1 . “What if I told you that I murdered Basil?”
“You couldn’t murder anyone, Dorian. He probably fell into the Seine from a bus. By the way, where’s that wonderful portrait he did of you? Oh! I remember now. You told me years ago that you sent it to Selby Manor and that it got lost or stolen on the way. What a pity! I wanted to buy it. I wish I had now.” Lord Henry said.
“I never really liked it,” said Dorian.
“How have you kept your youth, Dorian? You must have some secret. I’m only ten years older than you are, and I’m wrinkled and old. Please, tell me your secret. To get back my youth, I’d do anything in the world, except take exercise, get up early, or be respectable.”
When Dorian arrived home that night, he sent his servant to bed, and sat down on the sofa in the library. Then he began to think about his life.
“I’ve been an evil influence on my friends, and I’ve ruined the lives of many good young people,” he thought, “Ah! Why did I pray for the portrait to grow old, and for me to stay young? I worshiped beauty and eternal youth, but they ruined me. It’s better not to think of the past. Nothing can change that. I must think of the future. James Vane is dead. Alan Campbell is dead, too. He shot himself one night in his laboratory.”
“I’m safe now,” he continued. “Basil painted the portrait that ruined my life. I can’t forgive him for that. Everything is the portrait’s fault.”
He began to wonder about the portrait. “If I’m good, maybe the portrait will become beautiful again,” he thought. “I’ll go and look.”
He took the lamp from the table and went upstairs. As he unlocked the door, he smiled. “Yes, I’ll be good,” he thought, “I won’t be frightened of this portrait any more.”
He went upstairs to the room and locked the door. Then he pulled the purple cloth off the portrait. He gave a cry of pain. The portrait was more horrible. His face looked more evil. There was new blood on the hand and on the feet.
Dorian trembled with fear. Dorian looked round the room and saw the knife that stabbed Basil Hallward. It was bright and shining.
“This knife killed the artist, and now it will kill the artist’s work,” he thought.
He grabbed the knife, and then he stabbed the portrait with it.
1. What do we know about Lord Henry from the passage?| A．He doubted slightly whether Dorian murdered Basil. |
| B．He would do whatever he could to get back his youth. |
| C．The portrait he wanted to buy was stolen by Selby Manor. |
| D．The truth about how Dorian kept his youth was hidden from him. |
| A．Dorian admitted he was badly affected by his friends. |
| B．Alan Campbell shot himself one night in his laboratory. |
| C．Dorian blamed his sufferings on the portrait and Basil. |
| D．Dorian wanted to kill himself so that the portrait could become normal. |
| A．Admired. | B．Deserved. | C．Maintained. | D．Ignored. |
| A．Because the portrait aroused too much curiosity of his friends. |
| B．Because the portrait reflecting his soul made him suffer great pain. |
| C．Because he was jealous of the portrait which would never grow old. |
| D．Because he thought the portrait would take his youth and beauty away. |
2 . Standing on the shore of a lake. I can’t help but marvel at the tens or hundreds of thousands of small rocks that surround my boots. They were all created from hard surfaces, their edges softening over time.
And I wonder, can we learn from a pile of rocks?
Even the tallest mountains have worn down; none are as tall as they were 1.000 years ago. And much like a rock, I’ve found my attitude has softened and my desire to better understand others has expanded with each trip around the sun.
Once I too was a sharp rock covered in pointy edges. Today, after decades of the waters of life coursing over me, my edges are softer and more understanding. I’m less likely to judge and more interested in learning how we can exist together.
But I’m not a rock. I’m a human being filled with all the drama built into my DNA.
Two years ago, while traveling in the Pacific Northwest, I watched a restaurant owner ask several people to leave for not wearing masks. Not forceful and not rude. On the door read a sign: “Please wear a mask before entering our restaurant. We don’t like it either, but let’s all do what we can to get through this together.”
The group of young men wished to argue about the note.
I sat watching, understanding both sides. I’ve been those guys before, using my youthful edges to chip away at the world. What I lost, however, was the ability to grow from experiences by looking through the eyes of others. In learning to be more open, I’ve also found more happiness and success.
You can fit more rounded rocks in a jar than those with sharp edges. The former look for ways to adjust and make room for others; the latter never give an inch to accommodate others.
Time, like the waters rolling against once sharp stones, changes us by washing away our resistance to seeing the world from another’s point of view.
I placed a rounded stone into my jacket pocket. Mother Nature is holding class again.
1. What does the author compare the rocks to?| A．People’s abilities. | B．People’s personalities. |
| C．What nature offers us. | D．Challenges we come across. |
| A．They were dissatisfied with the owner’s attitude to them. |
| B．They were unwilling to do what the owner wished them to. |
| C．They intended to skip out on the bill due to the poor service. |
| D．They were not allowed to leave the restaurant for their rudeness. |
| A．We should adjust to new conditions. |
| B．Be brave when in the face of difficulties in life. |
| C．It’s necessary to consider the feelings of others. |
| D．Being open and understanding brings you more happiness. |
| A．Changing with Time | B．Learning from Nature |
| C．Growing from Experiences | D．Seeing from a Different Angle |
1. What’s the purpose of the experiment?
| A．To test the size of different people’s lungs. |
| B．To hold the air that you blow out at a time. |
| C．To know the amount of air your lungs can hold. |
| D．To measure how much water you can blow out once. |
| A．To hold the air you blow out. |
| B．To show the size of the bottle. |
| C．To measure the air you blow out. |
| D．To display the process of the experiment. |
| A．The experimenter blows out air harder. |
| B．The experimenter takes a deeper breath. |
| C．Less water is left in the bowl after the experiment. |
| D．Less water is left in the bottle after the experiment. |
1. What was the purpose of the concert?
| A．To attract governments’ attention to education. |
| B．To collect money for poor children. |
| C．To save some sick children. |
| A．Governments should do something for poor children. |
| B．Children should make a living by themselves. |
| C．Famous singers should help poor children. |
With some terrific computer-generated effects, a great cast and a fun-packed storyline, Robots is the best animated film (动画片) since The Incredibles. Yep, it really is that good.
Set in a world populated by robots, Ewan McGregor plays Rodney Copperbottom, a young robot who leaves his small-town home to pursue his dream of becoming an inventor.
But after arriving in Robot City, his hopes of getting a job at Bigweld Industries are destroyed when he learns the firm has been taken over by the evil Ratchet (Greg Kinnear).
Egged on by his controlling mum, Madame Gasket (Jim Broadbent), Ratchet plans to reduce half of Robot City’s citizens to scrap metal by refusing to sell the spare parts they need to survive.
Instead, he wants to make a fortune selling expensive upgrades that few can afford. As he says, “Why be you when you can be new?”
Aided by a few misfit robots known as the Rustles—including Robin Williams as the cowardly' (胆小的）Fender (“I’m made of a metal called Afraidium”)—Rodney must track down the firm’s founder, Bigweld (Mel Brooks), and convince him to save the city from Ratchet’s plans.
The first thing that’ll strike you about the movie is the thought that's gone into creating Robot City. It’s a wondrous world full of mechanical marvels including wind-up cars and walking streetlamps.
Also terrific are the special effects. This might be an animated movie but at times you’ll catch yourself thinking it’s really a live-action film.
Of course, there have been plenty of animated movies that looked the part but were let down by a weak storyline (see Shark Tale, for example).
But Robots grips (扣人心弦) right from the start thanks to a heart-warming and thoroughly engaging plot that never bores.
My only complaints are with Williams who, as usual，has a one-in-10 success rate with his jokes. Also a letdown is a romantic subplot between Rodney and a shapely robot called Cappy (Halle Berry) that doesn’t go anywhere.
\Complains aside, this is a mechanical marvel that’ll have you bolted firmly to your seat.
BEST QUOTE(引述): Fender: “Even though you had a discouraging day, just remember there’s another one coming tomorrow.”
BEST BIT: Check out those amazing images.
WORST BIT: Robin Williams, character does an unfunny Britney Spears dance routine.
IF YOU LIKED…Ice Age, The Incredibles, Toy Story... YOU’LL LIKE THIS.
1. This piece of writing is a _______.
| A．commercial advertisement | B．film review |
| C．movie poster | D．literary essay |
| A．Ewan McGregor | B．Robin Williams |
| C．Britney Spears | D．Halle Berry |
| A．A great cast. | B．A poor plot. |
| C．Special effects. | D．Clumsy animation. |
