It was the last day of July and the long hot summer was drawing to a close As for me1 was out of spiritsandif the truth must be told, out of money as wellDuring the past year I had not managed my finances as carefully as usualand 1 was now limited to spending the autumn economically between my mother’s cottage at Hampstead and my own in town.

? My father had been dead for some yearsand my sister and 1 were the sole survivors of a family of five children. My father was a drawing-master before me He had been highly successful in his profession and my mother and sister were left economically independent after his death.

??? The view of London below me had sunk into the black shadow of the cloudy night, when I stood before the gate of my mother’s cottage I had hardly rung the bellWhen the house door was opened violentlyMy worthy Italian friendProfessor Pescaappeared in the servant’s placeand rushed out joyously to receive me

??? I had first become acquainted(熟悉)with my Italian friend at certain great houseswhere he taught Italian and I taught drawing What I then knew of the history of his life was that he had left Italy for political reasons and that he had been respectably established for many years in London as a teacher of languages It once happened that I saved him from certain death by drowning while we

were swimming in the sea at Brighton Afterwards he overwhelmed(淹没)me with the wildest expressions of affection and exclaimed passionately, that he would hold his life at my disposal from then on, and declared that he should never be happy again until he had had the opportunity of proving his gratitudeLittle did I think that the occasion to serve me was soon to come

? Pesca dragged me in by both hands into the parlor, where my mother sat by the open window, laughing and fanning herselfPesca was one of her especial favoritesand his wildest strange acts were always pardonable in her eyes

? “Now, my good dears”began Pesca“listen to me The time has come I recite my good newsI speak at last…'Hear, hear!”said my mother, humoring the joke“I go back into my lifeand I address myself to the noblest of menwho found me dead at the bottom of the seaand who pulled me up to the top. What did I say when l got into my own life and my own clothes again? I said that my life belonged to my dear friendWalter, for the rest of my days Now,”cried the enthusiastic little mall at the top of his voice“happiness bursts out of me at every pore of my skinFor I have found a job for you”

1.The first two paragraphs of the passage serve as an introduction to——

A. the financial situation the writer then faced?

B. the season that the story was set in

C. the family members of the writer????????

D. the successful profession of the writer’s father

2.The underlined word‘‘sole’’in the second paragraph probably means‘‘?????????

Amain??? ????? B. only??? ????? C. lucky ??????? D. possible

3.It can be learned from the passage that Pesca ??????????

A. used to be a politician??? ???????

B. was a successful drawing-master

C. was quite close to the mother ????

D. wanted to give the writer some money in return

4.According to the last paragraphPesca was more than happy because ?????????? ?????

A. he went back into his life????????

B . he met his dear friend again

C. his friend ever saved his life?????

D. he had done something good for his friend

 

Noah Webster, born on October 16, 1758 , is known for The American Dictionary of the English Language. He has been called the " Father of American Scholarship and Education. " His " Blue-Backed Speller" books were used to teach spelling and reading to five generations of American children. But how much .do you know about him beyond that?

   At the age of 16, Noah Webster began attending ,Yale College. Unfortunately, he spent his four years at Yale during the American Revolutionary War, and, because of food shortages, many of his college classes were held in Glastonbury, Connecticut. Later, he served in the army.

Having graduated from Yale in 1778, Webster wanted to continue his education in order to earn his law degree. He had to teach school in order to pay for his education. He set up many small schools that didn't survive, but he was a good teacher because instead of forcing his students to learn, like most teachers did, he rewarded them. He earned his law degree in 1781, but did not practice law until 1789. Once he started he found the law was not to his liking.

   Webster did not have much money. In 1793 , Alexander Hamilton lent him $ 1500 to move to New York City to edit a newspaper. In December, he founded New York ' s first daily newspaper, American Minerva, and edited it for four years. For decades, he published . textbooks, political essays, a report on some diseases, and newspaper articles for his party, He wrote so much that a modern list of his published works required 655 pages .Noah Webster died on May 28, 1843 and was buried in the Grove Street Cemetery.

1.What's the main idea of Paragraph l?

A.  Webster's famous dictionarie .

B. Webster's daily routines.

C.  Webster's main achievements.

D. Webster's college education.

2.Which of the following best describes Webster's life at Yale?

A. Tough.     B. Smooth.     C. Normal.     D. Tiring.

3.What did Noah want to be after graduation from Yale?

A. A teacher.     B. A lawyer.      C. A headmaster.    D. A scholar.

4.Why was Webster a good teacher?

A. Because he set up many small schools.

B. Because he graduated from Yale College,

C. Because he forced his students to learn.

D. Because he often rewarded his students.

5.What can we infer from Paragraph 4?

A. Webster was a most productive author.

B. Webster led a miserable life in New York City.

C. Webster's books added up to 655 pages.

D. Webster didn't write any polifical works.

 

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