One of the greatest contributors to the first Oxford English Dictionary was also one of its most unusual. In 1879, Oxford University in England asked Prof. James Murray to serve as editor for what was to be the most ambitious dictionary in the history of the English language. It would include every English word possible and would give not only the definition but also the history of the word and quotations(引文) showing how it was used.

This was a huge task, so Murray had to find volunteers from Britain, the United States, and the British colonies to search every newspaper, magazine, and book ever written in English. Hundreds of volunteers responded, including William Chester Minor. Dr. Minor was an American surgeon who had served in the Civil War and was now living in England. He gave his address as “Broadmoor, Crowthorne, Berkshire,” 50 miles from Oxford.

Minor joined the army of volunteers sending words and quotations to Murray. Over the next 17 years, he became one of the staff’s most valued contributors.

But he was also a mystery. In spite of many invitations, he would always decline to visit Oxford. So in 1897, Murray finally decided to travel to Crowthorne himself. When he arrived, he found Minor locked in a book-lined cell at the Broadmoor Asylum(精神病院) for the Criminally Insane.

Murray and Minor became friends, sharing their love of words. Minor continued contributing to the dictionary, sending in more than 10,000 submissions in 20 years. Murray continued to visit Minor regularly, sometimes taking walks with him around the asylum grounds.

In 1910, Minor left Broadmoor for an asylum in his native America. Murray was at the port to wave goodbye to his remarkable friend.

Minor died in 1920, seven years before the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary was completed. The 12 volunteers defined 414,825 words, and thousands of them were contributions from a very scholarly and devoted asylum patient.

1.According to the text, the first Oxford English Dictionary ____.

   A. came out before Minor died

   B. was edited by an American volunteer

   C. included the English words invented by Murray

   D. was intended to be the most ambitious English dictionary

2.How did Dr. Minor contribute to the dictionary?

   A. He helped Murray to find hundreds of volunteers.

   B. He sent newspapers, magazines and books to Murray.

   C. He provided a great number of words and quotations.

   D. He went to England to work with Murray.

3.Which of the following best describes Dr. Minor?

   A. Brave and determined.            B. Cautious and friendly.

   C. Considerate and optimistic.        D. Unusual and scholarly.

4.What does the text mainly talk about?

   A. The history of the English language.

   B. The friendship between Murray and Minor.

   C. Minor and the first Oxford English Dictionary.

   D. Broadmoor Asylum and its patients.

 He _______ a number of books about the subject in the library before he gave his speech.

A. referred                                                              B. looked into

C. consulted                                                    D. looked up

A gentleman put an advertisement in a newspaper for a boy to work in his office. Out of the nearly fifty men who came to apply, the man selected one and dismissed(解散) the others.
“I should like to know,” said a friend, “the reason you preferred that boy, who brough not a single letter—not a recommendation(介绍信）.”
“You are wrong,” said the gentleman. He had a great many. He wiped his feet at the door and closed the door after him, indicating that he was careful. He gave his seat immediately to the crippled (跛的) old man, showing that he was kind and thoughtful. He took off his cap when he came in and answered my questions immediately, showing that he was polite and gentlemanly.
“All the rest stepped over the book which I had purposely put on the floor. He picked it up and placed it on the table; and he waited quietly for his turn instead of pushing and crowding.
When I talked to him, I noticed his tidy clothing, his neatly brushed hair, and his clean fingernails(指甲). Can’t you see that these things are excellent recommendations? I consider them more significant(明显的) than letters.”
45.  A gentleman put an advertisement in a newspaper _____
A.  in order to hire an office boy          
B.  so as to dismiss the others
C.  in order to select one among the fifty applicants         
D.  so as to select one and dismiss the others
46.  The underlined word “indicatiing” probably means _______
A.  drawing         B.  saying          C.  showing         D.  speaking
47.  _______ was the very person the gentleman preferred.
A.  He who had many letters       
B.  He who had no letters         
C.  He who wiped his feet          
D.  He who was careful,kind, polite and thoughtful
48.  According to the passage, we know that the gentleman hired the boy by________
A.  his good manners               B.  the relationships between them 
C.  by the feelings                 D.  his letters

读写任务 (共1小题,满分25分)
阅读下面的短文，然后按照要求写一篇150词左右的英语短文。
A Little Hero
A group of Italian soldiers led by a captain were advancing slowly toward the position of the enemy. They arrived at a farmhouse, in front of which sat a small boy, cutting a branch of a tree with his knife.
"What are you doing here?" asked the captain. "Why didn't you leave with your family?"
　　"I don't have any family," said the boy. "I'm an orphan. I used to work for the family that lived here. They've gone, but I stayed in order to see the fighting."
　　"Have you seen any Austrians pass by here?"
　　"Not within the last three days."
　　"Do you think you could climb that tree and tell me whether you see anything of the Austrians in the distance?"
　　"Sure!"
　　In a few minutes the boy was at the top of the tree.
　　"Look straight ahead," cried the captain, "and tell me what you see."
　　"Two men on horseback - nothing else."
　　"How far away?"
　　"About a mile and a half. They're standing still." ….
　　"They're shooting at me," said the boy. "but don't worry. Let me tell you what's to the left. Well, there's a church and I think I see... "
　　 A third bullet passed, and the boy was seen to fall suddenly from the tree, dead.
　　"Poor boy!" said the captain, covering the boy's body with a national flag and saying, "He died like a soldier and we must bury him like a soldier."
Soon it was covered with flowers. He gave his life to his country.
【写作内容】
学校最近组织了一次中美学生交流活动，你参加其中的“童年生活”讨论。听完Joe讲的故事“A Little Hero”之后，你准备写一份发言稿，题目是“After Listening to ‘A Little Hero’”，内容要点包括：
1. 以约30个词概括你听完A Little Hero的故事；
2. 然后以约120个词谈谈你的童年生活，内容包括：
(1) 对自己童年生活的感受；
(2) 你的童年以及现在的生活和故事中那位小英雄的童年生活有什么不同？
(3) 作为一位高中学生，你未来的理想是什么？
【写作要求】
1. 在作文中可以使用自己亲身的经历或虚构的故事，也可以参照阅读材料的内容但不得直接引用原文中的句子；
2. 作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称。
【评分标准】
概括准确，语言规范，内容合适，篇章连贯。

One of the greatest contributors to the first Oxford English Dictionary was also one of its most unusual. In 1879, Oxford University in England asked Prof. James Murray to serve as editor for what was to be the most ambitious dictionary in the history of the English language. It would include every English word possible and would give not only the definition but also the history of the word and quotations(引文) showing how it was used.

This was a huge task, so Murray had to find volunteers from Britain, the United States, and the British colonies to search every newspaper, magazine, and book ever written in English. Hundreds of volunteers responded, including William Chester Minor. Dr. Minor was an American surgeon who had served in the Civil War and was now living in England. He gave his address as “Broadmoor, Crowthorne, Berkshire,” 50 miles from Oxford.

Minor joined the army of volunteers sending words and quotations to Murray. Over the next 17 years, he became one of the staff’s most valued contributors.

But he was also a mystery. In spite of many invitations, he would always decline to visit Oxford. So in 1897, Murray finally decided to travel to Crowthorne himself. When he arrived, he found Minor locked in a book-lined cell at the Broadmoor Asylum(精神病院) for the Criminally Insane.

Murray and Minor became friends, sharing their love of words. Minor continued contributing to the dictionary, sending in more than 10,000 submissions in 20 years. Murray continued to visit Minor regularly, sometimes taking walks with him around the asylum grounds.

In 1910, Minor left Broadmoor for an asylum in his native America. Murray was at the port to wave goodbye to his remarkable friend.

Minor died in 1920, seven years before the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary was completed. The 12 volunteers defined 414,825 words, and thousands of them were contributions from a very scholarly and devoted asylum patient.

1.According to the text, the first Oxford English Dictionary ____.

   A. came out before Minor died

   B. was edited by an American volunteer

   C. included the English words invented by Murray

   D. was intended to be the most ambitious English dictionary

2.How did Dr. Minor contribute to the dictionary?

   A. He helped Murray to find hundreds of volunteers.

   B. He sent newspapers, magazines and books to Murray.

   C. He provided a great number of words and quotations.

   D. He went to England to work with Murray.

3.Which of the following best describes Dr. Minor?

   A. Brave and determined.            B. Cautious and friendly.

   C. Considerate and optimistic.        D. Unusual and scholarly.

4.What does the text mainly talk about?

   A. The history of the English language.

   B. The friendship between Murray and Minor.

   C. Minor and the first Oxford English Dictionary.

   D. Broadmoor Asylum and its patients.