Susan Sontag(1933-2004)was one of the most outstanding figures in the world of literature·For more than 40 years she made it morally necessary to know everything,to read every book worth reading,and to see every movie worth seeing. When she was still in her early 30s,she published essays in important magazines like Partisan Review.She appeared as the symbol of American culture life,trying hard to follow every new development in literature,film and art. With great effort and serious judgment,Sontag walked at the latest edges of world culture.

Seriousness was one of Sontag’s lifelong mottos,but at a time when the barriers between the well-educated and the poor-educated were obvious, she argued for a true openness to the pleasure of pop culture. In Notes on Camp, the 1964 essay that first made her name, she explained what was then a little-known set of difficult understandings, through which she could not have been more famous. “Notes on Camp”, she wrote, represents “ a victory of ‘form’ over ‘content’, ‘beauty’ over ‘morals’”.

By belief she was a sensualist(感觉论者), but by nature she was a moralist, In Illness as Metaphor —published in 1978, after she suffered cancer—she argued against the idea that cancer was somehow a special problem of repressed personalities, a concept that effectively blamed the victim for the disease. In fact, re-examining old positions was her lifelong habit.

In America, her story of a19thcentury Polish actress who set up a perfect society in California, won the National Book Award in 2000.But it was as a all-purpose cultural view that she made her lasting fame. “Sometimes,” she once said, “I feel that, in the end, all I am really defending …is the idea of seriousness, of true seriousness.” And in the end, she made us take it seriously too.

1.The underlined sentence in paragraph 1 means Sontag_________.

A.was a symbol of American cultural life

B.developed world literature, film and art

C.published many essays about world culture

D.kept pace with the newest development of world culture

2.Sontag first won her name through ___________.

A.her story of a Polish actress

B.her book Illness as Metaphor

C.her explanation of a set of difficult understandings

D. publishing essays in magazines like partisan Review

3.Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A.Sontag looked down upon the pop culture·

B.Sontag was a sensualist as well as a moralist.

C.Sontag blamed the victim of cancer for the disease.

D.Sontag thought content was more important than form.

4.What would be the best title of the text?

A.Susan Sontag,a Leading Figure in Culture

B. Susan Sontag,a Productive and Tireless Writer

C.Susan Sontag,an Examiner of the Old Concepts

D. Susan Sontag,a Writer Defending Seriousness

I teach geography at UNLV three times per week. Last Monday, at the beginning of class, I cheerfully asked my students how their weekend had been. One young man said that his weekend had not been so good. He had his wisdom teeth removed. The young man then asked me why I always seemed to be so cheerful. “I choose to be cheerful.” I said. Then I told them a story.

In addition to teaching here at UNLV, I also teach out at the community college in Henderson, 17 miles down the freeway from where I live. One day I drove those 17 miles to Henderson. I exited the freeway and turned onto College Drive. I only had to drive another quarter mile down the road to the college. But just then my car died and wouldn’t start again. So I left my car there and marched down the road to the college.

As soon as I got there I called AAA (美国汽车协会)and arranged for a tow truck (拖车) to meet me at my car after class. The secretary in the office asked me what had happened. “This is my lucky day.” I replied, smiling.

“Your car breaks down and today is your lucky day?” She was puzzled. “What do you mean?”

“My car could have broken down anywhere along the freeway but it didn’t.” I replied, “Instead, it broke down in the perfect place: off the freeway, within walking distance from here. I’m still able to teach my class, and I’ve been able to arrange for the tow truck to meet me after class.” The secretary’s eyes opened wide, and then she smiled. I smiled back and headed for class. So ended my story.

I scanned the sixty faces in my class at UNLV. Despite the early hour, no one seemed to be asleep. Somehow, my story had touched them. Or maybe it wasn’t the story at all. In fact, it had all started with a student’s observation that I was cheerful. An Indian wise man once said, “Who you are speaks louder to me than anything you can say.” I suppose it must be so.

1. Why did the author tell his students the story?

A. To share his lucky experience.

B. To make his class more lively.

C. To draw all students’ attention.

D. To encourage his students to be positive.

2. What happened to the author on his way to the community college?

A. He parked his car in a perfect place.

B. He called AAA for a tow truck to meet him.

C. He covered the last quarter mile on foot.

D. He drove off the freeway at a wrong exit.

3.By saying “it wasn’t the story at all”, the author means that_______.

A. His story is not convincing

B. He shouldn’t have told the story

C. His attitude to life has inspired the students

D. His story is not as interesting as expected

4.What can be concluded from the passage?

A. Easier said than done.

B. You are what you choose.

C. Behind bad luck comes good luck.

D. A good beginning makes a good ending.

C

It’s illegal for the police to attach a GPS unit to your car without your permission, as the U.S. Supreme Court settled in 2012. But if the police are in hot pursuit of a bank robber or other escaping criminals that threaten public safety, a GPS tracker is acceptable. But exactly how can the police GPS track a car that is moving fast?

The answer to that question comes from StarChase, a new police technology being used by a small-but growing number of law enforcement agencies. It allows the police to fire 4.5-inch glue-covered GPS bullet-like projectiles (发射体) from an air gun fixed in their police cars. If the GPS tracker makes contact with the escaping robber’s car, it’ll stick no matter how fast the vehicle is going. That way, the police will have a constant read on the car’s location and heading. Aside from simply apprehending (逮捕) criminals, it’s believed this new technology could help save lives. If the police successfully fire a GPS unit at a speeding criminal, they can pull back from a high-risk chase. Chases can be incredibly dangerous to all involved, including innocent bystanders and other drivers. Once the GPS bullet connects, there’s no need for the chase any longer.

Now, predictably, a GPS-loaded gun isn’t cheap. Police departments need to pay about $5,000 per vehicle for the technology, and individual GPS bullets cost as much as $250 each. That may sound expensive, but remember: The alternative is often thousands of dollars in property damage, and great human cost in injury and lost life. According to Star Chase, their GPS bullet system has an apprehension rate of 80% without any report of injury or property damage. If you’d like to learn more about the StarChase system, Popular Mechanics has just published a good article about it. There’s also plenty more information available at the company’s website.

1.When the GPS bullet sticks to the escaping robber’s car, the police can______ .

A. know the car’s condition

B. ensure the robber’s safety

C. play a fair game with the robber

D. know the car’s position and direction

2.The GPS bullets could help save lives mainly because

A. the bullets won’t hurt people

B. they can make the robber’s car stop

C. the police can stop the dangerous chasing

D. they have more advantages than normal bullets

3.From the text we can learn that GPS bullets

A. are useful for the police

B. are widely used in America

C. can control the rising crime rate

D. can replace the police in the future

4.In which part of a newspaper can we read the text

A.Life B.Nature C.Fashion D.Technology

Food serves as a form of communication in two fundamental ways. Sharing bread or other foods is a common human tradition that can promote unity and trust. Food can also have a specific meaning, and play a significant role in a family or culture's celebrations or traditions. The foods we eat—and when and how we eat them—are often unique to a particular culture or may even differ between rural (农村的) and urban areas within one country.

Sharing bread, whether during a special occasion (时刻) or at the family dinner table, is a common symbol of togetherness. Many cultures also celebrate birthdays and marriages with cakes that are cut and shared among the guests. Early forms of cake were simply a kind of bread, so this tradition hits its roots in the custom of sharing bread.

Food also plays an important role in many New Year celebrations. In the southern United States, pieces of corn bread represent blocks of gold for prosperity (兴旺) in the New Year. In Greece, people share a special cake called vasilopita. A coin is put into the cake, which signifies (预示) success in the New Year for the person who receives it.

Many cultures have ceremonies to celebrate the birth of a child, and food can play a significant role. In China, when a baby is one month old, families name and welcome their child in a celebration that includes giving red-colored eggs to guests. In many cultures, round foods such as grapes, bread, and moon cakes are eaten at welcome celebrations to represent family unity.

Nutrition is necessary for life, so it is not surprising that food is such an important part of different cultures around the world.

1.According to the passage, sharing bread______.

A. indicates a lack of food

B. can help to develop unity

C. is a custom unique to rural areas

D. has its roots in birthday celebrations

2.What does the coin in vasilopita signify for its receiver in the New Year?

A. Trust. B. Success.

C. Health. D. Togetherness.

3.The author explains the role of food in celebrations by______.

A. using examples B. making comparisons

C. analyzing causes D. describing processes

4.What is the passage mainly about?

A. The custom of sharing food.

B. The specific meaning of food.

C. The role of food in ceremonies.

D. The importance of food in culture.

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