Canadian short story writer Alice Munro won the Nobel Prize for Literature.Eighty-two-year-old Munro is only the 13th woman to win the 112-year-old prize.

Munro didn’t publish her first collection of short stories until she was 37 years old, but her stories have always been well-received.Lots of her stories share similar themes and characters, but each story has its own twists and turns.

Even though she’s won Canada’s most famous literary award, the Giller Prize twice, winning the Nobel Prize for Literature is the peak of Munro’s career.“It brings her incredible recognition, both of her and her career, and of the dedication( 投身,奉献 ) to the short story,” said one person.

Along with the well-respected title comes 1.3 million dollars.Munro said everything was “so surprising and wonderful” and that she was “dazed by all the attention and affection that has been coming my way.”

Munro knew she was in the list——she was named the second-most likely person to win this year’s prize, after Haruki Murakami (村上春树)of Japan——but she never thought that she would win.

Munro’s win also represents the long way Canadian writers have come.“When I began writing there was a very small community of Canadian writers and little attention was paid by the world.Now Canadian writers are read, admired and respected around the globe,” Munro said on Thursday.

She is technically not the first Canadian to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, but many like to think that she is.In 1976 Saul Bellow, who was born in Quebec but moved to Chicago when he was still a child, won the prize.Even though he was born in Canada, he is mostly considered to be an American writer.

“This is a win for us all.Canadians, by our very nature, are not very nationalistic,” said Geoffrey Taylor.“But things like this suddenly make you want to find a flag.”

She wasn’t sure if she would keep writing if she won the prize, saying that it would be “nice to go out with a bang.But this may change my mind.”

1.What is the feature of Munro’s stories?

A.They have complicated (复杂的)contents.

B.They have similar story backgrounds.

C.They have specific themes for children.

D.They have the same characters in each book.

2.For Munro, the Nobel Prize is an award for______.

A.her love for Canadian culture

B.her devotion to the short story

C.her special form of writing

D.her career of editing short stories

3.What can you infer from the sixth paragraph?

A.Canadian writers paid little attention to the prize.

B.Canadian writers were respected across the globe.

C.Canadian writers have long been ignored

D.Canadians come a long way to win the prize.

4.What does the passage mainly tell us?

A.How Alice Munro wins the Nobel Prize

B.An introduction to the Nobel Prize in Literature

C.Alice Munro wins the Nobel Prize in Literature

D.A world famous writer, Alice Munro

阅读下面材料,在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。

If you’re a fan of The Hunger Games,you shouldn’t miss another trilogy called Divergent.

The second book,by US author Veronica Roth,1. (publish) in 2012.It has spent 105 weeks on the USA Today best-selling books list and 2. (current) ranks No 1.

The trilogy’s story begins in a futuristic Chicago3. people are divided into five distinct groups.Each group is characterized by certain traits – Abnegation (the selfless),Dauntless (the brave),Erudite (the intelligent),Amity (the peaceful) and Candor (the honest).Every child,at 16,takes a test 4. (see) which of the five factions he or she belongs to.But Beatrice Prior,born in Abnegation,is qualified 5. three,meaning she is a Divergent.And she is told not to tell6. if she wants to stay alive.

So the decision is between staying with her family or being true to herself.Beatrice ends up 7. (choose) the Dauntless.After joining her new group,Beatrice renames herself Tris and tries to prove her 8. (brave) with amazing things like jumping off a moving train onto a rooftop.While undergoing these extreme physical tests,Tris must also determine who her real friends are.

The story of the trilogy “explores a more common adolescent anxiety – the painful realization 9. coming into one’s own sometimes means leaving family behind,both ideologically 10. physically”,commented The New York Times.

Since the beginning of time never has there been another with my mind, my heart, my eyes, my ears, my hands, my mouth. None that came before, none that live today, and none that come tomorrow can walk and talk and move and think exactly like me. I’m a unique creature.

Vain attempts to imitate others no longer will I make. Instead will I place my uniqueness on display in the market place. I will begin now to highlight my differences; hide my similarities.

I am rare, and therefore I am valuable. I am the end product of thousands of years of evolution; therefore, I am better equipped in both mind and body than all the emperors and wise men before me.

But my skills, my mind, my heart, and my body will weaken, rot, and die for fear that I put them to good use. I have unlimited potential. Only a tiny part of my brain do I employ; only a small amount of my muscle do I apply.

So never again will I be satisfied with yesterday's accomplishments nor will I lose myself, anymore, in self-praise for deeds which in reality are too small to even acknowledge. I can accomplish far more than I have, and I will. I am not on this earth by chance. I am here for a purpose and that purpose is to grow into a mountain, not to shrink to a grain of sanD.Henceforth(从今往后) will I apply all my efforts to become the highest mountain of all and I will strain my potential until it cries for mercy.

I will increase my knowledge of mankind, myself, and the goods I sell. I will practice, and improve, and polish the words I speak to multiply my sales, for this is the foundation on which I will build my career. Also will I seek constantly to improve my manners and graces, for they are the sugar to which all are attracted.

I have been given eyes to see and a mind to think and now I know a great secret of life that all my problems, discouragements, and heartaches are, in truth, great opportunities in disguise. I am nature’s greatest miracle. And nature knows not defeat. Eventually, she achieves victory and so will I, and with each victory the next struggle becomes less difficult.

1.It can be inferred from the text that the author is most probably a(n) _________.

A. robot

B. soldier

C. salesman

D. athlete

2.Which of the following can best describe the author’s character?

A. Intelligent, calm and content.

B. Confident, modest and realistic.

C. Independent, cold and aggressive.

D. Ambitious, confident and optimistic.

3.According to the text, which of the following is fundamental to the author’s career building?

A. Knowledge of mankind.

B. Speaking skills.

C. Prediction of the market.

D. sense of victory.

4.What is the best title for the passage?

A. Nature’s greatest miracle

B. The power of being different

C. The great secret of life

D. Great opportunities in disguise

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