题目内容
In a recent class I was asked “What is a short story?” My first answer was that it was something that could be read in one sitting and brought an illumination（启示）to the reader, sudden and golden like sunlight cracking through heavy cloud．I went on to say that in my opinion a “real” short story was closer to poetry than to the novel．
Here are some definitions of the short story．My favorite is Benet's: “something that can be read in an hour and remembered for a lifetime”．One writer said: “the theme of a novel won't fit into the framework of a short story; it's like trying to squeeze a large painting done on a wall into the frame of a miniature （微型画）．And as in a miniature painting, the details need to be sharp．”
The short story is an example of one aspect of human nature．Often a character undergoes some event, something that offers him or her change．This is why it’s said that short stories usually “say something ”, often a small something, but sometimes delivered with such accuracy that the effect is strongly felt, even a life-moment for some readers, something similar to a religious experience or to witnessing a never-to-be-repeated scene in nature．
Ok, let’s form a definition here: A short story is an account, rarely over 10, 000 words or below 500 words—more commonly 1, 500 to 5, 000 words—a single-sitting read, but with enough time and weight to move the reader．It is narrow and focused to produce an effect through the story, most commonly through events affecting some change in an individual．
Writer Isabelle Allende once wrote: “Novels are, for me, adding up details, just work, work, work, then you're done．Short stories are more difficult—they have to be perfect, complete in themselves．”
64．The writer of the passage is probably a ______．
A．poet B．painter C．teacher D．student
65．What should the ideal short story be in length?
A．at most 10, 000 words B．below 500 words
C．over 5, 000words D．around 2, 000 words
66．The underlined word “undergoes ” in the third paragraph probably means “______ ”．
A．experiences B．discovers C．discusses D．appreciates
67．What would be the best title for the passage?
A．How Do You Write a Short Story? B．What Exactly Is a Short Story?
C．Is a Short Story Similar to Poetry? D．Are Short Stories Perfect and Complete?
CDAB
During the twentieth century, cars, electric lights, space travel and amazing advances in medicine changed people’s lives. So what might this new century bring? There are hundreds of predictions flying around — let’s have a light-hearted look at some of them.
In a recent UK survey, teenagers were asked to make predictions about the year 2020. One of the most common predictions was that school uniforms won’t be around. They also predicted that both girls and boys will wear make-up more often, and
more than 75% of men will wear skirts regularly. My dad is 65 next Saturday — I think I’ll buy him a skirt as a birthday present and tell him he’ll soon be in fashion!
Other predictions involve changing roles of men and women. By 2017, some people say that single men of working age will form more than 10% of all families. It is also predicted that washing powder advertisements will include more men because more of them will do housework. I’ll tell that to my husband when he gets home and see how keen he is to wash the dishes!
Many predictions are about crime and safety problems. Some people think that crime will improve and the world will become a more peaceful place. Others believe that crime is going to worsen and that people will stay at home becoming completely dependent on the Internet for shopping and work. It is also predicted that you will need an electronic card to get into parks as parents demand safe play areas for their children. This is old news for me --- our local government is going to introduce one this summer.
Technology is predicted to play an even more important role in our lives in the future. Some parents might have cameras at home so they can keep an eye on their children while they are out. Quick, kids, turn off the TV and do your homework!
Here’s another prediction. Researchers have concluded that cultural activity may add years to your life. The cinema, theatre and concerts may give us a longer life because they encourage stro
ng feelings. Well, we’re watching Bridget Jones’ Diary this Friday night. Will that help us live longer?
Let’s finish up with my favourite prediction. In the future, elderly people are going to make up a larger proportion of the world’s population than ever before. In Britain, an estimated 100,000 people now in their thirties may live to be 100. And that includes me! I’ll have a big, big party, I promise!
【小题1】 The writer’s father ________ .
| A．has just turned sixty-five |
| B．wears skirts |
| C．is very fashionable |
| D．is about to turn sixty-five |
| A．Washing powder advertisements suggest it. |
| B．Men won’t want to work in offices any more. |
| C．Traditional roles of men and women will change. |
| D．Women will refuse to wash the dishes. |
| A．need electronic cards to get into their homes |
| B．stay at home and depend on the Internet |
| C．help to make the world a more peaceful place |
| D．work harder and make more money |
| A．It’s likely that the writer is to live to be 100. |
| B．The writer promises that she is going to hold a big, big party soon. |
| C．Without an electronic card, you can’t get into a park freely in the future. |
| D．The writer holds a positive attitude towards the changes in the new century. |
| A．a professional news reporter. |
| B．a young and attractive sales girl. |
| C．a middle-aged British housewife. |
| D．a responsible government official. |
Shoppers throughout the West, wary(谨防的) of a double-dip recession(经济衰退), are still pinching their pennies. However, Chinese consumers are opening their wallets big time. According to Mckinsey, shop sales in China have grown by 25 per cent annually from 2007 to 2009. Consumer confidence is now at its highest point since 2007 and female shoppers are leading the way.
Chinese women saved just 24 per cent of their income, compared with 55 per cent in 2006, according to a recent study in the magazine Women of China. What’s more, three quarters of Chinese women say that they’re the ones who control the family purse strings, which means they are an “emerging powerhouse within the powerhouse” of China.
In the 1950s women contributed just 20 per cent of household income, which rose to about 40 per cent in the 1990s and then reached 50 per cent last year.
In a recent study of Chinese consumer behavior, Mckinsey found that women tend to shop more frequently than men, and spend more on personal-care products and food. Men, by contrast, tend to spend more of their income on gadgets(小玩意), drinks and alcohol, dining out, and socializing. They also tend to save for the bigger-ticket items, like cars and houses.
Chinese women make up an ever-growing small part of the market—up from 20 per cent a decade ago to 50 per cent last year. It’s estimated that in the next five years women will account for 55 per cent of the$9 billion market. “The future is female,” concludes a January HSBC report on special and expensive goods in China.
1.According to the passage, Chinese women ________.
|
A．save less of their income than before |
|
B．are more cautious of spending their money |
|
C．make as much money as men in the 1990s. |
|
D．spend half income on expensive goods |
2.The underlined phrase in the first paragraph probably refers to _______.
|
A．saving more money |
B．making extra pay for food |
|
C．meeting with economic problems |
D．spending money in a wary way |
3.Which of the following is true?
|
A．Chinese men go shopping more often than women |
|
B．Chinese men spend more on personal-care products |
|
C．Chinese men tend to save for the bigger-ticket items |
|
D．Chinese men spent less on drinks and alcohol than women. |
4. Which of the following can probably serve as the title of the passage?
|
A．The Future is Female |
B．The Power of the Purse |
|
C．Facing a Double-dip Recession |
D．Chinese Women Going Shopping |