题目内容

You may have heard of the book Moby Dick(《白鲸记》), written by the American author Herman Melville. You may also know that Moby Dick is considered one of the greatest novels ever written. However, it might surprise you to find out Herman Melville was not always a highly regarded author.

Melville’s first two novels, Typee and Omoo, were widely read and financially successfully. They were both exciting tales of adventures at sea and experiences with people in foreign lands. Melville became quite famous. However, upon the publication of his third book, Mardi, Melville’s popularity began to weaken. He was no longer interested in telling tales of pure adventure, and his writing took on a style that alienated(使疏远) the general reading public of his time.

Melville published Moby Dick in October of 1851. It was an original novel, combining aspects of sociology and philosophy, which confused readers by its complex symbolism. The book sold poorly.

Melville’s next book, Pierre, was almost completely disregarded by the public. Debt frustration and ill health finally forced Melville to take a low-paying job as a customs inspector. Eventually, Melville abandoned prose(散文) and began to write poetry.

The Civil War is the main subject of Melville’s poetry. He and his brother made a trip to the front line, and he published a book of poems, Battle-Pieces and Aspects of War, based on this experience.

Melville died in 1891 at the age of 72. At this point, his work had been completely forgotten by the public. His talent was to go unrecognized for the next thirty years. Then, in 1920s, his reputation began to improve as critics and readers rediscovered his work. Today Moby Dick is one of the best-known novels ever penned by an American author.

1.What were Melville’s first two novels mainly about?

A. His travel experience.

B. His successful communication skills.

C. Adventurous experiences in the front line.

D. Adventurous voyages and foreign experiences.

2.We can learn from the text that Moby Dick ________.

A. sold a little better than Pierre

B. was Melville’s favorite novel

C. was copied from other books

D. made Melville popular again

3.The text may be taken from ________.

A. a writing guide

B. a literary journal

C. a science magazine

D. a critical book on literature

4.What is the text mainly about?

A. The main works of Melville.

B. The skills in Melville’s writing.

C. The ups and downs of Melville.

D. The reason for Melville’s failure.

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阅读下面短文,掌握其大意,从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

A Slice of Generosity

It was Saturday and we decided to take our kids for ________ out. We chose a branch of Pizza Express at the Surbiton Street. We entered the restaurant and sat down ________ an empty table. There was an elderly lady dining alone at the next table. It was clear that the lady had ________ needs. After some time, she finished her eating, sat up and went to the ________ to pay the bill. The waitress tried her bank card several times but couldn’t make it.

Then the waitress turned to her and ________ told the lady that there was something wrong with her bank card and it couldn’t be used at that moment. The lady looked ________ and confused, not knowing what to do. The kind and patient waitress told her not to be nervous and that she could call her ________ for help. Hearing that word, Jeremy, my husband, ________ sat up and told the waiting staff that we would pay for the lady's meal. The waitress smiled to us approvingly and said OK. My husband went to her and handed her our bank card. However, just at that moment, the manager arrived. He learned about the matter and turned to the lady, saying that ________ she couldn’t use her bank card to pay, there was no need to worry because Pizza Express had allowed the restaurant to give away two ________ meals every month and on this occasion, they would like to ________ her with a free meal.

She was extremely ________ and apologetic that she had been unable to pay. We were ________ that the lady had been ________ in such a respectful way and that she was not placed in a difficult and embarrassing position. Then, the manager turned and headed to us. He said that, as we had shown such ________ and helpfulness, he would like to ________ the second free meal that the restaurant was able to offer to us! We were extremely surprised! I have never heard of any chain restaurant behaving in such a ________ way. We were quite impressed with gratitude, expressing our ________ to the manager on behalf of both the lady and us. I made sure that the lady was able to get home OK then we thanked the staff and manager again and left the restaurant.

I think Pizza Express, and in particular the manager of the Surbiton branch, ________ our praise and respect. I told the manager that my younger son also had special needs and that I really ________ the way the restaurant had treated this special case.

Everyone may come across something unpredictable and if we can act just like the manager in the Pizza Express, then the world will become a better one.

1.A. funB. musicC. playD. dinner

2.A. inB. behindC. atD. on

3.A. specialB. ordinaryC. extraordinaryD. particular

4.A. kitchenB. counterC. restaurantD. bank

5.A. proudlyB. impatientlyC. hurriedlyD. politely

6.A. satisfiedB. embarrassedC. pleasedD. unfriendly

7.A. managerB. chefC. husbandD. father

8.A. excitedlyB. graduallyC. immediatelyD. happily

9.A. sinceB. forC. asD. though

10.A. freeB. ordinaryC. regularD. cheap

11.A. provideB. fillC. equipD. furnish

12.A. satisfiedB. disappointedC. gratefulD. sympathetic

13.A. interestedB. worriedC. stressedD. relieved

14.A. criticizedB. treatedC. acceptedD. recognized

15.A. modestyB. curiosityC. generosityD. honesty

16.A. deliverB. showC. sellD. donate

17.A. generousB. sillyC. sensitiveD. selfish

18.A. satisfactionB. disappointment

C. thanksD. regret

19.A. receivesB. deservesC. needsD. wants

20.A. disapprovedB. appreciated

C. forgaveD. disliked

Back in the days when I wrote my first songs, I hated my voice. I saw myself as a songwriter and guitarist but never a singer! I continued to write songs, and to search for the perfect singer. After a few years I did discover a singer, so we started a project together. We held a few concerts, and put a lot of work into it. She forces me to sing some songs at concerts myself, so I started going to a bar to practice them. This was my first, small breakthrough.

One day she came round to my flat and informed me that she could no longer work with me, and also that the bar owner at the open mic venue(麦克风场地) had replaced us at short notice because some New York jazz star happened to be in town, and was available that evening to perform. The first bit of news made me sad and disappointed, but the second made me angry.

However, that same evening, with as much determination as I could muster (集合), I resolved to play three new songs at the bar, just as I had planned before. I was quite nervous, but I dragged myself down to the bar and sang those songs! I never felt so liberated(无拘束的). That night I couldn’t get to sleep. I was simply astonished, hardly believing that I was a person who acted so courageously, and that I’d been able to sing my songs myself.

Since then I’ve begun to encourage others to adopt a similar approach when they aren’t able to see their own potential. One example is an amateur fiddler (小提琴手) who could barely bring herself to lift her instrument to play in front of people. I forced her to ignore her fear, and simply get on with it. Now, a year or two later, she is a passionate, happy performer in front of any crowd!

Once you get the ball rolling in yourself, you can start inspiring those around you.

1.What was the author’s first breakthrough?

A. She found the perfect singer.

B. She started a project with her partner.

C. She started to practice songs at a bar.

D. She was able to sing all of her songs.

2.How did the author feel when she heard that her partner could no longer work with her?

A. Sad and disappointed.B. Sad and angry.

C. Disappointed and angry.D. Astonished and angry.

3.The amateur fiddler is mentioned in the last but one paragraph in order to show that the author ________.

A. has a good relationship with her

B. encourages others to see their potential

C. can perform in front of any crowd

D. is very interested in making friends

4.What’s the passage mainly about?

A. How to work with other singers.

B. The story of the author and an amateur fiddler.

C. How the author became a singer through her fighting spirit.

D. How to write beautiful songs.

As the labor market becomes more attractive, more companies are sending their employees to school. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is the latest company to use tuition assistance for employees — which for decades has been a part of many business’ benefits packages — as part of a renewed effort to bring in and cultivate talent. And while the impact of such programs has yet to be fully assessed, many see it as a positive — although gradual-movement.

“For workers, it gives them a better opportunity for development,” says Colleen Flaherty Manchester, a professor. “For firms, they are able to recruit the type of employees who have value education and are less likely to turn over, and thus have a higher level of retention(保留).”

In all, 56 percent of US organizations offer undergraduate educational assistance while 52 percent offer graduate assistance.

Largely driving the trend are Millennials, who happen to be the fastest-growing people in the US workforce today and to whom the idea of tuition support from employers is especially appealing. Nearly 60 percent of Millennials surveyed said they would choose a job with strong professional-development potential over one with regular pay raises. Employers are absolutely adapting to Millennials in the workplace. They recognize that they need more experience, more knowledge, more mentoring to be successful. And they’re asking for it.

Of more than 140,000 Starbucks employees, only about 4,000 have signed up for the company’s College Achievement Plan. What the long-term effects such programs might have for companies’ retention and turnover rates remain unclear. But, the pluses of these programs are more important than the minuses. We’re going to see a lot more of this in the future.

1.Using tuition assistance for employees ________.

A. has attracted a large number of talents

B. is a trend that formed recently

C. has existed for scores of years

D. is well received by employees

2.What can we learn from what Colleen Flaherty said?

A. It is merely beneficial to employees

B. It is a win-win event for employees and employers.

C. Valuing education has become a trend for all companies.

D. It turns out to be tough for firms to find suitable employees.

3.What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 4 refer to?

A. regular pay raises.

B. more chances to be successful

C. educational support

D. professional–development potential

4.Which of the following statements is TRUE about the programs?

A. The programs can guarantee the employees a good job.

B. The impact of the programs remains to be estimated.

C. Employees will benefit more from the programs than companies.

D. It’s less likely that employees will remain in the same company after receiving the programs.

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