阅读理解 Frederick Law Olmsted (1822－1903), a Connecticut farm boy, saw his firs
题型：同步题难度：来源：
| 阅读理解 |
Frederick Law Olmsted (1822－1903), a Connecticut farm boy, saw his first public park in
Liverpool, England, as he accompanied his brother on a walking tour. He was impressed by the park"s
winding paths, open fields, lakes and bridges. Perhaps the most wonderful things of all was that the park
was open to everyone.
A moment beginning in 1840 to set aside park land on New York City"s Manhattan Island had a
successful result in 1856 with the purchase of 840 acres of rocky and swampy (沼泽的) land, bought
with about $5 million in state funds. Olmsted"s chance of meeting with a project organizer led to his
applying for the job of the park manager. In 1857 Olmsted was appointed manager of the proposed
park, and the clearing of the site began.
Calvert Vaux, a British architect, asked Olmsted to collaborate with him on a park design, and
Olmsted agreed. Vaux saw the park as a work of art, while Olmsted saw the park as a place for people
to escape the noise of the city. Together they invented a plan that would give the persons and animals
living in the city a quiet, green park and would also preserve and increase the good qualities of the natural
features of the land. The commissioners voted in favor of Vaux and Olmsted"s plan, and in 1858, the two
became the official designers of New York City"s Central Park.
It took cartloads of topsoil to build Central Park"s gentle slopes, shady glens, and steep, rocky
ravines.Five million trees were planted, a watersupply system was laid, and bridges, arches, roads and
paths were constructed. The park officially opened in 1876, and today, well over a century later, people
still escape the noise of the city in Olmsted and Vaux"s great work of art. |
| 1. What is the text mainly about? |
A. A history of the planning of Central Park.
B. An engineering plan for Central Park.
C. A biography of Frederick Law Olmsted.
D. A guided walking tour of Central Park. |
| 2. Olmsted became manager of Central Park because of________. |
A. his friendship with Calvert Vaux
B. his hard work in clearing the land
C. his winning a design competition
D. a chance of meeting with one of the park"s organizers |
| 3. The underlined word "collaborate" in the third paragraph means "________". |
A. disagree
B. comment
C. vote
D. work together |
| 4. Which of the following is TRUE about Central Park? |
A. It is out of date nowadays.
B. The designers came from the same country.
C. It is an old park in America.
D. It is only for people who can well afford it. |
答案
| 1-4: A D D C |
举一反三
| 阅读理解 |
Lucille Clifton, the AwardWinning Poet, was the First African American Poet Laureate of Maryland.
Critics call her one of the greatest writers of our time.
Lucille Clifton was born Thelma Lucille Sayles in Depew, New York in 1936. She was named Thelma after her mother. Lucille was the name of one of her father"s ancestors. When the younger one got older
she chose to call herself Lucille.
Lucille Clifton began writing poetry when she was about ten years old. She had developed an interest
in poetry because of her mother, Thelma Sayles. Her mother was also a poet although her poems were
never published. As a child Lucille would sit on her mother"s lap and listen as she read poetry. She learned to love words and the power of words. That stayed with her as she grew.
While her mother taught her to love poetry, her father gave her the gift of storytelling. He would tell
Lucille interesting stories about her ancestors, especially the one named Lucille who was his grandmother. Samuel Clifton said she was the first black woman to be legally hanged in the state of Virginia. Lucille
Clifton wrote about it in her poem called "Lucy"．
She often talked about her love for words. She loved the sound of words and the way the words felt in her mouth. She loved finding interesting ways to use words to express what was happening in the world.
Unlike her mother, Lucille Clifton"s poetry was anything but traditional. Her poems do not rhyme or follow a special kind of pattern. They do not use fancy words. They do not deal in makebelieve. Her poetry is
known for being simple, truthful and direct. It is written the way people speak, in a casual, relaxed
language. There is very little punctuation(标点) and even less capitalization. Many of the poems are uncomfortably honest. Lucille Clifton often said that she tried to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. Over the years, she seems to have perfected that art. |
| 1. From the passage, we know that Lucille Clifton is ________. |
A. funny
B. creative
C. selfish
D. beautiful |
| 2. What can be inferred from the passage? |
A. Lucille Clifton"s parents affected her a lot.
B. Lucille Clifton"s poetry was very traditional.
C. Thelma Sayles published many poems.
D. Lucille Clifton"s poetry was very formal |
| 3. What is the main idea of the last paragraph? |
A. Lucille Clifton"s great works.
B. Lucille Clifton"s poem background.
C. Lucille Clifton"s poem style.
D. Lucille Clifton"s poem words. |
| 4. The underlined word "it" in the fourth paragraph probably refers to ________. |
A. Samuel Clifton
B. Samuel Clifton"s experience
C. Samuel Clifton"s grandmother
D. Lucille"s great grandmother"s story |
| 阅读理解。 |
Anthony Horowitz was miserable (痛苦的) as a child.He was, as he puts it, "not very bright"
and couldn"t win the attention of his very wealthy parents, who preferred his "clever" older brother
.At age 8, Horowitz was sent away to an abusive (虐待的) boarding school in his native England,
even though he screamed and pleaded (恳求) with his parents year after year not to send him."The
thought was, "It"ll be good for him" ," Horowitz recalls (回忆)．
It was not.Horowitz did badly in his studies, had few friends and was bullied (欺负) for five
years."My teachers couldn"t have had a lower opinion of me," he said."I wasn"t even smart enough
to rebel (反抗)．One thing I remember from the very earliest age was this desire to write.When
I was 10 years old, I remember asking my parents to get me a typewriter for my birthday because
I wanted to be a writer."
Now, at 55, Horowitz is one of the world"s most successful children"s book authors.His Alex
Rider series has sold more than 5 million copies, and the eighth book featuring the young spy,
Crocodile Tears, came out this month.
The Alex Rider books tell the adventures of 14yearold Alex Rider, an agent for the British
intelligence agency MI6.
Horowitz said he doesn"t try to write for kids; it just comes out that way."I have a feeling it"s
to do with purity and simplicity.I give as little information as is necessary to describe the room,
the character in the room, and get on with the action," he said.
That style has also made Horowitz a successful writer of television shows for adults in Britain
because, he says, writing books for kids is a lot like writing television for grownups.In both cases,
it"s all about entertaining people with a good story.
Now, Horowitz couldn"t be happier with his life.He sums up his success: "…you can be anything
you want to be if you just believe in yourself.I do believe it completely." |
| 1．The text is mainly about________. |
A．Horowitz"s popular book-Alex Rider
B．Horowitz"s miserable childhood
C．Horowitz, a successful children"s writer
D．Horowitz"s special writing style |
| 2．In his childhood, Anthony Horowitz________. |
A．was more intelligent than his brother
B．was paid more attention by his parents
C．couldn"t understand why he was sent to the boarding school
D．led a miserable life because of poverty |
| 3．Which of the following is TRUE of Anthony Horowitz? |
A．He was the beloved child of his family.
B．He benefited a lot from boarding school.
C．He emphasizes the plot rather than character in stories.
D．Although he is successful, he isn"t very happy. |
| 4．What advice does Horowitz have for readers? |
A．Confidence is the key to success.
B．Hardship teaches valuable lessons.
C．Interest is the best teacher.
D．Diligence is the parent of success. |
| 阅读理解 |
Les Paul is one of the most influential people in modern popular music. He was a skillful guitarist who
played an energetic mixture of jazz and country songs. He was also an inventor.
The electric guitar and recording devices he created changed the sound of popular music and greatly
influenced rock and roll.
Les Paul is best known for creating one of the first solidbody electric guitars and the eighttrack
recording device. He also perfected new recording methods to give special effects to his music.
Les Paul was born Lester William Polfuss (POLLfuss)in 1915 in Waukesha, (WAHkuhshaw)Wisconsin. By the age of nine, he had taught himself to play the harmonica and had built a radio. He also learned to
play the guitar and banjo. He could not read music, but he could play music that he heard. And he had a
good sense of musical structure.
Les Paul was soon performing in country bands in the Midwest. He left high school to perform full time on radio shows. He performed using the names "The Wizard of Waukesha", "Hot Rod Red" and "Rhubarb Red". He also started playing music influenced by great jazz guitarists including Django Reinhardt.
By 1937, he had formed the Les Paul trio. He moved to New York City the next year. Les Paul played with many famous performers including the popular singer Bing Crosby.
Around 1941, Les Paul invented his famous guitar. He wanted to make an instrument that could play a note longer than notes played on a traditional acoustic guitar. He developed a new kind of electric guitar that had a solid body. On an acoustic guitar, the strings vibrate and the hollow part of the instrument, or the
sound box, also vibrates. Les Paul wanted an instrument in which only the strings vibrated.
In the 1970s, Les Paul made two records with the country guitarist Chet Atkins. One was called "
Chester and Lester". It won a Grammy Award in 1976. Starting in the early 1980s, Paul began playing in
jazz clubs in New York City. He kept on performing weekly until a few months before his death. |
1. Which of the following shows the right order of Les Paul"s experience?
a. He moved to New York.
b. He had taught himself to play the harmonica.
c. He performed full time on radio shows.
d. He began playing in jazz clubs in New York City.
e. He invented his famous guitar. |
A. abcde
B. bcade
C. bcdea
D. bcaed |
| 2. According to the passage, the author develops the passage ________. |
A. in order of time
B. in order of importance
C. by giving examples
D. by listing reasons |
| 3. Which of the following best describes Les Paul? |
A. He is a creative man.
B. He is a lazy man.
C. He is a naughty man.
D. He is a crazy man. |
| 4. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage? |
A. He influenced Django Reinhardt.
B. He had no good sense of musical structure.
C. He could play and read music when he was a child.
D. He made two records with Chet Atkins in the 1970s. |
Winston Churchill was one of the great men of his age. To show their respect for him, the British
lawmakers asked a fine artist, Graham Sutherland, to paint Winston Churchill"s picture. When it was
completed, it was presented to him, at a grand affair in the Westminster Hall, at the House of Commons (下议院).
There is a famous film that shows Churchill accepting the gift. He describes the painting as "a
remarkable example of modern art", which draws loud laughter.
In fact he must have been unhappy with the painting. Sutherland later reported that he asked whether
it was to be painted with a "happy" or "angry" attitude. "Angry," replied Churchill. At the time, Churchill
was coming to the end of his political life and was unhappy that people wanted him to end his career.
Some twenty years later it was revealed that Lady Churchill hated the painting so much that she had it
destroyed. "It was preying on (折磨) his mind," she was reported as saying.
A leading art critic was asked what he thought about the matter. He said he could understand Lady
Churchill and had pity on her. Graham Sutherland was a very honest artist, who could only paint what
he saw. At the time it was painted, Churchill was an old man, worried by the thought that he would have
to end his political career soon. But Lady Churchill shouldn"t have had the painting destroyed. It could
have been stored away until after their deaths. |
| 1. Why did the British lawmakers ask Graham Sutherland to paint a picture of Winston Churchill? |
A. To show their respect for him.
B. To make Churchill happy.
C. To put it in the Westminster Hall.
D. To make Churchill unhappy. |
| 2. Where was the painting of Winston Churchill after it was finished? |
A. In Churchill’s home.
B. In Churchill"s office.
C. In the Westminster Hall.
D. In a busy town square. |
| 3. Why was Churchill actually unhappy at that time? |
A. Because he had to retire anti put an end to his political life.
B. Because the painting did not look like him one little bit.
C. Because Lady Churchill was not happy with the painting.
D. Because he was so very sick and did not feel well at all. |
| 4. What is the author"s attitude towards the painting being destroyed? |
A. Approval.
B. Disapproval.
C. Anger.
D. Indifference. |
| 阅读理解 |
"Mark Twain" was the name used by Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835-1910) when he wrote
books. His father was a lawyer, but a poor one, who lived at Florida, Missouri. The family was so
poor that Samuel did not receive much teaching. He had to learn all that he could from the people
whom he met. His father died when he was very young, and then there was even less money than
before.
Many of the men in this part of America worked in the ships on the great River Mississippi, and
he did this himself at one time (1857).
Where did he find the name "Mark Twain"? It came from the great river itself. It was part of one
of the cries used by men who worked in the ships. When a man called "By the mark twain!" he meant
that the river was "two marks deep" there, that is to say, six feet deep ( "Twain" is an old form of the
work "Two".) Samuel Clemens often heard these words when he was young, and he used them as a
penname all his life.
During his work on the Mississippi he met travelers of all kinds, and this helped him a great deal
when he started to write. But the number of travelers became smaller when war started in America in
1861. Many of the great ships on the river stopped work. Samuel left then and went to Nevada with
his brother, who was at that time Governor of Nevada. There, near the town of Carson, Samuel
became a gold miner, but he never made much money at the time. He soon saw that life in the gold
mines was not for him. He also tried writing for the newspapers in Nevada, and this seemed more
hopeful. He found that he could write.
He went to Europe in 1867 and visited France and Italy. In 1870 he married Olivia Langdon,
and two years later he was spending nearly all his time writing. Among his books is his own story
(1908).
He is now always known as Mark Twain, and many people do not even know that his family
name was Clemens. He traveled in America and in England, and went to Oxford in 1907. He was
one of the great American writers of the time, and could make his readers laugh - a thing which few
writers can do. He died in 1910. |
| 1. "Mark Twain" was _________. |
A. a famous American writer
B. name of a book
C. a great river in America
D. a large ship |
| 2. As a child, Samuel did not get much education because _________. |
A. his father died too early
B. the family was very poor
C. he disliked school very much
D. he could learn what he liked from the people he met |
| 3. What gave him a great deal when he started writing? _______ |
A. His poor childhood
B. The Mississippi river
C. All kinds of travelers he met
D. His brother |
| 4. We can infer from the passage that ________. |
A. Samuel loved writing from his early age
B. Samuel did not love writing at the beginning
C. his writings to the newspaper were successful
D. his brother encouraged him to write more |
| 5. According to the writer of the passage, a good writer could _________. |
A.write a lot for his readers
B. make a lot of money for his family
C. cause his readers to laugh
D. travel everywhere he wanted |
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