"When I look back on my childhood I wonder how I survived at all. It was, of course, a miserable childhood. The happy childhood is hardly worth your while. "Worse than the ordinary miserable childhood is the miserable Irish childhood. And worse yet is the miserable Irish Catholic childhood." That was Frank McCourt reading the opening lines of his book Angela's Ashes, released in 1996.

This Irish American author best known for the Pulitzer Prize-winning autobiography Angela's Ashes that recorded his poor upbringing, died of cancer on Sunday, The New York Times reported. He was 78.

Born in New York City, he was the eldest of the seven children born to Irish immigrant parents. Angela's Ashes was a memoir(回忆录)that captured an irresponsible, drunkard(酒鬼)father with a gift for story-telling. When not drunk, his father was absent, turning his back on a family so poor, McCourt wrote, that they were reduced to burning the furniture in their rented hut to keep warm. His mother struggled to raise her many children after his father left the family.

In Angela's Ashes, he wrote of hunger, a home flooded with rainwater and the unbearable humiliation(耻辱)of seeking handouts from charities in the Irish city. But he told the story in a way that is expressive, warm and light-hearted.

Frank McCourt left Ireland at the age of 19 to return to New York City where he was born. He earned a degree in English education and taught creative writing for nearly thirty years. After retiring in 1987, he decided to write about his childhood. "Angela's Ashes" became a huge success and brought McCourt a 1997 Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Critics Circle Award and other honors. Millions of copies of the book were sold worldwide and it was adapted into a 1999 movie starring Emily Watson and Robert Carlyle.

56. In the first paragraph, by saying "The happy childhood is hardly worth your while", the writer

really means that ________.

A. a lot of readers don't deserve happy childhood

B. his childhood is not worth of others' sympathy

C. his childhood is mixed with happiness and misery

D. smooth childhood surely will not draw readers' attention

57. From the passage, we know Frank McCourt's father is ________.

A. humorous and trustworthy                 B. alcohol-addicted but loves his family

C. poor but warm-hearted                     D. irresponsible but gifted in telling stories

58. Which of the statements about the book “Angela’s Ashes” is right?

   A. This book is intended to show respect to McCourt’s father.

   B. The author wrote the book in a sad and serious tone(语调).

   C. The book enjoyed great popularity after it came out.

   D. The author got two awards because of the book.

59. What's the text mainly about?

A. A brief introduction to Frank McCourt and one of his works.

B. A literary review(评论) on Frank McCourt's book.

C. An account of Frank McCourt's miserable childhood.

D. A comment on Frank McCourt's life experience. 

阅读理解

阅读下面短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

The art of pleasing is a very necessary one to possess; but a very difficult one to get. It can hardly be reduced to rules; and your own good sense and observation will teach you more of it than I can. Do as you would be done by, is the surest method that I know of pleasing. Observe carefully what pleases you in others, and probably the same things in you will please others. If you are pleased with the friendliness and attention of others to your humors, your tastes, or your weaknesses, depend upon it. The same friendliness and attention, on your part, to theirs will equally please them. Take the tone of the company, that you are in, and do not pretend to give it; be serious, gay, as you find the present humor of the company. Do not tell stories in company; there is nothing more boring and unpleasant; if by any chance you know a very short story, and suitable to the present subject of conversation, tell it in as few words as possible; and even then, show that you do not love to tell stories; but that the shortness of it attracted you. Of all things, dismiss the egotism(自大) from you conversation, and never think of entertaining people with your own personal concerns, or private affairs; though they are interesting to you, they are impolite and uninteresting to everybody else; besides that, one cannot keep one's own private affairs too secret. Whatever you think your own excellencies may be, do not show them in company; nor take the trouble, as many people do, to give that to the conversation. If they are real, they will surely be discovered some day, without your pointing them out yourself, and with much more advantage. Never continue an argument with heat and shout, though you think or know yourself to be in the right; but give your opinion modestly(谦虚地) and coolly, which is the only way to persuade; and, if that does not do, try to change the conversation, by saying with good humor, “We shall hardly persuade one another, nor is it necessary that we should, so let us talk of something else.”

1．According to this passage, what does the author suggest to us to please people?

[　　]

A．Try to make others pleased with your friendliness.

B．Remember what you are pleased with may be the same thing you could do to please others.

C．Forget who you are and do everything other people like.

D．Speak in a pleasing tone in company while you feel unhappy.

2．What is the author's opinion of private affairs?

[　　]

A．One shouldn't keep his own private affairs secret.

B．One's private affairs can surely entertain others.

C．One can talk with other people about his interesting private affairs.

D．One should keep his private affairs as secret as possible.

3．What is the author's suggestion about what to do with argument?

[　　]

A．If one knows that he is in the right, he may continue the argument with heat.

B．Do not change the conversation unless you persuade the others.

C．If you are not quite confident in yourself, give your opinion modestly.

D．Talk something else when you can't persuade the others.

4．What is the best title of this passage?

[　　]

A．The Art of Pleasing.

B．What One Should Talk about in Company.

C．Getting Rid of Egotism.

D．The Art of Speech.

5．If you think you are right in an argument, you will ________.

[　　]

A．you will persist in arguing with your company.

B．you will continue the argument with heat and shout.

C．you should give your opinions modestly and coolly.

D．you should stop the argument immediately.

阅读理解

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

The art of pleasing is a very necessary one to possess; but a very difficult one to get. It can hardly be reduced to rules; and your own good sense and observation will teach you more of it than I can. Do as you would be done by, is the surest method that I know of pleasing. Observe carefully what pleases you in others, and probably the same things in you will please others. If you are pleased with the friendliness and attention of others to your humors, your tastes, or your weaknesses, depend upon it. The same friendliness and attention, on your part, to theirs will equally please them. Take the tone of the company, that you are in, and do not pretend to give it; be serious, gay, as you find the present humor of the company. Do not tell stories in company; there is nothing more boring and unpleasant; if by any chance you know a very short story, and suitable to the present subject of conversation, tell it in as few words as possible; and even then, show that you do not love to tell stories; but that the shortness of it attracted you. Of all things, dismiss the egotism (自大) from your conversation, and never think of entertaining people with your own personal concerns, or private affairs; though they are interesting to you, they are impolite and uninteresting to everybody else; besides that, one cannot keep one's own private affairs too secret. Whatever you think your own excellencies may be, do not show them in company; nor take the trouble, as many people do, to give that to the conversation. If they are real, they will surely be discovered some day, without your pointing them out yourself, and with much more advantage. Never continue an argument with heat and shout, though you think or know yourself to be in the right; but give your opinion modestly (谦虚地) and cooly, which is the only way to persuade; and, if that does not do, try to change the conversation, by saying with good humor, “We shall hardly persuade one another, nor is it necessary that we should, so let us talk of something else.”

1．According to this passage, what does the author suggest to us to please people?

[　　]

A．Try to make others pleased with your friendliness.

B．Remember what you are pleased with may be the same thing you could do to please others.

C．Forget who you are and do everything other people like.

D．Speak in a pleasing tone in company while you feel unhappy.

2．What is the author's opinion of private affairs?

[　　]

A．One shouldn't keep his own private affairs secret.

B．One's private affairs can surely entertain others.

C．One can talk with other people about his interesting private affairs.

D．One should keep his private affairs as secret as possible.

3．What is the author's suggestion about what to do with argument?

[　　]

A．If one knows that he is in the right, he may continue the argument with heat.

B．Do not change the conversation unless you persuade the others.

C．If you are not quite confident in yourself, give your opinion modestly.

D．Talk something else when you can't persuade the others.

4．What is the best title of this passage?

[　　]

A．The Art of Pleasing.

B．What One Should Talk about in Company.

C．Getting Rid of Egotism.

D．The Art of Speech.

The bedroom door opened and a light went on, signaling an end to nap time．The toddle（初学走路的婴儿）, sleepy-eyed, clambered to a swinging stand in his crib．He smiled, reached out to his father, and uttered what is fast becoming the cry of his generation: "iPhone!"
Just as adults have a hard time putting down their iPhones, so the device is now the Toy of Choice for many 1-, 2- and 3-year-olds．The phenomenon is attracting the attention and concern of some childhood development specialists．
Natasha Sykes, a mother of two in Atlanta, remembers the first time her daughter, Kelsey, now 3 but then barely 2 years old, held her husband's iPhone．"She pressed the button and it lit up．I just remember her eyes．It was like 'Whoa!' "The parents were charmed by their daughter's fascination．But then, said Ms．Sykes （herself a Black Berry user）, "She got serious about the phone．" Kelsey would ask for it．Then she'd cry for it．"It was like she'd always want the phone," Ms．Sykes said．
Apple, the iPhone's designer and manufacturer, has built its success on machines so user-friendly that even technologically blinded adults can figure out how to work them, so it makes sense that sophisticated children would follow．Tap a picture on the screen and something happens．What could be more fun?
The sleepy-eyed toddler who called for the iPhone is one of hundreds of iPhone-loving toddlers whose parents are often proud of their offspring's ability to slide fat fingers across the gadget's screen and pull up photographs of their choice．
Many iPhone apps on the market are aimed directly at preschoolers, many of them labeled "educational," such as Toddler Teasers: Shapes, which asks the child to tap a circle or square or triangle; and Pocket Zoo, which streams live video of animals at zoos around the world．
Along with fears about dropping and damage, however, many parents sharing iPhones with their young ones feel guilty．They wonder whether it is indeed an educational tool, or a passive amusement like television．The American Academy of Pediatrics is continually reassessing its guidelines to address new forms of "screen time．" Dr．Gwenn Schurgin O'Keeffe, a member of the academy's council, said, "We always try to throw in the latest technology, but the cellphone industry is becoming so complex that we always come back to the table and wonder- Should we have a specific guideline for them?"
Tovah P. Klein, the director of a research center for Toddler Development worries that fixation on the iPhone screen every time a child is out with parents will limit the child's ability to experience the wider world.
As with TV in earlier generations, the world is increasingly divided into those parents who do allow iPhone use and those who don't. A recent post on UrbanBaby.com, asked if anyone had found that their child was more interested in playing with their iPhone than with real toys. The Don't mothers said on the Website: "We don't let our toddler touch our iPhones ... it takes away from creative play." "Please ... just say no. It is not too hard to distract a toddler with, say ... a book."
Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, a psychology professor who specializes in early language development, sides with the Don'ts. Research shows that children learn best through activities that help them adapt to the particular situation at hand and interacting with a screen doesn't qualify, she said.
Still, Dr. Hirsh-Pasek, struck on a recent visit to New York City by how many parents were handing over their iPhones to their little children in the subway, said she understands the impulse (冲动). "This is a magical phone," she said. "I must admit I'm addicted to this phone."

1. 1.

   The first paragraph in the passage intends to ______

   1. A.
      get us to know a cute sleepy-eyed child in a family
   2. B.
      show us how harmful the iPhone is
   3. C.
      lead us to the topic of the toddlers' iPhone-addict
   4. D.
      explain how iPhone appeals to toddlers
2. 2.

   According to the author, iPhones are popular with both adults and young kids because they are______

   1. A.
      easy to use
   2. B.
      beautiful in appearance
   3. C.
      cheap in price
   4. D.
      powerful in battery volume
3. 3.

   The underlined word "them" in the seventh paragraph refers to ______

   1. A.
      televisions
   2. B.
      cellphones
   3. C.
      iPhones
   4. D.
      screens
4. 4.

   The tone of the author towards parents sharing iPhones with their children is ______

   1. A.
      negative
   2. B.
      subjective
   3. C.
      objective
   4. D.
      supportive
5. 5.

   The passage mainly tells us ______

   1. A.
      children's iPhone addict is becoming a concern
   2. B.
      iPhone is winning the hearts of the toddlers
   3. C.
      Apple is developing more user-friendly products
   4. D.
      ways to avoid children's being addicted to iPhone games