Some years ago I was offered a writing assignment that would require three months of travel through Europe. I had been abroad a couple of times, but I could hardly claim to know my way around, the continent. , my knowledge of foreign languages was limited to a little college French.
I . How would I, unable to speak the language, familiar with local geography or transportation systems, conduct interviews and do
research? It seemed impossible, and with considerable I sat down to write a letter rejecting the . Halfway through, a
ran through my mind: you can"t learn if you don"t try. So I the assignment.
There were some bad . But by the time I finished the trip, I was an experienced traveler. And ever since, I have never hesitated to head for even the most places, without guides or advancebookings, confident that somehow I will .
The point is that the new, the different, is almost by definition . But each time you try something, you learn, and as the learning , the world opens to you.
I"ve learned to ski at 40, and flown up the Rhine River in a(n) . And I know I"ll go on doing such things. It"s not because I"m braver or more daring than others. I"m not. But I"ll accept worry as another name for and I believe I can wonders.
| 小题1: | | A．aboard | B．abroad | | C．away | D．out |
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| 小题2: | | A．claim | B．declare | | C．hope | D．deny |
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| 小题3: | | A．Somehow | B．However | | C．Instead | D．Moreover |
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| 小题4: | | A．accustomed | B．added | | C．limited | D．suited |
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| 小题5: | | A．resigned | B．hesitated | | C．trembled | D．suspected |
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| 小题6: | | A．only too | B．more than | | C．apart from | D．far from |
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| 小题7: | | A．operations | B．experiments | | C．research | D．business |
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| 小题8: | | A．regret | B．doubt | | C．terror | D．disappointment |
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| 小题9: | | A．request | B．job | | C．trust | D．assignment |
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| 小题10: | | A．reaction | B．thought | | C．meaning | D．conflict |
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| 小题11: | | A．accomplished | B．received | | C．accepted | D．resisted |
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| 小题12: | | A．exchanges | B．conditions | | C．trips | D．experiences |
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| 小题13: | | A．remote | B．accessible | | C．interesting | D．crowded |
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| 小题16: | | A．astonishing | B．frightening | | C．fascinating | D．exciting |
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| 小题17: | | A．comes up | B．shows up | | C．piles up | D．steps up |
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| 小题18: | | A．airport | B．motorboat | | C．surfboard | D．balloon |
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| 小题19: | | A．goal | B．opportunity | | C．struggle | D．challenge |
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| 小题20: | | A．work | B．own | | C．win | D．achieve |
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小题1:B
小题2:A
小题3:D
小题4:C
小题5:B
小题6:D
小题7:C
小题8:A
小题9:D
小题10:B
小题11:C
小题12:D
小题13:A
小题14:C
小题15:B
小题16:B
小题17:C
小题18:D
小题19:D
小题20:A |
小题1:B 上一句中提到写作任务要求作者在三个月内游历欧洲，由此可知作者以前曾经“出国”几次。A项表示“在（船、车、飞机）上”，显然不符合语境。
小题2:A 根据本句中的but可知虽然作者有过出国的经历，但是不能“声称”自己知道整个欧洲大陆的路线，此处claim表示“声称，宣称，断言”。后三项分别表示“宣布”“希望”“否认”，均不符合语境。
小题3: D 上面提到的是作者对整个欧洲大陆的路线不太熟悉，此处叙述的是作者的外语存在的问题，二者之间显然是递进关系，所以用moreover而且。
小题4: C 作者的外语知识仅仅“局限于”在大学期间学习的一点法语。limit…to…意为“把……限制在……”。
小题5: B 根据下一句中的内容可知作者就是接受这个任务“犹豫不决”。此外，第28空前面也有线索提示。A项意为“辞职”；C项意为“发抖”；D项意为“怀疑”，都与下一句中的内容不符。
小题6: D 作者不会说欧洲的语言，“远远不”熟悉当地的地理和交通状况。far from表示“远非”。前三项分别表示“非常”“超出”“除了……之外”，均与语境不符。
小题7:C 第一段的第一句提到作者在欧洲游历是写作任务的需要，再结合本句中的conduct interviews(进行采访)可知是要进行“调查”。
小题8: A 按人之常情，每个人都喜欢周游世界，可是作者考虑到自身的实际条件，感觉不可能完成这项任务，所以十分“遗憾”地准备回信拒绝。
小题9: D 此处与第一段第一句中的a writing assignment相呼应，表示作者坐下来写信拒绝这次“任务”。另外，本段最后一句也有线索提示。
小题10: B 作者把信写到一半的时候，脑海中浮现出一个“想法”：如果你不尝试，就无法学到知识。A项意为“反应”；C项意为“意义”；D项意为“冲突”，都不符合语境。
小题11: C 作者本想拒绝这次的任务，可是有了上述想法后，就“接受”了任务。A项意为“ 完成”；B项意为“收到”；D项意为“抵制”，显然都不正确。
小题12: D 由下文可知作者在欧洲游历期间有一些不好的“经历”。前三项分别意为“交换”“条件，状况”“旅行”，都不符合语境。
小题13:A 哪怕是去最“遥远”的地方，没有导游，“甚至”没有预订，作者也会毫不犹豫地前往。后三项分别意为“可使用的”“有趣的”“拥挤的”，在文章中都没有信息支持。
小题14:C 解析参见上题。
小题15:B 自从上次的写作任务后，作者对自己充满了信心，认为自己“能够做到”。假如选择C项，需要在后面加上it。
小题16: B 根据定义，陌生而又不同的事物几乎“让人恐惧”。A项意为“令人震惊的”；C项意为“迷人的”；D项意为“令人激动的”。
小题17: C 但是你每次尝试之后，都会有所收获，随着学识的“积累”，世界将会为你敞开。A项意为“被提及”；B项意为“露面”；D项意为“提高，增加（数量、速度等）”，都不符合语境。
小题18: D 作者尝试的是新奇的事物，所以乘坐“热气球”从莱茵河上升起最能体现作者的这种心理。
小题19: D 作者之所以这么做并不是因为比别人勇敢或者胆大，而是把担心看作是一种“挑战”。
小题20: A 作者相信自己能够“创造”奇迹，work wonders意为“创造奇迹”。 |
核心考点
试题【Some years ago I was offered a writing assignment that would require three month】；主要考察你对
题材分类等知识点的理解。
[详细]举一反三
IMAGINE that you are in school, giving a speech to your class.
Now think what it feels like when stammering(口吃)makes it a struggle to communicate your thoughts and feelings to other people.
The King’s Speech, which won the best picture at
the Academy Awards, highlights(突出) stammering along with other speech-related problems. The movie tells the story of Britain’s King George Ⅵ, who became king after his brother Edward Ⅷ gave up the crown to marry an American woman.
As a result of British actor Colin Firth’s performance, people are starting to realize that stammering can damage a person’s self-confidence and cause him/her to escape from life.
“The problem is unseen and unheard,” said Norbert Lieckfeldt, an expert at the British Stammering Association, in an interview with The Guardian newspaper.
“Stammering masks(遮盖) your ability,” he said, “It"s a serious disability(残疾).”
Most stammerers face bullying(欺负) in school, something that is “usually carried over into the workplace”.
George Ⅵ’s stammer took away his confidence as a speaker. But Samantha Mesango, a speech coach based in the UK, believes that speech problems are more common than most people realize. “Some simply don"t like the sound of their own voice; others are scared of speaking in public,” she said.
Travis Treats from Saint Louis University’s department of communication sciences in the US, praised The King’s Speech. He said it shows that “how one’s speech does not mean what one is inside”.
He also added that people who stammer need to be heard and our society should recognize that they have a lot to give to the world.
小题1: What is the point of the first two paragraphs?| A．To tell readers about speech speaking. | | B．To show how harmful a stammer is. | | C．To draw the attention of readers to the problem of a stammer. | | D．To show how a stammer makes a person popular |
小题2: According to the article, King George Ⅵ _____.| A．was a hero during World War Ⅱ | | B．took the place of his brother | | C．married a divorced American woman | | D．was a failure because of his stammer |
小题3: What is Norbert Lieckfeldt’s view of the challenge of a stammer?| A．A stammer can destroy a person’s self-confidence. | | B．A stammer is a serious problem for many people but it is often ignored. | | C．People who stammer need to have their own voice. | | D．People who stammer do better in work than in school. |
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What is Home stay? Literally it is a home for you to stay at when you are not at home. To be specific, home stay provides foreign language students with the opportunity to speak native language outside the classroom and the experience of being part of a British home. Here is what you will experience in our British Home-stay Program.
What to Expect
The host will provide accommodation and meals. Rooms will be cleaned and bedcovers changed at least once a week. You will be given the house key and the host is there to offer help and advice as well as to take an interest in your physical and mental health.
Accommodation Zones
Homestays are located in London mainly in Zones 2, 3 and of the transport system. Most hosts do not live in the town centre (Zone 1) as much of central London is commercial and not residential(居住的). Zones 3 and 4 often offer smaller accommodation in a more crowded area. It is very convenient to travel in London by underground.
Meal Plans Available
• Continental Breakfast
• Breakfast and Dinner
• Breakfast, Packed Lunch and Dinner
It’s important to note that few English families still provide a traditional cooked breakfast. Your accommodation includes Continental Breakfast which normally consists of fruit juice, cereal(谷物类食品), bread and tea or coffee. Cheese, fruit and cold meat are not normally part of a Continental Breakfast in England. Dinners usually consist of meat or fish with vegetables followed by desert, fruit and coffee.
Friends
If you wish to invite a friend over to visit, you must first ask your host’s permission. You have no right to entertain friends in a family home as some families feel it is an invasion of their privacy.
Self-Catering Accommodation in Private Homes
Accommodation on a room-only basis includes shared kitchen and bathroom facilities and often a main living room. This kind of accommodation offers an independent lifestyle and is more suitable for the long-stay student. However, it does not provide the same family atmosphere as an ordinary homestay and may not benefit those who need to practise English at home quite as much.
小题1:The passage is probably written for _____.| A．host willing to receive foreign students | | B．foreigners hoping to build British culture | | C．travellers planning to visit families in London | | D．English learners applying to like in English homes |
小题2: Which of the following will the host provide?| A．Medical care. | B．Room cleaning. | | C．Free transport. | D．Physical training. |
小题3: What can be inferred from Paragraph 3?| A．Zone 3 is more crowded than Zone 2. | | B．The business centre of London is in Zone 2. | | C．Hosts dislike travelling to the city centre. | | D．Zone 1 offers bigger accommodation. |
小题4: According to the passage, what does Continental Breakfast include?| A．Dessert and coffee. | B．Fruit and vegetables. | | C．Bread and fruit juice. | D．Centre and cold meat. |
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A daughter thought life was unpromising(无前途的) to her and complained to her father about it. She did not know how she was going to and wanted to give up. She was of fighting and struggling. It seemed as if one problem was just solved before a new one .
Her father, a cook, took her to the . He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high
. Soon the pots came to the . In one he placed carrots, in the second he placed eggs, and the last he placed ground coffee beans. He let them sit and boil, without saying a word.
The daughter sucked her teeth and waited, asking repeatedly what he was doing. In about twenty minutes he turned off the He fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then he spooned the coffee out and placed it in another. Turning to her he asked, “Darling, what do you see?”
“Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” she replied.
He brought her closer and asked her to
the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the , she observed the hard-boiled egg! Finally, he asked her to taste the coffee. She smiled she tasted its rich flavor. She humbly asked, “What does it mean, Father?”
He explained that each of them had faced the same , boiling water, but each differ-
ently. The carrot went in and hard. But after being subjected to the boiling water, it and became weak. The egg had been . Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But after sitting the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, . After they were in the boiling water, they had the water.
“Which are you?” he asked his daughter. “When adversity(逆境) knocks on your door, do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?”
| 小题1: | | A．make out | B．make it | | C．make up | D．make through |
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| 小题2: | | A．typical | B．conscious | | C．tired | D．warned |
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| 小题3: | | A．raised | B．arose | | C．disappeared | D．faded |
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| 小题4: | | A．room | B．market | | C．kitchen | D．grocery |
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| 小题5: | | A．shelf | B．temperature | | C．fire | D．table |
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| 小题6: | | A．boil | B．cool | | C．hot | D．smoke |
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| 小题7: | | A．happily | B．calmly | | C．casually | D．impatiently |
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| 小题8: | | A．lights | B．burners | | C．tap | D．water |
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| 小题9: | | A．see | B．carry | C．feel | D．fetch |
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| 小题10: | | A．shell | B．pack | C．bag | D．cover |
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| 小题12: | | A．occasion | B．point | | C．variety | D．adversity |
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| 小题13: | | A．reflected | B．answered | | C．abandoned | D．reacted |
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| 小题14: | | A．stable | B．weak | | C．strong | D．sensitive |
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| 小题15: | | A．softened | B．widened | | C．shortened | D．sharpened |
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| 小题16: | | A．half-done | B．easily-broken | | C．easily-got | D．hard-boiled |
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| 小题18: | | A．however | B．otherwise | | C．besides | D．moreover |
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| 小题19: | | A．melted | B．absorbed | | C．polluted | D．changed |
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Local businessmen are increasingly facing competition from online retailers. Larry Pollock, owner of Camera Co/Op on South Congress, said he has been dealing with this kind of problem for years, even before the Internet. The struggle began with mail-order catalogues(目录), which are similar to online retailers in that they have few employees to pay, no sales tax fees and no business venue to lease and manage.
“Their overhead is lower, but they don’t offer a service like we do,” Pollock said.
Pollock, however, said providing a valuable service to customers does not always guarantee continued sales.
“We spend 30 minutes to an hour with somebody and they go home and buy it on line,” he said.
According to the state comptroller’s office, online shopping is developing at a more rapid rate than traditional businesses.
In spite of how fair or unfair online shopping may be to the local businessmen, consumers will continue to turn to the Internet for its variety and accessibility, said Mitch Wilson, an online shopper. “You have a larger selection and it"s easier to compare prices.”
Wilson said he built his personal computer and paid a third of the price by shopping on line.
“Before the Internet, I would have had to go and buy an assembled computer from somebody like Dell,” he said. “Before I started shopping on line I could never find all the pieces I wanted. No single store had everything needed, so shopping on line saved me from having to buy from Dell.”
Janny Brazeal, a psychology freshman, said online shopping is too impersonal.
“’d rather see it in person, touch it, know that I’m getting it,” she said.
Brazeal also said she would not give out her credit card number or other personal information on line no matter how safe the site claims it is.
小题1:Larry Pollock has been facing the problem _____.| A．before long | | B．after the Internet | | C．since there were mail-order catalogues | | D．since he worked as a businessman |
小题2:According to the passage, which of the following is WRONG?| A．Traditional business can provide valuable ser- vices to customers. | | B．People can get cheaper goods from traditional business. | | C．More and more people will turn to the Internet for their needs. | | D．There are still many people who don’t like on- line shopping. |
小题3: Mitch Wilson prefers to build his personal compu- ter by shopping on line because _____.| A．he can easily get what he needs at a lower price | | B．he can not get the price at traditional businessman | | C．he is not satisfied with the service of local busi- nessman | | D．the quality of Dell is not satisfying |
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The elderly Chinese man in the small booth (售票口) behind the thick glass shook his head. I didn"t need to know a word of Chinese to understand there were beds available for the Thursday night train from Beijing to Shanghai. I had a Friday morning
with my college friend. I must be on that train. Desperate times desperate measures. So I squatted(蹲下). I assumed that this was the international for “Are there any hard seats available?”
, there were. It was seat 109. Very quickly, I found it. The Chinese man sitting in it, however, seemed to beg to differ.
I panicked. I am a man who usually avoids conflicts(冲突) and so I my seat, as if still looking, to buy myself more time. I had two options: The first is to be a and ask for what was rightfully mine. The second was to 23 and spend the next 13 hours staying in a corner.
Well, nine out of ten times I choose the second option. But at that moment, every square inch of had already been claimed. There wasn’t a corner in which to cower(退缩). So, I mustered up(聚集) some and presented the man with my proof of ownership. He looked at my ticket and .
About midnight my became heavy and I was ready for the lights to dim and my date
Ms ZZZZ to start. But the room bright and hot. I tried to persevere and was even able to work into a sleeping position.
It is here I must admit: I have a bladder (膀胱). The man next to me drank a Coca-Cola, a bag of milk and a bottle of water and the course of 13 hours he did not move once. I drank but finally, I made my way to the bathroom at 3:02 am.
After waiting in a thick cloud of cigarette smoke, I finally used the bathroom. The philosophy(原则) of my sleeping was right: if you get a seat on a train, don’t move.
| 小题2: | | A．discussion | B．appointment | | C．debate | D．conversation |
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| 小题3: | | A．take up | B．call for | | C．keep away | D．bring in |
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| 小题4: | | A．habit | B．custom | | C．symbol | D．style |
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| 小题5: | | A．Naturally | B．Luckily | | C．Indeed | D．Suddenly |
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| 小题6: | | A．rushed towards | B．jumped upon | | C．pushed into | D．walked past |
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| 小题7: | | A．man | B．human | | C．fellow | D．hero |
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| 小题8: | | A．give up | B．lie down | | C．wait for | D．sit still |
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| 小题9: | | A．seats | B．beds | | C．space | D．corners |
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| 小题11: | | A．information | B．support | | C．confidence | D．force |
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| 小题12: | | A．moved | B．refused | | C．accepted | D．admitted |
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| 小题13: | | A．body | B．eyelids | | C．arms | D．legs |
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| 小题15: | | A．remained | B．turned | | C．stuck | D．continued |
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| 小题17: | | A．sick | B．wrong | | C．healthy | D．small |
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| 小题19: | | A．everything | B．something | | C．nothing | D．anything |
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| 小题20: | | A．neighbour | B．friend | | C．colleague | D．partner |
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