题目内容
Disease, poverty, hate, love-Charles Dickens' stories opened his readers' eyes to the most important themes of his age.Two hundred years on, his stories still speak volumes across the world, proving that Dickens' legacy (遗产) was far greater than just "great literature".
February 7 marks the 200th anniversary of the writer's birthday.To mark this date, BBC writer Alex Hudson listed six things Dickens gave the modern world.Let's take a look at two of them.
A while Christmas
Dickens is described as "the man who invented Christmas" -not the religious festival, but the cultural aspects that we associate with the festive (喜庆的) season today.
In the early 19th century, Christmas was barely worth mentioning, according to critic and writer Leigh Hunt.The committee which ran the Conservative Party even held ordinary business meetings on Christmas Day - unthinkable in the West nowadays, when everyone, but the most necessary workers takes at least three days off.
Many people believe that Dickens' popular depictions(描绘) of the festive period became a blueprint for generations to come.In his classic novel, A Christmas Carol, he not only put forward the idea of snow at Christmas,but also painted a picture of glowing warmth-“home enjoyments, affections and hopes".
In his biography of Dickens, Peter Ackroyd wrote, "Dickens can be said to have almost single-handedly created the modern idea of Christmas."
"Dickensian" poverty
Dickens was one of the first to take an honest look at the underclass and the poor of Victorian (the period during British Queen Victoria's reign from 1837 to 1901) London.
He helped popularize the term "red tape" to describe situations where people in power use needless amounts of bureaucracy (官僚作风) in a way that particularly hurts the weaker and poorer members of society.
"Dickensian" has now become a powerful word for describing an unacceptable level of poverty.In 2009, when the president of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers in the UK wanted to talk about deprivation in some areas, of Britain, she did not use words like "terrible" or "horrific", but rather described it as "life mirroring the times of Dickens".
1.What is the main idea of the article?
A.Charles Dickens' impact on the world.
B.An introduction to Charles Dickens' classic novels.
C.Charles Dickens' amazing characters.
D.Why Charles Dickens is popular across the world.
2.Why is Dickens called "the man who invented Christmas"?
A.Because he created the religious festival.
B.Because one of his novels helped to shape Christmas celebrations.
C.Because many of his novels have something to do with Christmas.
D.Because he was the first man to have proposed celebrating Christmas.
3.According to the article, the phrase “red tape” refers to __.
A.rules or procedures that are required to accomplish a task
B.a situation in which poor members of society are hurt
C.conflict between people in power and weaker people
D.pointlessly time-consuming official procedures
4.What can we infer from the passage?
A.Dickens is still popular today in Britain.
B.everyone takes at least three days off at Christmas.
C.Dickens invented Christmas
D.Dickens gave the modern world six things.
1.A
2.B
3.D
4.A
【解析】
试题分析:文章介绍了狄更斯对现代社会的两个重要影响。
1.主旨题:从第二段第二句:To mark this date, BBC writer Alex Hudson listed six things Dickens gave the modern world.为纪念这个日子,BBC作家亚历克斯·哈德逊列举了狄更斯带给现代世界的六件事,可知主要讲的是狄更斯对整个世界的影响,故选A。
2.细节题:由第五段“he not only put forward the idea of snow at Christmas, but also painted a picture of glowing warmth – “home enjoyments, affections and hopes”.”他不仅提出了圣诞节雪的想法,还描绘出一幅温暖发光的图画“家庭中的生活、感情和希望”以及第六段“Dickens can be said to have almost single-handedly created the modern idea of Christmas.”狄更斯可以说一手创造了现代圣诞节。故选B。
3.推断题:由倒数第二段“He helped popularize the term “red tape” to describe situations where people in power use needless amounts of bureaucracy (官僚作风) in a way that particularly hurts the weaker and poorer members of society.”可知red tape的意思是官方办事时的繁文缛节,故选D。
4.推断题:由Two hundred years on, his stories still speak volumes across the world, proving that Dickens’ legacy(遗产) was far greater that just “great-literature”两百年过去了,他的故事仍在世界范围内意义深远,证明了狄更斯的遗产不仅仅只是伟大文学而已.故选A。
考点:考查新闻报道类短文阅读
Common sense would tell us that physically active children may be more likely to become active and healthy adults.
In the United States, elementary and middle schools are advised to give students two and a half hours of physical activity a week. That is what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Heart Association recommend. They say high schools should provide about four hours of physical activity each week.
Yet many schools across the country have reduced their physical education programs. Just this week, a study reported that life expectancy has fallen or is no longer increasing in some parts of the United States. The situation is worst among poor people in the southern states, and especially women. Public health researchers say it is largely the result of increases in fatness, smoking and high blood pressure. They also blame differences in health services around the country.
In 2006, a study found that only four percent of primary schools provided daily physical education all year for all grades. This was true of eight percent of middle schools and two percent of high schools. The study also found that twenty-two percent of all schools did not require students to take any P.E.
Charlene Burgeson , a health expert says one problem for P.E. teachers is that schools are under pressure to put more time into academic subjects. Also, parents may agree that children need exercise in school. Yet many parents today still have bad memories of being chosen last for teams because teachers favored the good athletes in class.
But experts say P.E. classes have changed. They say the goal has moved away from competition and toward personal performance, as a way to build a lifetime of activity. These days, teachers often lead activities like weight training and yoga.
Some parents like the idea of avoiding competitive sports in P.E. class. Yet others surely dislike that idea. In the end, schools may find themselves in a no-win situation.
1. The underlined word “expectancy” in Paragraph 3 probably means “ ”
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A.quality |
B.length |
C.exception |
D.depth |
2.According to the passage which of the following may not lead to poor health?
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A.Fatness. |
B.Smoking |
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C.High blood pressure. |
D.Health service |
3. What can be inferred after you read this passage?
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A.Physical activities are becoming more and more popular in American schools. |
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B.All the schools provided daily physical education all year for all students. |
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C.Parents think children need physical education for their bad memories. |
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D.Students spent less time on physical education for academic pressure. |
4. What is the main idea about this passage?
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A.P.E. is the most important subject for all students. |
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B.P.E has changed its goal for some reasons in America. |
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C.It introduces us the present situation of P.E in American schools and its cause. |
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D.P.E can help students improve their academic subjects. |