Charles Dickens: The Life and Works of a Literary Giant

The success of 'Pickwick Papers' made Dickens very popular. He suddenly found himself at the age of twenty four, the most famous novelist of his day. Busy as his social life was, he worked on two novels at the same time---'Oliver Twist' and 'Pickwick Papers'. He was particularly proud of the latter as comic (喜剧的) masterpiece. He once said 'If I were to live a hundred years and write three novels in each year, I should never be so proud of any of them as I am proud of 'Pickwick Papers'.'

It is said that Dickens grasped the imagination of his readers because his imagination grasped himself. The characters in his works were so real that they could make him laugh or cry. When writing 'Oliver Twist' he said that he could not rest at ease until Fagin, the wrong-doer, was hanged.

Dickens's marriage to Catherine Hogarth, with whom he had nine children, ended unhappily in 1858. He started to travel about, giving readings of his works. His interest in the theatre gave his novels the qualities that made them suitable of reading about on the stage. A tiring travel to the United States resulted in his death. He died on July 9, 1870, while working on a new novel that was exactly what Dickens had always wanted---to die of working.

41、Which of the following is true according to the passage?（2 分） A． It was 'Oliver Twist' that made Dickens very popular. B． Dickens became the most famous novelist for 'Pickwick Papers'. C． Dickens was one of the 24 world famous novelists of his day. D． Dickens did not become famous at the age of 24. 42、From the passage we know that Dickens .（2 分） A． wanted to live a long life and write three hundred novels B． didn’t believe he could write a better one than 'Pickwick Papers' C． was only interested in writing about his own social life D． did not like to work on two novels at the same time 43、As a novelist, Dickens_.（2 分） A． was often in deep thought B． was often grasped by his readers C． was a man full of imagination D． liked to write about real people in his novels 44、When writing the novel 'Oliver Twist', Dickens could not rest at ease because_____.（2 分） A． Dickens was not able to finish the novel B． Fagin had not been severely punished C． Fagin had done much wrong D． Fagin could not live without the evil 45、According to the passage, Dickens did many things after 1858 EXCEPT_____.（2 分） A． giving readings of his works B． acting on the stage C． traveling around D． writing new novels The success of 'Pickwick Papers' made Dickens very popular. He suddenly found himself at the age of twenty four, the most famous novelist of his day. Busy as his social life was, he worked on two novels at the same time---'Oliver Twist' and 'Pickwick Papers'. He was particularly proud of the latter as comic (喜剧的) masterpiece. He once said 'If I were to live a hundred years and write three novels in each year, I should never be so proud of any of them as I am proud of 'Pickwick Papers'.'

It is said that Dickens grasped the imagination of his readers because his imagination grasped himself. The characters in his works were so real that they could make him laugh or cry. When writing 'Oliver Twist' he said that he could not rest at ease until Fagin, the wrong-doer, was hanged.

Dickens’s marriage to Catherine Hogarth, with whom he had nine children, ended unhappily in 1858. He started to travel about, giving readings of his works. His interest in the theatre gave his novels the qualities that made them suitable of reading about on the stage. A tiring travel to the United States resulted in his death. He died on July 9, 1870, while working on a new novel that was exactly what Dickens had always wanted---to die of working.

46、Which of the following is true according to the passage?（2 分） A． Dickens did not become famous at the age of 24. B． Dickens was one of the 24 world famous novelists of his day. C． It was 'Oliver Twist' that made Dickens very popular. D． Dickens became the most famous novelist for 'Pickwick Papers'. 47、From the passage we know that Dickens .（2 分） A． didn’t believe he could write a better one than 'Pickwick Papers' B． was only interested in writing about his own social life C． wanted to live a long life and write three hundred novels D． did not like to work on two novels at the same time 48、As a novelist, Dickens_.（2 分） A． was often in deep thought B． was often grasped by his readers C． was a man full of imagination D． liked to write about real people in his novels 49、When writing the novel 'Oliver Twist', Dickens could not rest at ease because_____.（2 分） A． Fagin had not been severely punished B． Fagin had done much wrong C． Fagin could not live without the evil D． Dickens was not able to finish the novel 50、According to the passage, Dickens did many things after 1858 EXCEPT_____.（2 分） A． traveling around B． writing new novels C． acting on the stage D． giving readings of his works A good modern newspaper is an extraordinary piece of reading. It is remarkable first for what it contains: the range of news from local crime to international politics, from sport to business to fashion to science, and the range of comment and special features as well, from editorial page to feature articles and interviews to criticism of books, art, theatre and music. A newspaper is even more remarkable for the way one reads it: never completely, never straight through, but always by jumping from here to there, in and out glancing at one piece, reading another article all the way through, reading just a few paragraphs of the next. A good modern newspaper offers a variety to attract many different readers, but far more than any one reader is interested in. What brings this variety together in one place is its topicality (时事性), its immediate relation to what is happening in your world and your locality now. But immediacy and the speed of production that goes with it mean also that much of what appears in a newspaper has no more than transient (短暂的) value. For all these reasons, no two people really read the same paper: what each person does is to put together out of the pages of that day’s paper, his own selection and sequence, his own newspaper. For all these reasons, reading newspapers efficiently, which means getting what you want from them without missing things you need but without wasting time, demands skill and self-awareness as you modify and apply the techniques of reading.

51、A modern newspaper is remarkable of all the following except its .（2 分） A． speed in reporting news B． wide coverage C． popularity D． uniform style 52、According to the passage, the reason why not two people really read the “same” newspaper is that_.（2 分） A． people have different views about what a good newspaper is B． people scan for the news they are interested in C． different people prefer different newspapers D． people are rarely interested in the same kind of news 53、It can be concluded from the passage that newspaper readers______.（2 分） A． usually read a newspaper selectively B． jump from one newspaper to another C． appreciate the variety of a newspaper D． apply reading techniques skillfully 54、A good newspaper offers “a variety” to readers because_______.（2 分） A． it tries to serve different readers B． it has to cover things that happen in a certain locality C． readers are difficult to please D． readers like to read different newspapers 55、The best title for this passage would be “ _______”.（2 分） A． The Importance of Newspaper Topicality B． The Characteristics of a Good Newspaper C． The Variety of a Good Newspaper D． Some Suggestions on How to Read a Newspaper For two hundred years, the White House has stood as a symbol of the Presidency, the United States government, and the American people. Its history, and the history of the nation’s capital, began when President George Washington signed an Act of Congress in December of 1790 declaring that the federal government would reside in a district “not exceeding ten miles square…on the river Potomac.” President Washington, together with city planner Pierre L’Enfant, chose the site for the new residence, which is now 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. As preparations began for the new federal city, a competition was held to find a builder of the “President’s House.” Nine proposals were submitted, and Irish-born architect James Hoban won a gold medal for his practical and handsome design.

The White House has a unique and fascinating history. It survived a fire at the hands of the British in 1814 (during the war of 1812) and another fire in the West Wing in 1929, while Herbert Hoover was President. Throughout much of Harry S. Truman’s presidency, the interior of the house, with the exception of the third floor, was completely gutted and renovated while the Trumans lived at Blair House, right across Pennsylvania Avenue. Nonetheless, the exterior stone walls are those first put in place when the White House was constructed two centuries ago.

Presidents can express their individual style in how they decorate some parts of the house and in how they receive the public during their stay. Thomas Jefferson held the first inaugural open house in 1805. Many of those who attended the swearing-in ceremony at the U.S. Capitol simply followed him home, where he greeted them in the Blue Room. President Jefferson also opened the house for public tours, and it has remained open, except during wartime, ever since. In addition, he welcomed visitors to annual receptions on New Year’s Day and on the Fourth of July. In 1829, a horde of 20,000 inaugural callers forced President Andrew Jackson to flee to the safety of a hotel while, on the lawn, aides filled washtubs with orange juice and whiskey to lure the mob out of the mud-tracked White House.

President Clinton’s open house on January 21, 1993 renewed a venerable White House Inaugural tradition. Two thousand citizens, selected by lottery, were greeted in the Diplomatic Reception Room by President and Mrs. Clinton and Vice President and Mrs. Gore.

56、What is the author’s tone in writing this passage?（2 分） A． Critical. B． Explanatory. C． Complimentary. D． Informative. 57、Which of the following statements is true?（2 分） A． The design of the White House is practical and handsome. B． Nine proposals were submitted on the site of the White House. C． Pierre L’Enfant is the designer of the White House. D． It was George Washington who decided the site of the White House. 58、The underlined word “venerable” in the last paragraph means .（2 分） A． respectable B． fashionable C． famous D． valuable 59、It can be concluded from the passage that .（2 分） A． each president of the United States tried to keep the White House in its original in order to protect their national symbol B． the president of the United States swears in the White House C． since its building, the White House has been a tourists’ attraction all along D． the Capitol in the United States is also a building of great political significance 60、The passage could most probably be found in a book on .（2 分） A． American culture B． American politics C． American economy D． American history 内容：41. B 42. B 43. B 44. B 45. B 46. B 47. A 48. D 49. A 50. C 51. D 52. A 53. A 54. A 55. B 56. D 57. D 58. A 59. C 60. D