She was known to millions as the "Queen of Crime" or the "Duchess (女公爵) of Death". But surprisingly, she hated violence and blood, and knew nothing of the weapons most often used in murder. "I don't think I dare look at a really horrible and damaged body," Agatha Christie once said. But her pen dared to travel where her eyes would not. In a 50-year writing career, Christie's murder stories made her the world's best-known mystery writer. She is outsold only by the Bible (《圣经》) and Shakespeare.

Her works have been turned into films and TV series, and a line of computer games is set to be released over the next six years.

"My grandmother liked to use new ways to reach people who wanted to enjoy her work," said Christie's grandson, Mathew Prichard. "Turning her stories into PC games allows us to introduce classic mysteries to new audiences."

Born in 1890 in England, Christie was educated at home and began her writing career while working as a nurse during World War I. She went on to produce 79 novels and numerous (大量的) short stories, dying at the age of 86. "With her knowledge of murder, Christie could have been a teacher at police academies," said one fan.

Her first novel, "The Mysterious Affair at Styles" (《斯泰尔斯庄园奇案》), also introduced Hercule Poirot, a retired Belgian (比利时的) police officer who starred in 30 of her works. Among the most popular are "Murder on the Orient Express" (《东方快车谋杀案》) (1934), and "Death on the Nile" (《尼罗河上的惨案》) (1937).

Poirot is a tidy little man with a funny-looking moustache, an egg-shaped head, and a high opinion of himself. He draws conclusions from observing the behavior of those around him, always managing to spot patterns that others cannot see. Poirot has become so famous that someone has even written his biography (传记), "The Life and Times of Hercule Poirot".

Starring in 17 novels, another Christie character, Miss Marple, is nearly as well known as Poirot. But while the Belgian uses his powers of observation, the old Miss Marple relies on her knowledge of human nature to solve crimes. As she once said, "Human nature is the same everywhere."

1. Agatha Christie was a ________ woman.

A. rich B. kind C. bold D. outstanding

2. Christie's murder stories ranked the ________ in sale amount.

A. second B. first C. third D. fourth

3. Christie's stories have been turned into ________ other forms.

A. two B. three C. four D. five

4. Christie's knowledge of murder was ________ .

A. poor B. rich C. limited D. poor

5. Poirot's success lies in his power of ________ while Miss Marple's success belongs to her knowledge of ________ .

A. observation； human nature

B. murder； imagination

C. imagination； murder

D. human nature； observation

(D)篇

1. D。归纳综合题，可用综合归纳法来解。认真阅读分析原文不难发现，Christie一生写了79部小说和大量短篇小说，当然是一个很出色的人。

2. C。推理判断题，可用逻辑推断法来解。由原文第一节末句可推出答案。

3. B。细节判断题，可用直接就题找文法来解。原文第二节体现答案。

4. B。推理判断题，可用逻辑推断法来解。由原文第四节"With her knowledge of murder, Christie could have been a teacher at police academies,"said one fan.可以推出答案。

5. A。细节判断题，可用直接就题找文法来解。原文末节But while the Belgian uses his powers of observation, the old Miss Marple relies on her knowledge of human nature to solve crimes. 体现答案。

    阅读下面的短文，然后按照要求写一篇150词左右的英语短文。

I have never learned as much math in my life as I did last year. It was because of Ms Vacirca that I truly understood what I was learning. It might not seem like a big deal to some, but to me it is.

I never really wanted to work for good grades in math class. I never knew how to study math and never understood some of the concepts. I can remember trying to sneak out of the classroom before Ms Vacirea caught me and yelled across the classroom, “Lauren, are you coming to extra help during lunch?” It was a nightmare―she would always catch me with one foot out of the door, it never failed. Even then I just thought of it as a thing I HAD to do. It was funny to see how everyone would be in her room during lunch and then again after school. She would encourage everyone to come every day, just so we could do our homework in peace.

Many of the students thought of her as a bit of nag（有点唠叨）, but inside they knew that she was right and respected for it. Many of her tests were hard at first, but as the year progressed so did I. I knew that it was because of her.

Even outside class, she was caring as ever. She always wanted to know what was going on in my (and everyone else’s) life, and she was always looking out for everyone’s best interest.

Ms. Vacirca is a sweet woman with a sense of humor that you just have to laugh at. When regents were approaching, she was more concerned than ever about everyone doing well. Many of her precious students scored high, and so she expected the same from us. Day after day there were students in the classroom reviewing problems. When it was time for our big test, I knew I was ready. I walked out of that test with my head high. I knew that I was a success and Ms. Vacirca had made me that way. I appreciated all the hard work that she put into helping me and my fellow students. I knew that I would miss her.

[写作内容]

1.         以约30个词概括作者记忆中的Ms. Vacirca 是一个怎样的老师;

2.         以约为120词就“教师节和尊敬教师”这个主题写一篇短文，并包括如下要点：

a. 向老师表达节日祝贺；

b. 从一件小事来回忆老师的教诲和无私奉献；

c. 我将如何回报老师的关爱。

[写作要求]

1.         作文中可使用自己的亲身经历或虚构的故事，也可以参照阅读材料的内容但不得直接引用原文中的句子；

2.         文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称。

[评分标准]

概括准确，语言规范，内容合适，篇章连贯。