Danielle Steel, America's sweetheart, is one of the hardest working women in the book business.
Unlike other productive authors who write one book at a time, she can work on up to five.Her research
before writing takes at least three years.Once she has fully studied her subjects, ready to divided into a
book, she can spend twenty hours nonstop at her desk.
     Danielle Steel comes from New York and was sent to France for her education.After graduation,
she worked in the public relations and advertising industries.Later she started a job as a writer which she
was best fit for.Her achievements are unbelievable: 390 million copies of books in print, nearly fifty New
York Times bestselling novels, and a series of Max and Martha picture books for children to help them
deal with the reallife problem of death, new babies and new schools.Her 1998 book about the death of
her son was shot to the top of the New York Times bestselling list as soon as it came out.Twentyeight
of her books have been made into films.She is listed in the Guinness Books of World Records for one
of her books being the Times bestseller for 381 weeks straight.
     Not content with a big house, a loving family, and a view of the Golden Gate Bridge, Danielle Steel
considers her readers to be the most important resource and has kept in touch with them by email.While
she is often compared to the heroines (女主人公) of her own invention, her life is undoubtedly much
quieter.But if she does have anything in common with them, it is her strength of will and her inimitable
style.There is only one Danielle Steel.

1. Danielle Steel is different from other writers in that ________.

A. she can write several books at the same time
B. she often does some research before writing a book
C. she is one of the most popular American women writers
D. she can keep writing for quite a long time without a break

2. Children who have read "Max and Martha" picture books may know ________.

A. how to deal with affairs at school
B. what to do if Max and Martha die
C. what to do when new babies are born into their families
D. how to solve the difficult problems in their writing classes

3. One of Danielle Steel's achievements is that ________.

A. some TV plays were based on her books
B. her picture books attracted a lot of young men
C. one of her books became a bestseller in 1998
D. she wrote the Guinness Book of World Records

4. We can learn from the passage that Danielle Steel ________.

A. lives an exciting life
B. values her readers a lot
C. writes about quiet women
D. is pleased with her achievements

5. What does the underlined word "inimitable" mean?

A. hardworking  
B. attractive
C. strange  
D. unique

     Eddie McKay, a once-forgotten pilot, is a subject of great interest to a group of history students in
Canada.
     It all started when Graham Broad, a professor at the University of Western Ontario, found McKay's
name in a footnote in a book about university history. McKay was included in a list of university alumni
(校友) who had served during the First World War, but his name was unfamiliar to Broad, a specialist
in military history. Out of curiosity, Broad spent hours at the local archives (檔案館) in a fruitless search
for information on McKay. Tired and discouraged, he finally gave up. On his way out, Broad's glance
happened to fall on an exhibiting case showing some old newspapers. His eye was drawn to an old
picture of a young man in a rugby uniform. As he read the words beside the picture, he experienced a
thrilling realization. "After looking for him all day, there he was, staring up at me out of the exhibiting
case," said Broad. Excited by the find, Broad asked his students to continue his search. They combed
old newspapers and other materials for clues. Gradually, a picture came into view.
    Captain Alfred Edwin McKay joined the British Royal Flying Corps in 1916. He downed ten enemy
planes, outlived his entire squadron (中隊(duì)) as a WWI flyer, spent some time as a flying instructor in
England, then returned to the front, where he was eventually shot down over Belgium and killed in
December 1917. But there's more to his story. "For a brief time in 1916 he was probably the most
famous pilot in the world," says Broad. "He was credited with downing Oswald Boelcke, the most
famous German pilot at the time." Yet, in a letter home, McKay refused to take credit, saying that
Boelcke had actually crashed into another German plane.
     McKay's war records were destroyed during a World War II air bombing on London - an
explanation for why he was all but forgotten.
     But now, thanks to the efforts of Broad and his students, a marker in McKay's memory was placed
on the university grounds in November 2007. "I found my eyes filling with tears as I read the word '
deceased' (陣亡) next to his name," said Corey Everrett, a student who found a picture of Mckay in his
uniform. "This was such a simple example of the fact that he had been a student just like us, but instead
of finishing his time at Western, he chose to fight and die for his country."

1. What made Professor Broad continue his search for more information on McKay?

A. A uniform of McKay.
B. A footnote about McKay.
C. A book on McKay.
D. A picture of McKay.

2. What did the students find out about McKay?

A. He trained pilots for some time.        
B. He lived longer than other pilots.
C. He died in the Second World War.      
D. He was downed by the pilot Boelcke.

3. McKay's flying documents were destroyed in        .

A. Belgium
B. Germany
C. Canada
D. England

4. We can learn from the last paragraph that McKay        .

A. preferred fight to his study            
B. went to war before graduation
C. left a picture for Corey Everrett        
D. set an example for his fellow students

5. What is the text mainly about?

A. The research into war history.          
B. The finding of a forgotten hero.
C. The pilots of the two world wars.      
D. The importance of military studies.

     George Markov was a famous writer in Bulgaria. In 1969 he suspected that he was going to be
imprisoned or killed because one of his plays was regarded as being an attack on leaders of Bulgaria.
Markov managed to reach England and got a job with the BBC, writing something in Bulgaria.
     Some of the BBC programmes were critical of life in Bulgaria. Perhaps as a result of this, Markov
received an anonymous telephone call warning him that he would be killed. In September 1978, Markov
stopped his car in London and started to walk to his office. When he was passing a bus line, a man in the
line seemed to drop his umbrella accidently. Markov felt a sudden pain in the leg.
    When Markov reached his office, he spoke about the matter to a friend. A few hours later, he began
to feel hot. He was sent to hospital and died four days later. The doctors examined his body, and they
were puzzled about the cause of his death. Scientists were asked to help and they found a tiny metal pellet
in Markov's leg. The scientists believed that the two holes in it must contain an unknown poison in them.
    A few weeks before Markov was "shot" with a poisoned pellet fired from an umbrella, another
Bulgarian had the same experience in France. Towards the end of August 1978, Kostov felt a sharp pain
in the back when he was leaving a railway station in Paris. He was ill for a few days but became well.
When news of Markov's death became known, Kostov was asked to return to hospital for examination.
Doctors found a tiny pellet in his back, but it had stuck in an area from which the poison had not been
able to spread.
     The police in both countries are still searching for the reasons why both men were attacked. They
hoped to catch their attackers.

1.Which of the statement is right about the underlined word?

A. stranger        
B. well-known    
C. friendly        
D. unknown

2. Which of the following was not mentioned in the passage?

A. George Markov was working for the BBC
B. George Markov wrote many plays at that time
C. kostov  was "shot" with a poisoned pellet
D. Both kostov and  George Markov died at last

3. According to the passage, Markov's suspicions turned out to be       

A. wrong    
B. right            
C. reasonable    
D. unreasonable

4. Who killed Markov?

A. Bulgarian  
B. not known        
C.  French      
D. British

5. We can infer that _________

A. Leaders in Bulgaria disliked  George Markov
B. The police didn't find the person who killed George Markov
C. George Markov wrote some critical plays
D. George Markov lived in Bulgaria all his life

     As a teenager in 1972, Bill Gates boasted that he would be a millionaire by the time he was 20.While
he did not quite achieve that goal, only 15 years later he was a billionaire. And by 1992,as head of the
Microsoft company, he became the richest man in America with assets (資產(chǎn)) of approximately US$
6.3 billion.
     Born in Seattle, Washington on 28, October 1956, Gates was named William Henry after his father
and grandfather. From the beginning, he was an extremely energetic and intelligent (聰明的) child. He
had read the entire world book encyclopedia (百科全書)by the age of nine. His favorite subjects at
school were science and maths and his favorite past time was "thinking".
     Gates first started to play with computers at the age of 13,when one was installed (安裝) at his
school. At that time, computers were large, awkward (笨重) machines. Operators were required to
learn complex (復(fù)雜的) computer languages before the machines could be used. Even then, a great deal
of time and effort was needed to perform the simplest functions. Before long, Gates was an expert at
working the school's computer. After his graduation from secondary school, Gates was accepted by the
three top universities in   USA -- Princeton, Harvard and Yale. He chose Harvard and began classes
there the next autumn, majoring maths. But he was still obsessed (占據(jù), 心思) with computers and spent
as much time in the computer laboratories as he did in the lecture halls.
     By 1975,Gates and a partner, Paul Allen, had developed a software called BASIC. This was not the
first program ever created, but its inventors were the first to decide that people who wanted to use it
should pay for it.
    BASIC was a success because until it came along there had been no efficient way of getting computers
to carry out instructions. Although he had not yet completed his degree, Gates left university and went to
work full time for the new company he had formed called Microsoft.
     His next project (項(xiàng)目) was the software program that made him famous and very rich. It was called
DOS, short for Operating System, and it was purchased (購(gòu)買) by IBM in 1980.Today it is the operating system used in more than 14 million personal computers around the world.
      As chief executive officer (首席執(zhí)行官) of Microsoft, Gates is known as a bright man, but one who
is not easily satisfied. He is quick to criticize ( 批評(píng)) his staff and hates to be questioned about decisions
he has made. He was regarded as a loner an unfashionable boring computer nut until his marriage to
Microsoft manager Melonda French on New year's Day 1994.Yet to most people now, Gates is a
person who is, in spite of his great wealth, humble (謙恭) and ordinary. He spends his money carefully,
he eats in fast-food restaurants and flies economy (經(jīng)濟(jì)) class. And when praised for Microsoft's great
success, he has been heard to say, "All we do is put software in a box and if people see it in the stores
and like it, they buy it."

1. When he was a teenager, Bill Gates wanted to be a ____.

A. teacher
B .doctor
C. businessman
D. professor

2. When Gates went to Harvard, he____.

A. was interested only in maths.
B. spent most of his time in computer laboratories
C. developed the first computer software program
D. divided his time between his maths studies and the computer laboratories

3. Before the development of BASIC,_____.

A. no one was interested in computer software
B. software programs were not considered commercial (商業(yè)的) projects
C. software programs were very expensive
D. no one wanted to pay for computer software

4. When the writer says "Bill was regarded as an unfashionable boring computer nut" ,he means_____.

A. Bill was so strong-minded that no one could change his mind
B. the only thing that could interest Bill in his life was computer
C. Bill was such a boring young man that nobody would like to talk to him
D. Bill couldn't work out the boring computer problems

5. Most people think Gates is_____.

A. a crazy person
B. a person obsessed with making money
C. someone who spends money freely
D .a quite common, normal person

     Erik Weihenmayer was born with an eye disorder. As a child his eyesight became worse and then,
at the age of 13, he lost his sight completely. However, he did not lose his determination to lead a full
and active life.
     Erik became an adventurer. He took up parachuting, wrestling and scuba diving. He competed in
long-distance biking, marathons and skiing. His favorite sport, though, is mountaineering.
     As a young man, Erik started to climb mountains. He reached the summit of Mount McKinley in
1995 and then climbed the dangerous 1000-metre rock wall of EI Capitan. Two years later, while
climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Kenya with his girlfriend, they stopped for a time at 13,000 feet above
sea level－in order to get married. In 1999, he climbed Aconcagua, the tallest mountain in South
America．And then, on May 25, 2001, at the age of 33, Erik successfully completed the greatest
mountaineering challenge of all. He climbed Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world.
     Erik invented his own method for climbing mountains. He carries two long poles: one to lean on
and the other to test the way ahead of him. The climber in front of him wears a bell to gu ide him.
Erik is a good team member. He does his share of the job, such as setting up tents and building
snow walls.
      Although he could not enjoy the view, Erik felt the excitement of being on the summit of Everest.
He hopes that his success will change how people think about the blind．"When people think about
a blind person or blindness, now they will think about a person standing on top of the world."

1. When was Erik born?

A. in 1968
B. in 1995
C. in 1967
D. in 1969

2．What was unusual about his wedding?

A．He got married on the summit of Mount McKinley.
B．He got married when climbing Mount Everest.
C．His wedding was held after he prepared a lot.
D．His wedding was held at 13,000 feet above sea level.

3．What is Erik's special method for climbing a mountain?

A．He takes his girlfriend with him.
B．He does his share of the jobs.
C．He uses two long poles to help himself.
D．He keeps a good team around him.

4．Which of the following adjectives can NOT be used to describe Erik?

A．brave
B．determined
C．stubborn
D．optimistic

5．Which of the following shows the right order of what happened?

a．He topped Mount McKinley.
b．He became blind.
c．He challenged Mount Everest.
d．He reached the peak of Kilimanjaro.
e.    He climbed the rock wall of EI Capitan.
A．b, e, d, c, a
B．b, a, e, d, c
C．a(chǎn), b, e, d, c
D．b, e, a, c, d

1. We can infer from paragraph 2 that Hooke is ____________.

A. friendly      
B. sociable      
C. creative      
D. helpful

2. Which is the possible reason why Hooke accepted the job as Curator of Experiments?

A. He liked designing experiments.
B. His family needed his support.
C. He wanted to please the famous scientists in England.
D. His parents couldn't afford his education.

3. The cell got its name because of __________.

A. its use      
B. its shape    
C. Hooke's favourites    
D. Hooke's experiences

4. Which of the following is true according to the text?

A. Hooke went to Oxford in 1645.
B. Hooke was well paid in the Royal Society of London.
C. Hooke made a contribution to medicine.
D. Hooke's book Micrographia may have helped Newton.

5. The last paragraph is to prove that _____________.

A. Hooke was the greatest experimental scientist of the 17th century
B. Hooke was good at making discoveries
C. Hooke's contributions were not limited to one field
D. Hooke was one of the greatest astronomers

A. The secret of the writer’s success        
B. A write with enduring popularity
C. Well-received creation to encourage Brits  
D. The insight into human nature
E. Writing styles in different stages          
F. The story appreciate for school studentsKs

1.[     ]

        Charles Dickens is often thought of as one of  England’s great writers. Yet for many his language is
old-fashioned and his story plots often improbable. Why, Dickens, out of so many other great English
writers, has made the list? How then to explain Dickens’s enduring popularity?

2.[     ]

        One reason undoubtly is the British government’s insistence that every child studies a Dickens novel
at school. Alongside Willian Shakespeare, Charles Dickens is a compulsory (必讀的)writer on every
English literature school reading list. His stories, though often over-long by today’s standard,are superbly
written moral tales. They are filled with colorful characters.

3.[     ]  

        But what makes his books stand out from other English writers is his insight into human nature.
Dickens, like Shakespeare, tells us truths about human behavior that are as true to citizens of the 21st
century as they were to his readers in the 19th century. Readers have returned to Dickens’s books again
and again over the years to see what he has to say about readers’own time.

4. [     ]

        The BBC adapted one of his less well-known novels, Little Dorrit, into a popular television drama
that introduced many Brits to the novel for the first time. A dark story about greed and money, it was the
perfect story to illustrate the bad times. No surprise then that it was Dickens Britons turned to, during the
economic crisis last year, to make sense of world rapidly falling apart.

5. [     ]

        Readers of the 19th and early 20th century usually prized Dickens’s earlier novels for their humor and
pathos(悲痛). While recognizing the virtues of these books, critics today tend to rank more highly the later
works because of  their formal coherence and acute perception(洞察力) of the human condition. For as
long as Dickens’s novels have something to say to modern audiences, it seems likely that he will remain
one of Britain’s best loved writers.