What do Tom Sawyer and jumping frogs have in common? Stories about both of them were created by one man: Mark Twain. Twain was four years old when his family moved to Hannibal, Missouri, located on the west bank of the Mississippi. Twain grew up there and was fascinated with life along the river—the steamboats, the giant lumber（木头）rafts, and the people who worked on them.
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County is one of Twain's best loved short stories, and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is one of his most famous novels. Both these works are celebrated by events held during National Tom Sawyer Days, which originated in the late 1950s and became national in the 1960s. Children enter their frogs in the jumping contest during National Tom Sawyer Days. There's also a fence painting contest to see who can paint the fastest. The idea for this contest comes from a scene in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, in which Tom has been told to paint the fence in front of the house he lives in. It's a beautiful day, and he would rather be doing anything else. As his friends walk by, he makes them believe that it's fun to paint, and they join in the “fun”. By the end of the day, the fence has three coats of paint!
Although the story of Tom Sawyer is fiction, it's based on facts. If you go to Hannibal, you'll see the white fence, which still stands at Twain's boyhood home.
1. Which of the following statements about Mark Twain is TRUE?| A．He was born in Hannibal. |
| B．He enjoyed his life in Hannibal. |
| C．He spent most of his childhood on the Mississippi. |
| D．He often went rafting（坐船漂流）on the Mississippi with his parents. |
| A．about forty years ago |
| B．in memory of a great writer |
| C．shortly after Twain's death |
| D．to improve kids' interest in reading |
| A．Bob, painting the longest. |
| B．Julia, painting most carefully. |
| C．Jim, painting in the newest way. |
| D．John, painting in the shortest time. |
| A．the story of Tom Sawyer is based partly on Twain's experiences |
| B．the story of Tom Sawyer is based totally on Twain's imagination |
| C．Twain's old house is painted by the fence painting competitors |
| D．Twain's old house is visited by people from all over the country |
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【推荐1】Probably you have seen photographs of the Grand Canyon, the great valley in the desert country of Arizona. But you must go there yourself to feel its true size and beauty. The Grand Canyon is one of the greatest natural wonders of the world.
The Colorado River formed the Grand Canyon over millions of years. Slowly, the river cut down through hard rocks. At the same time, the land was rising. Today, the canyon is one and a half kilometers deep and 446 kilometers long. The oldest rocks at the bottom of the canyon are more than one billion years old. The width varies from about 200 meters to 29 kilometers across. The rim or top of the canyon is about 2, 300 meters above sea level on the South Rim, and about 3, 000 meters on the other side, the North Rim. As a result, there are different kinds of plants and animals on opposite sides of the canyon. The South Rim is a dry desert country. The North Rim has tall forests.
The canyon looks different at different times of a day, and in different seasons and weather. At sunrise and sunset the black, gold, brown, and orange colours of the rocks are especially clear and bright. In winter, the canyon is partly covered with snow.
The view from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon is the best. Most visitors come to the South Rim and stay in campgrounds or hotels. Every point along the canyon’s edge offers a different view.
The North Rim of the Canyon is quieter. It takes all day to drive there from the South Rim because there is only one bridge across the Colorado River. On the way, you go through Navajo Indian lands, and a colourful pink desert called “The Painted Desert”.
You can walk down into the Grand Canyon, or you can go down on the back of a mule. You can also take a boat trip down the Colorado River, and camp on the beaches at night. But whether you see the Grand Canyon from the top or the bottom, it will be an experience that you will never forget.
1. The best way to feel the size and beauty of the Grand Canyon is________.| A．to see its photographs |
| B．to listen to the report about it |
| C．to travel there yourself |
| D．to watch the TV program about it |
| A．The earthquake. |
| B．The water from the Colorado River. |
| C．The American people. |
| D．The strong wind. |
| A．the same | B．changing with time |
| C．different | D．very low |
| A．length | B．scenery |
| C．width | D．height |
【推荐2】When you walk along a street in a big city in the United States, you may see clocks in most stores. Radio announcers give the correct time during the day. People there think that it is important to know the time. Most Americans have watches. They want to do certain things at certain times. They do not want to be late. Not all people all over the world value time. Suppose you visit a certain country in South America. You would find that people living there do not like to rush. If you had an appointment (约会) with someone, he would probably be late. He would not care for arriving on time. In some countries in South America, even the radio programs may not begin right on time, nor do the radio announcers think it important to announce the right time. Many people regard a clock as a machine. It seems to them that a person who does everything on time is controlled (控制) by a machine. They do not want a clock or any machine to have that much power over their lives.
1. There are clocks in most stores in the US cities because ______.| A．people in the stores want to sell these clocks |
| B．people think it important to know the time |
| C．bosses want to make their stores beautiful |
| D．they needn’t wear watches when they are away from home |
| A．run | B．race | C．move | D．hurry |
| A．the radio programs may start a bit early or late |
| B．the radio announcers do think it important to announce the exact time |
| C．many people think a clock has much power |
| D．most people do not want to be controlled by others |
【推荐3】Coolest Bookstores in the World
Where did you buy your last book? Chances are that you bought it on the Internet. But if you did, you missed the remarkable experience of browsing in a real bookstore. These days bookstores offer lots of great books and plenty more.
Eslite Dunnan Store
Time magazine once named Eslite Dunnan Store in Taiwan province, China "Asia's best bookstore". One visit to the store tells you why. The store, spread across five floors, offers a combination of restaurants, music and over 200,000 books. With its comfortable reading spots, visitors sometimes say it's like a library. Others have called it the "7-Eleven of bookstores" because it's open 24 hours a day.
Book Garden
The world's biggest bookstore is Tehran, Iran's Book Garden with 700,000 square feet of space. In addition to restaurants and a theater, the Book Garden features a park on the roof. Visitors can pick up one of 1,000 free books to read while enjoying the fresh air and sunshine from the Book Garden's rooftop park.
Saraiva Bookstore
Rio de Janeiro's Saraiva Bookstore might be the world's most colorful bookstore. The visible upper level is lined with books arranged by their colors. This rainbow effect provides a color welcoming for shoppers as they arrive. A rainbow path also leads young readers into the children's section.
Liberia Acqua Alta
Venice, Italy, is a city surrounded with water. Its books are displayed in all things related to water such as boats, bathtubs to protect them when the shop floods during high tide. It overlooks one of Venice's many canals, and the smell of old books fills the air.
1. Which bookstore provides a special reading place on the roof?| A．Eslite Dunnan Store. | B．Book Garden. |
| C．Saraiva Bookstore. | D．Liberia Acqua Alta. |
| A．It is open twenty-four hours a day. |
| B．Shoppers can paint books with color. |
| C．It greets people with colorful books. |
| D．Shoppers can find a rainbow there . |
| A．Because the store is known for floods. |
| B．Because they match canals in Venice. |
| C．Because the store is surrounded with water. |
| D．Because they can be preserved from water. |
【推荐1】Halley’s Comet (哈雷彗星) appeared at the time of Mark Twain’ s birth, making his arrival an even more special event. Twain said in 1909, “I came in with Halley’s Comet in 1835. It is coming again next year, and I expect to go out with it.” Surprisingly enough, Mark Twain died the day after it passed by earth a second time.
Mark Twain was a gifted writer, speaker and humorist whose own characters shone through his work. As his writing grew in popularity, he became a public character in America. As the young country grew in size but not in a cultural manner to the liking of the European people, it became fashionable to criticize (批评) “the ugly American”. Twain travelled to Europe and made the Europeans friendly to America with his wisdom (智慧) and humor.
Twain began his working life as a typesetter at a newspaper, worked as a printer, a riverboat pilot, and then turned to gold mining. When he failed to strike it rich, he turned to journalism and it was during that time that he wrote the short story that started his writing life, The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras county.
Although Twain’s life as a writer made him rich, his turn as a gentleman investor (投资者) did much to make him impoverished. He lost a great deal of money earned by writing on different investments. Twain recovered financially with the help of a man named Henry Huttleson Rogers. Further success from book sales improved his financial health.
1. What can we learn about Mark Twain from the first paragraph?| A．He saw Halley’s Comet coming. | B．He predicted his own death. |
| C．He made Halley’s Comet famous. | D．He knew a lot about Halley’s Comet. |
| A．To avoid being criticized. |
| B．To show he liked travelling. |
| C．To prove he was good at writing. |
| D．To change Europeans opinion of America. |
| A．Mark Twain’s true interest. | B．Mark Twain’s famous work. |
| C．Mark Twain’s work experiences. | D．Mark Twain’s life goal. |
| A．Poor | B．Angry |
| C．Unhealthy | D．Busy. |
【推荐2】Bob Dylan，the 75-year-old rock legend received the Nobel Prize for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.Sara Danius，permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy，said Dylan had been chosen because he was a great poet in the English speaking tradition.
Dylan，born on May 24,1941 is an American songwriter，singer，artist，and writer.He has been influential in popular music and culture for more than five decades.Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s.Early songs such as Tangled up in Blue，Blowing in the Wind and The Times Are a Changing became anthems for the American civil fights and anti-war movements.Leaving behind his initial base in the American folk music revival(复兴)，his six-minute single Like a Rolling Stone，recorded in 1965，enlarged the range of popular music.
Dylan’s lyrics incorporate a wide range of political，social，philosophical，and literary features.His recording career，spanning more than 50 years，has explored the traditions in American song-from folk，blues，and country to rock and roll，and rockabilly to English，Scottish，and Irish folk music，embracing even jazz and the Great American Songbook.Dylan performs with guitar, keyboards，and harmonica.Backed by a changing lineup of musicians，he has toured steadily since the late 1980s on what has been called the Never Ending Tour.His accomplishments as a recording artist and performer have been central to his career，but songwriting is considered his greatest contribution.
Since 1994，Dylan has published six books of drawings and paintings，and his work has been exhibited in major art galleries.As a musician，Dylan has sold more than 100 million records，making him one of the best-selling artists of all time.He has also received numerous awards including eleven Grammy Awards，a Golden Globe Award，and an Academy Award.In May 2012，Dylan received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama.
1. Why was Bob Dylan awarded the Nobel Prize？| A．He invented many music expressions. |
| B．His lyrics in his songs rhyme like poems. |
| C．His works the characteristics of Rock. |
| D．He changed the English speaking tradition. |
| A．Like a Rolling Stone. | B．Blowing in the Wind. |
| C．Tangled up in Blue. | D．The Times Are a Changing. |
| A．destroy | B．analyze |
| C．cover | D．describe |
| A．Composing Poems. | B．Giving performances. |
| C．Making records. | D．Writing songs. |
One day Mark Twain was going to a small town because of his writing. Before he was going to leave, one of his friends said to him that there were always a lot of mosquitoes in the town and told him that he’d better not go there. Mark Twain waved his hand and said, “It doesn’t matter. The mosquitoes are no relatives of mine. I don’t think they will come to visit me.”
After he arrived at the town, Mark Twain stayed in a small hotel near the station. He went into his room, but when he was just about to have a rest, quite a few mosquitoes flew about him. The waiters felt very sorry about that. “I’m very sorry, Mr Mark Twain. There are too many mosquitoes in our town.” One of them said to him.
Mark Twain, however, made a joke, saying to the waiter, “The mosquitoes are very clever. They know my room number. They didn’t come into the wrong room.” What he said made all the people present laugh heartily.
But that night Mark Twain slept well. Do you know why? That was because all the waiters in the hotel were driving the mosquitoes away for him during the whole night.
1. That day Mark Twain went to the town _____.
| A．to see one of his friends |
| B．because he wanted to do something there for his writing |
| C．because he was told there were a lot of mosquitoes there |
| D．to see one of his relatives |
| A．they did something wrong to Mark Twain |
| B．their hotel was too small |
| C．the room was not very clean |
| D．there were quite a few mosquitoes in Mark Twain’s room |
| A．the mosquitoes were very clever and they didn’t come into the wrong room |
| B．the mosquitoes knew Mark Twain’s room number |
| C．Mark Twain gave the waiters some nice presents |
| D．Mark Twain made a joke |
| A．no mosquitoes troubled Mark Twain in the night |
| B．the owner of the hotel told the waiters to look after Mark Twain well at night |
| C．Mark Twain didn’t have a good rest that night |
| D．there were not mosquitoes in the hotel any longer |
【推荐1】Santa Fe, the capital of New Mexico, U.S.A, is in the central part of the state, on the Santa Fe River, which flows into the Rio Grande 35 kilometers west of the city. More than two thousand meters above sea level, it lies in the Sangre De Cristo Mountains with the Ortis Mountains to the southeast.
Santa Fe was founded in 1609 by the Spanish on an old Indian village. In 1680 the Indians seized the place but only held it for twelve years before the Spanish retook it. The city remained under Spanish rule until Mexico won its independence (独立) in 1821. From then on it was a Mexican city until 1846 when it was taken over by U.S. troops.
With a population of 48,953, Santa Fe is now the second largest city in the state. Because of its sunny weather, rich history and surrounding mountains it is a good place for holiday makers. Besides hunting and skating in the mountains people enjoy shopping in the Indian and Spanish shops, which brings a large income to the city every year. In summer there is an international opera (歌剧) season when operas are shown in a partly-roofed, open-air theatre daily for people from all over the world.
1. At present Santa Fe belongs to ______.| A．India | B．Mexico | C．Spain | D．the United States |
| A．1675 | B．1695 | C．1816 | D．1833 |
| A．Spanish | B．Indians | C．Mexicans | D．Americans |
| A．Hunting. | B．Fishing. |
| C．Watching operas. | D．Doing shopping. |
| A．trade centre | B．holiday centre |
| C．home for all nations | D．seaport city |
【推荐2】The tourism business in Hong Kong has been through some very hard times. Ten years ago, with all the economic problems in Asia, far fewer tourists were visiting Hong Kong. However, the SAR (特别行政区) was still one of the most popular destinations in Asia, and a favored location for international meetings and exhibitions.
The year 1997 was the best year for tourism in the 1990s. However in 1998, the figure was down by 8% from 10.4 million tourist arrivals recorded in the previous year.
Tourism was still big business, though. The mainland was Hong Kong’s largest source of visitors, making up over a quarter of all arrivals. Travelers from Taiwan Province, South and Southeast Asia and Japan made up the most of other visitors. Tourism remained a major source of foreign exchange, although tourists spending dropped.
Tourists often made short visits, staying an average of three to four days. Most tourists came to Hong Kong for business or leisure , or a mixture of both. Shopping was still the favorite thing of tourist activity and spending. The average visitor spent about HK$ 3,000 – not including accommodation (住宿) and food.
Hong Kong Tourist Association officials developed various plans to develop interest in Hong Kong as a tourist destination, and they hoped these policies would work.
1. What situation was Hong Kong facing in the passage?| A．The tourism business was developing quickly |
| B．Fewer tourists were visiting Hong Kong than before. |
| C．It was no longer a popular destination in Asia. |
| D．There were far fewer international meetings and exhibitions. |
| A．the figure of visitors in Hong Kong was down by 8% |
| B．tourism in Hong Kong had its best year |
| C．10.4 million tourists visited Hong Kong |
| D．Hong Kong didn’t hold any international meetings |
| A．Japan. | B．Southeast Asia |
| C．U.S.A | D．The mainland of China |
| A．short visits and long visits | B．Hong Kong and the mainland |
| C．business and leisure | D．shopping and other activities |
| A．The figure of tourists to Hong Kong was 10.4 million in 1997. |
| B．Tourists spending continued increasing. |
| C．Tourists preferred short visits to long visits. |
| D．Shopping was still popular in Hong Kong. |
【推荐3】
Over eight million people live in London and it has about 26 million visitors each year. So what can you see in three days? Here are some must-see places.
DAY 1
THE RIVER THAMES is the heart of the city. There are 104 bridges—London Bridge and Tower Bridge are the most famous. Cross the new Millennium Bridge on foot. It’s London’s first bridge in 100 years.
SHAKESPEARE’S GLOBE THEATER was built in 1997! (A) In the summer you can see plays there. (B) You can shout during a performance just like in Shakespeare’s time! (C) Shakespeare is one of the greatest writers in the world. (D)Take an umbrella—there’s no roof!
TATE MODERN is the world’s largest modern art gallery. Located in an old power station, it’s a fantastic place to visit. However, don’t miss the British Museum with its collection of over 8 million objects. Follow the museum’s three-hour guide of the highlights.
DAY 2
THE HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT and BIG BEN are London’s landmarks, so don’t forget your camera. You can go inside and watch the politicians in the two chambers (会议厅) — the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Big Ben, which has four faces, sits at the top of the clock tower in the Houses of the Parliament. So no matter where you stand, you can read the face of the clock.
The King’s or the Queen’s official London home is BUCKINGHAM PALACE. It’s got 775 rooms! About 50,000 guests a year come to parties and events-sorry, invitation only! But you can see the Changing of the Guard.
THE LONDON EYE is the world’s largest sightseeing wheel and the most popular UK tourist attraction with about 3.5 million visitors a year. You can often see distances of 40 kilometers.
DAY 3
London’s cathedral, ST PAUL’S is 108 meters tall and over 300 years old. The entrance ticket isn’t cheap, but the cathedral is impressive, and the dome has got amazing views. At 309 meters tall, the new Shard building is the second tallest building in Europe. You can’t miss it!
Where’s the best place to go when it’s sunny or to relax? One of London’s many large parks such as HYDE PARK, KENSINGTON GARDENS or REGENT’S PARK. There isn’t time for LONDON ZOO, but it’s in Regent’s Park.
The best place for shopping is CAMDEN MARKET. You can find vintage (优质的) clothes, jewelry, great food and all sorts of things. Or go to Harrod’s, the world-famous department store. It’s got over 330different departments and an unbelievable Food Hall.
1. When was Shakespeare’s Globe Theater built?| A．In 1699. | B．In 1837. | C．In 1997. | D．In 2000. |
| A．On the bank of the River Thames. | B．In an old power station. |
| C．On Tower Bridge. | D．In Regent’s Park. |
| A．Businessmen. | B．Scholars. | C．Police officers. | D．Politicians. |
| A．The Millennium Bridge is the first bridge on the River Thames. |
| B．You can only attend the King’s or the Queen’s parties with an invitation. |
| C．St. Paul’s Cathedral in London is over 300 years old. |
| D．For many people Camden Market is the best shopping place in London. |
| A．In the summer you can see plays there. |
| B．You can shout during a performance just like in Shakespeare’s time! |
| C．Shakespeare is one of the greatest writers in the world. |
| D．Take an umbrella—there’s no roof! |
