One of the greatest contributions to the first Oxford English Dictionary was also one of its most unusual. In 1879, Oxford University in England asked Prof. James Murray to serve as editor for what was to be the most ambitious dictionary in the history of the English language. It would include every English word possible and would give not only the definition but also the history of the word and quotations (引文) showing how it was used.
This was a huge task. So Murray had to find volunteers from Britain, the United States, and the British colonies to search every newspaper, magazine, and book ever written in English. Hundreds of volunteers responded, including William Chester Minor. Dr. Minor was an American Surgeon who had served in the Civil War and was now living in England. He gave his address as "Broadmoor, Crowthorne, Berkshire," 50 miles from Oxford.
Minor joined the army of volunteers sending words and quotations to Murray. Over the next years, he became one of the staff's most valued contributors.
But he was also a mystery. In spite of many invitations, he would always decline(拒绝) to visit Oxford. So in 1897, Murray finally decided to travel to Crowthorne himself. When he arrived, he found Minor locked in a book-lined cell(地窖) at the Broadmoor Asylum (精神病院) for the Criminally insane.
Murray and Minor became friends, sharing their love of words. Minor continued contributing to the dictionary, sending in more than 10,000 submissions in 20 years. Murray continued to visit Minor regularly, sometimes taking walks with him around the asylum grounds.
In 1910, Minor left Broadmoor for an asylum in his native America. Murray was at the port to wave goodbye to his remarkable friend.
Minor died in 1920, seven years before the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary was completed. The 12 volumes defined(下定义) 414,825 words, and thousands of them were contributions from a very scholarly and devoted asylum patient.
【小题1】According to the text, the first Oxford English Dictionary           .

A.came out before Minor died
B.was edited by an American volunteer
C.included the English words invented by Murray
D.was intended to be the most ambitious English dictionary
【小题2】How did Dr. Minor contribute to the dictionary?
A.He helped Murray to find hundreds of volunteers.
B.He sent newspapers, magazines and books to Murray.
C.He provided a great number of words and quotations.
D.He went to England to work with Murray.
【小题3】 Prof. Murray and Dr. Minor became friends mainly because           .
A.they both served in the Civil WarB.they had a common interest in words
C.Minor recovered with the help of MurrayD.Murray went to America regularly to visit Minor
【小题4】What does the text mainly talk about?
A.The history of the English language.B.The friendship between Murray and Minor
C.Minor and the first Oxford English DictionaryD.Broadmoor Asylum and his patients


St Paul’s Cathedral
Ludgate Hill, EC4
Underground: St Paul’s; Bus: 6,8,11,15,22,25
Open: Daily 8:00—19:00 (17:00 from Oct. to Mar.) . Entrance free
Designed by the great architect, Sir Christopher Wren, St Paul’s Cathedral was built following the Great Fire of London of 1666, which destroyed the gothic cathedral on the site at that time. It is crowned by a magnificent dome and its choir (唱诗班) is internationally famous. Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer were married here in 1981.
Buckingham Palace
South end of the Mall (SW1)
Underground: St. James’s Park, Victoria, Hyde Park Corner, Green Park; Bus: 2, 11, 14, 16, 19, 22, 24, 29, 30, 38, 52, 73, 74, 137
Buckingham Palace is the official residence of the monarch (君主) for much of the year. (When the monarch is in residence, a flag flies over the palace.) The Mall is a very impressive wide street, leading from Buckingham Palace to Trafalgar Square.
Note: As the palace is the monarch’s official residence, it is not open to the public.
The Tower of London
Tower Hill, EC3
Underground: Tower Hill; Bus: 42, 78
Open: Mon—Sat.9
Parts of the Tower of London are over nine centuries old, as building began under William the Conqueror in 1078. Famous as a prison in the distant past, the Tower has also been a royal residence, a zoo and an observatory, among other things. It is now a museum and many thousands of people visit it every year in particular to see the Crown Jewels.
Westminster Abbey
Broad Sanctuary, SW1
Underground: Westminster, St James’s Park; Bus: 3, 11, 12, 24, 29, 39, 53, 59, 76, 77, 88, 109, 155, 168, 170, 172, 184, 503
Open: Daily 8:00—18:00 (Mar.—Dec, Tuesday till 20:00)
Entrance free
A Benedictine abbey which already existed on the site was rebuilt by Edward the Confessor and consecrated in 1065. On the way to its present form, the abbey was extended in the 13th—16th centuries, with the two west towers being added in the 18th. There are many famous tombs in the abbey, including that of the unknown Warrior and those of many poets and writers.
71. These texts are most probably taken from ______.
A. a history book about London
B. a guidebook for visitors to London
C. a book about London’s churches and cathedrals
D. a book describing London’s development
No.11 bus can take you to all three of these places:
A. St Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London
B. St Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace
C. St Paul’s Cathedral, the Tower of London and Buckingham Palace
D. Westminster Abbey the Tower of London and Buckingham Palace
73. You can see the inside of all the buildings except ______.
A. St Paul’s Cathedral                        B. The Tower of London
C. Westminster Abbey                        D. Buckingham Palace
74.If you travel by Underground, you can visit two places by getting off at one station. What are the two places?
A. Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey
B. Buckingham Palace and St Paul’s Cathedral
C. Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London
D. The Tower of London and St Paul’s Cathedral
75.Among these four famous buildings, _____ is (are) free of charge.
A. The Tower of London
B. Buckingham Palace
C. Westminster Abbey and St Paul’s Cathedral
D. The Tower of London and St Paul’s Cathedral

American society is not nap (午睡)friendly . In fact , says David Dings , sleep specialist at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine , “There’s even a prohibition (禁止) against admitting we need sleep”. Nobody wants to be caught napping or found asleep at work . To quote a proverb : “Some sleep five hours , nature requires seven , laziness nine and wickedness(淘气的) eleven.”
The way not to fall asleep at work is to take naps when you need them . “We have to totally change our attitude toward napping ,” says Dr. William Dement of Stanford University , the godfather of sleep research .
Last year a national commission led by Dement identified(发现) an “American sleep debt” which one member said was as important as the national debt . The commission was concerned about the dangers of sleepiness : people causing industrial accidents or falling asleep while driving . This may be why we have a new sleep policy in the White House . According to recent reports , President Clinton is trying to take a half---hour snooze (瞌睡) every afternoon .
About 60 percent of American adults nap when given the opportunity . We seem to have “a mid afternoon quiet phase ,” also called “a secondary sleep gate .” Sleeping 15 minutes to two hours in the early afternoon can reduce stress and make us refreshed . Clearly , we were born to nap .
We superstars of snooze don’t nap to replace lost shut--eye or to prepare for a night shift . Rather , we “snack” on sleep ,whenever , wherever and at whatever time we feel like it . I myself have napped in buses , cars , planes and on boats ; on floors and beds ;and in libraries ,  offices and museums .
【小题1】The research done by the Dement Commission shows that Americans     .

A.don’t like to take naps
B.are terribly worried about their national debt
C.think that lack of enough sleep causes many accidents
D.have caused many industrial and traffic accidents
【小题2】The purpose of this article is to     .
  1. warn us of the wickedness of napping 
B. explain the danger of sleepiness
C. discuss the side effects of napping
D. convince the reader of the necessity of napping
【小题3】The “American sleep debt”(Line 1 , Para .3) is the result of      .
  1. the traditional misconception the Americans have about sleep
  2. the new sleep policy of the Clinton Administration
  3. the rapid development of American industry
  4. the Americans’ worry about the danger of sleepiness
【小题4】The second sentence of the last paragraph tells us that it is      .
  1. preferable to have a sound sleep before a night shift
  2. good practice to eat something light before we go to bed
  3. essential (基本的) to make up for lost sleep
  4. natural to take a nap whenever we feel the need for it

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