Dear Eric,
I’m glad to hear that you are interested in
Mark Twain, one of the best known American writers in the 19th century, was born in 1835 and died in1910. During his whole life, he wrote a lot of novels, one of which is The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, which
All in all, he
Yours
Li Hua
内容包括：1. 你对该名言的理解；2. 结合生活实例；3. 你对该名言的感悟。
The famous quote “The
When I was revising for the first College Entrance Exam, it was so
Thinking back on those days
3 . We Chinese see humor differently from the Americans
Would you find this situation funny? A man fights ten-year-old children in a karate class to boost his self-confidence.
This situation is from Seinfeld, the most popular sitcom in American TV history. It ran from 1989 to 1998 and told the story of Jerry Seinfeld, a stand-up comedian living in New York, and his friends.
Yet dramas with these tiny details happen every day. In dealing with these quotidian incidents, Jerry and his friends demonstrate every quality that traditional morals denounce: selfishness, dishonesty, laziness. We watch them lie, cheat, steal, and seek revenge.
And, instead of despising these acts, Americans fell in love with them. If you find this weird, then you should update your knowledge about American humor. Calling itself “a show about nothing”, Seinfeld is typical postmodern comedy. It makes fun of, and celebrates traditionally condemned values. This cynicism is something that Chinese audiences have yet to adapt to.
Chinese who were born in the 80s probably all remember Growing Pains as a part of our childhood memory. From the father Jason, to the mischievous sons Mike and Ben, these characters taught us the importance of family, love, responsibility, and courage. We took these values as universal and believed that they were appreciated by both Chinese and Americans. However, the fame of Seinfeld, and the unpopularity of Growing Pains in the US, shows the difference of taste in the two audiences. The Growing Pains theme is probably too wholesome for Americans.
| A．However, none of the offenses is really serious, hence the humor. They lie to get a free ride, cheat on an IQ test to fool a girlfriend, steal a box of raisins (葡萄干) at a job interview, get revenge on the boss by drugging his drink at an office party. |
| B．When I asked my American friends to guess the most popular American 90s TV show in China, they said: “Seinfeld?” No. “Cheers?” No. “Full House?” No, I said. “It was Growing Pains.” They couldn’t be more surprised: “It was such a cheesy show!” |
| C．In fact, I was amazed that this TV series, given its dark theme, could be released, and I wouldn’t be surprised if not many people enjoy it. It takes a certain sense and some understanding to enjoy black humor. |
| D．Nothing significant happens on it. There are no mind-boggling incidents, crimes, or life-defining events. You simply watch the characters going about their daily chores: chatting in a coffee shop, arguing over a parking spot, going to a baseball game, etc. |
1. 使……显得清楚；阐明……；照亮：
2. 划掉错误的单词:
3. 妙语:
4. 他独特的幽默风格:
5. 使某人难堪:
6. 随机应变，当机立断:
7. 匆匆离开:
8. 斥责，责骂总统:
1. How long did Roger Federer’s professional career last?
| A．14 years. | B．17 years. | C．24 years. |
| A．He got a sudden knee injury. |
| B．He had a hard-fought victory. |
| C．He faced a series of losses. |
| A．Determined. | B．Kind-hearted | C．Humorous. |
| A．Choosing economics-related courses. |
| B．Making his lecture understandable. |
| C．Deciding on a good lecture title. |
| regard as, measure, trap, strike, stuck in, on the edge of, award |
1. Twenty miners
2. In fact, any kind of street performance can
3. Tu Youyou
4. We should take
5. They predicted that a destructive earthquake
1. What is the talk mainly about?
| A．An introduction to a voluntary job. |
| B．An appeal for blood donation. |
| C．Safety rules of driving motorbikes. |
| A．262. | B．1,400. | C．35,000. |
| A．Her coach’s influence. |
| B．Suggestions from her nephew. |
| C．Her community’s encouragement. |
9 . I have always been proud of my handwriting, a skill I was taught in grade school. The teacher was teaching us the Palmer Penmanship Method, drilling into us the importance of forming big flowing lines when we wrote g’s and s’s as well as beautiful f’s that in my mind were like fairy tale princesses wearing fancy hats while extending their right foot. We were strictly prohibited from using block letters on our homework, as they lack the beauty.
Now it becomes apparent that young people no longer learn cursive (草书). They type everything, mostly on their phones. Beautiful handwriting is a thing of the past. This has become a source of great sadness among traditionalists.
But recently something happened that shook my faith in cursive. To my complete disbelief, not one but two of my close friends complained about the handwriting on my postcards. They were grateful for the beautiful postcards I regularly sent, but they said they honestly couldn't read a thing I had written. One friend went so far as to ask if I could use block letters next time so that she could understand what I was writing.
Initially, I was angry. I had made the effort to cover an entire postcard with what I viewed as not just handwriting but calligraphy. But then I showed an English friend a postcard I'd just written, and he said that the only thing that was readily understandable was the letters “U. S. A.” The rest of it, he politely suggested, looked like “chicken scrawl”.
Looking at the postcard dispassionately, I unwillingly admit that he has a point. All the m’s and n’s run together, and the l’s look like l’s. The a’s are indistinguishable from the q’s. So, from now on, I'm taking their advice and using block letters to communicate.
In fact, I just now sent an old friend a postcard. But this time, I simply wrote — in big block letters:
DEAR ALICE:
HI.
JOE.
I hope she gets the message.
1. What do we know about the Palmer Penmanship Method?| A．It is characterized by big flowing lines. | B．It is rarely appreciated by traditionalists. |
| C．It was not allowed in students'homework. | D．It is viewed as a trend in handwriting styles. |
| A．The popularity of block letters in recent times. |
| B．The younger generation’s disinterest in cursive. |
| C．His friends’ failure to comprehend his postcards. |
| D．His English friend's suggestion on postcard design. |
| A．To deliver his message clearly. | B．To improve his handwriting skills. |
| C．To win praise from his friends. | D．To show his passion for calligraphy. |
| A．The wide use of cursive. | B．The sad decline of cursive. |
| C．The value of preserving cursive. | D．The technique of writing in cursive. |
10 . Challenges are part of life and something we can all expect to encounter at one point or another during our lifetime. We handle challenges differently;some of us choose to face them head-on, while others flee in uncertainty.
Educate ourselves. The reason why some issues prove challenging for us is that we aren’t familiar with them.
Be persistent. This is what is required to accomplish anything, especially when it comes to overcoming challenges. No matter how difficult our challenges might be, we must be willing to push through and try again and again until we achieve victory over them.
Ask for help. There are times when we can’t go it alone and need others to help us conquer whatever challenges we face.
| A．Meet them head-on. |
| B．Adapt a different strategy. |
| C．It is said that two heads are better than one. |
| D．If we give up, we allow the challenges to conquer us instead. |
| E．Therefore, our knowledge and ability to conquer them is limited. |
| F．Whatever our positions, we all wish to conquer them and move on. |
| G．Some challenges can be overwhelming, making us question our ability to overcome them. |
