Charles Dickens (1812-1870), the great nineteenth century English novelist, was born near Portsmouth. His father ran heavily into debt and when he was twelve, he had to go and work in a factory for making boot polish. The only formal education he received was a two-year schooling at a school for poor children. In fact, he had to teach himself all he knew. He worked for a time as junior clerk in a lawyer's office. After that, he worked as a reporter in the law courts, and later in parliament, for London newspapers. His career as a writer of fiction began in 1833 with short stories and essays in periodicals, and in 1837 his comic novel The Pickwick Papers made him the most popular author at his time in England.
　　He was a great observer of people and their places because he was attracted by life and conditions in mid-nineteenth century London. He wrote 19 novels all his life and in many of them, Dickens gave a realistic picture of all classes of England society, showing deep sympathy for the poor and unfortunate, exposing the injustice and inhumanity（不人道） of the bourgeoisie（布尔乔亚阶级）.
　　Many of his novels like Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Nicholas Nickleby, Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities and so on drew attention to the unsatisfactory social conditions that existed in England over a hundred years ago.
　　Dickens criticized capitalist society from the point of view of bourgeois humanism. He wished to see improvement in the living conditions of the poor, but failed to find any effective means to achieve that end.
【小题1】Dickens only received a little formal education because______.

Charles Dickens (1812-1870), the great nineteenth century English novelist, was born near Portsmouth. His father ran heavily into debt and when he was twelve, he had to go and work in a factory for making boot polish. The only formal education he received was a two-year schooling at a school for poor children. In fact, he had to teach himself all he knew. He worked for a time as junior clerk in a lawyer’s office. After that, he worked as a reporter in the law courts, and later in parliament, for London newspapers. His career as a writer of fiction began in 1833 with short stories and essays in periodicals, and in 1837 his comic novel The Pickwick Papers made him the most popular author at his time in England.

He was a great observer of people and their places because he was attracted by life and conditions in mid-nineteenth century London. He wrote 19 novels all his life and in many of them, Dickens gave a realistic picture of all classes of England society, showing deep sympathy for the poor and unfortunate, exposing the injustice and inhumanity（不人道） of the bourgeoisie（资产阶级）.

Many of his novels like Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Nicholas Nickleby, Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities and so on drew attention to the unsatisfactory social conditions that existed in England over a hundred years ago.

Dickens criticized capitalist society from the point of view of bourgeois humanism（人文主义）. He wished to see improvement in the living conditions of the poor, but failed to find any effective means to achieve that end.

61. Dickens only received a little formal education because______.

A. he wanted to teach himself

B. he wanted to work and made a lot of money

C. he was too poor to afford any more formal education

D. he wanted some working experiences to be a novelist

62. According to Dickens, the society at his time in England was________.

A. just     B. poor    C. comfortable        D. unsatisfying

63. Which of the following novel made Dickens the most popular writer at his time in England?

A. Oliver Twist             B. The Pickwick Papers 

C. A Tale of Two Cities       D. Great Expectations

64. According to the passage, which of the following about Dickens is true?

A. He didn’t go to school at all.

B. He only wrote about poor people and showed deep sympathy for them.

C. He began to write fictions when he was 21years old.

D. He found some effective ways to improve the living conditions of the poor.

65. It can be inferred from the passage that________.

A. Dickens had a miserable childhood

B. Dickens tried many different jobs before he became a professional writer

C. Dickens wrote many novels but only some of them are popular

D. Dickens criticized capitalist（资本主义的）society and helped to improve the living conditions of the poor

B
Have you ever been to the beautiful country of Holland and its capital Amsterdam? Anyone who has traveled to Amsterdam would probably agree on one thing: Amsterdam’s story is a tale of two cities—one during the day and a completely different one at night.
　　During the day, the largest city in Holland sits quietly on the Amstel River. You can rent a bicycle, visit the Van Gogh or Anne Frank museum, or take a water taxi. But when the sun goes down, the partying begins. In the big clubs and in coffee shops, tourists gather to hang out, talk politics and smoke.
　　Several areas of the city clearly show the two worlds that rule Amsterdam. And they’re all within a short taxi ride of each other. For example, Dam Square attracts daytime sightseers to its festivals, open markets, concerts and other events. Several beautiful and very popular hotels can be found there. And there’s the Royal Palace and the Magna Plaza shopping mall.
But at night party-seekers come to the square. Hip hop or funk music is heard there. So if you come, be ready to dance. The clubs don’t close down until 4 am.
And while you’re there, check out the various inexpensive ways to tour the city. Don’t worry about getting lost. Although Dutch is the official language, most people in Amsterdam speak English and are happy to help you with directions. And you’ll notice that half the people in the streets are on bicycles they rent.
　　Amsterdam also has a well-planned canal system. For about 10 dollars, you can use the canal bus or a water taxi to cruise (巡游) the "Venice of the North".
　The city has a historic past. One impressive place to visit is the Anne Frank House on Nine Streets. It was there that the young Jewish girl wrote her famous diary during World War II. Visitors can view Anne’s original diary and climb behind the bookcase to the room where she and her family hid from the Nazis for two years.
59. The following means of transport are available to visitors in Amsterdam EXCEPT __________.
A. a carriage.                B. a bicycle.                 C. a canal bus.                     D. a water taxi.
60. When getting lost, a visitor can ask natives for directions in           .
A. only Dutch             B. Dutch or English              C. only English          D. Spanish and English
61. What can you learn about by visiting the Anne Frank House?
A. The happy experience of a girl survivor.     B. The glorious past of Amsterdam.
C. The hard life of the Jewish in World WarⅡ.    D. The hobbies of the Dutch.
62. The passage is intended to           .
A. call up people’s memories of World WarⅡ    
B. tell readers what A Tale of Two Cities is about
C. instruct visitors what to do and see in Holland
D. offer readers some information about Amsterdam

B
Daniel Defoe (about 1660～1731) was an important novelist in the English literature(文学). When he was young, he served as a soldier and had been to Spain, Italy, France and Germany. At the same time, he went in for politics. He cared much about the development of capitalism(资本主义). He had written a lot of articles against it and he was put into prison twice for that. It was not until that he was nearly sixty that he began to write the famous novel “Robinson Crusoe”, which was published in May, 1709. It spread so rapidly that the story was known to every hosehold very soon.
“Robinson Crusoe” can be divided into three parts. The first part is about Crusoe’s three voyages, the second part about his hunting, hiding in caves farming and his hard struggles against nature on a small island, the third about the things which happened after his return from the island. The second part is the body of the novel, in which Robinson’s characters are clearly shown.
Defoe wrote his novel in a simple style and his language is easy to understand. His novel writing set a milestone of the modern English novel. In his later part of life, He was in poor health and lived very poorly. He died on April 24, 1731.
6. Deniel Defoe was ______ and the writer of ______.
A.an Englishman, “A Tale of Two Cities”                   B.an American, “A Million Pound Note”
C.a French, “The Lost Necklace”                           D.an English, “Robinson Crusoe”
7. How old was he when he began to write his famous novel Robinson Crusoe?
A.He was in his sixties.                                     B.He was in his fifties.
C.He was over 60.                                            D.He was sixty.
8. Robinson Crusoe can be divided into ______ parts and the first is about _______.
A.two, his lonely life                                               B.three, his characters
C.three, his journeys by sea                                  D.four, his fame
9. “Every household” in this passage means ______.
A.all members of a family                                        B.all people
C.every building                                                     D.persons living in the same house
10. What was Defoe’s contribution to the English literature?
A.He wrote a very interesting story.
B.He made people happy while reading his story.
C.He set a milestone of the modern English novel.
D.He was active in politics and was against capitalism.

第三部分：阅读理解（共15小题，每题2分，满分30分）

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项A、B、C、D中，选出最佳答案。

The competition for Hollywood's highest honors has begun with the announcement Tuesday in Los Angeles of this year's nominations（提名）for the 82nd Academy Awards. 

As expected, James Cameron's Avatar received a Best Picture nomination. And Cameron's former wife, Kathryn Bigelow, was nominated for The Hurt Locker, a war film set in Iraq.  Bigelow would be the first female director to win Best Picture.

    Hollywood author Tom O'Neil says the race between the former couple adds more drama to the competition.  "We have a classic David-versus-Goliath battle here for Best Picture at the Oscars. The most successful movie ever made, Avatar, up against a movie that lost money, The Hurt Locker - directed by the former Mrs. Goliath, Kathryn Bigelow. This race has all kinds of dimensions（程度） to it," he said.

    For the first time since 1943, 10 films are competing for the Best Picture award.

    Entertainment reporter Sam Rubin says that means greater interest in the Academy Awards ceremony March 7th.  "The Oscars are a television show," he explained. "So the idea is to increase ratings and interest in the television show."

   District Nine represents another departure -- a tale of science fiction -- like the box office hit Avatar.

    "No science-fiction movie has ever won Best Picture. Only two have been nominated in the past: Star Wars and E.T. Two are nominated for Best Picture now," O'Neil said.

    Best Picture nominee Precious is a drama about the struggles of an inner-city teen, and its director, Lee Daniels, is also nominated in the Best Director category. He is first African-American director to get a Best Picture nomination. 

    The other Best Picture nominees are An Education, The Blind Side, Inglourious Basterds, A Serious Man, and Up in the Air.

    Over the past 20 years, the film with the most nominations has won best picture 15 times --making Avatar and The Hurt Locker the favorites. 

1. According to the passage, the director of the film __________might be the first female director to win Best Picture.

 A. Avatar       B. The Hurt Locker     C. Star Wars     D. The Blind Side

2.How many films have been nominated for the Best Picture Award of the 82nd Oscars?

A. 2           B. 6                C. 8             D.10

3. Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?

A. The nominations for the 2009 Oscar Best Picture Films

B. The competition for Hollywood's highest honors has begun

C. The race between a couple                 D. Best Picture Award for the Oscars

4. Which of the following is TRUE about Avatar?

A. It is the most successful movie ever made.

B. It’s the only science-fiction movie that has ever won Best Picture.

C. It was directed by James Cameron                    D. It’s a war film.