Jack London had endured more hardships by the age of twenty-one than most people

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Jack London had endured more hardships by the age of twenty-one than most people experience in a lifetime. His struggles developed in him sympathy for the working class and a lasting dislike of hard work and provided inspiration for his career as a writer.
London grew up in San Francisco in extreme poverty. At an early age, he left school and supported himself through a succession of un skilled jobs ----working as a paper boy, in bowling alleys, on ice wagons, and in canneries（罐头食品厂） and mills. Despite working long hours at these jobs, London was able to read constantly, borrowing travel and adventure books from the library.
The books London read inspired him to travel, and his job experiences led him to become active in fighting for the fights of workers. He sailed to Japan on a journey aiming at catching seals and joined a cross-country protest march with a group of unemployed workers. After being arrested for vagrancy near Buffalo, New York, London decided to educate himself and reshape his life. He quickly completed high school and entered the University of California.
After only one term, however, the appeal of fortune and adventure proved uncontrollable. London gave up his studies and traveled to the Alaskan Yukon in 1897 in search of gold. Jack London was among the first of these miners. He may have searched for more than gold, however. London once commented, “ True, the new region was mostly poor; but its several hundred thousand square miles of coldness at least gave breathing space to those who else would have choked at home.” Although he was unsuccessful as a miner, London’s experiences in Alaska taught him about the human desire for wealth and power and about humankind’s inability to control the forces of nature. While in Alaska, London also absorbed memories and stories that would make him known one hundred years later.
Once back in California, London became determined to earn a living as a writer. He rented a typewriter and worked up to fifteen hours a day, spinning his Alaskan adventures into short stories and novels.
According to legend, London’s piles of rejection slips from publishers grew to five feet in height!
Even so, London preserved. In 1903, he earned national fame when he published the popular novel The Call of the Wild. He soon became the highest paid and most industrious writer in the country. During his career, he produced more than fifty books and earned more than a million dollars. Several of his novels, including The Call of the Wild(1903),the Sea-Wolf(1904),the White Fang(1906),have become American classics. In fact, he was a creative writer whose fiction explored several regions and their cultures: the Yukon, California, Hawaii, and the Solomon Islands. He experimented with many literary forms, from traditional love stories and dystopias（反面乌托邦小说）to science fantasy. His noted journalism included war communication, boxing stories, and the life of Molokai lepers（麻风病患者）. He was among the most influential figures of his day, who understood how to create a public persona and use the media to market his self-created image of poor-boy-turned-success. London"s great passion was agriculture, and he was well on the way of creating a new model for spreading through his Beauty Ranch when he died of kidney disease at age 40. He left over fifty books of novels, stories, journalism, and essays, many of which have been translated and continue to be read around the world. His best works describe a person’s struggle for survival against the powerful forces of nature. “To Build a Fire”, for example, tells the story of a man’s fight to survive the harsh cold of the Alaskan winter.
小题1:_________made Jack London reconsider his life in the future.

A．His job experience	B．The books he read
C．Being arrested	D．Long-hour work

小题2:What is TRUE about Jack London?

A．Jack London was poor all his life.

B．Jack London got enough money while in the search of gold.

C．The books Jack London read inspired him to travel and become active.

D．The experience of gold searching made Jack London determined to write novels about Alaska adventures.

小题3:After the experience in Alaska, Jack London ________________.

A．realized the nature of human beings.

B．knew people could control the nature finally.

C．regretted being there.

D．thought highly of himself.

小题4:In paragraph 4, the sentence “True, the new region was mostly poor; but its several hundred thousand square miles of coldness at least gave breathing space to those who else would have choked at home.” implies_______________________________.

A．Jack London regarded Alaska a poor place as he never got any gold there.

B．people would have been ill at home if they had never been Alaska.

C．People searching for gold there still have chance to win.

D．Alaska was a poor but large region.

小题5:Which one of following works doesn’t belong to Jack London according to the passage?

A．love stories

B．poetry

C．journalism

D．essays

小题6:What can we learn from Jack London’s final success?

A．Failure is the mother of success.

B．Practice makes perfect.

C．Knowledge is powerful.

D．All of above.

答案

小题1:C
小题2:D
小题3:A
小题4:C
小题5:B
小题6:D

解析

小题1:细节理解题。结合After being arrested for vagrancy near Buffalo, New York, London decided to educate himself and reshape his life可知答案。
小题2:细节理解题。结合While in Alaska, London also absorbed memories and stories that would make him known one hundred years later.Once back in California, London became determined to earn a living as a writer可知答案。
小题3:细节理解题。结合London’s experiences in Alaska taught him about the human desire for wealth and power and about humankind’s inability to control the forces of nature.可知答案。
小题4:推理判断题。结合可知答案。
小题5:细节理解题。给出的句子的意思是：这个新地区大部分是贫困的；但其几十万平方英里的冷漠，至少给那些在家会窒息而亡的人喘息的空间。由此可推断：给出的句子的含义应是积极有希望的。
小题6:推理判断题。结合文中叙述London的经历可知答案。

举一反三

Maybelle said she wouldn"t be coming with me to the library. I asked why, and she said she could get all the short stories she wanted off the Internet. Saved walking all the way to the library, and putting up with my long chat on the way there, and on the way back. Maybelle is very direct like that, always has been.
"But, Maybelle, we"ve been walking to the library every" Monday for the last fifty years!"
She said," Why don"t you get Internet"? We can send each other emails."
So I had to get Internet. I called the local high school. They said they"d send me a good student to tell me all about computers and such.
Evil thing, this Internet. Makes you lose old friends, forces you to learn new complex ideas, even if you"re too old. But Maybelle said you have to be modern; otherwise, you"re dead.
The kid came the next day. Tall skinny black kid, by tile name of Arsenius, said his work would cost me.
I said, "All right. As long as I get Internet."
"You need a computer, then you need to get hooked up," he said.
"Let"s buy a computer and get hooked up, then."
"How much you want to spend?"
"Whatever it takes."
"How many rams you want?"
I wasn"t going to show him my ignorance, so I said, "Whatever it takes."
"Let"s go to the mall. You got a car?"
"In the garage."
When I opened the garage door, he gasped. Daddy"s car is still there, a"57 Chevy. I never drive it. Walk everywhere.
I said," Let"s walk. It"s only a mile or so."
He said," Let"s drive, or you will faint on me in this heat."
"Young man, I don"t faint, never have. We"re walking."
"I get paid by the hour," he said. "Walking will cost you a lot more. Also, you feel like carrying a computer a mile or so?"
小题1:What kind of person is Maybelle?

A．She always says what she means in an honest way.

B．She no longer likes reading in her old age.

C．She doesn"t want to be friends with the writer any mort.

D．She doesn"t want to keep up with the time.

小题2:Why does the writer want to have Internet at his place?

A．Because the writer believes that one is never too old to learn.

B．Because the writer thinks that it is better late than never.

C．Because of the pressure from people of his age.

D．Because of the convenience the Internet will bring.

小题3:Arsenius gives _________ reasons for driving to the mall.

A．two

B．three

C．four

D．five

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Some 80 percent of graduate students in East China’s Zhejiang Province said in a survey they will give up trying to find jobs in Beijing，Shanghai and Guangzhou，first-tier cities in China that have been considered dream places for many，because of the untouchable home prices and high living costs．
The Yangtse Evening Post conducted the survey among 50 job seekers who were attending Sunday’s job fair in Jiangsu for graduate students．The survey showed graduates are becoming more realistic in their job search despite the job market becoming better．
The fair attracted more than 10，000 graduate students with 7，382 positions．
“The pressure of buying a house in Beijing is unbelievable，”said Wang Jian from Nanjiing Normal University，who acknowledged he had thought about finding a job in Beijing，Shanghai or Guangzhou，but in the face of huge pressures，he has no choice but to be “realistic”．
People can have a very comfortable life in Nanjing with a monthly salary of between 3，000 yuan($450)and 4，000 yuan，but in Shanghai，5，000 yuan a month can only help you survive and buying a house will remain a dream．
A student from Nanjing University of Science and Technology said he just turned down an offer from a Shanghai company of 7,000 yuan a month because“living costs in Shanghai are too high．”
An unnamed male student from Nanjing University said he will try first-tier cities only if he can get a high salary．“I would go to Beijing only if I can earn 200，000 yuan a year，”he said．
“Beijing，Shanghai and Guangzhou once had the advantages that other cities don’t have，but the high housing prices and living costs make young people barely able to breathe，”said Ren Leiming from the job service center of Jiangsu’s colleges and universities．
“First-tier cities have plenty of talents that make it hard for people to be outstanding，and if you go work in smaller cities you can become a dominant player at your position much more easily，”said Ren．
小题1:The majority of graduate students will give up trying to find jobs in the first-tier cities because .

A．it is not easy to find jobs there．

B．home prices and living costs there are very high．

C．they can’t make full use of their knowledge and skills there．

D．monthly salaries there are low compared with those in other cities．

小题2:Which of the following statements is TRUE about the job market now?

A．There are more job opportunities offered now．

B．The job markets are becoming more and more competitive．

C．Many graduate students aren’t satisfied with the working conditions．

D．Companies and enterprises have stricter rules to take in graduate students．

小题3:We can learn from the news report that ．

A．in Shanghai，5，000 yuan a month can only help you buy a luxury house

B．the fair attracted more than 10，000 graduate students and laid-off workers with 7，382 positions

C．The Yangtse Evening Post conducted the survey among 50 personnel managers who were attending Sunday’s joh fair in Jiangsu for graduate students

D．a student from Nanjing University of Science and Technology turned down an offer from a Shanghai company of 7，000 yuan a month

小题4:The words Ren said in the last paragraph mean .

A．people can’t achieve more in first-tier cities

B．people can easily be outstanding in smaller cities

C．he would rather go to first-tier cities than smaller cities

D．talents are more welcome in first-tier cities than smaller ones

题型：不详难度：| 查看答案

When a rather dirty, poorly dressed person kneels at your feet and puts out his hands to beg for a few coins, do you hurry on, not knowing what to do, or do you feel sad and hurriedly hand over some money? What should our attitude to beggars be? There can be no question that the world is full of terribly sad stories. It must be terrible to have no idea where our next meal is going to come from. It seems cruel not to give some money to beggars.
Certainly, most of the world’s great religions order us to be open-hearted and share what we have with those less fortunate than ourselves. But has the world changed? Maybe what was morally（道德方面）right in the old days, when one knew exactly who in the village had suffered misfortune and needed help, is no longer the best idea. Quite a few people will not give to beggars. Let us look at their arguments.
First, some believe that many city beggars dress up on purpose to look pitiable and actually make a good living from begging. Giving to beggars only encourages this sort of evil（恶行）.
Secondly, there is the worry that the money you give will be spent on beer, wine or drugs.
Thirdly, there is the opinion that there is no real excuse for begging. One might be poor, but that is no reason for losing one’s sense of pride and self-dependence.
There is an opinion that the problem should be dealt with by the government rather than ordinary people. Some people think the local government department should help the beggars
It is hard to come to any final conclusion: there are various cases and we must deal with them differently. A few coins can save a life in some situations, and even if the money is wasted, that does not take away the moral goodness of the giver.
小题1:What is mainly discussed in the passage?

A．Moral deeds of people.

B．Arguments on giving to beggars.

C．Moral goodness of the giver.

D．Religious activities of the church.

小题2:What can we infer from the underlined sentence “But has the world changed?” in Para.2 ?

A．People no longer know who suffers misfortune in the village.

B．Some people will not do what was morally right in the past.

C．We don’t meet with those who need help any more.

D．Now it is the government’s duty to help the beggars.

小题3:Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?

A．Some people dress up to pretend to be beggars.

B．Some beggars have no excuse for begging.

C．Some beggars use the money to buy drugs.

D．Some beggars need money for their children’s schooling.

小题4:In the last paragraph, the writer thinks that it is hard to come to any final conclusion, because________.

A．there is so much money wasted

B．there are so many beggars

C．the cases can be so different

D．there are so many different arguments

题型：不详难度：| 查看答案

Most American students have to say goodbye to fancy (高档的) fruits these days. In school restaurants across the country, cheaper fruits like apples and oranges have taken their place.
“People are afraid to spend now.” said Linda Morrow, who owns a shoe and handbag store. “They don’t know what the future will bring”. During the financial crisis (金融危机), several of the country’s biggest banks have been forced to sell or close. This has made lots of Americans afraid to buy expensive things.
The crisis began last year. Experts (专家) think it was because US banks lend money too easily. Last year a lot of people and companies, who borrowed money, found themselves unable to pay it back. This left the banks, as well as the people who put their money in the banks, without money. Since the banks borrowed money between themselves and even across borders (国界), the whole world was in trouble.
This month the US government agreed on a $700 billion plan to try to save the financial market. But no one is sure whether it will help or not. Last week presidents from 20 countries promised to work together to find a way out of the money trouble.
小题1:This passage is probably taken from ___________.

A．a story book

B．a novel

C．a newspaper

D．an advertisement

小题2:Why are people in the US afraid to spend?

A．Because they think it’s unnecessary

B．Because they don’t have the habit of spending money

C．Because they worry about their future

D．Because they don’t have any money

小题3:From the passage, we still don’t know ________.

A．when the financial crisis began

B．when the financial crisis will end

C．why some of the US banks closed

D．whether the crisis has spread to other countries

小题4:The best title for the passage is ___________.

A．Ways to Save Money

B．Financial Crisis facing the World

C．Banks in the USA

D．The USA Becoming Poor

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It is hardly surprising that clothing manufacturers(生产商) follow certain uniform standards for various features(特征) of clothes. What seems strange, however, is that the standard adopted for women is the opposite of the one for men. Take a look at the way your clothes button. Men’s clothes tend to button from the right, and women’s from the left. Considering most of the world’s population—men and women—are right-handed, the men’s standard would appear to make more sense for women. So why do women’s clothes button from the left?
History really seems to matter here. Buttons first appeared only on the clothes of the rich in the 17th century, when rich women were dressed by servants. For the mostly right-handed servants, having women’s shirts button from the left would be easier. On the other hand, having men’s shirts button form the right made sense, too. Most men dressed themselves, and a sword drawn from the left with the right hand would be less likely to get caught in the shirt.
Today women are seldom dressed by servants, but buttoning from the left is still the standard for them. Is it interesting? Actually, a standard, once set, resists change. At a time when all women’s shirts buttoned from the left, it would have been risky for any single manufacturer to offer women’s shirts that buttoned from the right. After all, women had grown so used to shirts which buttoned from the left and would have to develop new habits and skills to switch. Besides, some women might have found it socially awkward to appear in public wearing shirts that buttoned from the right, since anyone who noticed that would believe they were wearing men’s shirts.
小题1:What is surprising about the standard of the clothing industry?

A．It has been followed by the industry for over 400 years.

B．It fails to consider right-handed people.

C．It woks better with men than with women.

D．It is different for men’s clothing and women’s.

小题2:What do we know about the rich men in the 17th century?

A．They tended to wear clothes without buttons.

B．They drew their swords from the left.

C．They were mostly dressed by servants.

D．They were interested in the historical matters.

小题3:Women’s clothes still button from the left today because .

A．adopting men’s style is improper for women

B．manufacturers should follow standards

C．customs are hard to change

D．modern women dress themselves

小题4:The passage is mainly developed by .

A．examining differences	B．making comparisons
C．analyzing causes	D．following the time order

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