Rae Armantrout, who has been a poetry professor at the University of California San Diego(UCSD)for two decades, has won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize in the poetry category for her most recent book, Versed.
“I’m delighted and amazed at how much media recognition that the Pulitzer brings, as compared to even the National Book Critics Award, which I was also surprised and delighted to win, ”said Armantrout.“For a long time, my writing has been just below the media radar, and to have this kind of attention, suddenly, with my 10th book, is really surprising.”
Armantrout, a native Californian, received her bachelor’s degree at UC Berkeley, where she studied with noted poet Denise Levertov, and her master’s in creative writing from San Francisco State University.She is a founding member of Language Poets, a group in American poetry that analyzes the way language is used and raises questions to make the reader think.
In March, she won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Versed.
“This book has gotten more attention, ” Armantrout said, “but I don’t feel as if it’s better.”The first half of Versed focuses on the dark forces taking hold of the United States as it fought the war against Iraq. The second half looks at the dark forces casting a shadow over her own life after Armantrout was diagnosed with cancer in 2006.
Armantrout was shocked to learn she had won the Pulitzer but many of her colleagues were not.“Rae Armantrout is a unique voice in American poetry, ” said Seth Lerer,head of Arts and Humanities at UCSD.
Versed, published by the Wesleyan University Press, did appear in a larger printing than her earlier works, which is about 2, 700 copies. The new edition is scheduled to appear in May.
【小题1】According to Rae Armantrout, ____.

A．her 10th book is much better

B．her winning the Pulitzer is unexpected

C．the media is surprised at her works

D．she likes being recognized by her readers

【小题2】Which of the following is TRUE about Rae Armantrout?

A．She published a poetry textbook.

B．She used to teach Denise Levertov.

C．She started a poets’ group with others.

D．She taught creative writing at UC Berkeley.

【小题3】 What can we learn about Versed?

A．It consists of three parts.

B．It is mainly about the American army.

C．It is a book published two decades ago.

D．It partly concerns the poet’s own life.

【小题4】Rae Armantrout’s colleagues think that she ____.

A．should write more

B．has a sweet voice

C．deserves the prize

D．is a strange professor

【小题5】 What can we learn from the passage?
A. About 2, 700 copies of Versed will be printed.
B. Cancer made Armantrout stop writing.
C. Armantrout got her degrees at UCSD.
D. Versed has been awarded twice.

I was very disappointed not to be able to go to the jazz concert last Friday. The announcement in the paper said that you could buy tickets at the theater box office in Richland Hills any day between 10:00 and 4:00. Since I work from 9 o’clock to 5:30, the only time I could go to the theater was during my 45-minute lunch break. Unfortunately, the theater is on the other side of the town, and the bus service between my office and Richland Hills is not very good. But if you are lucky, you can make the round trip in 45 minutes. Last Monday, I stood at the bus stop for fifteen minutes waiting for a bus. By the time I saw one come around the corner, there was not enough time left to make the trip—so I gave up and went back to the office. The same thing happened on Tuesday, and again on Wednesday. On Thursday, my luck changed, I got on a bus right away and arrived at the theatre in exactly twenty minutes. When I got there, however, I found a long line of people at the box office. I heard one man say he had been waiting in line for over an hour. Realizing I would not have enough time to wait in line, I caught the next bus and headed back across the town. By Friday I realized my only hope was to make the trip by taxi. It was expensive, but I felt it would be worth hearing the concert. The trip by taxi only took 10 minutes, but it felt like an hour to me. When I got to the theatre, I was relieved to see that nobody was waiting in line. The reason, I quickly discovered, was that they had already sold all the tickets.
【小题1】The writer is probably ______.

A．worker	B．a college teacher
C．manager of a company	D．a clerk

【小题2】He learned ______ that there would be a concert last Friday.

A．from his friends

B．from one of his colleagues

C．over the radio

D．from the newspaper

【小题3】He could go and buy the ticket ______.

A．any day before work hours

B．both before and after work hours

C．only during lunch time

D．on Saturday and Sunday

【小题4】The word “relieved” in the last two sentences may best be replaced by “______”.

A．surprised

B．pleased

C．puzzled

D．sorry

【小题5】The story is about ______.

A．a good concert

B．someone enjoying a good concert

C．someone trying to buy concert tickets for his friends

D．someone’s disappointment at not being able to go to the concert

February 4, 2012 saw the take-off of a new rising NBA star-Jeremy Lin.
Among professional basketball players, Jeremy Lin's background is not typical. He graduated from Harvard University, which sends few players to the NBA, and he is the only Chinese-American NBA player. But when you watch him on the court, there is no doubt that he belongs there. He moves with speed and grace that demonstrate years of faithful practice, which is fueled by a love for basketball.
Lin's enjoyment of basketball actually began in Taiwan. When Lin's father moved to U.S., his interest in the sport only grew and he passed on this love of basketball to his son, introducing him to the game at the age of five. The young Lin spent much of his youth playing basketball for fun.
In high school, Lin dreamed of playing in the NBA. When he applied for college, he was not offered a single sports scholarship. However, after his admission to Harvard, he was offered a place on its college basketball team.
During Lin's time at Harvard, his basketball career began to speed up. He scored 1,482 points, making him one of the highest scorers in Ivy League history.
When he graduated, no professional teams offered Lin a contract, but he was invited to play in the NBA Summer League. He played well and ended up eagerly signing a contract with the Golden State Warriors.
At first，playing in professional games filled Lin with excitement. He treasured opportunities to meet players he had been watching on TV for years. But slowly, the excitement wore off and was replaced by anxiety. In a few very difficult months, he was cut by two teams before the New York Knicks picked him up.
But he had the courage and determination to stick to his dream, so he put himself into hard training to get ready for his opportunity to come. Then his moment arrived on February 4, 2012，on which his excellent performance made him famous overnight. After that, he led the Knicks to their fifth straight victory.
The Associated Press called Lin "the most surprising story in the NBA". Knicks fans developed the nickname for him "Linsanity" （林发疯）. Time magazine released its 2012 list of the 100 "Most Influential People in the World", Jeremy Lin included.
No doubt, Lin fever is continuing to spread if you haven't already caught "Linsanity", get ready.
【小题1】Which of the following elements is of little help in Lin's success?

A．his father's influence

B．his devotion to basketball

C．his years of hard work

D．his graduation from Harvard University

【小题2】What does the phrases "wore off" in seventh paragraph probably mean?

A．arose

B．disappeared

C．grew

D．remained

【小题3】Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Before Lin there was no Chinese-American NBA players.
B. Lin learned to play basketball when he was eight.
C. Lin was excited for professional games and did a good job at the beginning.
D. Lin is the most outstanding player in NBA.
【小题4】Which is the right order for Lin's life?
a He made an excellent performance on Feb,4.
b He was fired by the Golden State Warriors.
c He was invited to play in the NBA Summer League.
d He graduated from Harvard University.
e He became famous overnight.

A．a, d, c, b, e

B．d, b, c, e, a

C．d, c, b, a, e

D．a, e, d, c, b

【小题5】It can be inferred from the passage that ______.
A. NBA prefers graduates from Harvard University.
B. Lin got an easy entry into NBA.
C. Lin didn't show his basketball talents in Harvard University.
D. Lin didn't have a smooth road in NBA.

The air hostess (空姐) was in a small kitchen at the back of the plane, preparing the plates for lunch, when a little old lady came and spoke to her, “Could you please tell me,” she asked, “where is the ladies’ lavatory (厕所) in the plane?”
“Yes, madam,” said the air hostess and smiled. “It is right at the other end of the plane---at the front.”
The little lady went too far. She walked all the way to the front of the plane, opened the door in front of her, and saw the captain of the plane and the other officers. They were all busy with their work and did not see her. She went out again, shut the door and returned to the air hostess.
“Oh, didn’t you find it, madam?” the girl asked her. “Yes, I did,” said the little lady. “But there are four men in the ladies’ lavatory watching television.”
【小题1】The story happened       .

A．in the evening	B．in the afternoon
C．in the morning	D．at midnight

【小题2】What were the four men doing when the little old lady opened the door?

A．They were busy working in the control room.

B．They were working while watching television.

C．They were watching television in the ladies’ lavatory.

D．They were enjoying themselves by watching television.

【小题3】Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The air hostess was humorous (幽默的).

B．The old lady didn’t find the ladies’ lavatory.

C．The old lady was fooled by the air hostess.

D．There was no ladies’ lavatory in the plane.

One cold, rainy night in 1979, staying on the deck of the nuclear attack submarine(核攻击潜艇) USS Birmingham entering Hampton Roads Harbor, a soldier who was called Jeff Harris was suddenly hit by a huge wave that took away his ship’s ball cap.
Months later, while walking along Chesapeake Boulevard beach in Hampton, Will Miller, a Vietnam veteran(退伍军人) and Navy(海军) commander, happened to find Harris’ cap which was half-buried in the sand then. Knowing how important a ship’s cap was to its owner, Miller saved the hat, hoping one day to find its owner. The cap was packed away for years but recently appeared again at Miller’s home in Florida.
“It suddenly fell out of a box onto my computer keyboard, right in front of me,” said Miller. “I guessed it was telling me, ‘It’s time to get me home.’”
An extensive Internet search led Miller to a USS Birmingham website and finally to Harris. The two sent e-mails back and forth, and one night Miller’s phone rang.
“This is Jeff Harris,” the voice on the phone said. “You have my hat!”
The two sailors talked for almost half an hour, telling sea stories to each other and thinking of the common relationship between seamen.”
“Most non-seagoing people wouldn’t understand how much a sailor likes his hat,” Miller said. “Your hat protects you from sun, wind, salt and cold, and when you lose it, especially one with your ship’s name on it, it’s a big thing. I’m delighted to get it back to Jeff.”
【小题1】What is the main idea of the story?

A．A sailor looked for his hat for years.

B．Hats are important for sailors.

C．A sailor reunited with his hat years after losing it.

D．Friendship was based on a hat.

【小题2】Jeff Harris’s hat dropped off into the sea because of ______.

A．a sudden wave	B．his carelessness
C．a strong wind	D．something wrong with his hat

【小题3】Will Miller kept the hat for years because ______.

A．he wanted to leave it to his child

B．it was valuable as a gift

C．he wanted to return it to its owner

D．he wanted to sell it one day

【小题4】From the passage we can know Jeff Harris and Miller ______.

A．had been friends before the story happened

B．didn’t know the importance of the hat

C．often told sea stories to each other

D．once worked at sea

My husband and son took a New York-to-Milwaukee flight that was supposed to leave Friday at 11:29 am. The flight boarded after 4 pm and didn’t leave the gate until 4:40, and half an hour later the pilot announced it would be another hour until takeoff. At that point a Jewish family, worried about violating the Sabbath （安息日）, asked to get off. Going back to the gate cost the plane its place in line for takeoff, and the flight was eventually cancelled. Was the airline right to grant that request?
M. W, Norwalk, CONN.
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Situations like that can bring out the worst in people. But despite the increasing resentment（怨恨） of a plane full of people, the pilot tried to do the right thing. He went out of his way to satisfy one family’s urgent need. He should not have done so.
Passengers bought tickets in the belief that the airline’s primary goal was to get them to their destination as close to the schedule as possible. Once they got on the plane and the doors are locked, it’s not correct to announce that the rules have changed and that a personal (as opposed to medical) emergency —no matter how urgent — might take precedence（优先）.
That would be just as true if turning back to the gate had merely cost a few minutes rather than doomed the flight entirely, since on a plane, even a slight delay can spread outward, from the people in the cabin to those meeting them to the passengers waiting to board the plane for the next leg of its journey and so on. It would also be true if the personal emergency were not religious — if someone suddenly realized she’d made a professional mistake that might cost her millions, and she had to race back to the office to fix it.
If a religious practice does nothing to harm others, then airlines should make a reasonable effort to accommodate it. Though that family has every right to observe the Sabbath, it has no right to enlist an airplane full of captive bystanders to help them do so. By boarding a flight on a Friday afternoon, the family knowingly risked running into trouble. The risk was theirs alone to bear.
【小题1】M. W. wrote the letter to ask whether ______.

A．Any religious passenger has the right to ask the pilot to take off

B．The airline has the right to cancel the flight without any reason

C．A flight should meet any passenger’s need despite others’ benefit

D．A plane which has left the gate should give up taking off

【小题2】What do we know from the reply letter?

A．The pilot did the right thing in spite of the fierce resentment.

B．The plane should turn back if anyone aboard is seriously ill.

C．Anybody who has boarded has no chance to get off the plane.

D．Any flight shouldn’t change its schedule no matter what has happened.

【小题3】What does the underlined part in Paragraph 4 mean?

A．Turning back to the gate usually takes a plane quite a long time.

B．Nobody should take precedence to require the plane to turn back to the gate.

C．Even if it had taken a few minutes it was not right to turn back to the gate.

D．It was OK if turning back to the gate hadn’t caused the flight to be cancelled.

【小题4】The author of the reply letter thinks that _________.

A．It’s right for the plane to turn back to the gate to save a passenger’s treasure

B．The Jewish family should give up observing the Sabbath after boarding

C．The biggest problem of turning back is to bring trouble to the pilot

D．The Jewish family had better avoid boarding on Friday afternoon

Dick lived in England. One day in January he said to his wife, "I'm going to fly to New York next week because I've got some work there." "Where are you going to stay there?" his wife asked. "I don't know yet." Dick answered. "Please send me your address from there in a telegram (电报)," his wife said. "All right," Dick answered.
He flew to New York on January 31st and found a nice hotel in the center of the city. He put his things in his room and then he sent his wife a telegram. He put the address of his hotel in it.
In the evening he didn't have any work, so he went to a cinema. He came out at nine o'clock and said, "Now I'm going back to my hotel and have a nice dinner."
He found a taxi and the driver said, "Where do you want to go?" But Dick didn't remember the name and address of his hotel.
"Which hotel are my things in?" he said, "And what am I going to do tonight?" But the driver of the taxi did not know. So Dick got out and went into a post office. There he sent his wife another telegram, and in it he wrote, "Please send me my address at this post office."
【小题1】Dick flew to New York because ___.

A．he went there for a holiday

B．he had work there

C．he went there for sightseeing (观光)

D．his home was there

【小题2】Why did his wife want a telegram from him?

A．Because she didn't know his address yet

B．We don’t know, it isn’t metioned in the passage.

C．Because she might send him another telegram

D．Because she couldn't leave her husband by himself in New York

【小题3】Who would send him the name and address of his hotel?

A．The manager of his hotel.	B．The police office.
C．The taxi driver.	D．His wife.

【小题4】Which of the following is not true?

A．Dick stayed at a nice hotel in the center of the city.

B．Dick didn't work on the first night of his arrival.

C．Dick forgot to send his wife a telegram.

D．Dick wanted to go back to his hotel in a taxi.

【小题5】From the passage,we can know that Dick is a _____ person.

A．stupid and foolish	B．smart and clever
C．warmhearted and good looking	D．careless and forgetable

I came to study in the United States a year ago .Yet I did not know the real American society until I was injured in a car accident because after the accident I had to see a doctor and go to court.
After the accident, my roommate called a doctor for me. I was very grateful and determined to repay him one day. But the next day, he asked me to pay him $200 for what he had done. I was astonished. He had good reason to charge me, he said. And if I wanted to collect money from the person who was responsible for my injury, I’d have to have a good lawyer. And only a good doctor can help me get a good lawyer .Now that he had helped me find a good doctor, it was only fair that I should pay him.
But every day I went to see the doctor, I had to wait about 50 minutes. He would see two or three patients at the same time, and often stop treating one so as to see another. Yet he charged me $115 each time .The final examination report consisted of ten lines, and it cost me $215.
My lawyer was all smiles the first time we met. But after that he avoided seeing me at all. He knew very well the other party was responsible for the accident, yet he hardly did anything. He simply waited to collect his money. He was so irresponsible that I decided to dismiss him. And he made me pay him $770.
Now I had to act as my own lawyer. Due to my inexperience, I told the insurance company the date I was leaving America. Knowing that, they played for time…and I left without getting a cent.
【小题1】The author’s roommate offered to help him because________.

A．he felt sorry for the author

B．he thought it was a chance to make some money

C．he knew the doctor was a very good one

D．he wanted the author to have a good lawyer

【小题2】The word “charge” in the third paragraph means_________ .

A．ask as a price	B．accuse
C．be responsible	D．claim

【小题3】 Both the doctor and the lawyer in this passage are very__________.

A．friendly

B．busy

C．professional

D．selfish

【小题4】 What conclusion can you draw from the story?

A．Going to court is something very common in America.

B．One must be very careful while driving a car.

C．There are more bad sides in America than good sides.

D．Money is more important than other things in the US.

The clock struck eleven at night. The whole house was quiet. Everyone was in bed except me. Under the strong light, I looked sadly before a huge pile of troublesome stuff they call “books”.
I was going to have my examination the next day. "When can I go to bed?" I asked myself. I didn’t answer, in fact I dared not.
The clock struck 12."Oh, dear!" I cried, "ten more books to read before I can go to bed!” We pupils are the most wretched（可怜的） creatures in the world. Dad does not agree with me on this. He did not have to work so hard when he was a boy.
The clock struck one. I was quite hopeless now. I forgot all I had learnt. I was too tired to go on. I did the only thing I could. I prayed, “Oh, God, Please help me pass the exam tomorrow. I do promise to work hard afterwards, Amen.” My eyes were heavy, so heavy that I could hardly open them. A few minutes later, with my head on the desk, I fell asleep.
【小题1】When the author was going over his lessons, all the others in the house were_____ .

A．working in bed	B．asleep
C．outside	D．quietly laughing at him

【小题2】  Reviewing his lessons didn’t help him because ________.

A．it was too late at night

B．he was very tired

C．he hadn’t studied hard before the examination

D．his eyes lids were so heavy that he couldn’t keep them open

【小题3】 What do you suppose happened to the author？

A．He failed in the exam

B．He passed the exam by luck

C．He went to a church to pray again

D．He was punished by his teacher

【小题4】 The best title for the passage would be __________ .

A．The Night Before the Examination

B．Working Far into the Night

C．A Slow Student

D．Going Over My Lessons

Henry found work in a bookstore after he finished middle school. He wouldn’t do anything but wanted to get rich. Mr. King thought he was too lazy and was going to send him away. Henry was afraid and had to work hard.
It was a cold morning. It was snowing and there was thin ice on the streets. Few people went to buy the books and the young man had nothing to do. He hated to read, so he watched the traffic. Suddenly he saw a bag fall off a truck and it landed by the other side of the street.
“It must be full of expensive things,” Henry said to himself. “I have to get it, or others will take it away. ”
He went out of the shop and ran across the street. A driver saw him and began to whistle (鸣笛), but he didn’t hear it and went on running. The man drove aside, hit a big tree and was hurt in the accident. Two weeks later Henry was taken to court (法庭). A judge asked if he heard the whistle when he was running across the street. He said that something was wrong with his ears and he could hear nothing.
“But you’ve heard me this time.” said the judge.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Now I can hear with one ear.”
“Cover the ear with your hand and listen to me with your deaf (聋的)one. Well, can you hear me? ”
“No, I can’t, Sir.”
【小题1】What was Mr. King?

A．a driver	B．a doctor
C．a policeman	D．a shopkeeper

【小题2】Why did Mr. King want to send Henry away?

A．Because Henry was too lazy.

B．Because Henry hoped to be rich.

C．Because Henry finished middle school.

D．Because Henry sold few books.

【小题3】What did a driver do when he saw Henry run across the street?

A．He drove aside and hit a big tree.

B．He began to whistle to him.

C．He went out of the bookstore.

D．He shouted at him.

【小题4】Why did Henry say that he was deaf?

A．He wanted to have a joke with the judge.

B．He wanted to get the judge’s help

C．He wanted to find another piece of work

D．He didn’t want to pay for the accident.