2】Tricia Hurt, her husband Brian, and their son Brady were out enjoying a fishing adventure on Marsh -Miller Lake in Wisconsin when they found a baby bear in huge suffering. According to locals in the area , the little bear had been running on land with a plastic tub on his head for three to four days, but he somehow got into the water, worsening his condition.

The bear could be seen swimming in fear and shifting away from the family as they edged the boat closer. He was terrified, but the tub was quickly filling with water and he was in danger of drowning.

“Go a little faster, Brady. Get in front of him,” Tricia instructed her son to navigate the boat closer to the animal. Brian got close to the bear and tried to pull the tub out, but it had become too slippery. Brian lost his control, but he wasn't discouraged because the bear's ear had managed to come loose. That meant the plastic wasn’t impossibly stuck and he just had to get closer.

The rescue lasted about five minutes and they made several attempts before the tub finally came off. Brady circled the boat around to the bear and his father gave one last try that set the animal free. Once it came off, the bear was able to swim easily to the shore and catch a much-needed break.

The family was extremely relieved as Tricia called out to the sailing animal, “Swim happy.”

“We were so excited! We did our good deed lor the day. We will never ever do this again, and it felt good to help the poor bear. You don't like to see animals struggle." Tricia later said in an interview.

When the Hurts returned to their resort, everyone offered their gratitude. Tracy, a local, said, "no one else had been able to help the bear for several days as it struggled with the deadly tub over its head. We need more people like the Hurts!"

1. What happened to the bear?

A．He was drowned on the lake.	B．He was hurt by hunters.
C．He got a tub on the head.	D．He got trapped by the locals«

2. Who pulled out the tub?

A．Tracy.

B．Tricia.

C．Brian.

D．Brady.

3. What drove the family to help the bear?

A．A curious mind.	B．The gratitude for animals.
C．The reward by locals.	D．A sympathetic heart.

4. Which of the following can be the best tide for the text?

A．Family Outing-Timely Rescue	B．Tubs Banned-Animals Saved
C．Never Too Late to Save Animals	D．An Exciting Family Adventure

【推荐3】For grown-ups, an afternoon snooze (打盹) is often easier said than done. But many of us have probably experienced just how simple it can be to catch some sleep in a gently rocking hammock (吊床). By examining brain waves in sleeping adults, researchers reported in the June 21 issue of Current Biology, a Cell Press publication, that they now have evidence to explain why that is.

“It is a common belief that rocking causes sleep: we fall asleep in a rocking chair soon and, since ancient times, we cradle our babies to sleep,” said Sophie Schwartz of the University of Geneva. “Yet, how this works had remained a mystery. The goal of our study was made up of two parts: to test whether rocking does indeed improve sleep, and to understand how this might work at the brain level.”

Schwartz, Michel Mühlethaler, and their colleagues Laurence Bayer and Irina Constantinescu asked twelve adult volunteers to nap on a custom­made bed or “experimental hammock” that could either remain still or rock gently. All participants were good sleepers who didn’t typically nap and did not suffer from excessive sleepiness during the day. Each participant took two 45•minute afternoon naps, one with the bed still and one with the bed in motion, while their brain activity was monitored.

“We observed a faster transition to sleep in each and every subject in the swinging condition,” Mühlethaler said. “Surprisingly, we also observed a dramatic boosting of certain types of sleep­related brain waves.”

More specifically, rocking increased the length of stage N2 sleep, a form of non•rapid eye movement sleep that normally occupies about half of a good night’s sleep. The rocking bed also had a lasting effect on brain activity, increasing slow brain waves and bursts of activity known as sleep spindles (纺锤体).

Schwartz and Mühlethaler say the next step is to find out whether rocking can improve longer periods of sleep and to find out whether it may be useful for the treatment of sleep disorders, such as insomnia (失眠).

1. What does the June 21 issue of Current Biology tell us according to Paragraph 1?

A．It is more difficult for grown•ups to fall asleep.

B．People today like to sleep in a rocking hammock.

C．Many people nowadays suffer from excessive sleepiness.

D．There comes the evidence for why rocking benefits people’s sleep.

2. What can we learn from Sophie Schwartz’s words?

A．Her team aimed to answer two questions.

B．The study is going to benefit babies a lot.

C．The study had been kept secret before being finished.

D．People used to believe rocking was bad for sleep.

3. What finding was beyond the researchers’ expectation?

A．The rocking seemed to improve participants’ sleep quality.

B．All the participants fell asleep faster in the swinging condition.

C．Some participants couldn’t fall asleep in the swinging condition.

D．Participants had a tendency to sleep excessively in the swinging bed.

4. What is the best title?

A．Take a Snooze Easier Said than Done

B．Want a Faster Sleep? Change Your Sleeping Habits

C．Need a Nap? Find Yourself a Hammock

D．Suffer from Sleep Disorder? New Treatment Found