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。

根据下列句子及所给单词的首字母或中文，写出各单词的正确形式（每空限填一词）。
【小题1】Health problems are closely connected with bad eating habits and a l     of exercise.
【小题2】Li Hui a     a good knowledge of English during her stay in London Last year .
【小题3】The boy has cut his finger and it is b          heavily.
【小题4】The bus came a     of time , and Mary was not ready.
【小题5】His mother still t     him as a child though he is 25 years old .
【小题6】We know this place well, so we can be your  g     .
【小题7】If everybody helps a little , it really makes a d     to our environment .
【小题8】Our teacher was d     that we were successful in our examination .
【小题9】The doctor will see you again next week. M    , you must rest as much as possible .
【小题10】This coat is much too t_______. Please show me a bigger one.

What image does the word “Britain” conjure up（令人想到）in your mind? Big Ben，the frequently changing weather, fish and chips… But have you ever wondered what British people think means “Britain”?
English playwright William Shakespeare and pop group The Beatles are the icons which inspire a sense of national pride in British people, according to a recent survey.
More than 2,000 people were asked what aspect of Britain made them feel most proud. Shakespeare topped the list, followed by the National Trust, a charity which protects places of historical or environmental interest. These beat the British currency, the pound, and the BBC.
Surprisingly, the royal family only made it to seventh on the list. “The royal family, while popular, does not inspire widespread pride,” said a spokesman for Demos, the think tank(智囊团) which carried out the research. “However, it is certainly the case that — through their unique capacity to hold and lead national events — the royal family has a central role to play in developing pride.”
Terence Blacker, a reporter for The Independent, believes the study shows the nature of new patriotism（爱国主义）． “It turns out that modern British patriotism is not really about nationhood at all,” he wrote.
According to the poll, the most impressive symbols of national pride concerned private conduct and character. Volunteering topped the list, followed by politeness and patience.
【小题1】 According to the passage, the following statements are British most outstanding symbols except   .

单词拼写 （10分）
【小题1】The proud man said he would rather s    ___   than beg for food.
【小题2】He is a famous p    _    and his poems are popular with the youth.
【小题3】In order to keep healthy, you’d better have a b  __      diet.
【小题4】 Everyone has his own strengths and w____________.
【小题5】He is very rich though he is always in r     __  .
【小题6】As a child, you are not p  __    to smoke.
【小题7】The little girl s____________ when she saw a mouse running by her feet.
【小题8】There is too much          (暴力) on TV.
【小题9】Those animals produced young generally by l__________ eggs.
【小题10】As everybody knows, smoking is h         to people’s health.

The rise of multinational corporations （跨国公司）, global marketing, new communications technologies, and shrinking cultural differences have led to an unparalleled increase in global public relations or PR．
　　Surprisingly, since modern PR was largely an American invention, America’s relations is being threatened by PR efforts in other countries. Ten years ago, for example, the world’s top five public relations agencies were American-owned． In 1991, only one was． The British in particular are becoming more sophisticated and creative． A recent survey found that more than half of all British companies include PR as part of their corporate （公司的） planning activities, compared to about one-third of U.S. companies．It may not be long before London replaces New York as the capital of PR．
　　Why is America lagging behind in the global PR race? Firstly, Americans as a whole tend to be fairly provincial and take more of an interest in local affairs． Knowledge of world geography, for example, has never been strong in this country． Secondly, Americans lag behind their European and Asian counterparts （相对应的人） in knowing a second language． Less than 5 percent of Burson—Marshall’s U．S．employees know two languages． Ogilvy and Mather have about the same percentage． Conversely, some European firms have half or more of their employees fluent in a second language． Finally, people involved in PR abroad tend to keep a closer eye on international affairs． In the financial PR area, for instance, most Americans read the Wall Street Journal． Overseas, their counterparts read the Journal as well as the Financial Times of London and The Economist, publications not often read in this country．
Perhaps the PR industry might take a lesson from Ted Turner of CNN （Cable News Network）． Turner recently announced that the word “foreign” would no longer be used on CNN news
broadcasts. According to Turner, global communications have made the nations of the world so interdependent that there is no longer any such thing as foreign．
【小题1】Compared with the American PR personnel, what is/are an advantage (s) of the non-Americans involved in PR?
A． They tend to be more internationally minded
B． They speak more and better foreign languages．
C． They usually pay more attention to global financial situation．
D． Both A and B．
【小题2】What is the immediate cause of the downfall of America’s public relations?