283. We love peace and______ peace, knowing that peace is the climate of freedom

A．seek

B．seek after

C．seek for

D．seek out.

 

C

Napoleon, as a character in Tolstoy’s War and Peace, is more than once described as having “fat little hands.’’ Nor does he “sit well or firmly on the horse.’’ He is said to be “undersized.’’ with“short legs’’ and a “round stomach”. The issue here is not the accuracy of Tolstoy’s description--it seems not that far off from historical accounts but his choice of facts：other things that could be said of the man are not said. We are meant to understand the difference of a warring commander in the body of a fat little Frenchman. Tolstoy’s Napoleon could be any man wandering in the streets and putting a little of powdered tobacco up his nose—and that is the point.

It is a way the novelist uses to show the moral nature of a character. And it turns out that, as Tolstoy has it, Napoleon is a crazy man. In a scene in Book Three of War and Peace, the wars having reached the critical year of 1812,Napoleon receives a representative from the Tsar(沙皇), who has come with peace terms. Napoleon is very angry：doesn’t he have more army? He, not the Tsar, is the one to make the terms. He will destroy all of Europe if his army is stopped. “That is what you will have gained by engaging me in the war!” he shouts. And then, Tolstoy writes, Napoleon “walked silently several times up and down the room, his fat shoulders moving quickly.’’

Still later, after reviewing his army amid cheering crowds, Napoleon invites the shaken Russian to dinner. “He raised his hand to the Russian’s…face,” Tolstoy writes, and “taking him by the ear pulled it gently….” To have one’s ear pulled by the Emperor was considered the greatest honor and mark of favor at the French court. “Well, well, why don’t you say anything?’’ said he, as if it was ridiculous in his presence to respect any one but himself, Napoleon.

Tolstoy did his research, but the composition is his own.

Tolstoy’s description of Napoleon in War and Peace is _________.

A. far from the historical facts          B. based on the Russian history

C. based on his selection of facts        D. not related to historical details

Napoleon was angry when receiving the Russian representative because _________.

A. he thought he should be the one to make the peace terms

B. the Tsar's peace terms were hard to accept

C. the Russians stopped his military movement

D. he didn’t have any more army to fight with

What did Napoleon expect the Russian representative to do?

A. To walk out of the room in anger.      B. To show agreement with him.

C. To say something about the Tsar.       D. To express his admiration.

Tolstoy intended to present Napoleon as a man who is _________.

A. ill-mannered in dealing with foreign guests   B. fond of showing off his iron will

C. determined in destroying all of Europe       D. crazy for power and respect

What does the last sentence of the passage imply?

A. A writer doesn’t have to be faithful to his findings.

B. A writer may write about a hero in his own way.

C. A writer may not be responsible for what he writes.

D. A writer has hardly any freedom to show his feelings.

Do you ever run out of great books to read? So what should I read next? Is fast-paced crime fiction your thing? Try the new Patricia Cornwell book, Scarpetta (Putnam). She is such an able writer and handles complex forensic(法庭的) intelligence with ease. You need to be prepared, though, for the world you're entering—this isn't for the faint of heart, let's say.
If peace is more your thing, try Mary Pipher's wonderful new book, Seeking Peace:Chronicles of the Worst Buddhist in the World (Riverhead). Mary is a lovely, comfortable writer who takes the reader through her personal awakening after reputation and fortune came her way. Even if you've never experienced life as a bestselling writer (as she has done, in her book years back, Reviving Ophelia), you'll totally understand and sympathize with her renewed need for privacy, distance and quiet.
What if you want a straightforward, totally thrilling read with vivid characters, set about World War II? You cannot go wrong with Jim Lehrer's new novel, Oh, Johnny (Random House), about a young Marine whose life is changed forever when he meets a woman on his way to war. His relationship with her lasts him through danger and hardship, and there's an impressive ending. See our interview with the productive novelist/newsman in the current issue of Reader's Digest (March, on stands now), by the way, for insight into the very talented Mr. Lehrer and what interests him.
Well, what about something wickedly funny and totally offbeat? Does the name Carrie Fisher do anything for you? Try her vivid and new life in Hollywood and elsewhere, Wishful Drinking (Simon & Schuster). Be prepared for humor as sharp as knives.
【小题1】 In which column will you probably find the above passage?

A．Advice.	B．News story.
C．Advertisement.	D．Comments.

【小题2】 What does the writer intend to tell us by the underlined sentence?
 

A．The world is complex and hard.	B．Scarpetta is a thriller.
C．The fiction is hard to understand.	D．Society is hard to fit into.

【小题3】 Which of the following is true of Mary Pipher?

A．She is an adventurous writer.

B．She doesn’t care about fortune.

C．Her books normally sell well.

D．She can help you achieve writing skills.

【小题4】To get further information about Jim Lehrer, you may________.

A．go to Reader’s Digest issued in March

B．go to Random House

C．analyze the characters in Oh, Johnny

D．read the novel Oh, Johnny

【小题5】Which book isn’t directly based on the writer’s own life?

A．Seeking Peace.	B． Reviving Ophelia.
C．Wishful Drinking.	D．Oh, Johnny.

Do you ever run out of great books to read? So what should I read next? Is fast-paced crime fiction your thing?

Try the new Patricia Cornwell book, Scarpetta （Putnam）. She is such an able writer and handles complex forensic（法庭的） intelligence with ease. You need to be prepared, though, for the world you're entering—this isn't for the faint of heart, let's say.

If peace is more your thing, try Mary Pipher's wonderful new book, Seeking Peace: Chronicles of the Worst Buddhist in the World （Riverhead）. Mary is a lovely, comfortable writer who takes the reader through her personal awakening after reputation and fortune came her way. Even if you've never experienced life as a bestselling writer （as she has done, in her book years back, Reviving Ophelia）, you'll totally understand and sympathize with her renewed need for privacy, distance and quiet.

What if you want a straightforward, totally thrilling read with vivid characters, set about World War II? You cannot go wrong with Jim Lehrer's new novel, Oh, Johnny （Random House）, about a young Marine whose life is changed forever when he meets a woman on his way to war. His relationship with her lasts him through danger and hardship, and there's an impressive ending. See our interview with the productive novelist/newsman in the current issue of Reader's Digest （March, on stands now）, by the way, for insight into the very talented Mr. Lehrer and what interests him.

Well, what about something wickedly funny and totally offbeat? Does the name Carrie Fisher do anything for you? Try her vivid and new life in Hollywood and elsewhere, Wishful Drinking （Simon & Schuster）. Be prepared for humor as sharp as knives.

61. What does the writer want to tell us by the underlined sentence?

A. The world is complex and hard.          B. Scarpetta is a thriller.

C. The fiction is hard to understand.     D. Society is hard to fit into.

62. Which of the following is true of Mary Pipher?

A. She is an adventurous writer.   B. She doesn’t care about fortune.

C. Her books normally sell well.   D. She can help you achieve writing skills. 

63. To get further information about Jim Lehrer, you may________.

A. go to Reader’s Digest issued in March     B. go to Random House

C. analyze the characters in Oh, Johnny    D. read the novel Oh, Johnny

64. Which book isn’t directly based on the writer’s own life?__________________

A. Seeking Peace.            B. Reviving Ophelia.

C. Wishful Drinking.         D. Oh, Johnny.

 

Read the following text and choose the most suitable heading from the list A-F for

each paragraph.  There is one extra heading which you do not need.

A. Impoliteness in using electronic communication devices B. The objection to the use of some devices C. The annoying noise from the classroom D. A fact of modern life E. Disturbance by someone’s scream in public places F. The website’s quotation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1.          

It's something that most of us find annoying. We're on our way home after a hard day at school and trying to have a quiet chat with a classmate or get in a little reading, when our peace is disturbed by someone screaming into their cell phone: "I'M ON THE BUS !"

2.          

A survey published last week suggests Americans do not like the impolite use of today's electronic communication gadgets. Besides noisy phone users, sending and receiving e-mails while in company are also as very poor manners, reports MSNBC.com.

3.         

One of the practices that participants in the survey most objected to was the use of phones, iPods and other devices during religious festivals. Some 90 per cent of those surveyed thought this was insensitive and disrespectful.

4.       

The website quotes Dr Genevieve Bell, conductor of the survey and director of Intel's User Experience Group as saying: "Theses are issues about common sense." But she believes that the rights and wrongs of the public use of technology are still in the process of formation.

5.       

    The survey does suggest, according to MSNBC, that most Amencans accepted that the technologies are a fact of modern life. They had nothing against the use of laptops and cell phones in bathrooms. And an electronic thank-you note was just as acceptable as a handwritten one.