题目内容

Disease, poverty, hate, love—Charles Dickens’ stories opened his readers eyes to the most important themes of his age. Two hundred years on, his stories still speak volumes across the world, proving that Dickens’ legacy(遗产) was far greater than just “great literature”

February 7 marks the 200th anniversary of the writer’s birthday. To mark this date, BBC writer Alex Hudson listed six things Dickens gave the modern world. Let’s take a look at two of them.

A white Christmas

Dickens is described as “the man who invented Christmas”—not the religious festival, but the cultural aspects that we associate with the festive season today. In the early 19th century, Christmas was barely worth mentioning, according to critic and writer Leigh Hunt. The committee which ran the Conservative Party even held ordinary business meetings on Christmas Day – unthinkable in the West nowadays, when everyone but the most necessary workers takes at least three days off.

Many people believe that Dickens’ popular descriptions of the festive period became a blueprint for generations to come. In his classic novel, A Christmas Carol, he not only put forward the idea of snow at Christmas, but also painted a picture of glowing warmth –“ home enjoyments, affections and hopes”.

In his biography of Dickens, Peter Ackroyd wrote: “ Dickens can be said to have almost single-handedly created the modern idea of Christmas.”

“Dickensian” poverty

Dickens was one of the first to take an honest look at the underclass and the poor of Victorian (the period during British Queen Victoria’s reign from 1837 to 1901) London.

He helped popularize the term “red tape” to describe situations where people in power use needless amounts of bureaucracy(官僚作风) in a way that particularly hurts the weaker and poorer members of society.

“Dickensian” has now become a powerful word for describing an unacceptable level of poverty. In 2009, when the president of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers in the UK wanted to talk about deprivation in some areas of Britain, she did not use words like “terrible” or “horrific”, but rather described it as “life mirroring the times of Dickens”.

1.What is the main idea of the article?

A. An introduction to Charles Dickens’ classic novels.

B. Charles dickens’ impact on the world.

C. Charles Dickens’ amazing characters.

D. Why Charles Dickens is popular across the world.

2.Why is Dickens called “the man who invented Christmas”?

A. Because he created the religious festival.

B. Because many of his novels have something to do with Christmas.

C. Because one of his novels helped to shape Christmas celebrations.

D. Because he was the first man to have proposed celebrating Christmas.

3.According to the article, the phrase “red tape” refers to _______.

A. rules or procedures that are required to accomplish a task

B. a situation in which poor members of society are hurt.

C. conflict between people in power and weaker people

D. pointlessly time-consuming official procedures

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Movie

Pete’s Dragon

Pete, played by Oakes Fegley, ventured into the water with his dragon pal, Elliot, in the new movie Pete’s Dragon. The film brought an animated dragon, Elliot, and his human best friend, Pete, together. Shooing it took a lot of imagination for Oakes Fegley, the 11-year-old actor who played Pete, and Oona Laurence, the 13-year-old actress who played Natalie. She discovered Pete and Elliot in the woods.

Kubo’s Great Quest(寻找)

The movie was about a young boy named Kubo, who live with his mother in a quite village in ancient Japan. After accidentally calling for a vengeful spirit from the past, Kubo set off on a heroic quest to find a magical suit of armor(盔甲) once worn by his father. Along the way, he gained two animal companions, Monkey and Beetle. Their journey was filled with magic, music, and the telling of many stories.

Ice Age: Collision Course

When the original Ice Age film was released in 2002, an animated herd of prehistoric animals took the world by storm. Fast-forward 14 years and the fifth movie in the Ice Age franchise(获特许经营权的企业)was hitting theaters. Ice Age: Collision Course followed those same beloved mammals that moviegoers have watched grow up. This time around, it isn’t global warming that threatened the herd, but a big planet that’s headed toward Earth.

Finding Dory

In Finding Dory, the forgetful blue tang, Dory, suffered from short-term memory loss. On Dory’s journey to reconnect with her mom and dad, she made some new friends.

1.How did Laurence control her emotions in the shooting of Pete’s Dragon?

A. By testing.

B. By seeing.

C. By imitating.

D. By imagining.

2.For what purpose did Kubo start his journey?

A. To search for an armor.

B. To obtain animal friends.

C. To know about Asian culture.

D. To learn about the American accent.

3.What was likely to destroy the herd in Ice Age: Collision Course?

A. A planet kissing Earth.

B. An alien invading Earth.

C. Worst floods happening on Earth.

D. Global warming happening on Earth.

4.What health problem did Dory have?

A. She had a long memory.

B. She had a head injury.

C. She had a terrible memory.

D. She had a shoulder injury.

The House at Pooh Corner

by A. A. Milne

I bought a box set of four Winnie the Pooh books while on holiday when I was eight years old. I adored Pooh, Piglet, Tigger and Eeyore. They became very real to me and I credit them with starting a lifelong love of reading.

I still have the box set, and loved reading the stories to my children when they were small. Part of me secretly believes A. A. Milne’s wonderful characters are all alive and well and still having their adventures in the Hundred Acre Wood.

—Roberta Smith

Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights

by Charlotte and Emily Bront?

I can never separate Charlotte Bront?’s Jane Eyre and Emily Bront?’s Wuthering Heights when I think about books that have stayed with me. Both had a deep impact on me when I read them as a teenager.

They were the first classic books I read purely for pleasure, rather than because I had to for school.

I grew up in Yorkshire, not far from where the Bront?s lived, so part of me really understood that depressing landscape. That close geographical connection led to a lifelong interest in the authors as much as in the books themselves.

I wrote a high-school essay on the contrasts and similarities between Charlotte and Emily and their heroines. I’d be fascinated to read that essay now to see what conclusions I reached as a 17-year-old.

— Jane Lee

1.What can we infer about the Winnie the Pooh books?

A. They are very realistic.

B. They describe holiday stories.

C. They are intended for children.

D. They encourage people to have adventures.

2.What is one reason the writer likes Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights?

A. They were easy-to-find classic novels.

B. The stories helped the writer with her essay writing.

C. They were recommended by the teachers in her school.

D. The stories are set in an area that the writer knows well.

3.What’s the purpose of the text?

A. To introduce the books’ authors.

B. To promote some classical literature.

C. To comment on the books’ main characters.

D. To explain the effect of these books on the readers.

The Square

Jack Dorsey, the co-inventor of Twitter, is promoting his latest invention called the Square. The square is a small plug-in attachment to your mobile phone that allows you to receive credit card payments.

The idea starting from Dorsey's friend Jim McKelvey who was unable to sell some glass work to a customer because he couldn't accept a particular card being used.

Accepting credit card payments for something you're selling isn't always easy, especially if you are mobile like a tradesman, or delivery service at a trade show.

This latest invention uses a small scanner that plugs into the audio input item on a mobile device. It reads information on a credit card when it is swiped(刷卡). The information is not stored on the device but sent over secure channels to banks. It basically makes any mobile phone a cash register for accepting card payments.

As a payer, you receive a receipt via email that can be instantly accessed securely online. You can also use a text message to authorize payment in real time. Retailers can create a payer account for their customers which speeds the payment process. For example, a cardholder can assign a photo to their card so their photo will appear on the phone for visual identity confirmation. Mobile devices with touch screens will also allow you to sign for goods.

There are no contracts, monthly fees, or hidden costs to accept card payments using Square and it is expected the plug-in attachment will also be free of charge.

As with Twitter, it's expected that Dorsey will direct the company based upon feedback from users. Square Inc. has offices in San Francisco, Saint Louis and New York and is currently beta testing the invention with retailers in the United States.

1.Why is Jack Dorsey promoting his latest invention?

A. To test a plug-in attachment.

B. To identify a particular credit card.

C. To sell some glass work to a customer.

D. To allow people to receive credit card payments.

2.What can we infer from Paragraph 4?

A. The service performs only on special mobile phones.

B. The latest invention is just a small scanner.

C. The Square contains information on a credit card.

D. It is safe for your information to be sent to banks.

3.How can a cardholder receive a receipt?

A. By email online.

B. By oral message.

C. By a payer account.

D. Over safe channels to banks.

4.What does the writer imply in the last paragraph?

A. The invention may be used in the future.

B. The Square has already put into use widely.

C. The invention hasn’t been tested these days.

D. The Square is popular among people in the US.

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