For a writer, there is hardly any greater honor than winning the Nobel Prize for literature.
And for a woman writer, claiming the prize is even harder, for only eight women once won it. Austria’s Elfriede Jelinek is the ninth and the first since 1996.
The Stockholm-based Swedish Academy announced last Thursday that Jelinek won this year’s Nobel Prize in literature. She is recognized for her socially critical(批判的) novels and plays.
Jelinek, 57, made her literary debut (初次露面) in 1967. She has written plays, novels and poetry. She is best known for her autobiographical 1983 novel “The Piano Teacher”, made into a movie in 2001.
The basic theme of her work is the inability of women to live as people beyond the roles and personalities traditionally expected of them. Her characters struggle to lead lives not normally acceptable in society. “The nature of Jelinek’s texts is often hard to define. They shift between prose(散文) and poetry and songs, they contain theatrical scenes and film script,” said the academy.
The Nobel Prize was founded by Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel. Nobel died in 1896 and left his fortune of about US $920 million to a fund to honor people who have helped other human beings. This year each prize is worth US $13 million.
【小题1】 The underlined word “them” in the last second paragraph refers to _______.

         What did you dream about last night? Did your teeth fall out or did you fly? Maybe you died or someone you know did．Or maybe you were back in high school．These are among the most common dreams people have and they all mean something．Here are some of the most common dreams and their interpretations or symbolism．

         Dreams of flying．Dreams of flying represent feelings of freedom that may result from an instance when you overcome a limitation or obstacle．Usually, children have more flying dreams than adults, because children are more open to their possibilities, and adults have often accepted limitations imposed by society．

         Teeth falling out．Food in a dream is symbolic of knowledge because food nourishes the physical body and knowledge nourishes the soul．Teeth are a means to break down food or knowledge．When your teeth fall out in a dream, it could signify that you feel ill - equipped to break down the knowledge that you have available, that the way you break things down has changed．That change can be either positive or negative．

         High school dreams．High school is a place of learning from the past, and dreaming of being unprepared for a high school test can indicate a struggle to access information you need to handle in your life．

         Recurring dreams and nightmares．Recurring dreams are your subconscious （潜意识）mind's way of trying to get your attention．A recurring dream is a step down from a nightmare that is a louder, more insistent way your subconscious mind communicates．If you have a recurring dream, try to stop in the dream and identify what the dream is trying to tell you．That could mean asking someone who is chasing you what he or she wants．A woman dreamed for years that an old, haggard woman was chasing her around her home．When she finally stopped in the dream and asked the old woman what she represented, the old,woman suddenly turned into a beautiful young woman and replied, "I represent your question of ' what if?’ "

71．The text is mainly about ____．

         A．high school dreams   B．dreams' symbolism

         C．dreams of flying                D．nightmares

72．After you' ve got out of some difficulties, you might have a ____．

         A．high school dream             B．dream of flying

         C．dream of teeth falling out           D．a nightmare

73．If you dream of being unprepared for a "high school test, it meams      ．

         A．you' re trying to leam something

         B．you will certainly fail in the test

         C．you will be scolded by your teacher

         D．you' re not well prepared for the test

74．The underlined word "identify" in the last paragraph most probably means     ．

         A．break out        B．recall      C．make out D．explain

75．The woman' s dream is mentioned mainly to ____．

         A．tell us nothing but an interesting story

         B．show us what a nightmare is like

         C．tell us that women are always changable

         D．show us the way to deal with a recurring dream

Last week my youngest son and I visited my father at his new home in Tucson, Arizona. He moved there a few years ago, and I was eager to see his new place and meet his friends.
My earliest memories of my father are a tall, handsome, successful man devoted to his work and his family, but uncomfortable with his children. As a child I loved him. He seemed unhappy with me unless I got straight A’s and unhappy with my boyfriends if their fathers were not as “successful” as he was. Whenever I went out with him on weekends, I used to struggle to think up things to say, feeling on guard.
On the first day of my visit, we went out with one of my father’s friends for lunch at an outdoor café. We talked along that afternoon, did some shopping, ate on the street table, and laughed over my son’s funny facial expressions. Gone was my father’s critical air and strict rules. Who was this person I knew as my father, who seemed so friendly and interesting to be around? What had held him back before?
The next day dad pulled out his childhood pictures and told me quite a few stories about his own childhood. Although our times together became easier over the years, I never felt closer to him at that moment. After so many years, I’m at last seeing another side of my father. And in so doing, I’m delighted with my new friend. My dad, in his new home in Arizona, is back to me from where he was.
【小题1】Why did the author feel bitter about her father as a young adult?

Because of the financial crisis in the US and UK, college students are beginning to struggle to find ways to pay their tuition fees and accommodations.

Recently, two major US student loan lenders — Citibank and JPMorgan Chase — announced they were leaving the student loan industry altogether. Because banks currently have a lack of credit, they are reluctant to offer students low-interest loans that need a several-year wait for any return of interest.

In the US, many undergraduates top up their financial needs with a private loan, although the majority can get government-funded loans. In the 2005??-2006 academic year, $17 billion in private student loans was used to finance higher education. The shortfall in private funding has yet to be covered and will hit many US students hard.

Across the Atlantic, UK students have been less troubled by the crisis. Most undergraduates in the UK cover their university expenses with government-funded loans and grants (助学金). Their biggest concern is a sudden steep increase in student rent.

Most young professionals now rent houses, since 80 percent of UK mortgage schemes (住房抵押贷款计划) have disappeared — a direct result of the credit crisis. This has boosted the house rent market.

In large cities, UK students are paying almost 6.5 percent more in rent than the previous year. Figures from the UK organization Accommodation for Student show students in big cities such as London paying an average weekly rent of ￡103. Yet, despite students’ suffering, the number of this year’s university applications is expected to grow. During economic slumps (经济萧条时期), people regard further education as a way to survive tough job markets.

According to the passage, banks are unwilling to offer students loans because ________.

A．the students are poor and sometimes they can’t pay off the debt

B．banks prefer lending the money to the young professionals

C．banks don’t have enough money left at the present time

D．they think college students are not studying hard

The underlined phrase “top up” in Paragraph 3 probably means ________.

A．put up     B．make up     C．fill up    D．pick up

Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A．UK college students have to pay more if they want to rent houses.

B．More UK students want to further their study in college.

C．It is not so easy for US students to loan money now.

D．College students’ tuition fees have risen greatly.

It can be inferred that ________.

A．there are no private student loan lenders in the UK

B．loans for US college students will be increased next year

C．private funding falls a little because of higher-interest loans in the US

D．private loans play a very important role in financing US students’ education

    Last week my youngest son and I visited my father at his new home in Tucson, Arizona. He moved there a few years ago, and I was eager to see his new place and meet his friends.

    My earliest memories of my father are a tall, handsome, successful man devoted to his work and his family, but uncomfortable with his children. As a child I loved him. He seemed unhappy with me unless I got straight A’s and unhappy with my boyfriends if their fathers were not as “successful” as he was. Whenever I went out with him on weekends, I used to struggle to think up things to say, feeling on guard.

    On the first day of my visit, we went out with one of my father’s friends for lunch at an outdoor café. We walked along that afternoon, did some shopping, ate on the street table, and laughed over my son’s funny facial expressions. Gone was my father’s critical (挑剔的) air and strict rules. Who was this person I knew as my father, who seemed so friendly and interesting to be around? What had held him back before?

    The next day dad pulled out his childhood pictures and told me quite a few stories about his own childhood. Although our times together became easier over the years, I never felt closer to him at that moment. After so many years, I’m at last seeing another side of my father. And in so doing, I’m delighted with my new friend. My dad, in his new home in Arizona, is back to me from where he was.

56. Why did the author feel bitter about her father as a young adult?

A. He was silent most of the time.

B. He was too proud of himself.

C. He did not love his children.

D. He expected too much of her.

57. When the author went out with her father on weekend, she would feel         .

A. nervous                 B. sorry                C. tired             D. safe

58. What does the author think of her father after her visit to Tucson?

A. More critical.          B. More talkative

C. Gentle and friendly.     D. Strict and hard-working.

59. The underlined words “my new friend” in the last paragraph refer to          .

A. the author’s son                                B. the author’s father

C. the friend of the author’s father         D. the café owner