【推荐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 (葬礼) 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.

What is the purpose of this text?

A．To introduce a book.	B．To explain a cultural phenomenon.
C．To remember a writer.	D．To recommend a travel destination.

【推荐2】Born in France, but raised in Spain, linguistics and literature professor Juan José Ciruela Alferez from the University of Granada is passionate about Chinese literature and has been doing some research about it. With painstaking effort, his Spanish translation of a Chinese classic was published last year.

Ciruela said translating the novel was an interesting challenge. In recent years, many Chinese works have been introduced to Spain. However, as most of them had been translated first into English and then from that language into Spanish, much of the originality was lost. For this reason, when the Spanish publishing house Kailas contacted Ciruela to translate it directly from Chinese, he accepted the mission immediately, even if it presented difficulties like a heavy workload within a short time limit.

“I encountered various difficulties, especially at the beginning of the task,” said Ciruela in an interview. “This novel, in particular, needs a prior reading process in which the translator gets into the plot and the characters, since at first it is difficult to enter the world that the novel constantly raises. So I read the novel first in Chinese, paying attention to all those details and how all of that could be translated in a way that the Spanish readers would understand. ”

For Ciruela, the most important criterion when translating is fidelity (忠诚) to the original text. While it is true that one cannot always be strictly faithful, he believes translators should not be too far from original texts. For example, the translation of culturemes (expressions of culture in language)is quite complicated due to the cultural gap between Spanish and Chinese. Ciruela believes that these must always be appropriate to the specific function they perform within the text, in each specific case and moment.

What aspect of the translation task does paragraph 3 mainly talk about?

A．Its barrier.

B．Its principle.

C．Its style.

D．Its meaning.

【推荐3】In 1812, the year Charles Dickens was born, there were 66 novels published in Britain. People had been writing novels for a century—most experts date the first novel to Robinson Crusoe in 1719 — but nobody wanted to do it professionally. The steam-powered printing press was still in its early stages; the literacy (识字) rate in England was under 50%. Many works of fiction appeared without the names of the authors, often with something like “By a lady”. Novels, for the most part, were looked upon as silly, immoral, or just plain bad.

In 1870, when Dickens died, the world mourned him as its first professional writer and publisher, famous and beloved, who had led an explosion in both the publication of novels and their readership and whose characters — from Oliver Twist to Tiny Tim — were held up as moral touchstones. Today Dickens’ greatness is unchallenged. Removing him from the pantheon (名人堂) of English literature would make about as much sense as the Louvre selling off the Mona Lisa.

How did Dickens get to the top? For all the feelings readers attach to stories, literature is a number’s game, and the test of time is extremely difficult to pass. Some 60,000 novels were published during the Victorian age, from 1837 to 1901; today a casual reader might be able to name a half-dozen of them. It’s partly true that Dickens’ style of writing attracted audiences from all walks of life. It’s partly that his writings rode a wave of social, political and scientific progress. But it’s also that he rewrote the culture of literature and put himself at the center. No one will ever know what mix of talent, ambition, energy and luck made Dickens such a singular writer. But as the 200th anniversary of his birth approaches, it is possible — and important for our own culture — to understand how he made himself a lasting one.

Dickens is compared with the Mona Lisa in the text to stress ________.

A．his reputation in France

B．his interest in modern art

C．his success in publication

D．his importance in literature

【推荐1】Read the passage and find out why the man is standing outside the shop.

After Twenty Years

The short story “After Twenty Years” is set in New York on a cold, dark night. Most people have left work to go home, and this part of the city is now quiet. A policeman who is checking the area sees a man outside a shop. He goes up to the man and finds he has a scar on his face. They have a chat and the man starts to tell his story.

1. “Twenty years ago tonight,” said the man, “I dined here at ‘Big Joe’ Brady’s with Jimmy Wells, my best chum, and the finest chap in the world. He and I were raised here in New York, just like two brothers, together. I was eighteen and Jimmy was twenty. The next morning I was to start for the West to make my fortune. You couldn’t have dragged Jimmy out of New York; he thought it was the only place on earth. Well, we agreed that night that we would meet here again exactly twenty years from that date and time, no matter what our conditions might be or from what distance we might have to come. We figured that in twenty years each of us ought to have our destiny worked out and our fortunes made, whatever they were going to be.”

2. “It sounds pretty interesting,” said the policeman. “Rather a long time between meets, though, it seems to me. Haven’t you heard from your friend since you left?”

3. “Well, yes, for a time we corresponded,” said the other. “But after a year or two we lost track of each other. You see, the West is a pretty big proposition, and I kept hustling around over it pretty lively. But I know Jimmy will meet me here if he’s alive, for he always was the truest, staunchest old chap in the world. He’ll never forget. I came a thousand miles to stand in this door tonight, and it’s worth it if my old partner turns up.”

(Excerpts from “After Twenty Years” by O. Henry)

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

【推荐3】The Million Pound Bank Note

Narrator: Two rich brothers, Roderick and Oliverhave made a bet. Oliver believes that with a million-pound bank note a mancould live a month in London. His brother Roderick doubts it. They see a poor young man walking outside their house. It is Henry Adams.
Roderick: Young man, would you step inside amoment, please?
Henry: Who? Me, sir?
Roderick: Yes, you.
Servant: (opening a door) Good morning, sir. Would you please come in?
(Henry enters the house.)
Roderick: How do you do, Mr ... er ...?
Henry: Adams. Henry Adams.
Oliver: Come and sit down, Mr Adams.
Henry: Thank you.
Roderick: You're an American?
Henry: That's right, from San Francisco.
Roderick: May we ask what you're doing in this country and what your plans are?
Henry: Well, I can't say that I have any plans.As a matter of fact, I landed in Britain by accident.
Oliver: How is that possible?
Henry: Well, I had my own boat. About a month ago, I was sailing, and towards night. I found myself carried out to sea by astrong wind. The next morning I was spotted by a ship.
Oliver: And it was the ship that brought you to England.
Henry: Yes, I went to the American consulate to seek help, but ... Anyway, I didn't dare to try again. (The brothers smile at eachother;)
Roderick: Well, you mustn't worry about that. It's an advantage.
Henry: I'm afraid I don't quite follow you, sir.
Roderick: Tell us, what sort of work did you do in America?
Henry: I worked for a mining company. Could you offer me work here?
Roderick: Patience. lf you don't mind, may I ask youhow much money you have?
Henry: Well, to be honest, I have none.
Oliver: (happily) What luck! Brother, what luck!
Henry:Well, it may seem lucky to you but not to me! If this is your idea of some kind of joke, I don't think it's very funny. Now if you'll excuse me, I ought to be on myway.
Roderick: Please don't go. You mustn't think we don't care about you. Oliver, give him the letter.
Oliver: Yes, I was about to go get the letter. Wait! (getting it from a desk and giving it to Henry) The letter.
Henry: (taking it carefully) For me?
Roderick: For you. (Henry starts to open it.) Oh, no, you'd better not open it. You can't open ituntil two o'clock.
Henry: Oh, this is silly.
Roderick: Not silly. There's money in it.
Henry: Oh, no. I don't want your charity. I just want a job that earns an honest income.
Roderick: We know you're hard-working. That's why we've given you the letter. (to the servant) Show Mr Adams out.
Henry: Well, why don't you explain what this is all about?
Roderick: You'll soon know. In exactly an hour and a half.
Servant: This way, sir.
Roderick: Not until 2 o'clock. Promise?
Henry: Promise. Goodbye.
1. Identify True or False
(1)Henry opened the letter before 2 o’clock._________
(2)Henry felt unhappy when the two brothers gave him the letter. _________
(3)Roderick believed that with a million pound bank note a man could survive a month. _________
(4)Henry only wanted a job because he was penniless in London. _________
(5)The two brothers would like to offer him a job. _________
2. What’s the main idea of the passage?

A．Two rich gentlemen made a bet on a million pound bank note.

B．How did Henry Adams land in London?

C．Henry Adams was puzzled about the note.

D．Why did the two rich gentlemen choose Henry Adams?

3. What happened to Henry when he was sailing out of the bay?

A．His boat sank in a storm at sea.

B．He was carried out to sea by a strong wind.

C．He was attacked by some bad men at sea.

D．He jumped into the sea to kill himself.

4. After reading the text, we can find that _________.

A．Henry Adams owned a large mining company

B．Henry Adams paid nothing for the trip to Britain

C．Henry Adams opened the letter at once

D．Henry Adams was an American who lived in New York