1 . Toni Morrison was an American writer who received the Nobel Prize in Literature. Her novels, Beloved, Song of Solomon and others explored the way African-Americans search for freedom and identity in a country obsessed (受困扰的) with skin colour. Morrison was nearly 40 when she published her first novel The Bluest Eye in 1970. The Nobel Prize committee described her writing as “language itself, a language she wants to liberate from race”. Her novels discussed America’s past, focusing on black history and the effects of slavery and racism. She called her characters “the unfree at the heart of the democratic experiment”.

In 1988, she won the Pulitzer Prize for her novel Beloved, the story of a mother who kills her baby daughter rather than permit her to return to slavery. It became a best-seller and was later made into a film. Many Americans admired her as the country’s greatest writer, including former President Barack Obama.

She was born in 1931. She attended Howard University, an all-black university in Washington, DC. At Howard, she read African, British and American literature, including writers William Faulkner and Virginia Woolf. After a short marriage, she became a single mother of two sons and worked as a book editor in New York.

Several publishers rejected her first book The Bluest Eye, but it impressed The New York Times’ book critic John Leonard, who believed Morrison was an important new voice. He said her writing was “so full of pain and wonder that the novel becomes poetry”.

Morrison enjoyed her literary fame and was proud of her Nobel Prize.

1. What are Toni Morrison’s books mainly about?

A．Women’s equality and rights.	B．The development of America.
C．The literature of America.	D．Black history and racism.

2. Which of the following helped Toni Morrison receive the Pulitzer Prize?

A．Beloved.	B．Song of Solomon.
C．The Bluest Eye.	D．The New York Times.

3. Why is former President Barack Obama mentioned?

A．To show Barack Obama’s support in literature.

B．To prove Toni Morrison’s greatness as a writer.

C．To stress Toni Morrison’s contribution to America.

D．To remind readers of the skin colour of Barack Obama.

4. What can we infer from John Leonard’s words?

A．He thought highly of Morrison.

B．He rejected the book The Bluest Eye.

C．The book The Bluest Eye made him painful.

D．Toni Morrison’s book was hard to understand.

2 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。

Today, I will talk about my favorite novel, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,    1    is written by Mark Twain. Tom was the hero of the story. He    2    (live) with his aunt in a small town named St. Petersburg. He ran away    3    , his two friends to an island in the middle of Mississippi River for several days. They went to look for gold but got    4    (lose) in a cave.    5    (luck), they found a box of gold. My favorite scene in the book is when everyone thought Tom was dead. He decided    6    (go) to his own funeral(葬礼)and appeared suddenly. Everyone was    7    (surprise) to see him. They were also pleased to see him alive. The main theme(主题)of the story is surviving in dangerous situations. It is also about    8    (free), social rules, and what people do about bad behaviors. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is great. It's thought to be one of the greatest    9    (novel) in American literature. I think you will love    10    .