1 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Many people still remember the magic of Father Christmas from when they were children. As parents, they try to keep that magic alive for their children for as long as they can.

That is why Letters from Father Christmas could be the perfect book for those     1     regard Christmas     2     a special time of year. The man who wrote these letters is one of the most famous     3     (name)in English literature—J. R. R. Tolkien,       4     English writer, poet and university professor. The letters were Tolkien’s way of keeping Father Christmas alive for his four children, over a period of more than twenty years.

Every Christmas, an envelope with a North Pole stamp arrived. It     5     (address)to Tolkien’s children. The children must have been very     6     (excite)as they opened the letter to see who     7     could be from. Inside, they would find a handwritten letter from Father Christmas. The letters were also     8     (beautiful)illustrated—each must have taken its true author, Tolkien, a long time     9     (complete).

Letters from Father Christmas tells us that as well as     10     (enjoy)the adventures of Father Christmas, Polar Bear and other characters at the North Pole, we can all share the true spirit of giving at Christmas time.

2 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Cao Zhi, a prince of the state of Cao Wei,     1    (fall) in love with an official’s daughter. However, she married his brother, Cao Pi, and the prince became disappointed. Later, he composed an     2    (emotion) poem about the love between the goddess and mortal. In the poem, he praises the nymph (女神)     3     her beauty.

“Gazing at her from afar,

She shines like the sun     4    (rise) above the rosy mists (迷雾) of dawn;

Observing her close by,

She is as bright as a lotus emerging from clear ripples (涟漪).”

In the 4th century, Gu Kaizhi, a Chinese artist,     5    (move) by the story. He illustrated the poem and created     6     we call the Nymph of the Luo River.   Unfortunately, the original 4th painting was lost. However, artists made several copies of it,     7    (probable) during the Song dynasty. The painting is in     8     form of a long scroll (卷轴), which describes the plot in sections. Let's unfold the scroll and find out about this beautiful story.

In the beginning, Cao Zhi travels with a group of attendants and has to cross the Luo River. Here, Gu Kaizhi gives full play to his artistic     9    (imagine). Through clever composition and application of vivid colors, he describes the meeting between Cao Zhi and the nymph, Fu Fei. She flows lightly and stops when she wants to go.     10    (attract) by her charm, Cao loses his heart to Fu Fei.

3 . 语法填空

The poem Dream     1     Langston Hughes is very short with only 8 lines. When I read the poem aloud I can hear that the ends of the second and fourth sentences rhyme—“die” and “fly”. The last word from the sixth and     2    (eight) sentences also rhyme—“go” and “snow”. These     3    (rhyme) words sound nice and make the poem pleasing to read.

When I close my eyes, I can see different     4    (image) from the poem. For example, I can see two hands being held. I can see a bird flying in the sky. I can see a field and I can imagine     5     it looks like with lots of snow. I start to feel cold when I read these lines!

I learnt     6     new phrase, “hold fast”, which     7    (mean) to hold onto something. “Barren” is also a new word to me, which means empty.

I think the poet is giving us     8    (advise). He wants us to keep dreaming, because life is much     9    (good) when we dream and have something     10    (look) forward to.

4 . 语法填空

Silent Spring

Silent Spring by Rachel Carson was published in 1962. Carson wrote the book     1     (aim) to alert people to the damaging effects of human activities     2     natural ecosystems. And she wished to see pesticides     3     (use) in a more responsible, limited and carefully monitored way. The book contained a lot of scientific information, research, examples and so on,     4     showed how precise she was as a scientist. The arguments were strong and the language was     5     (elegance) and influential. However, the book was not received positively by everyone. It quickly became a target for critics in the pesticide industry, who said that Carson’s research was not precise. Carson appeared in public and on television     6     (defend) her claims.

Carson’s message was     7     (alarm) and its influence was immediate and far-reaching. The use of DDT     8     (ban) and the EPA was established in the US. The book was considered as     9     milestone in the launch of the green movement in the Western world. Carson earned a Presidential Medal of Freedom after she passed away.

The book changed the world by increasing people’s     10     (aware) of protecting natural ecosystem.

5 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

Charles Dickens

It has been 150 years since Charles Dickens died, 184 years since his first work was released to the public and 156 years since his last completed book came out. In all of this time, these novels have never been out of print. Dickens may have left us, but his work remains timeless,     1     (fascinate) the majority of those who open their pages.

Most people have read, watched or at least heard of Dickens’ stories, but what makes him and his work so popular? Since he began novel writing in his 20s, Dickens constantly produced quality classics. Year after year his awaiting fans were not left     2     (disappoint) as their minds were fed with complex tales of romance, crime, hope and despair.

In the Victorian era he lived in, much of the work Dickens produced     3     (model) on the literature before him. He was one of the first writers of the time     4     (portray) honest examples of working-class people, giving many something to relate to. He focused on unfolding the good and bad qualities of characters which allowed his readers to follow their journeys and understand     5     they may have acted in the unusual or shocking ways that they did.

Any Dickens fans will know the diverse and outrageous (耸人听闻的) characters coming to life between the pages.     6     was special about this novelist’s ability in imagining these characters’ stories is that it comes from his own life’s path.     7     a young boy left to take care of himself in a workhouse to the wealthy figure he became through his writing successes, he knew what it was like to see in different lights. This deep understanding of his characters gave his fictional stories the strong element of believability     8     is needed in a good novel.

Over a century and a half later, Dickens’ themes can be relevant to today’s world problems. His words and imagery have been transformed further into the media of modern film, television and even musical adaptations.     9     set in a time unfamiliar to readers today, his work still enables everyone to relate to the love, hardship and sense of family that pours from the narratives. It is this aspect     10     has carried Charles Dickens into the 21st century.

6 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

While English speakers look back to the time of Shakespeare and Milton 400 years ago as a Golden age, Chinese look back far     1     (far), to the Tang dynasty 1, 200 years ago as their Golden age of literature.

A key feature of Chinese poetry is     2     it is concise (简洁的). Each character places a thought, an impression, an image. Emphasis is put on use of rhythm and sometimes in a     3     (balance) look of the characters so that it is     4     (visual) pleasing on paper.

Amazing 48, 000 poems have survived from the many Tang dynasty poets. After the Tang, poets struggled     5     (establish) a modern style that was not rooted in the glories of the past. Later the style of the Song dynasty did become a popular form. So many people enjoy such     6     (popular) because it was more fluent and less rigid than that of the Tang.

Many poems contain specific events from Chinese history, and that makes understanding these poems     7     challenge to non-Chinese. Translating Chinese poems into English     8     (cause) all sorts of problems. For many years, writers have tried to convey the spirit of poems     9     different ways. Although much is lost in translation, the core (核心) meaning can     10     (catch) and appreciated.

7 . 语法填空

Reading a book and watching a film are two very different experiences, but it’s normal to have high     1     (expect) when a film of a favourite book is made. Most audiences and critics have been pessimistic or even disappointed by a film of a book they love.

A key question is obviously how close to the     2     (origin) the film is. Another problem area is the cast. Finding actors     3     (accept) to film audiences can mean the difference between success and failure. Some books are just too difficult to be adapted     4     technical reasons. Technology has had a huge impact on the film industry. It is the book writer     5     is in the best position     6     (do) film adaptations. In fact, sometimes authors are     7     (involve) in the process eagerly and may even be the screenwriter. They may be too close to the material and find     8     difficult to adapt to a new form. Sometimes writers have been very     9     (satisfy) with the film versions of their work. Anyway, it is always a bad idea to watch a film of a book you love.

    10     the challenges, there have been some highly successful films made from popular books.