Mark Twain, the famous American writer, liked to play jokes on others. But once a joke was played on him.
One day Mark Twain was asked to give a talk in a small town. At lunch he met a young man he knew who told him that he had an uncle who never laughed or smiled.
The young man told Mark Twain that nobody and nothing could possibly make his uncle smile or laugh.
“You bring your uncle to my talk tonight,” said Mark Twain. “I’m sure I can make him laugh.”
That evening the young man and his uncle sat in the first row. Mark Twain spoke directly at the old man. He told some rather interesting stories, which made everyone in the hall laugh. But the old man never even smiled. Mark Twain told the most interesting stories he knew. But the old man’s face was still a blank. At last Mark Twain stopped. He felt tired and discouraged.
Some days later, Mark Twain told a friend of his about what had happened. “Oh,” said his friend, “I know that old man. He has been deaf for years.”
1. Which of the following statement is NOT true?| A．Mark Twain could make everyone in the hall laugh except the old man. |
| B．Mark Twain liked to play jokes on others |
| C．Mark Twain was an English writer. |
| D．Once a young man played a joke on Mark Twain. |
| A．his uncle liked to listen to Mark Twain’s talk |
| B．his uncle could not possibly be made to laugh or smile |
| C．his uncle never laughed at people |
| D．his uncle liked laughed |
| A．to bring his uncle to lunch | B．to ask his uncle to talk there that night |
| C．he could make his uncle laugh | D．to sit in the first row with his uncle |
| A．the old man | B．the young man |
| C．Mark Twain himself | D．a friend of Mark Twain’s |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Anecdotes (趣闻) from around the world
A Lego wheelchair (乐高轮椅) for a turtle
An injured turtle that suffered a cracked shell is learning to get around again thanks to a wheelchair, made completely from Lego.
The 18-year-old turtle was found fighting for its life in the middle of the road by staff at the Maryland Zoo on their way to work. The zoo’s vets tried to fix his shell. They tried many kinds of materials to keep the turtle’s shell off the ground, but they did not work well. So the idea of Lego came about.
A school made from trash in Cambodia
Ouk Vandey, known as the “rubbish teacher”, teaches students in a classroom with walls made from painted used car tires (轮胎) at the Coconut School in Kampong Speu Province, Cambodia.
The school is almost completely built out of trash. At the entrance of the school, plastic bottles are shaped and colored like a Cambodian flag. On the left are used coffee cups and bottles to protect the building from rain. Ouk Vandey, a former hotel manager, dreams of a waste-free Cambodia in the future.
The man travelling most on Earth
Babis Bizas has been called the person travelling most in the world, as he has visited 195 countries in the past 40 years.
Babis Bizas has traveled since he was a student. He followed a group of young backpackers to India in his 20s. When his money was about to run out, he found a job on a Greek ship. Bizas is a fan of unusual places. Travelers, who wanted someone to lead their tours to places where no tourist infrastructure (基础设施) was available, followed him.
1. Who discovered the injured turtle?| A．Some Lego lovers. | B．The Maryland Zoo’s staff. |
| C．The Maryland Zoo’s vets. | D．The Maryland Zoo’s visitors. |
| A．He dreams of a waste-free Cambodia. |
| B．He built the trash school all by himself. |
| C．He encourages students to collect rubbish. |
| D．He teaches in a school built mainly with trash. |
| A．He also travels as a tour leader. |
| B．He enjoys traveling with others. |
| C．He hopes to improve tourist infrastructure. |
| D．He fell in love with traveling after graduation. |
【推荐2】Abdul Holik’s walk to school is anything but ordinary. The eight-year-old was born with a physical disability that resulted in his feet and legs severely deformed (变形). Each day, he has to make his way through steep paths and rocky surfaces with a pack tied to his back and his hands slipped into a pair of sandals (拖鞋).
His mother, Pipin, remembers when Abdul begged to send him to school. He desired to learn to read and be like everyone else. She was confused at first because she wasn’t sure which school would take him in. Finally she found a school located six kilometers away that accepted Abdul despite his limitations. Pipin thought it was impossible for her son to attend the school as there are no bus services at their small village. But the family was determined. They taught Abdul to walk on his hands. At first, Pipin would accompany Abdul to school every day but now he makes it himself. When the rainy season arrives, the road is slippery and dangerous. On days like that, his parents try to use motorcycle taxis, which depends on whether they have the money to spare. If there is no money, Abdul continues his crawl (爬行) to school by hand.
At school, Abdul’s principal Epi sees huge potential in Abdul. “We see he can follow along in the classroom just fine and he has no problems socializing with others,” said Epi. His teachers describe him as a child with enthusiasm and effort in schoolwork. Despite his limitations, Abdul is active in extracurricular activities, especially in sports.
He wants to attend university in the big city. His dream is to become a firefighter because he wants to help people in need. He has other ideals, namely becoming a doctor. For him, the goal is also to help other people, especially those who experience pain.
Abdul continues to struggle for his dreams. His love for life and learning has given him the opportunity to go far and his support system is pushing him further into his bright future.
1. What was Pipin’s initial concern about Abdul’s schooling?| A．Limited family budget. |
| B．Lack of available transportation. |
| C．A long distance from their village. |
| D．Uncertainty of school admission. |
| A．Abdul’s teachers think highly of him. |
| B．Abdul’s disability ruined his schooling. |
| C．Abdul walked to school himself in the past. |
| D．Abdul spends more time on sports than schoolwork. |
| A．Active and honest. |
| B．Humorous and optimistic. |
| C．Confident and adventurous. |
| D．Determined and enthusiastic. |
| A．Abdul’s dream of helping people in need. |
| B．Abdul’s inspiring journey in persuing education. |
| C．The challenges in Abdul’s daily life at school. |
| D．The struggles of Abdul’s family for supporting his studying. |
【推荐3】Not too long ago a thirty-year-old financial analyst was complaining to me over a period of months about her tendency to procrastinate (拖延) in her job. We had worked through her feelings about her employers and how they related to her feelings about authority in general, and to her parents specifically. We had examined her attitudes toward work and success and how these related to her marriage, her sexual identity, her desire to compete with her husband, and her fears of such competition. Yet despite all this standard psychoanalytic (精神分析的) work, she continued to procrastinate as much as ever Finally one day, we dared to look at the obvious.
"Do you like cakes?" I asked her.
She replied that she did.
"Which part of the cake do you like better," I went on, " the cake or the frosting (糖霜)? "
"Oh, the frosting!" she responded enthusiastically.
"And how do you eat a piece of cake?" I inquired, feeling that I must be the silliest psychiatrist that ever lived.
"I cat the frosting first, of course," she replied.
From her cake-eating habits we went on to examine her work habits and as was to be expected we discovered that on any given day she would devote the first hour to the more satisfying half of her work while the remaining six hours to the objectionable (令人反感的) another half.
I suggested that if she were to force herself to finish the unpleasant part of her job during the first hour, she would then be free to enjoy the other six.
It seemed to me, I explained, that one hour of pain followed by six hours of pleasure was preferable to one hour of pleasure followed by six hours of pain. She agreed, and, being basically a person of strong will, she no longer procrastinated.
Delaying satisfaction is a process of scheduling the pain and pleasure of life in such a way as to improve the pleasure by meeting and experiencing the pain first and getting it over with. It is the only good way to live.
1. Why did the author ask about her friend’s cake-eating habits?| A．To have a relaxing chat with her. |
| B．To know more about her habits in her life and work. |
| C．To share their favorite food. |
| D．to find out something obvious. |
| A．Forcing herself to finish the unpleasant part of the job. |
| B．Being free to enjoy the job. |
| C．Experiencing and overcoming the pain first. |
| D．Being a person of strong will. |
| A．A Friend's problem | B．Delaying your satisfaction |
| C．Experience the pain | D．A cake in life |
【推荐1】Author Walter Dean Myers died at the age of 76 after a brief illness. Walter Dean Myers was the author of more than 100 books for children and young adults and received many top awards.
The prolific author was loved for his vivid description of the lives of African American children, and for writing books for young people that covered different subjects. “Myers has written about all those subjects with deep understanding and a hard-won, qualified sense of hope” said Leonard S. Marcus in 2008.
He was born in 1937 and was adopted by Florence Dean and Herbert after his mother died while giving birth to his younger sister. They loved him very much and his mother read to him from a very young age. Reading pushed him to discover worlds beyond his landscape.
He began writing at an early age. He wrote well in high school and an English teacher recognized this and advised him to keep on writing no matter what happened to him. “It’s what you do,” she said.
He dropped out of high school at 17 and joined the army. After finishing his service, he entered a dark period in his life. Myers began writing at night to pull himself through that miserable time.
In an essay published in The New York Times earlier this year, Myers described how a short story by James Arthur Baldwin helped change the course of his life. “I didn’t love the story, but I was lifted by it,” he wrote, “for it took place in Harlem, and it was a story concerned with black people like those I knew. By humanizing the people who were like me, Baldwin’s story also humanized me. The story gave me a permission that I didn’t know I needed, the permission to write about my own landscape, my own map.”
“I write books or the troubled boy I once was,” he wrote, “and for the boy who lives within me still.”
1. What does the second paragraph mainly talk about?| A．How popular Myers was. |
| B．How Myers became successful. |
| C．What makes Myers’ works popular. |
| D．What people think of Myers’ works. |
| A．James Arthur Baldwin. | B．His mother. |
| C．Leonard S. Marcus. | D．One of his teachers. |
| A．Productive. | B．Unfortunate. | C．Enthusiastic. | D．Humorous. |
| A．It helped him survive the dark period. |
| B．It inspired him to pursue his writing career. |
| C．He learned many writing techniques from it. |
| D．The author of the story permitted him to write. |
【推荐2】Nicolas Mathieu has won France's top literary award, the Goncourt Prize, this year for Their Children After Them, a portrait of teenagers growing up in a forgotten, hopeless area of France in the 19903. The novel follows the teenagers across four summers both their ups—such as a first love—and their many downs, as they try to escape the area.
The winner receives a symbolic prize of 10 euros, but the award usually results in a huge sales increase. "It is quite a dizzying moment," the 40-year-old Mathieu said in a telephone interview. "Writing is a lonely activity, and suddenly I am in the middle of the spotlight. "Mathieu's book has been popular in France for shining a light on a forgotten part of the country
Mathieu grew up in a small town in eastern France, the son of an electrical mechanic and an accountant. He witnessed the impacts of deindustrialization. The novel is not based on his own childhood, but he said "I know that place". He has been influenced by American authors such as John Steinbeck and Larry Brown. he added. and hoped that would be obvious to any reader.
Their Children After Them is not trying to provide a solution to the area's problems, Mathien added. "I wanted to say what it's like to grow up in a world that is finished. with an inheritance you don't want, in a place where you are very far from the big city. " Mathieu said, "I wanted to speak for those people, not to judge, but to understand. They have a lot of problems, but they have a bit of freedom and they can keep trying to succeed."
The award comes at a time of growing disappointment in France with President Emmanuel Macron's efforts to reform the economy, which are seen as favoring the rich. "Macron should read this book," one of the prize's judges said.
1. What is true about Their Children After Them according to the passage?| A．It has won the best literary award in the world this year. |
| B．It is likely to be sold better in the market after the award. |
| C．It describes the childhood of Nicolas Mathieu in a France town. |
| D．It is to offer answers to solving the area's problems in France. |
| A．Because he wanted to show honor to authors like John Steinbeck and Larry Brown. |
| B．Because he wanted to speak for the teenagers in a forgotten,hopeless area of France. |
| C．Because he wanted to prove that he ought to get the popularity as a famous writer. |
| D．Because he wanted to win the Goncourt Prize so that he could earn a large sum of bonus. |
| A．Optimistic. | B．Sympathetic. | C．Indifferent | D．Doubtful |
【推荐3】Chinese writer Mo Yan has won the 2012 Nobel Prize in Literature, announced the Swedish Academy in Stockholm on Thursday. The win makes Mo Yan the first Chinese citizen to win the Nobel in its history. Informed of his win today, the author, who was having dinner at home, was “overjoyed and scared”.
Born in 1955 to parents who were farmers, Mo Yan - a pen name for Guan Moye, grew up in Gaomi, Shandong province in eastern China. At the age of 12, he left school to work, first in agriculture, later in a factory. In 1976 he joined the army and during this time began to study literature and writing.
He published his first book in 1981, but found literary success in 1987 with Hong Gaoliang Jiazu, which was successfully filmed in the same year, directed by famous Chinese director Zhang Yimou. In his writing, Mo Yan draws on his youthful experiences and on settings in the province of his birth and his works show the life of Chinese people as well as the country’s unique culture and folk customs. Mo Yan is known as a productive writer. In addition to his novels, he has published many short stories and essays on various topics. Despite his social criticism, he is seen in his homeland as one of the most famous contemporary authors. Dozens of his works have been translated into English, French, Japanese and many other languages.
The awarding ceremony has been held on December 10. The winner has won a medal, a personal diploma and a cash award of about $ 1 million.
1. How did Mo Yan feel when he was told about the news?| A．Excited and proud | B．Worried and cautious |
| C．Uncertain and shocked | D．Happy and surprised |
| A．on a farm | B．in a factory | C．in a school | D．in the army |
| A．focuses on social problems in the country |
| B．writes about topics he is familiar with |
| C．describes his characters in a unique way |
| D．explains difficult matters in simple words |
My housetraining was a long process, because you were terribly busy, but we worked on that together. We went for long walks, runs in the park and car rides. We stopped for ice cream. I took long naps in the sun waiting for you to come home at the end of the day.
Gradually, you began spending more time at work and on your career, and more time searching for a human mate. Eventually, you fell in love. She, now your wife, is not a dog person, but I still welcomed her into our home. I was happy because you were happy. Then the human babies came along and I shared your excitement, I was fascinated by their pinkness, how they smelled, and I wanted to mother them too. Your wife was afraid I would bite them. But nevertheless, as they began to grow, I became their friend.
Now, you have a new job in another city and you and they will be moving to an apartment that does not allow pets. You've made the right decision for your “family”, but there was a time when I was your only family.
I was excited about the car ride until we arrived at the dog pound. It smelled of dogs and cats, of fear, of hopelessness. You filled out the paperwork and said, “I know you will find a good home for her.” They shrugged and gave you a pained look. The children were in tears as they waved me goodbye. And “How could you?” were the only three words that swept over my mind.
Is it better to live with hope or without hope? At first, whenever anyone passed my pen (围栏), I rushed to the front, hoping it was you, that you had changed your mind and that this was all a bad dream.
My beloved master, I will think of you and wait for you forever. I hope you receive more faithfulness from your family than you showed to me.
1. Who tells this story?
| A．A child. | B．A dog. | C．A dog's owner. | D．A dog trainer. |
| A．He had a newborn baby. |
| B．His wife did not like the dog. |
| C．He thought the dog too troublesome. |
| D．He was moving into a new building. |
| A．It hoped to be adopted by another family. |
| B．It did not trust humans any more. |
| C．It continued to love its former owner. |
| D．It was excited about the pound. |
| A．Be faithful to those who love you. |
| B．Never expect too much. |
| C．Be positive about life. |
| D．Be ready for changes. |
【推荐2】As children, we dream of growing older; when we are older, we dream of being children. The harder you yearn for time, the faster it passes. This is how my story begins.
One day in October of my freshman year, I decided to take the long way home. I needed time to think. So off I went, walking through the grass. That was how I came to find a gap in the fence lining the school property, I passed through this gap and followed the treeline until I found myself in the far fields behind the neighborhood.
Suddenly, I remembered it was here through the fence between the school and the fields that I watched older kids having their high .school graduation ceremony. In cap and gown, standing in the field, they looked like they were having the most fun I had ever seen anyone have; they looked free.
Years later, I walked through that field on my way home from that same high school. The old field felt like a moment trapped in time, a long-forgotten memory. Here I was, standing in between my past and my present and trying so hard to figure out just how all of those years had passed me by so quickly. The gap in the fence seemed like a distinct line between my years.
I've since given this place a name, Tempus Illud. I try to take the long way home at least once a month now. Sometimes, when I cross that bridge, I see that younger version of myself. She is so young and so desperate to speed up time. I see her peering through the fence at those graduates, and she's wishing she could be just like them. She, too, could feel so free that she might just grow wings and fly away. Now I'm preparing to wear the cap and gown in a few short months. But this time, I wish to leave time to its own devices.
The harder you yearn for time, the faster it passes you by. So I no longer yearn. The passage of time is inevitable, and you can't avoid it, but you can appreciate it. The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time.
1. How did the author feel when she saw the older kids' graduation ceremony?| A．Jealous. | B．Curious. | C．Admiring. | D．Unconcerned. |
| A．It shows the miracle of frozen time. | B．It bridges her past, present and future. |
| C．It honors her best childhood memory. | D．It symbolizes high school graduation. |
| A．Procedure. | B．Waste. | C．Recalling. | D．Passing. |
| A．To show that tough times never last. | B．To explain how time changes everything. |
| C．To share her changing attitude toward time. | D．To suggest that time brings the truth to light. |
【推荐3】Callaghan, father of a teenage girl — Emma, couldn’t understand why he had developed a disease which normally affects men twice his age.
“I was by myself,” Callaghan recalled. “I thought it was a kidney stone (肾结石). I was in the doctor’s office for about 45 minutes that day. I don’t remember anything more than one minute of it.” He believed anyone who had his condition would live only 12 months. And he would take tablets every day, possibly for the rest of his life.
Callaghan began finding hope in a small act of love for Emma: handwriting notes of love on a napkin and placing it in her lunch box; nothing unusual or life-changing, just some words of encouragement to Emma to think of during the day. His numbered days meant numbered napkins. “The reason why I started writing notes to her is that I want to matter in her life,” Callaghan said. “I see so many working parents today who give up a lot of their parenting. I want Emma to be able to look at me at whatever age she is and say ‘My dad loves me. I need his advice, I need his love and I trust that my dad’s going to be there.’”
But what started out as a father’s way of showing his daughter his love quickly grew. His idea of sharing his inspirational napkin messages with friends and family on Facebook got a generous response from the media. His new book Napkin Notes shares each message he’s ever sent to his daughter as well as more about his brave battle against cancer and life lessons he hopes Emma and maybe even grown readers can learn.
Now Callaghan is still fighting for his life. “The act of taking a napkin, holding my pen and thinking of something to write down inspires me just as much as I hope it inspires my daughter,” Callaghan said.
1. What doubt did Callaghan have in Para. 1?| A．Why he suffered the disease twice. |
| B．Why he had the disease at an early age. |
| C．Why he had to receive treatment twice. |
| D．Why the disease affected more men than women. |
| A．He felt lucky to be her father. | B．He desired to change her life. |
| C．He decided to number his days in this way. | D．He found it a good way to inspire both of them. |
| A．Creative. | B．Confident. |
| C．Humorous. | D．Patient. |
