1 . Despite his slim body of work, J. D. Salinger was one of the most influential American writers of the 20th century. His short stories, many of which appeared in The New Yorker, inspired the early careers of writers such as Phillip Roth, John Updike and Harold Brodkey.
Born on January 1, 1919, in New York, Salinger was a restless student, attending New York University, Ursinus College and Columbia University. While taking classes at the latter, he met Professor Whit Burnett, who was also the editor of Story magazine. Burnett, sensing Salinger’s talent as a writer, pushed him to create more often and soon Salinger’s works were appearing not just in Story, but in other big-name publications such as Collier’s and the Saturday Evening Post.
His career had started to take off, but then, like so many young American men around that time, World War II interrupted his life. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Salinger was drafted into the army, serving from 1942 to 1944. During that time, however, Salinger kept writing for a new novel whose main character was a deeply unsatisfied young man named Holden Caulfield.
When Salinger returned to New York, he quickly set about resuming his life as a writer and soon found his work published in his favorite magazine, The New Yorker.
He also pushed on with the work on his novel about Holden Caulfield. Finally, in 1951, The Catcher in the Rye was published. The book earned its share of positive reviews, but some critics weren’t so kind. But over time the American reading public ate the book up and The Catcher in the Rye became an essential part of the academic literature course. To date, the book has sold more than 65 million copies.
In 1953, two years after the publication of The Catcher in the Rye, Salinger moved from New York City to Cornish, New Hampshire. There, Salinger did his best to cut off contact with the public and significantly slowed his literary output. He only published one new story, the 25,000-word Hapworth 16, 1924, before his death on January 27, 2010, in Cornish, New Hampshire.
1. Who had a great influence on J. D. Salinger?A.Phillip Roth. | B.Whit Burnett. |
C.John Updike. | D.Harold Brodkey. |
A.Continuing. | B.Saving. |
C.Wasting. | D.Risking. |
A.It was published during World War II. |
B.It has sold less than 65 million copies. |
C.It was well received by American readers. |
D.It features an old man as the main character. |
A.He stopped writing when he was in the army. |
B.He wrote lots of short stories in his later years. |
C.His literary output was very low in his later years. |
D.He had moved to New York City just before he died. |
2 . Eric Moussambani is the first swimmer from Equatorial Guinea to compete in the Olympics. He found his passion for swimming shortly after high school. At the time, he didn’t know how to
Unfortunately, there were no
After about eight months of swimming, Eric gained
In Sydney, Eric saw an Olympic-size swimming pool for the first time. It was so big that Eric said he was so
On September 19, 2000, Eric stepped out for the men’s 100-metre freestyle competition. “I swam the first 50 metres really well,” said Eric. After turning for the second length, however, Eric found his legs stiffened (变僵硬). “It was then I heard the crowd shouting, encouraging me to go. It gave me the
A.swim | B.compete | C.participate | D.apply |
A.risk | B.promote | C.pursue | D.continue |
A.clean | B.perfect | C.similar | D.standard |
A.Eventually | B.Strangely | C.Naturally | D.Certainly |
A.reach | B.discover | C.rent | D.use |
A.congratulating | B.guiding | C.focusing | D.pointing |
A.entry | B.ability | C.experience | D.right |
A.solve | B.protect | C.award | D.encourage |
A.interested | B.frightened | C.embarrassed | D.disappointed |
A.fighting for | B.looking for | C.preparing for | D.answering for |
A.adjust | B.study | C.doubt | D.benefit |
A.fortune | B.way | C.strength | D.gratitude |
A.expanded | B.finished | C.estimated | D.revealed |
A.slowest | B.earliest | C.highest | D.timeliest |
A.released | B.left | C.tolerated | D.cheered |
3 . Oscar Wilde, a famous poet and playwright, is probably known for his conversation as much as for his literary works. There are some stories
When Wilde was studying Classics at Oxford, he took part in a(n)
On another occasion, Wilde
But it’s
A.ignoring | B.suggesting | C.challenging | D.contradicting |
A.training | B.experiment | C.adventure | D.examination |
A.revise | B.assess | C.translate | D.adapt |
A.considerate | B.impatient | C.satisfied | D.confused |
A.stop | B.wait | C.question | D.repeat |
A.shamefully | B.angrily | C.gladly | D.nervously |
A.agreed | B.continued | C.hurried | D.promised |
A.interruption | B.explanation | C.punishment | D.judgment |
A.arises | B.improves | C.works | D.ends |
A.assumed | B.declared | C.expected | D.mentioned |
A.polishing | B.selecting | C.posting | D.memorizing |
A.came across | B.took out | C.searched for | D.went over |
A.appropriate | B.useful | C.true | D.rare |
A.rest | B.exercise | C.study | D.smoke |
A.match | B.partner | C.supporter | D.witness |
4 . Jim Henson was born in 1936 in Mississippi. But he grew up in Maryland. His creative talents were
While he was a freshman at the University of Maryland (UMD), Henson
While at UMD, Henson
In 1959, Henson
Henson, who died in 1990 after a brief illness, created not just the Muppets, but also films, TV advertisements and variety shows.
Now a(n)
A.valuable | B.obvious | C.helpful | D.average |
A.contests | B.meetings | C.plays | D.lectures |
A.made | B.changed | C.bought | D.described |
A.confused | B.relieved | C.inspired | D.impressed |
A.movie | B.program | C.adventure | D.attempt |
A.majored in | B.relied on | C.accounted for | D.referred to |
A.conversations | B.awards | C.assumptions | D.courses |
A.behaviors | B.plans | C.skills | D.opinions |
A.married | B.interviewed | C.recognized | D.employed |
A.dismissed | B.established | C.promoted | D.abandoned |
A.common | B.unique | C.harmonious | D.popular |
A.watching | B.checking | C.consulting | D.designing |
A.competition | B.conference | C.exhibition | D.debate |
A.similarly | B.vividly | C.temporarily | D.flexibly |
A.reason | B.right | C.suggestion | D.chance |
5 . Lying on London’s famous Millennium Bridge, British artist Ben Wilson paints on a piece of dried gum (口香糖). It has been crushed flat into the ground. “The important thing is that there are tire marks on the gum with different patterns,” said the 60-year-old Wilson. “The beauty of them is that they’re of different shapes and sizes…” he continued, describing pieces of gum.
Wilson sees possibility in things most people avoid looking at. The flattened gum offers a chance to turn a piece of waste into something beautiful. The artwork is also a way to surprise walkers and get them to take a closer look at the path they are on.
“By painting a picture which is so small, I can let those who see it discover a hidden world beneath their feet,” Wilson said.
Back in his north London art room, Wilson paints on the surface of a small mosaic tile (瓷砖). It will be part of a collection that he is creating on the walls of London’s underground platforms. “The images are more personal than the chewing gum works,” Wilson says, “and represent a kind of visual diary.”
Wilson was born to artist parents in London. He remembers working with clay from the age of three. He had his first art show when he was around 10 years old. He began making sculptures and large pieces for display in natural settings. Then his interest turned to waste. He has been painting on gum and other pieces of rubbish for 19 years.
The top surface of the dried gum is not subject to local or national laws. As a result, the dried gum surface creates a space, where Wilson says he can paint without damaging public property.
Government officials have removed much of the artist’s public street art. But the hundreds of gum paintings on Millennium Bridge remain for all to see.
1. What is the dried gum like in the eyes of Wilson?A.Dirty. | B.Strange. | C.Practical. | D.Attractive. |
A.He creates a hidden world. | B.He keeps a diary with drawings. |
C.He reminds people to walk carefully. | D.He makes the ugly become beautiful. |
A.His great language talent. | B.His artistic career. |
C.His unusual childhood. | D.His parents’ artistic achievements. |
A.Some of them are protected by law. | B.All of them are not kept well. |
C.They are valued by officials. | D.They polluted the streets. |
6 . Travis Gienger set a record for growing the world’s heaviest pumpkin, which weighed about 1,247 kilograms, in 2023. The middle-aged man was named the winner on Monday of the 50th Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay, California. He won the same con test in 2022, whose pumpkin weighed 1,161 kilograms. The past world record for the heaviest pumpkin was set by a grower in Italy who produced a 1,226-kilogram pumpkin in 2021. “I was not expecting that,” Gienger said. He added that it felt good to win the world record.
Gienger is a teacher at Anoka Technical College in Anoka, Minnesota. He teaches agriculture and growing methods. And he has been producing pumpkins for nearly 30 years like his elders, especially his father, who used to raise pumpkins in the home property, which got him interested in planting. Gienger later devoted himself to working the land to plant.
Gienger first competed in Half Moon Bay’s yearly con test in 2020. He won three of the city’s last four pumpkin contests. “I put in the work so that I can put a smile on people’s faces, and it’s just so nice coming out here to see everyone in this town,” Gienger said.
Gienger, who grew the pumpkins on the farm, had given his plants more care. This included watering them up to 12 times a day and feeding or fertilizing them, a little more than usual. Those contributed to his greater success in 2023.
The pumpkin champion won a $30,000 prize for growing the biggest pumpkin and setting a world record. Gienger’s pumpkin would be shown along with the second-place winners at the city’s upcoming Pumpkin Festival. At the event, visitors would be able to look at the pumpkin prize and take pictures with the growers.
In the United States, pumpkins are popular throughout the autumn. During the US holiday Halloween, on October 31, many people turn them into “jack-o’-lanterns”. A jack-o’-lantern is a pumpkin that has been carved, usually to show a frightening or funny face.
1. How did Gienger feel about his winning the world record?A.Surprised. | B.Suspicious. | C.Expected. | D.Embarrassed. |
A.His family tradition. | B.His love for his farm. |
C.His promise to his father. | D.His desire for winning a prize. |
A.How many awards Gienger got in 2023. |
B.How long Gienger worked a day in 2023. |
C.Why Gienger grew pumpkins on the farm. |
D.Why Gienger’s pumpkin was heavier than before. |
A.It would be given to a visitor. |
B.It would be made into a lantern. |
C.It would be on show at a festival. |
D.It would be used to decorate pictures. |
7 . The New Year Honors list was published at the end of December 2023, rewarding more than 1,200 people for their outstanding achievements and helping others. Prime Minister Sunak said those honored are “an inspiration to us all”.
The list included well-known figures and ordinary people who have help cd their communities. Everyone is awarded one of a number of honors depending on what they have done, from a Knighthood or a Damehood to a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). These awards are given twice a year by the King.
Tony Hudgell, aged nine, became the youngest person to be awarded a New Year Honor. He was given a British Empire Medal(BEM) for his charity work to protect vulnerable (易受伤害的) children. Tony has raised £1.8 million for charity and successfully campaigned to update laws protecting children.
A transport worker called Rizwan Javed, who works at Ealing Broadway station in London,was awarded an MBE for helping people who are in difficult situations. Following special training with the Samaritans charity, Javed lea med to spot people who are struggling with mental health problems and have conversations with them to help them feel better. After learning of his award. Javed said, “I feel like this MBE award has given me the confidence to take it a step further to help people talk about mental health.”
Space scientist Dr. Maggie Aderin-Pocock, who is also the head of the University of Leicester, received a Damehood for services to science education and diversity. Goalkeeper Mary Earps was honored with an MBE and is one of three of the England women’s national football team to be recognized for their services to football. James Martin, an actor from Nor them Ireland, was awarded an M BE for his services to drama. When he found out about the honor. Martin said. “I couldn’t believe it — I was really happy.”
1. What do we know about the New Year Honors list according to the text?A.It was released on December 12. | B.It rewards people who inspire us. |
C.The awards are given by PM Sunak. | D.Children have no right to be honored. |
A.He got some laws renewed. | B.He set up his own charity. |
C.He had a big New Year celebration. | D.He wrote lots of laws about children. |
A.Rizwan Javed. | B.Maggie Aderin-Pocock. |
C.Mary Earps. | D.James Martin. |
A.High-achieving people. | B.Ordinary people’s lives. |
C.Community-focused charities. | D.Well-known campaigns in England. |
8 . Xu Hai’ou has spent most of her life promoting environmental protection work in Beihai, a coastal city in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, by cleaning beaches, protecting mi-grant birds and recycling kitchen waste.
Though her family originally comes from the eastern province of Shandong, the 60-year-old was raised in Guangxi and moved to Beihai for work at age 23, directly after graduating from college. Before she retired, she worked as a reporter for the Guangxi Daily Media Group, a news outlet in the region. In her free time, she became involved in voluntary work.
“In initially, in the 1990s, I helped impoverished children in Guangxi’s rural areas obtain financial aid from donors in Hong Kong, and set up my own NGO in 2004. At the time, it was Beihai’s only nonprofit social organization involved in volunteer work,” she said, “It’s very enjoyable to do this charity work and I have made many friends through it.”
She said her NGO focuses on environmental protection work and organizes a range of voluntary activities, including cleaning up beaches, and protecting mangrove forests and migratory birds.
In 2008, the organization joined a marine life protection event supported by the central government, the UN Environment Programme and the Global Environmental Facility.
Xu and her colleagues at the association arranged a number of voluntary events such as raising awareness of marine biodiversity among local residents and students, and beach-cleaning activities to help promote understanding of the need to protect marine animals and plants.
“Undertaking voluntary activities or charitable work has become my mission, and I want to contribute my own efforts to the nation’s environmental protection work, even if they only produce a small improvement. However, protecting the environment is very hard work. which can’t be done by a single person. I sometimes feel like my ability falls short of my wishes.”
According to Xu, her NGO is currently promoting the classification of waste in Beihai and recycling kitchen waste into compost. “We have mature technologies, but still face difficulties in promoting the program because many residents lack awareness of environmental protection. We hope the government can figure out better ways of managing the garbage after we classify it to make full use of this ‘waste’.”
1. What can we learn about Xu Hai’ou from the first two paragraphs?A.She grew up in Shandong Province. |
B.She graduated in Beihai at the age of 23. |
C.She works as a journalist for a newspaper at present. |
D.She is a retired reporter volunteering to protect the environment. |
A.Rewarding. | B.Exhausting. | C.Amazing. | D.Embarrassing. |
A.To clean beaches and recycle kitchen waste. |
B.To get support from the central government. |
C.To raise people’s awareness of marine biodiversity. |
D.To help people understand the necessity of protecting marine life. |
A.She wants to win a good reputation. |
B.She wants to do what others don’t want to do. |
C.She wants to do her part to protect the environment. |
D.She wants to make the most of kitchen waste on her own. |
9 . Frederick Phiri, known as the junk-art king of Zambia, set out on a remarkable journey at the age of 22 when he began earning an international reputation for being able to make complex and elegant sculptures from deserted metal found in his community.
Phiri’s path to artistic recognition was filled with challenges. His childhood was marked by the loss of his father and his mother leaving him behind, making him under the care of his grandfather. While his grandfather provided for his basic education, Phiri faced financial struggles when he entered secondary school, forcing him to take on various jobs to fund his studies. Yet, despite these obstacles, his passion for art remained growing, and he dedicated his free time to drawing and crafting in the classroom.
Upon completing his education, Phiri sought to support himself by creating wire animal sculptures (雕塑品), which he sold to tourists. It was during this period that his exceptional talent caught the attention of Karen Beattie, the director of Project Luangwa, a nonprofit organization committed to education and economic development in central Africa.
Teaming up with local welder (焊接工) Moses Mbewe in 2017, Phiri contributed to the creation of a complex set of doors for Project Luangwa during the rainy season. Impressed by his work, Beattie presented Phiri with a challenge: to create art from abandoned waste metal. Undiscouraged, Phiri embraced the opportunity, transforming forgotten keys, broken bike chains, and old metal bottles into attracting abstract animal sculptures, including elephants, cranes, giraffes, and monkeys.
Today, Phiri’s artistic pursuits continue to flourish as he transforms deserted junk into striking sculptures showcased at the Project Luangwa headquarters. His talent has earned recognition and admiration from the community, fueling his dreams of pursuing formal art education at the Evelyn Hone College in Lusaka and creating even more magnificent sculptures in the future. Through creativity and determination, Phiri has turned adversity (逆境) into artistic success, leaving a lasting impact on Zambia’s art scene.
1. What is Phiri distinguished for?A.Serving his community. | B.Collecting works of art. |
C.Being the king of Zambia. | D.Turning trash into treasure. |
A.His struggle to pay for primary schooling by himself. |
B.The loss of his father and abandonment by his mother. |
C.His dedication to part-time jobs while attending school. |
D.His responsibility to support his grandfather financially. |
A.To create sculptures from wire. |
B.To sell his sculptures internationally. |
C.To create art from deserted waste metal. |
D.To design a complex set of doors for Project Luangwa. |
A.Uncertain. | B.Confident. | C.Depressed. | D.Confused. |
The very first speech I had given changed my life more than I could ever have imagined. I was a third-grader when I chose Susan B. Anthony to be the topic. When I got the assignment, I went to the library and began researching the Women’s Fight for the Right to Vote. I never really thought about a time when women had no voting rights and that their opinions didn’t count. I learned that Susan B. Anthony led the fight to give women a say in our society. She overcame a
lot of obstacles in order to do thatAbout a week after giving my school speech, my mom read a newspaper article about a statue honoring Susan B. Anthony. The problem was that few people ever got to see the statue. It was dedicated (落成) in 1921, but within twenty-four hours it was taken down to the basement and stored where it had remained for nearly eighty years.
When I read that article, I was getting angry! This statue belonged in a place of honor. I felt
that it should be in the Rotunda, along with the statues of Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther KingJr, and Gcorge Washington.The article asked for donations because it would take $74,000 to move the thirteen-ton statue
out of the basement. I decided to write a letter with a self-addressed envelope asking my relatives and friends to send a Susan B. Anthony coin or a S1 bill to me to contribute to the Women’s Voting Statue Campaign. Every day I ran to the mailbox after school. But a month later, my piggybank was still far from full.So every night, after my homework, I wrote more letters at the kitchen table. Pretty soon the whole family got involved in the project. My seven-year-old brother, David, prepared stamps and envelopes. My mother and grandmother found addresses for people I wanted to contact and my dad drove me around and gave me tons of encouragement when I spoke to big groups.
注意:1.续写词数应为150个左右;
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
I passed around a piggy bank for donations at the end of each speech.
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I was interviewed on TV
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