Tom Brennan was working in a Philadelphia office building when he noticed a black bag. The bag contained a book.

     This chance discovery ended a 12day search by the Library Company of Philadelphia for a historical treasure -- a 120-page -diary kept 190 years ago by Deborah Logan, “a woman who knew everybody in her day,” James Green, the librarian told the magazine America Libraries.

     Most of the diary is a record of big events in Philadelphia. It also includes a description of British soldiers burning Washington D.C. in the war of 1812. She describes President James Madison on horseback as “perfectly shaking with fear” during the troubled days. George Washington, she writes, mistook her for the wife of a French man, and praised her excellent English.

       The adventure of the lost book began September 4 when Cory Luxmoore arrived from England to deliver the diary to his ancestor (祖先) to the Library Company, which he and his wife considered to be the best home for the diary.

      Green told American Libraries he had the diary in his possession “about five minutes” when Luxmoore took it back because he had promised to show it to one other person. On returning to his hotel after showing the precious book to Green, Luxmoor was shocked to realise that he had left it in the taxi.

       Without any delay, Green began calling every taxi company in the city, with no luck. “I've felt sick since then,” Luxmoore told reporters.

        According to Green, no one has yet learned how the diary came to the office building. Tom Brennan received a reward (奖励) of $1 000, Philadelphia gained another treasure for its history, and Luxmoore told reporters, “It's wonderful news. I'm on high.”

51. This article mainly tells about the story of _______.

A. a lost diary                                           B. Deborah Longan

C. Cory Luxmoore                                    D. the Library Company

52. From the text, we learn that the diary is now owned by _______.

A. Tom Brennan                                              B. an unknown person

C. a Philadelphia magazine                        D. the Library Company of Philadelphia

53. Philadelphia is thought to be the best home for the diary because _______.

A. it was written in Philadelphia                 B. it tells stories about Philadelphia

C. people in the city are interested in old things

D. the British and the Americans once fought in Philadelphia

54. Which of the following shows the right order of what happened to the diary?

 a -- Tom Brennan found the book in an office building.

 b -- The book was shown to James Green.

 c -- Cory Luxmoore arrived from England.

 d -- The book was left behind in a taxi.

A. a, b, c, d         B. c, b, d, a                  C. a, c, d, b                         D. c, a, b, d

55. What did Cory Luxmoore mean when he said “I'm on high”?

A. I'm rich                    B. I'm famous                     C. I'm excited                    D. I'm lucky

“Tomorrow is another day”---- this line has impressed various people at various times. It's now 70 years after it appeared in the film, but it still seems to hold its power especially during an economic downturn.
The phrase comes from a film adaptation of Margaret Mitchell's successful 1936 novel Gone With the Wind. It's set in the American South and tells the story of a strong heroine, Scarlett O' Hara, who struggles to find love during the Civil War and, afterwards, of her strength in surviving the war and its hardships.
Love story 
In a moment of despair, Scarlett finally realizes that her love belongs to Rhett Butler. For many audiences, it is the theme of love and struggle that has kept the movie alive. While the burning of Atlanta might seem irrelevant to today's viewers, the timeless theme of love keeps its ability to touch people.
With a promise to her lover still in her mind, Scarlett chooses to stay in the midst of war and take care of Melanie. But her heart is broken when Rhett just walks away, leaving the woman that he once loved with cruel words, "Frankly, dear, I don' t give a damn."
Great epic
The film shows the love-hate relationship of these characters, but also American history, the fall of the Confederacy and the following period of Reconstruction in the South. The background made this film a true classic in the epic genre.
When the film opened after World War II, French viewers loved it, and it reminded them of their fight against the Nazis. In 1940 Shanghai, during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, people stood in line for hours to watch this film, and saw the same suffering they were having as well as the hope and possibility of building a new homeland from the ruins.
Each nationality could identify with the story and see it as a victory. In fact, Gone With the Wind never lost its charm and ability to inspire and amaze.
Biggest of all time
The film had five directors, 15-plus screenwriters, and an unexpected $3.9 million budget. The film brought in $ 200 million, which makes it the biggest selling film of all times in North America. It also won 10 Academy awards in 1940.
【小题1】The underlined "it" in the first paragraph refers to _______.

A.the novel Gone with the WindB."tomorrow is another day"
C.the movie Gone with the WindD.the Academy Award
【小题2】The text is written mainly to _______.
A.celebrate the anniversary of Margaret Mitchell
B.introduce how the film was directed and filmed
C.throw light on the charm of the movie "Gone with the Wind"
D.inspire people to struggle the economic downturn
【小题3】It can be concluded that Scarlett O' Hara is _______.
A.optimistic and luckyB.childish and realistic
C.caring and stubbornD.strong-minded and persistent
【小题4】The passage mentions Shanghai in order to _______.
A.prove that the background of the movie touched viewers
B.describe how popular the movie was at that time
C.point out that Shanghai was a center of entertainment
D.tell us that Chinese were suffering the War then.

Recently, a student used his Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) to film a female teacher scolding and tearing the work of a classmate. The public discussion that the incident caused started on the Internet. However, when it came to the media’s attention, it quickly became a major topic in the education circles. The reactions so far suggest that the focus of the debate has been on one question: whom to blame?

Teachers who are anxious to defend their professional dignity have tried to put the blame on the students. They mentioned their right to privacy 隐私)and for this reason they requested the Ministry of Education (MOE) to prohibit PDAs in schools. On the other hand, some parents and students have taken a different position. They feel that the teacher is also at fault. Caught up in the war of words between both sides, people are no longer interested in the “truth” of the matter which seems now unimportant. It was left to newspapers to discover the central point of the controversial issue, by stressing the problems that are not always easily noticed in our educational system.

For those responsible for educating the young, this PDA incident conveys the message that “Times have changed”,a reality that must have been felt even more strongly by the female teacher when reflecting on this unpleasant experience. Different times call for different professional approaches in education. The ability to understand the students they are teaching has always been the quality of successful teachers. Despite some factors, the incident shows that the teacher lacks good qualities on her part. Besides, the rules under current system to deal with recalcitrant students need to be improved. Also, it is an example which shows the issue we are familiar with: what to do with new technology? With PDA, the new technology, the interaction (交流)between the teacher and students in classroom has been changed.

1.The author’s purpose in writing this passage is to______.

A.improve the teachers’ way of teaching

B.stress the using of PDA in the classroom

C.change the students’ behavior in the classroom

D.discuss the potential problems of educational system

2.The underlined word “recalcitrant” in paragraph 3 probably means______?

A.difficult to control                       B.interested in nothing

C.unwilling to learn                       D.ready to obey rules

3.The writer’s attitude toward the PDA incident is______.

A.optimistic                             B.critical

C.uncertain                             D.approval

4.What might be the best title for the passage?

A.Whom to blame?

B.The PDA incident

C.Times have changed

D.What to do with new technology?

 

Telephone, television, radio, telegraph and the Internet all help people communicate with each other. As a result, ideas and news of events spread quickly all over the world. For example, within seconds, people can know the results of an election in another country. An international football match comes into the homes of everyone with a television set. News of a disaster such as an earthquake or a flood can bring help from distant countries within hours. Help is on the way. Because of modern technology like the satellites that travel around the world, information travels fast.

How has this speed of communication changed the world? To many people, the world has become smaller. Of course this does not mean that the world is actually physically smaller. It means that the world seems smaller. Two hundred years ago, communication between the continents took a long time. All news was carried on ships that took weeks or even months to cross the ocean. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, it took six weeks for news from Europe to reach America. This time difference influenced people’s actions. For example, one battle, or fight, in the War of 1812 between England and the United States could have been avoided. A peace agreement had already been signed. Peace was made in England, but the news of peace took six weeks to reach America. During these six weeks, the large and serious Battle of New Orleans was fought. Many people lost their lives after a peace treaty had been signed. They would not have died if news had come in time. In the past, communication took much more time than it does now.

There was a good reason why the world seemed so much larger than it does today.

1.According to this passage, ________ is very important to people in a disaster area.

A. transportation   B. modern technology   C. latest news D. a new idea

2.From the passage we learn that ________.

A. the world now seems smaller because of faster communication

B. the world is actually smaller today     C. the world is changing its size

D. the distance between England and America has changed since the War of 1812

3.Two hundred years ago, news between the continents was carried _____.

A. by telephone and telegraph  B. by land      C. by air       D. by sea

4.The New Orleans Battle could have been avoided if the peace agreement had been signed ______.   

A. by important people B. in 1812   C. in America      D. in England

 

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