Samuel Langhorne Clemens ),是美国的
幽默大师、小说家、作家，亦是著名演说家。短篇小说《百万英磅》、《竞选州长》和长篇《哈 克贝里•芬历险记》、《汤姆•索亚历险记》最为人们所称道。 克吐温一一谁会不喜欢他呢？即使是上帝，
海伦•凯勒曾言：“我喜欢马
亦会钟爱他，赋予其智慧，并于其心灵里绘画出
我们都是
一道爱与信仰的彩虹。”威廉•福克纳称马克•吐温为“第一位真正的美国作家， 继承他而来”。
One of the best known America n writers is Samuel Lan ghor ne Cleme ns, whose pen
name is Mark Twain. Born in 1855, Twain grew up in the Mississippi River town of Hannibal, Missouri. As did many other boys of his day, Twain dreamed of traveling on riverboats and of someday being a riverboat pilot. Twain used his memories of the life of a river town in his two most famous books, the Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn and the Adventures of Tom Sawyer .
As a young man Twain held many jobs. He was a printer, a gold miner, and for a time, he was a riverboat pilot. During his pilot days, he adopted the name Mark Twain. This was a term used by the boatme n to mean that the water measured two fathoms, or twelve feet, which was deep eno ugh for safe passage.
Finally Twain became a successful writer. He traveled a great deal, writing and speak ing, and became very popular both in the Un ited States and in Europe.
Twain's style of writing was simple and direct. Amongthe things he wrote about were superstitious people and people who were easily fooled. He used his unu sual gift for humor to write about many things of importa nee. prehe nsion Questi ons:
1. Samuel Lan ghor ne Cleme ns ___ A. was as famous as Mark Twain. B. is better known tha n Mark Twain.
C. grew up in the Mississippi River town of Hannibal with Mark Twain as his friend. D. was used by Mark Twain as his pen n ame. 2. Many boys of that time ______ ■
A. wanted io become famous wTiters.+ B. wanted to be passengers on the Mississippi.* C. wished to D.
friends of Mark \"Rvam
anxious To ^vork on a riverboat.
3. The name Mark Ivvain came into use ________ *
A. when Samuel Langhorne Clemens was a printers B. when lie was Borlaug on a riverboat. *- C. before he became a. gold miner. * D. ^'hen he wai taught what the term meant.
4.
fathoms, or twelve is ___________ ◎
A. a term to indicate Mark Twain.
B. a depth at which boats can safely pass.
C. was used by boatme n to measure the depth of water.
D. con sidered to be deep eno ugh for pilots to swim across the river. 5. Twain ' s style of writing is ___ A. humorous B. simple C. direct (DDBBD)
___
D all of the above.
查尔斯？狄更斯一英国最伟大的作家之一
查尔斯•狄更斯，是英国文学史上唯一可与莎士比亚媲美的伟大作家。 1812年2月7
日生于朴次茅斯市郊，1870年6月9日卒于罗切斯特附近的盖茨山庄。一生共创作长篇小 说13部半，其中多数是近百万言的大部头作品，中篇小说
20余部，短篇小说数百篇，以及
大量演说词、书信 、散文、杂诗。其中，《圣诞颂歌》、《大卫•科波菲尔》、《双城记》最为 人们所称道。他多次去欧洲大陆游历、旅居，两次访问美国。
When Charles Dicke ns was a small boy, he was sent by his pare nts to work in a boot-black ing factory. His pare nts had other childre n and many debts to pay.
Charles's father was put into prison for his debts. The boy tried to raise money eno ugh to get him out but was un successful. At last, the whole family went to live with Charles's father in his room in the Marsalsea prison. This was a mon practice and, while the pris oner could not leave the gro un ds, the families could go in and out freely un til the gate was locked at ni ght.
For the rest of his days, Dicke ns was in terested in pris ons.
Whe never he traveled
through stra nge tow ns and cities, he went to visit them, as other tourists would visit museumsand palaces. Almost every book he wrote has a prison and some prisoners in it.
He had been born in 1812 and had stayed busy at one kind of work or another from the time he was six years of age. He died of a sudden stroke in 1870. He provided
the world with its clearest picture of the texture of English life during the 1800's, one without which readers would never know the sounds, smells, and tastes of those Ion g-ago days.
Today Charles EHckens is considered one of the greatest English enters of all time. He is best remembered fortus Ckrisunas Comprehension Quesrionsi+J
L Chailes Dickens went to work in a boot-blacking factor because _ 卩 A. he was a small boy. z B, his family was very poor,心 U others hadn't paid back the debts.亠
D一 the work m the f acton- ^vasn'T verv h亡日w*
a
d
David Copp&rflM. and. .4 Tal^ of Cities.
2. Charles's father was thrown into prason simply because ________ <■' A. the boy couldn't raise enough money.
B. he couldn't return the money he had borrowed from others.
C. the boy was unsuccessful in making enough money in the boot-blacking factory. D. the boy was too small to save him.
3. The mon practice of those days was ____
A. the family should go to live together with the prisoner.
B. the family members should remain in prison until the prisoner was set free.
C. the family members could stay with the prisoner and have freedom to leave or enter the prison in the daytime.
D. the family members could go in and out of the prison at any time.
4. The difference between Charles Dickens and other tourists lies in that ____ A. he liked to visit prisons while others didn't. B. he liked to visit palaces while others didn't. C. he was not interested in prisons while others were. D. others showed more interest in prisons than him. 5. If you read Charles Dickens A. see a clearest picture.
B. hear the sounds, enjoy the smells and tastes of those long-ago days. C. know very clearly what the life of the nineteenth century England was like. D. know clearly how he and his family lived in the prison. (BBCAC)
' s novels, you can ___________
13. Goethe, Germany ' s Greatest Poet
歌德—德国最伟大的诗人
约翰•沃尔夫冈•歌德(1749 — 1832),是18世纪中叶到19世纪初德国和欧洲最重要的 作家、诗人。歌德是德国狂飙突进运动的主将，其作品充满了反叛精神，在诗歌、戏剧、散 文等方面都有较高的成就。主要作品有剧本《葛兹•冯•伯里欣根》
、中篇小说《少年维特
的烦恼》、未完成的诗剧《普罗米修斯》和诗剧《浮士德》的雏形《原浮士德》 。此外还写了 许多抒情诗和评论文章。 他对世界文学宝库的巨大贡献， 使他成为世界文化名人， 每年逢他
The tomi of Frankfurt will always be connected with the name of Johann XVbl塔ang von Goethe, Germany's greatest literary 呂enius. Goethe w as bom here in 1?49 and, although he left the many times during tus life, he al\\va\\-s bought of Frankfurr as his home.
The house “her亡 Goe±e lived in is op?口 to the public and contains many reminders of the great man Next door is the Goethe Museum, with its collection of paintings and documents about his liff and vork.
In 17\"2: Goethe went as a voun^ Izwver to Wetzlar, where lie fell in love with the fiancee of
his close friend Kest ner. Broke nhearted, he returned to Fran kfurt and later discovered that Kest ner had killed himself. These events form the basis of his beautiful novel The Sorrow of Young Werther, the most importa nt literary work of the early Roma ntic period.
In 1786 Goethe toured Italy, and this had a strong in flue nee
on his work, allow ing
him to join his earlier Roma ntic style with the Classic idea of Greece and Rome.
His masterpiece, Faust, published in 1831, was the product of fifty years of work. It is the greatest dramatic poem in the German Ianguage.
Goethe died at Weimar in 1832. He left behind him a reputation
as one of Europe's
foremost writers and philosophers. Today the reputati on is stron ger tha n ever. prehe nsion Questi ons:
1. Whenwe mention the town of Frankfurt we often think of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
because _____
A. Germa ny's greatest literary man Goethe was born there. B. Goethe left Frankfurt many times.
C. Goethe always thought of Fran kfurt as his home. D. Goethe loved Fran kfurt.
2. Accord ing to the passage, which of the followi ng stateme nts is true?____
A. The door of the house where Goethe once lived is always ope n.
B. People all over the world can go and visit the house where Goethe once lived. C. The room in the house where Goethe once lived is the Goethe Museum. D. There are many paintings where he once lived
and documents about Goethe's life and work in the house
3. The third paragraph of the passage tells us _____
A. that Goethe fell in love with his close friend Kest ner's girlfrie nd. B. Goethe's return to Fran kfurt.
C. that Goethe was very sad over the death of his close friend Kestner.
D. what formed the basis of Goethe's beautiful novel The Sorrow of Young Werther.
4. According to the passage, which of the following statements is not true? _______ A. . The tour of Italy influenced his w ork ven much. * B. Faiist is the greatest dramatic poem m German.*1 C. Goethe was once a lawyer.*1
D. Goethe spent only a fev years vTitmg his masterpiece 5. To day people tEunk highly of Goetiie because _____ A. he was among the most famous niters m Europe. B. hems one of the Europe's mo ft notab 1 e phi la sopher s. C. lif ^Tote a lot of bfautiful navels and poems. D一 of all mentioned above (ABDDD 加
14. Winston Churchill, Famous British Statesma n. Orator and Writer
温斯顿？丘吉尔一英国著名政治家、演说家和作家
温斯顿•丘吉尔，英国著名政治家、演说家、作家和记者， 1953年诺贝尔文学奖得主。
20世纪最重要的政治
曾于1940 — 1945年和1951 - 1955年期间两度任英国首相，被认为是 领袖之一，领导英国获得第二次世界大战的胜利。 汇量最多的人(约 5万多)。
Win sto n Churchill (1874 successful politician.
此外，他还是被公认为世界上掌握英语词
—1965) was born into a famed family. His father was a
In October 1900, Churchill was elected to Parliament for the
Poland, and the following
year, he became the
first time. In 1939, Germany attacked Prime Mini ster of En gla nd.
France fell. The Germa ns crushed Wester n Europe. Brita in was on the edge of plete defeat. Wasit not possible to ask for peace, and make talks with Hitler? Churchill spoke, “ I have nothing to offer but blood, tears and sweat aim? I can an swer in one word: Victory!
”
….You ask what is our
The Germa ns bega n gatheri ng their armies on the French coast and prepared to in vade Brita in. answer,
The British had not eno ugh rifles to go around. Churchill gave the
“We shall defend our island, whatever cost may be, we shall fight on the
and in the
”
beaches, we shall fight on the land ground, we shall fight in the fields streets, we shall f ight in the hills, we shall n ever surre nder.
By his courage, hard work and faith, Churchill in spired his people. Victory fin ally came whe n the Germa ns were defeated at the end of World War II.
Here is a well-known story told about Churchill.
During the Second World War, Winston Churchill was the British prime minister. One day he had to go to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) to make an importa nt speech to the n ati on.
An hour before the time of his speech, he stopped a taxi in the street and asked the driver to take him to the BBC, but the taxi driver, who did not recognize him, said he could not take him any where just the n, because he wan ted to go back to his
Churchill was so pleased when he heard his answer that he gave the man a pouni which was worth quite a lot in those days.*'
\"All right, get in.r? said the driver happily opening the door of the taxi. Til take you. and to hell 戏ith Churchill and hs speech. ^ Comprehension Questions:
L Born in a politician's family. Churchill ________ # A. liked his father, a SUE亡鹉fill politician ver\\r mil亡h*
弓一頁⑪ al&o interested m politics like his father s1
U fought bravely m the First World War,+J D attacked Germans in lA orld War Two.+J
2. “France fell. ” Here the word “fell ” means _________________
C was defeated D. was surro un ded
A. fell dow n B. gave up
3. Fac ing the Germa ns' in vasi on, Churchill decided __ A. to defend Britain with blood, tears and sweat. B. to get more rifles to go around. C. to give in.
D. to in spire his people.
4. The driver refused to take Churchill to the BBC because ____ A. he hated Churchill.
B. he had someth ing importa nt to do.
C. he wan ted to go home in the opposite directi on. D. Churchill offered him too little mon ey.
5. From the story we could lear n that Churchill was ____ A. a modest man.
B. a great man. C. a gen erous man.
D. fond of liste ning to good words. (BCABA)
15. Wilhelm Konrad Ron tge n. Discoverer of X-rays
威廉?康拉德？伦琴一X射线的发现者
X射线的发现者威廉•康拉德•伦琴，于 1845年出生在德国尼普镇。发现 X射线的全
部功劳都应归于伦琴，他的发现是前所未料的。而且他的发现对贝克雷尔及其他研究人员都 有重要的促进作用。1901年，伦琴获得诺贝尔物理奖，是获得该项奖的第一人。他于 年在德国慕尼黑与世长辞。
If you break your arm or leg, you will be probably sent to hospital to have an X-ray photo taken to find out just where the break is and what kind of break If a child swallows a hard thing, as sometimes happens, the doctor, by the help of
X-rays, will be able to find out just where it has got to in the child ' s body. Every hospital has an X-ray department. Dentists also take X-ray photos of people ' s teeth which do not show from the outside. X-rays were first discovered by a Germanscientist, Wilhelm Konrad Rontgen (1845-1923), in 1895, almost by accident.
it is. 1923
Rontgen and sexual other scientists were experimeitting with passing electric currents through certai
口 gases in a special glass tube from which the air had h亡m removed. One day. Roni gen noticed that,
though the tube was covered with black paper, some strange kind of radiation was coming throueh and making i screen nearly became brigtn. He could not see anxihing cominE out of rhe tube, but ±en he discovered that if he put lhe screen 口亡room on the other side of the closed door, rays still seemed to act on it. This showed that the rays could
pass not only through the black paper but also wood. prehe nsion Questi ons:
1. The first paragraph mainly tells us _____
A. some uses of X-rays. B. what we should do when one
' s arm or leg is broken.
C. that every hospital has an X-ray departme nt. D. that X-rays were discovered in 1895.
2. The sec ond paragraph shows ____
A. the uses of X-rays.
B. that Rontgen and other scientists once did an experiment together. C. that X-rays could make a scree n bee bright. D. how X-rays were discovered.
3. We know that X-rays can hardly pass through _____
A. black paper
B. bones C. wood D. flesh
4. The word \"radiatio n\" means _____
A. glow ing.
B. going through thin gs.
C. sending out en ergy, heat etc. in rays. D. shi ning.
5. yvhich of the following statements is true according to the passage? _______ + A Vilhelm Konrad Rentem discovered X-ravs alm口st bv chance.-
B. After an accident tiappmed. Wilhelm Konrad Rontgen discovered X-rax's^ C. X-rays can pass through almost evtrything besides black paper and wood+ D Rontgen and severs] other scientists discovered X-rays together in 1895.*'
〔ADBCA)*
+-
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