题目内容
Where do most writers get their ideas? For Yoshiko Uchida, it all began with Brownie, a five-month-old puppy. So excited was Yoshiko by Brownie’s arrival that she started keeping a journal, writing about all the wonderful things Brownie did and the progress he made.
Soon she was writing about other memorable events in her life, too, like the day her family got their first refrigerator. She also began writing stories, thanks to one of her teachers. Yoshiko wrote stories about animal characters such as Jimmy Chipmunk and Willie the Squirrel. She kept on writing, sharing the kitchen table with her mother, who wrote poems on scraps of paper and the backs of envelopes.
Yoshiko grew up in the 1930s in Berkeley, California. Her parents, both of whom had been born in Japan, provided a loving and happy home for Yoshiko and her sister. They also provided a stream of visitors to their home who later found their way into Yoshiko’s stories. One visitor who later appeared in several of Yoshiko’s stories was the bad-tempered Mr. Toga, who lived above the church that her family attended. Mr. Toga would scold anyone who displeased him. The children all feared him and loved to tell stories about how mean he was and how his false teeth rattled (咯咯响) when he talked.
Yoshiko also included in her stories some of the places she visited and the experiences she had. One of her favorite places was a farm her parents took her to one summer. The owners of the farm, showed Yoshiko and her sister how to pump water from the well and how to gather eggs in the henhouse. They fed the mules that later pulled a wagon loaded with hay while Yoshiko and the others rode in the back, staring up at the stars shining in the night sky. Yoshiko, who lived in the city, had never seen such a sight. As Yoshiko gazed up at the stars, she was filled with hope and excitement about her life. The images of that hayride stayed with her long after the summer visit ended, and she used them in several of her stories.
The experiences Yoshiko had and the parade of people who marched through her young life became a part of the world she created in over twenty books for young people, such as The Best Bad Thing and A Jar of Dreams. Because of such books, we can all share just a little bit of the world and the times in which this great writer grew up.
The author tells about Mr. Toga’s false teeth in Paragraph 3 in order to ____________.
A. show health care was not good enough in Berkeley during the 1930s
B. provide an interesting detail in Yoshiko’s life and stories
C. show Yoshiko’s young life was difficult and frightening
D. tell about a beloved relative who helped Yoshiko learn how to write
In Paragraph 4 “the stars” probably refer to ____________.
A. family relationships B. terrors in the night
C. limitless possibilities D. sacrifices to benefit others
What does the underlined part in the last paragraph mean?
A. Yoshiko loved to write about parades.
B. Yoshiko met many interesting people.
C. Yoshiko liked to go for long walks with others.
D. Yoshiko preferred to talk to her pets instead of to people.
What is the main idea of this story?
A. People who live in the city should spend as much time as they can in the country.
B. Writers like Yoshiko Uchida must communicate with as many writers as possible.
C. Those who move to the United States often miss their homelands for many years.
D. Writers like Yoshiko Uchida look to the richness of their lives for material.
―― There are ______ such books here.
―― I only need ______ these books on this shelf.
A. eight dozens ; one dozen B. eight dozens of ; one dozen of
C. eight dozen ; one dozen D. dozens of ; one dozen of
Some people think as more and more people have televisions in their homes, fewer and fewer people will buy books and newspapers. Why read an article in the newspaper, when the TV news can bring you the information in a few minutes and with pictures? Why read the life story of a famous man, when a short television program can tell you all that you want to know?
Television has not killed reading, however. Today, newspapers sell in very large numbers. And books of every kind are sold more than ever before. Books are still a cheap way to get information and enjoyment. Although some books with hard covers are expensive, many books are printed today as paperbacks (平装本), which are quite cheap. A paperback collection of short stories, for example, is always cheaper than an evening at the cinema or the theater, and you can keep a book for ever and read it many times.
Books are a wonderful provider of knowledge and pleasure and some types of books should be in every home. Every home should have a good dictionary. A good encyclopedia (百科全书), though expensive, is useful, too, because you can find information on any subject. Besides, you can have such books as history books, science textbooks, cookbooks, and collections of stories and poems. Then from time to time you can take a book of poems off your shelves and read the thoughts and feelings of your favorite poets.
63. It can be inferred from the passage that _____.
A. TV programs are a chief provider of knowledge
B. cinemas are the best choice in getting information
reading is a cheap way of learning and having fun
D. newspapers are an expensive way to enjoy oneself
64. What does the sentence “Television has not killed reading, however” underlined in the second paragraph suggest?
A. People only need reading, though. B. Reading is still necessary today.
Reading is more fun than television. D. Watching television doesn’t help reading.
65. Which of the following is mainly discussed in the last paragraph?
A. Types of books B. Kinds of dictionaries
Lists of history books. D. Collections of stories and poems.
66. What can we learn from the passage?
A. Fewer and fewer people will buy books.
B. A good dictionary should be kept in every home.
Books with hard covers sell better than paperbacks.
D. More people like TV programs about famous men.
As the economic crisis goes worse, some reader are turning to bookstores for advice on how to manage their own finances. Below are the top-ten selling books in both categories for the week ended Oct.18 at Barnes & Noble Inc., the country’s largest book retailer (零售商). Here readers are buying books whose titles feature such words as “failed”, “crisis” and “danger”.
1. The total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey. A primer on how to cut debt, save money and create a financial strategy.
2. Debt Cures ‘They’ Don’t Want You to Know About by Kevin Trudeau. A look into the dangers of credit card spending and how to reduce your expenses.
3. Women & Money: Owning the Power to Control Your Destiny by Suze Orman, Ms. Orman writes about how women can gain better control of their finances by better understanding their relationship with money.
4. The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous & Broke by Suze Orman. A book on what the young need to know now about money management.
5. The Smart Cookies’ Gude to Making More Dough by the Smart Cookies with Jennifer Barrett. The book’s advice: Take charge and get out of debt.
6. The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression by Amity Shlaes. A look at what happened during that other crisis.
7. The Partnership: The Making of Goldman Sachs by Charles D. Ellis. An inside look at the famed investment-banking firm.
8. “Bad Money: Reckless Finance, Failed Politics, and the Global Crisis of American Capitalism by Kevin Phillips. Mr. Phillips documents the unreaveling of the U.S. economy.
9. The New Paradigm for Financial Markets: The Credit Crisis of 2008 and What It Means by George Soros. An analysis of the issue behind the crisis and their implications.
10. The World is Cured: Hidden Dangers to the Global Economy by David M. Smick. An inside look at what went wrong with the banking system here and abroad.
1.What is the best title for the passage?
A.A Personal Financial List
B.The Country’s Largest Book Seller
C.Serious Economic Crisis
D.Ten Books to Read in the Financial Crisis
2.The reason why readers are buying books including “failed, crisis, danger” is that______.
A.they are discouraged with the serious financial crisis
B.they are to find advice to get through the financial crisis
C.they are concerned about failures in the world
D.they have no choice but to read such books
3.If you desire to get out of debt, you’d better read the book written by .
A.David M. Smick B.Suze Orman C.Kevin Phillips D.the Smart Cookies
4.From the text we know that ______.
A.Charles D. Ellis is famous as an investment-banking manager
B.George Soros has given the detailed root of present economic crisis
C.Amity Shlaes is only interested in the past economic crisis
D.Dave Ramsey is the current Minister of the USA.
—— There are ______ such books here.
—— I only need ______ these books on this shelf.
reading
is a cheap way of learning and having fun