This attractively dark novel from the author of Bad Behavior and Two Girls, Fat and Thin is narrated by a former Paris model who is now sick and poor, her reflections On beauty and cruelty have clarity and an uncanny bite．
On Beauty
By Zadie Smith．
Penguin Press, $25.95
In her new book, a cultural-politics novel set in a place like Harvard, the author of White Teeth brings everything to the table：a crisp intellect, a lovely wit and enormous sympathy for the men, women and children who read her story．
Saturday
By lan McEwan．
Nan A．Talese／Doubleday．$26．
As exciting and as carefully constructed as anything McEwan has written, this astringent(尖锐的)novel traces a day in the life of an English neurosurgeon who comes face to face with senseless violence．
De Kooning：An American Master
By Mark Stevens and Annalyn Swan．
Alfred A．Knopf, $35．
A brilliant biography, impressively researched and absorbingly written, of the talented immigrant who stood at the vortex(中心)of mid-20th-century American art．
A History of Europe Since 1945
By Tony Judt．
Penguin Press, $39.95．
Judt’s massive, learned, truthfully detailed account of Europe’s recovery from the wreckage of World War II presents a whole continent in panorama(全景)even as it sets off detonations(爆炸)of insight on almost every page．
(1)
According to the passage, the most probable non-fiction novel is ________．
[ ]
A．
Veronica
B．
Saturday
C．
On Beauty
D．
A History of Europe Since 1945
(2)
if you’re fond of art, which of the following would be your favorite?
[ ]
A．
On Beauty
B．
Saturday
C．
Veronica
D．
De Kooning：An American Master
(3)
The novels published by the same company are ________．
[ ]
A．
On Beauty&A History of Europe Since 1945
B．
Saturday & De Kooning：An American Master
C．
Veronica & On Beauty
D．
A History of Europe Since 1945 & Saturday
(4)
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
[ ]
A．
Mary Gaitskill is the author of both Veronica and Bad Behaviour．
B．
On Beauty describes the stories that happened in Harvard．
C．
Two authors finished De Kooning：An American Master together．
D．
A post-war Europe can be found in A History of Europe Since 1945．
(5)
Which of the following novels are written by Zadie Smith?
In the UK, students' residence halls are run as profit-making business, but this can occasionally be to students' disadvantage．
As many universities choose to contract out their hall's management to private companies, room rents are rising and student rights are suffering．
In 2006, 55 percent of student rooms were managed by private companies－only 27 percent by universities and colleges, the National Union of Students(NUS)has reported．
These private companies are improving the hall's facilities in return for higher room rents．The most noticeable example of this trend is the growth in luxury halls．These are halls for students willing to pay more for larger rooms with better services．
Chancellors Court, at Edinburgh University in Scotland, is one such luxury hall．Rooms are divided between standard and large, with larger rooms costing 173 pounds each week, 40 pounds more than smaller rooms．They come with a scenic view, color TV, fast Internet connection and a modern bathroom．
Other luxury halls have private gyms for their residents．Private companies capitalize(用…以牟利)on their investment by renting out the students rooms to travelers over the summer vacation period．
But the NUS is concerned that luxury halls are affecting room rents at standard un-privatized halls．Most students in the UK pay on average 126 pounds a week for a private room in catered(提供餐饮的)halls of residence, the International Students Advice and Welfare organization has reported．According to the NUS, rent in UK halls of residence has risen by almost a quarter from 2005 to 2007．
Veronica King, NUS vice-president of welfare, wants the privatization of university accommodation to stop．
“For the students for whom luxury is not affordable, there is a significant risk that accommodation costs, coupled with the burden of complete fees, may reduce the choice of where to go to university,”she said．
Legal quarrels with privatized(私有化了的)halls may also account for some of the 10 percent per year rise in student complaints to the office of the Independent Adjudicator(裁定者)for Higher Education(OIA)．The OIA is an independent student complaints scheme that has authority over all higher education institutions in England and Wales．
Rob Behrens, chief executive of the OIA, said he was unsurprised by the rise in complaints．“The bottom line is that students today are more self-confident in thinking about what their rights are and what are the things they can get form the commitments they make．”
(1)
Why are room rents rising in British universities?
[ ]
A．
Because the world is facing a financial crisis．
B．
Because most universities are getting bored about students' complaints．
C．
Because many universities let private companies run students' halls．
D．
Because not all universities can meet the demands of the students．
(2)
Which of the following is not mentioned about a luxury hall?
[ ]
A．
Students have to pay more for a luxury hall．
B．
Students can have a good view in a luxury hall．
C．
Students can enjoy their own gym in a luxury hall．
D．
Students can have an Internet connection free of charge．
(3)
Why do some students want to pay more for a luxury hall?
[ ]
A．
Because they just want to show that they are rich．
B．
Because they are better served in a luxury hall．
C．
Because there are too much complaints about small rooms．
D．
Because there are no other choices．
(4)
What may happen to those who can't afford the accommodation fee?
