The scent of hot bread drifting from the shops along the Street of Flour was sweeter than any perfume Arya had ever smelled. She took a deep breath and stepped closer to the pigeon. It was a plump one, speckled brown, busily pecking at a crust that had fallen between two cobblestones, but when Arya’s shadow touched it, it took to the air.
Her stick sword whistled out and caught it two feet off the ground, and it went down in a flurry of brown feathers. She was on it in the blink of an eye, grabbing a wing as the pigeon flapped and fluttered. It pecked at her hand. She grabbed its neck and twisted until she felt the bone snap.
Compared with catching cats, pigeons were easy.
She tied the pigeon to her belt and started down the street. A man was pushing a load of tarts by on a two-wheeled cart; the smells sang of blueberries and lemons and apricots. Her stomach made a hollow rumbly noise. “Could I have one?” she heard herself say. “A lemon, or…or any kind.”
The pushcart man looked her up and down. Plainly he did not like what he saw. “Three coppers.”
Arya tapped her wooden sword against the side of her boot. “I’ll trade you a fat pigeon,” she said.
“The Others take your pigeon,” the pushcart man said.
The tarts were still warm from the oven. The smells were making her mouth water, but she did not have three coppers... or one. She gave the pushcart man a look, remembering what Syrio had told her about seeing. He was short, with a little round belly, and when he moved he seemed favor his left leg a little. She was just thinking that if she snatched a tart and ran he would never be able to catch her when he said, “You be keeping your filthy hands off. The gold cloaks know how to deal with thieving little gutter rats, that they do.”
Arya glanced warily behind her. Two of the City Watch were standing at the mouth of an alley. Their cloaks hung almost to the ground, the heavy wool dyed a rich gold; their mail and boots and gloves were black. One wore a long sword at his hip, the other an iron cudgel. With a last wistful glance at the tarts, Arya edged back from the cart and hurried off. The gold cloaks had not been paying her any special attention, but the sight of them tied her stomach in knots. Arya had been staying as far from the castle as she could get, yet even from a distance she could see the heads rotting atop the high red walls. Flocks of crows squabbled noisily over each head, thick as flies. The talk in Flea Bottom was that the gold cloaks had associated themselves with the Lannisters, their commander raised to a lord, with lands on the Trident and a seat on the king’s council.
1. The story is set in a place where ______.| A．people raised pigeons | B．only privileged people lived |
| C．people sold and bought food | D．the watchmen received training |
| A．metaphor | B．overstatement |
| C．personification (拟人) | D．rhetoric rhyme |
| A．Remembering people’s appearance so that you can recognize them. |
| B．Perceiving people’s intention so that you can properly talk to them. |
| C．Understanding people’s living conditions so that you can help them. |
| D．Knowing people’ strengths and weaknesses so that you can beat them |
| A．Arya was more hunger than terrified in the story. |
| B．The Lannisters was a big enemy of the gold cloaks. |
| C．The atmosphere of the castle was agreeable and welcome. |
| D．The authority treated the executed people’s dead bodies in a cruel way. |
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Circumstances proved favorable. Mrs. Packletide had offered a thousand rupees (印度卢比) for the opportunity of shooting a tiger without risk or effort, and it happened that an old tiger was frequently coming to a neighboring village at night. He was so old that he couldn’t kill animals in the wild and just satisfied his appetite to the smaller household animals. The villagers were eager to earn the thousand rupees; children were posted night and day in the jungle to watch the tiger, and the cheap goats were left about to keep him from going elsewhere. The one great fear was that he should die of old age before the day of Mrs. Packletide’s shoot.
The great night arrived. A platform had been built in a tree, on which sat Mrs. Packletide and her paid companion, Miss Mebbin. A goat with a loud bleat (咩咩叫) was tied down at the correct distance. With an accurate gun, they waited for the coming of the tiger.
“I suppose we are in some danger?” said Miss Mebbin.
She was not actually nervous about the wild beast, but she was unwilling to perform a bit more service than she had been paid for.
“It’s a very old tiger. It couldn’t spring up here even if it wanted to.” said Mrs. Packletide.
Their conversation was cut short by the appearance of the old tiger. He saw the goat, and lay on the earth for a short rest before attacking.
The gun fired very loudly, and the great yellow beast jumped to one side and then rolled over in the stillness of death. In a moment a crowd of excited villagers appeared on the scene, and their shouting carried the glad news to the village.
It was Miss Mebbin who found that the goat was dying from a bullet-wound, while no wound could be found on the tiger. Evidently the wrong animal had been hit, and the tiger had died of heart-failure, caused by the sudden loud noise of the gun. Mrs. Packletide was annoyed at the discovery; but anyway, she owned a dead tiger, and the villagers, anxious for their thousand rupees, gladly accepted the fiction that she had shot the tiger. And Miss Mebbin was a paid companion. Therefore Mrs. Packletide faced the cameras with a light heart, and her pictures appeared on the newspapers of England and America. As for Loona Bimberton, she refused to look at a newspaper for weeks, and was in a depressed emotion for quite some time.
Mrs. Packletide’s tiger-skin was inspected and admired by the neighbors, and Mrs. Packletide went to the Costume Ball in the character of Diana (狩猎女神).
“How amused everyone would be if they knew what really happened,” said Miss Mebbin a few days after the ball.
“What do you mean?” asked Mrs. Packletide quickly.
“How you shot the goat and frightened the tiger to death,” said Miss Mebbin, with her unpleasant laugh.
“No one would believe it,” said Mrs. Packletide, her face changing color1 rapidly.
“Loona Bimberton would,” said Miss Mebbin.
Mrs. Packletide’s face settled on greenish white. “You surely wouldn’t give me away?” she asked.
“I’ve seen a weekend cottage near Dorking,” said Miss Mebbin, “six hundred and eighty. Quite a bargain, only I don’t happen to have the money.”
Miss Mebbin possessed the pretty weekend cottage. Mrs. Packletide lost interest in animal-hunting.
“The extra expenses are so heavy,” she said to inquiring friends.
1. Mrs. Packletide planned to shoot a tiger because she ________.
| A．would leave India safer | B．hated the wild animal |
| C．admired her good friend | D．disliked a certain person |
| A．eat their goats | B．kill their kids |
| C．die of old age | D．attack them at night |
| A．A platform in a tree | B．A paid companion. |
| C．An accurate gun. | D．A safe shooting. |
| A．The old tiger was shot to death. |
| B．Neither the tiger nor the goat was shot. |
| C．The old tiger missed being shot. |
| D．Both the goat and the tiger were shot. |
【推荐2】I still remember my friends giving me the advice: Try something new. I was stressed and, of course, also on my phone too much. I was writing about food for work, so cooking didn’t really count as a hobby anymore, nor did reading, nor socializing, especially since all of my friends worked in my industry. I needed something in my life that existed apart from all that.
“Maybe something you can do with your hands.” The suggestion felt like an escape exit: Maybe a hobby could free me from my work. Cooking had once been the thing I did to relax when I got home from work, the thing I was curious about, and the thing that made my brain away from its standard complaints. The kitchen had once been a release, but now it was part of my professional life. It needed a replacement. A few months later, I dutifully signed up for a ceramics (制陶艺术) class at a studio near my apartment.
At the studio, I started as a lazy learner, but after a few months I became addicted, signing up for more classes when my term ended. I had a place to go in my free time and something to be curious about, and my goals were unrelated to outer forces: a boss, a job, a market, a reader. Unlike with writing, my progress was quantifiable (可量化的): Now I can make a vase this tall. Now I have made a pot. Now my handles are beautiful. Now I have made two things that more or less look like a pair.
Finally finding a hobby that was just for my own enjoyment was a release. I enjoy having something to do that didn’t involve a screen and therefore felt far from the style of work to which I was most accustomed — hands covered in clay cannot swipe (滑屏) very well. Making time for this also means carving out time, for creation and inspiration, and also for the rest that is required for me to reflect on my life. It is something more than a new hobby. This is the peace that everyone needs in our life.
1. What does the underlined sentence in the first paragraph mean?| A．Cooking meant a lot to her. |
| B．Cooking was her cup of tea. |
| C．Cooking wasn’t a hobby that mattered. |
| D．Cooking wasn’t really a hobby for her. |
| A．The author is too lazy to learn ceramics. | B．The author enjoys the hands-on classes. |
| C．The author is tired of ceramics classes. | D．The author spends much time writing. |
| A．Calm. | B．Confident. |
| C．Excited. | D．Energetic. |
| A．To introduce an interesting hobby. | B．To share a story about a new hobby. |
| C．To show the benefits of having a hobby. | D．To help readers choose a new hobby. |
My father always told me: “All work is noble.” He wasn't wealthy, but he earned a reasonable living. Thanks to his effort, I was able to go to an art college. I, however, wanted to do something different, something more interesting --- I was special!
After graduation, I moved to New York in search of a graphic designer job. It was winter and I only brought money to support myself for about a month. I wasn't worried --- I was sure I'd find a fantastic job immediately.
Within a few weeks, though, I found myself wandering around the streets having been rejected by every design office in town. My hostel rent was almost gone and I hadn't eaten for days. “How had I reached this point?” I wondered as I shuddered in my thin jacket. I was just about to give up when my dad called. He suggested I get a job in a restaurant until something else came along. At first, pride made me hesitate but I was cold, hungry, and unwilling to go home feeling ashamed and defeated.
I entered a cafe near one of the design offices that had turned me away and asked the manager if they were hiring. She said they were shorthanded, and offered me a job right away. Surprisingly, I found that I really enjoyed serving people. I started making big tips right away. Later, the manager learned that I had a design background and asked me to design the cafe menus. That led to a part-time job at an advertising company.
Previously, I had never considered being a waiter, but there I was. I eventually got my dream design job, but that winter I learned not to make assumptions(假定; 设想) about work.
1. Why did the author go to New York after graduation? (no more than 10 words)2. What does the underlined word “shuddered” mean? (no more than 3 words)
3. Where did the author get a job to support his life after calling his father? (no more than 10 words)
4. How did the author find his job as a waiter? (no more than 5 words)
5. What can you learn from the author's experience? (no less than 10 words and no more than 25 words)
【推荐1】Then the servant knocked in a very guarded manner; the door was opened on the chain; and a voice asked from within, “Is that you, Poole?”
“It’s all right ,”said Poole,” Open the door.”
The hall, when they entered it , was brightly lighted up/The whole of the servants ,men and women, stood crowded together like a flock of sheep .At the sight of Mr. Utterson, the housemaid broke into crying hysterically but softly; and the cook , crying out” Bless God! It’s Mr. Utterson,” ran forward as if to take him in her arms.” What, what? Are you all here?” said the lawyer impatiently.” Very irregular, very unseemly; your master would be far from pleased.”
“They’re all afraid,” said Poole.
Blank silence followed , no one protesting; only the maid lifted her voice and now wept loudly.
“I told your tongue!” Poole said to her, with a violent accent that proved his own anxiety; and indeed , when the girl had so suddenly raised the note of her mourning, they had all started and turned towards the inner door with faces of dreadful expectation.” And now,” continued the servant, addressing the knife-boy,” reach me a candle, and we’ll get this through hands at once.” And then he begged Mr. Utterson to follow him, and led the way to the back garden.
“Now , sir,” said he ,“you come as gently as you can . I want you to hear, and I don’t want you to be heard. And see here , sir, if by any chance he was to ask you in ,don’t go.”
Mr. Utterson’s nerves gave a jerk that nearly threw him from his balance; but he recollected his courage and followed the servant to the foot of the stair. Here Poole signed to him to stand on one side and listen ;while he himself, setting down the candle and making a great and obvious call on his determination, went up the steps and knocked with a somewhat uncertain hand on the red baize of the cabinet door.
“Mr. Utterson, sir, asking to see you ,”he called; and even as he did so ,once more violently signed to the lawyer to give ear.
A voice answered from within:” Tell him I cannot see anyone,” it said complainingly.
“Thank you ,sir,” said Poole, with a note of something like triumph（胜利）in his voice; and taking up his candle, he led Mr.Utterson back across the yard and into the great kitchen.
“Sir,” he said, looking Mr. Utterson in the eyes, “Was that my master’s voice?”
“It seems much changed,” replied the lawyer, very pale, but giving look for look.
“Changed? Well , yes, I think so ,”said the servant, “Have I been twenty years in this man’s house, to be deceived about his voice? No , sir; master’s killed; he was killed eight days ago. when we heard him cry out upon the name of God; and who’s in there instead of him ,and why it stays there , is a thing that cries to Heaven, Mr. Utterson!”
“This is a very strange tale, Poole; this is rather a wild tale, my man,” said Mr. Utterson, biting his finger,” Suppose it were as you suppose ,supposing Dr. Jekyll to have been--well, murdered what could cause the murderer to stay ? That won’t hold water; it is not reasonable.”
“Well, Mr. Utterson, you are a hard man to satisfy, but I’ll do it yet,” said Poole. “All this last week（you must know）him , or it , whatever it is that lives in that cabinet ,has been crying night and day for some sort of medicine . It was sometimes his way--the master’s, that is --to write his orders on a sheet of paper and throw it on the stair. We’ve had nothing else his week back; nothing but papers, and a closed door, and the very meals left there to be taken in secretly when nobody was looking .Well, sir, every day ,ay, and twice and there times in the same day, there have been orders and complaints ,and I have been sent flying to all the wholesale chemists in town .Every time I brought the stuff back, there would be another paper telling me to return it , because it was not pure. This drug is wanted bitter bad, sir, whatever, for.”
1. Why did the servants have such a sharp response upon seeing Mr. Utterson?| A．Because they expected Mr.Utterson to find out the truth. |
| B．Because Mr. Utterson knew what had happened to their master. |
| C．Because Poole hadn’t told them why Mr. Utterson was sent for. |
| D．Because they thought they could please their master in this way. |
| A．Because the master didn’t like being disturbed. |
| B．Because Mr.Utterson was nervous and lost his balance. |
| C．Because Poole knew very well his master was too cruel. |
| D．Because they thought the man in the room might be the murderer. |
| A．Poole’s conversation with his master was not interrupted |
| B．Poole was convinced of his master’s survival in the room |
| C．Poole was grateful for what his master had answered him |
| D．Poole was sure that the man in the room was not the master |
| A．Because the tale Poole made up was far too strange and wild. |
| B．Because there was no chance that Dr.Jekyll had been murdered. |
| C．Because Poole didn’t have enough water for his master to drown in . |
| D．Because a murderer was less likely to stay on the crime scene for so long. |
| A．the food was taken in with nobody noticing it |
| B．the man in the room complainingly responded to Poole |
| C．Poole was sent many times to buy and return some kind of drug |
| D．the servants got nothing but papers from their master without seeing him |
| A．loyal but violent | B．cautious and loyal |
| C．Careless but determined | D．violent and careless |
【推荐2】18-year-old Alison Sanger is an amazing student. Maybe too amazing— the book opens with Alison lying to her mother about having food poisoning so she can take a test on Shakespeare. More than getting good grades, her true motivation is to beat her opponent, Ethan Molloy.
Ethan has gone toe-to-toe with Alison on everything throughout school. They’re both honors students. They are co-vice presidents of the senior class. They both hope to get into Harvard. The fact that Ethan and Alison seem to always do everything at the same time turned into a competition a long time ago. Whoever does worse on an exam must do an unpleasant task of the winner’s choosing. If someone misses the exam, they forfeit.
This unfriendly competition is so famous that everyone at Fairview knows about it, students and staff. They’re even more annoyed by it than Alison. The principal takes matters in hand by asking the two to co-plan a previous class’s ten-year reunion after someone else dropped the ball. As you might imagine, tensions arise and passion is aroused. In a certain way, What’s Not to Love is a little like The Hunger Games. Like Katniss with Peeta, Alison is constantly evaluating her own emotions against Ethan’s supposed strategy.
While reading this book, I was forced to wonder exactly how healthy this relationship was. I assumed everyone’s intentions in the book were honorable—the authors themselves turned out all right in the end, and I’m incredibly glad for that. Wibbroka fans will not be disappointed—What’s Not to Love is story of soulmates and passion; its short chapters and tight pacing carry the reader along all the way to the satisfying conclusion. Despite its faults—which the text itself calls to attention—fans of enemies-to-lovers stories like How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days will feel right at home here.
1. Why does Alison lie to her mother?| A．To treat her food poisoning. |
| B．To prove that she’s also amazing. |
| C．To be able to be tested on schedule. |
| D．To please her friend with good grades. |
| A．Compete. | B．Withdraw. |
| C．Cooperate. | D．Succeed. |
| A．They prove their abilities separately. |
| B．They get the final result of their competition. |
| C．They set up a better relationship between them. |
| D．They use it as another chance to continue the competition. |
| A．Worth reading. | B．Useless. |
| C．Unreasonable. | D．Perfect. |
【推荐3】It’s never too late to get into science fiction.
While science fiction, or sci-fi, often asks that most powerful question “What if?” —— it also deals with “This, now”: reflecting it, questioning it and satirizing (讽刺) it. Science fiction can act at once as a glimpse into our imaginary future while holding a mirror up to our current state of society.
Indeed, it can act as a warning for the present to avoid a terrifying future or as a blueprint for future technology. Science fiction can inspire us to live better today so that we can live better lives tomorrow. As Scientific Americans noted, “Science fiction can remind us of … wonder and hope. But it also sends us a warning —— to think about the potential influences of our findings, beyond our idealistic dreams.”
Thanks to its brilliant creators, sci-fi becomes the perfect genre to ask the greatest questions that humans dare to ask and broaden the concepts of what is possible in the universe. Who are we and what can we become? Can technology make the world a better place? What will tomorrow bring —— and what can we do today to make that a reality?
The genre of sci-fi can push the boundaries of what we think is possible, like the legendary submarine mentioned in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea far before any such vehicle existed. Or it can warn us of a near-future impacted by biotechnology, as in the MaddAddam trilogy. Sci-fi can even imagine how Earth responds to first contact with aliens, a focus of The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin. Sci-fi and its creators know no limits to what can be imagined. Anything is possible.
As science fiction grows in popularity, more books are being written, and more movies and TV shows are adapting these works for the screen. An adaptation of Dune is slated for a 2021 release, and The Three-Body Problem as well as MaddAddam are also in development. The medium of film and television has brought science fiction to life and continues to inspire — or scare — viewers with visions of the future.
1. What can science fiction act as?| A．A mirror of reflecting “What if” | B．A wonder of science technology |
| C．A vision of the future | D．A tool of broadening all concepts |
| A．By giving examples | B．By listing statistics |
| C．By making comparisons | D．By classifying facts |
| A．3 | B．4 | C．5 | D．6 |
| A．To honor those brilliant science fiction creators |
| B．To think about the potential influences of sci-fi |
| C．To inspire or scare viewers with visions of the future |
| D．To encourage readers to get started with science fiction |
