Some time ago I discovered that one of my chairs had a broken leg. I didn't think there would be any difficulty in getting it repaired, as there are a lot of antique (古董) shops near my home. So I left home one morning carrying the chair with me. I went into the first shop expecting a friendly reception(接待). I was quite wrong. The man wouldn't even look at my chair.

    The second shop, though slightly more polite, was just the same, and the third and the fourth -- so I decided that my approach must be wrong.

    I entered the fifth shop with a plan in my mind. I placed the chair on the floor and said to the shopkeeper, "Would you like to buy a chair?"

    He looked it over carefully and said,- "Yes, not a bad chair. How much do you want for it, sir?"

    “Twenty pounds," I said.

    “OK," he said, "I'll give you twenty pounds."

    “It's got a slightly broken leg," I said.

    ‘'Yes, I saw that, it's nothing."

    Everything was going according to my plan and l was getting excited. "What will you do with it?" I asked.

    “Oh, it will be easy to sell once the repair is done."

    “I'll buy it," I said.

    “What do you mean? You've just sold it to me," he said.

    "Yes, I know but I've changed my mind. I am sorry. I'll give you twenty-seven pounds for it."

    “You must be crazy," he said. Then, suddenly the penny dropped. “I know what you want. You want me to repair your chair."

    “You're right," I said. "And what would you have done if I had walked in and said, 'Would you repair this chair for me?"'

    “I wouldn't have agreed to do it," he said. "We don't do repairs, not enough money in it and too much trouble. But I'II repair this for you. Shall we say for five pounds?" He was a very nice man and was greatly amused by the whole thing.

1.We can learn from the text that in the first shop the writer_______.

A. was rather impolite                                                  B. was warmly received

C. asked the shopkeeper to buy his chair       D. asked the shopkeeper to repair his chair

2. The underlined word "approach" in the second paragraph means_______.

A. plan for dealing with things                           B. way of doing things

C. idea of repairing things                                  D. decision to sell things

3.The expression "the penny dropped" in the last paragraph means the shopkeeper_______.

A. changed his mind                                            B. accepted the offer

C. saw the writer's purpose                                         D. decided to help the writer

4.How much did the writer pay?

A.£5.                               B.£7.                                C. £20.                  D. £27.

5.From the text, we can learn that the writer was_______.

A. honest                B. careful                          C. smart                   D. funny

 

Mo, the first Nobel winner in literature born and living in China, said he had trouble with the sudden publicity, which put a lot of pressure on him.

"I only hope to return to my writing desk as soon as possible, and I would also like to do well in society anonymously.(无名地)" Mo said. He was bothered by a large number of requests asking him to offer help that took advantage of his fame. " I was upset the first several days after the prize announcement, but then I realized the prize is just like a mirror that reflects various attitudes about my winning, and more, reflects the real me," Mo said. "I still consider myself an ordinary citizen who writes. And presenting quality works is my duty and best way of giving back to society. I'm no superstar," he emphasized(强调) several times.

Mo believes Chinese literature has achieved much in the past thirty years, and the driving force behind that is not the prize. Writers' creations should not be driven by awards, or criticism, or readers' expectations. Mo said he misunderstood the standards of the academy's selection before he visited Stockholm(斯德哥尔摩) to receive the prize in December.

"I thought they were judging the authors' personality or political features, then I learned the sole standard of their selection is literature itself, which is also deeply based in the Swedish people's long-established practice of reading a large number of books," Mo said.

During the forum, established Chinese and Australian writers discussed subjects as diverse as tradition and modernity, the local and the universe and cultural inclusiveness. And they will also read works to each other and the readers. The writers communication will further promote(推动) Chinese writers to a global audience.

Australian Ambassador(大使) to China Frances Adamson agreed. "It's a milestone (驱动)of literary exchanges between the two countries, who are longtime friends," Adamson said.

1. Mo is the first Nobel winner in ______ born and living in China.

A.literature.         B.peace            C.physics           D.chemistry

2.When did Mo receive the prize?

A.In September      B.In October         C.In November       D.In December

3.What did Mo say about himself after he got the prize?

A.He considered he was a superstar.

B.He still considered he was an ordinary citizen who writes.

C.He considered he was famous all over the world.

D.He considered he became rich.

4.Who is Frances Adamson?

A.He is the French Ambassador to China       B.He is the Canadian Ambassador to China

C.He is the Australian Ambassador to China     D.He is the American Ambassador to China

5.Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A.Mo didn’t hope to return to my writing desk B.Mo was always upset after the prize .

C.The driving force behind writers is the prize   D.Mo’s success will promote Chinese writers.

 

钢琴家朗朗是世界古典音乐新一代领军人物,被誉为“当今世界最年轻的钢琴大师”.

Lang Lang, called “Chinese Mozart”, one of the best-known Chinese pianists in the world, was born in Shenyang in 1982. He began to take piano lessons at the age of three. He played the piano at least 20 hours a week at that time. At the age of five, he won the Shenyang Piano Competition. Four years later, his father took him to Beijing to study at the Beijing Central Music Conservatory(中央音乐学院). When he was 11, he won the first prize at the Fourth International Young Pianists Competition in Germany. In 1996, he went to the United States to study music. Soon he became famous all over the US, and then around the world.

The road to success has never been easy. Lang Lang’s father even stopped his job in his police office. For over ten years, he followed Lang Lang everywhere he went, not only as a father, but also as a manager, tutor and friend, while his mother stayed in Shenyang to make money. In spite of(尽管) giving on average over 150 performances around the world every year now, he still finds time to practice and learn new works. Lang Lang considers himself lucky and believes he should give something back. He has helped the children in poor areas a lot.

1.How old was Lang Lang when he went to Beijing to study?

A.He was three.      B.He was five.        C.He was nine.       D.He was eleven.

2.Why did Lang Lang’s father take him to Beijing?

A.They went on vacation to Beijing.

B.Their family needed money at that time.

C.Lang Lang wanted to take part in the Piano Competition.

D.Lang Lang went there to study at a famous music conservatory.

3.Where was the fourth International Youth Piano Competition held?

A.In Germany.        B.In the United States.  C.In Japan           D.In China.

4.Which is NOT TRUE according to the passage?

A.Lang Lang went to the United States to study music at the age of 14.

B.Lang Lang’s father had to stay in Shenyang to make money.

C.Lang Lang’s parents have done a lot for him to be a famous pianist.

D.Lang Lang is called “Chinese Mozart” because he plays the piano very well.

5. What can we learn from this passage?

A.It’s not very difficult to be a pianist.

B.A pianist is always popular in the world.

C.You have to practice and learn much to be successful.

D.Pianists never hate playing the piano because it’s interesting.

 

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