题目内容
“The Lord of the Rings”, one of the best sellers in the new millennium(千年), was made up of three parts—“The Fellow Ship of the Ring”, “Two Towers”, and “The Return of the King”. Millions upon millions of people have read it in over 25 different languages, but fewer know about the author and the history of the composition of the creative masterwork.
John Ronald Refuel Tolkien was born in South Africa in 1892. His parents died when he was a child. Living in England with his aunt, Tolkien and his cousins made up play languages, a hobby that led to Tolkien’s becoming skilled in Welsh, Greek, Gothic, Old Norse and Anglo—Saxon.
After graduating from Oxford, Tolkien served in World War I. In 1917, while recovering from trench fever he began composing the mythology for The Rings. As a professor of Anglo-Saxon in the 1930s at Oxford, Tolkien was part of an informal discussion group called the Inklings, which included several writers. The group was soon 1istening to chapters of Tolkien’s imaginative work “The Hobbit”.
Hobbit was a name Tolkien created for people that could best be described as half-sized members of the English rural(乡村的)class. Hobbits live in hillside holes. One of them,Bilbo Baggins, looks for treasures with a group of dwarves(侏儒). On the way, he meets the twisted, pitiful creature Gollum, from whom he sees a golden ring that makes the holder invisible.
One of Tolkien’s students persuaded her employer, publisher Allen & Unwind, to look at a draft (草稿). The chairman of the firm, Stanley Unwind, thought that the best judge for a Children’s book would be his ten-year-old son. The boy earned a shilling for reporting back that the adventure was exciting, and “The Hobbit” was published in 1937.
It sold so well that Unwind asked for a continuation. Over a dozen years later, in 1954, Tolkien produced “The Lord of the Rings”, a series of books so creative that they hold readers both new and old -- after their publication.
1.What can we learn from the text?
A. “The Lord of the Rings” didn't sell well in the last millennium.
B. People know better about Tolkien himself than about his works.
C. Tolkien was quite familiar with Old English.
D. Tolkien knew very well about different kinds of local languages in Africa.
2.What can we learn about "Hobbit" that Tolkien created in his works?
A. Hobbit was a race living in English downtown areas.
B. Hobbit was a local people who were very tall and strong.
C. Hobbit was a social group of people who lived in old castles.
D. Hobbit was a group of people who were mostly dwarves.
3. Which of the following helped most in making “The Hobbit” published?
A. One of Tolkien's students. B. Stanley Unwind's son.
C. Allen & Unwind. D. Bilbo Baggins.
4.What is mainly discussed in the text?
A. “The Lord of the Rings” and its writer.
B. A completely new masterwork in the new millennium.
C. A famous professor at Oxford University.
D. The power of the magic ring.
5. Which of the following shows the right order of Mr. Tolkien's life experience?
a. He had his “The Hobbit” published.
b. He became a member of the Inklings.
c. He served in World War I.
d. He became an undergraduate at Oxford.
e. His work “The Lord of the Rings” came to the world.
f. He moved to England to live with his aunt.
A. f-d-b-c-a-e B. f-d-c-b-a-e
C. f-c-d-b-e-a D.d-f-c-a-b-e
1.C
2.D
3.B
4.A
5.B
【解析】 略
If you look for a book as a present for a child, you will be spoiled for choice even in a year when there is no new Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling’s wizard is not alone: the past decade has been a harvest for good children’s books, which has set off a large quantity of films and in turn led to increased sales of classics such as The Lord of the Rings.
Yet despite that, reading is increasingly unpopular among children. According to statistics, in 1997 23% said they didn’t like reading at all. In 2003, 35% did. And around 6% of children leave primary school each year unable to read properly.
Maybe the decline is caused by the increasing availability(可利用性)of computer games. Maybe the books boom(繁荣)has affected only the top of the educational pile. Either way, Chancellor Gordon Brown plans to change things for the bottom of the class. In his pre-budget(预算) report, he announced the national project of Reading Recovery to help the children struggling most.
Reading Recovery is aimed at six-year-olds, who receive four months of individual daily half- hour classes with a specially trained teacher. An evaluation earlier this year reported that children on the scheme made 20 months’ progress in just one year, whereas similarly weak readers without special help made just five months’ progress, and so ended the year even further below the level expected for their age.
International research tends to find that when British children leave primary school they read well, but read less – often for fun than those elsewhere. Reading for fun matters because children who are keen on(热衷) reading can expect lifelong pleasure and loving books is an excellent indicator(指示物)of future educational success. According to the OECD, being a regular and enthusiastic reader is of great advantage.
【小题1】Which of the following is true of Paragraph 1?
A.Many children’s books have been adapted from films. |
B.Many high-quality children’s books have been published. |
C.The sales of classics have led to the popularity of films. |
D.The sales of presents for children have increased. |
A.the number of top students increased with the use of computers. |
B.a decreasing number of children showed interest in reading. |
C.a minority of primary school children read properly. |
D.a large percentage of children read regularly. |
A.An education of it will be made sometime this year. |
B.Weak readers on the project were the most hardworking. |
C.It aims to train special teachers to help children with reading. |
D.Children on the project showed noticeable progress in reading. |
A.takes greater advantage of the project. |
B.shows the potential to enjoy a long life. |
C.is likely to succeed in their education. |
D.would make excellent future researchers. |
A.to overcome primary school pupils’ reading difficulty. |
B.to encourage the publication of more children’s books. |
C.to remind children of the importance of reading for fun. |
D.to introduce a way to improve early childhood reading. |
TODAY, Friday, November 12
JAZZ with the Mike Thomas Jazz Band at the Derby Arms. Upper Richmond Road West, Sheen, Admission(门票) free.
DISCO. Satin Sounds Disco. Free at the Lord Napier, Mortlake High St., from 8 pm. Tel. 682-1158.
JAZZ. Lysis at the Bull’s Head, Barnes. Admission 60p.
TOMRROW, Saturday, November 13
MUSIC HALL at the Star and Garter, Lower Richmond Road, Putney, provided by the Aba Daba Music Hall company. Good food and entertainment at a fair price. Tel. 789-6749.
FAMILY night out? Join the sing-along at the Black Horse, Sheen Road, Richmond.
JAZZ. The John Bennet Big Band at the Bull’s Head, Barnes. Admission 80p.
THE DERBY ARMS, Upper Richmond Road West, give you Joe on the electric accordion(手风琴). Tel. 789-4536.
SUNDAY, November 14
DISCO. Satin Sounds Disco, free at The Lord Napier, Mortlake High Street, from 8 pm.
FOLK MUSIC at the Derby Arms. The Short Stuff and residents the Norman Chop Trio.
Non-members 70p. Tel. 688-4626.
HEAVY music with Tony Simon at the Bull, Upper Richmond Road West, East Sheen.
TEE DERBY ARMS, Upper Richmond Road West, give you Joe on the electric accordion.
【小题1】We can listen to the Norman Chop Trio _________.
A.at the Bull on Saturday |
B.at the Black Horse on Saturday |
C.at the Derby Arms on Sunday |
D.at the Bull’s Head on Sunday |
A.682-1158. | B.789-6749. | C.789-4536. | D.688-4626. |
A.reasonable | B.low | C.high | D.equal |
A.Politics. | B.Economics. | C.Advertisement. | D.Sports. |