1、阅读理解。Something that has always interested me about Abraham Lincoln is, not surprisingly, his sense of humor. As far as I can tell, hes the first American President to have one. Thats because the term“sense of humor”really wasnt in common usage until the eighteen sixties and seventies. In the eightee
2、n forties and fifties, it was called“the sense of the ridiculous”, and didnt have the positive connotations(隐含意义)that“sense of humor”has today. Back then, what was ridiculous was what invited ridicule(讥笑). Funniness and cruelty went hand in hand. Of course, they still do a lot of arm-in-arm walking
3、in our day as well. Lincolns humor was very different because, for one thing, it was actually“humor”as what the word meant in his time. We dont make the distinction between“wit(风趣)”and“humor”anymore; but in the nineteenth century people did. Wit was unpleasant and offensive while humor was pleasant
4、and sympathetic. Its the difference we note now when we distinguish between“laughing with”and“laughing at”. Lincoln was much more about“laughing with”than“laughing at”. And when“laughing at”, it was often himself he was teasing. In the famous Lincoln-Douglas debate, when Douglas accused Lincoln of b
5、eing two-faced, Lincoln replied, referencing his plain looking, “Honestly, if I were two-faced, would I be showing you this one? ”And, in a way, Lincolns face itself tells us much about his sense of humor. You can comb through thousands of photographs of politicians, soldiers, and the like from Linc
6、olns time and not find a single smile. True, the long exposures(曝光)required for photographs of that time made smiling difficult. Yet Lincoln alone, as far as I can tell, overcame that difficulty. Interestingly, while having a sense of humor, or at least the appearance of one provided by comedy write
7、rs, has become a necessary characteristic for an American President in our time, in the nineteenth century, too much humor was considered a problem. And that was the case for Lincoln. A journalist covering the Lincoln-Douglas debate commented that“I could not take a real personal liking to the man,
8、owing to an inborn weakness for which he was even then notorious and so remained during his great public career, he was extremely fond of jokes, anecdotes, and stories. ”【文章大意】说起第16任美国总统亚伯拉罕林肯, 很多人会立即想起他对解放黑奴和维护美利坚联邦完整所做出的巨大贡献, 想起他能言善辩的口才和妙语连珠的演讲, 但却很少有人知道, 林肯的“幽默感”也开创了一个新时代。1. We can infer from Par
9、agraph 2 that. A. the American President could influence the use of EnglishB. the term“sense of humor”wasnt invented until the 1860sC. what is funny to someone might be offensive to someone elseD. the concept of humor remains the same despite the passing of time【解析】选C。推理判断题。根据该段中“didnt have the posi
10、tive connotations thatsense of humorhas today(没有今天幽默感所具有的积极的隐含意义)”和“Back then, what was ridiculous was what invited ridicule. (在当时, 好笑的事就是招致讥笑的事。)”可知C项正确。2. The underlined words“this one”in Paragraph 4 refer to. A. Lincolns unattractive faceB. Lincolns sense of humorC. the debate they were havingD.
11、cruelty that went with funniness【解析】选A。词义猜测题。在林肯与道格拉斯的辩论中, 道格拉斯批评林肯是两面派, 而林肯提到自己相貌平平(his plain looking), 接着指出“如果我是两面派, 我还会向你展现我相貌平平的一面吗”。这说明林肯很幽默。3. We rarely see people from Lincolns time wear a smile in their photos because. A. being humorous was considered inappropriateB. they found it quite funn
12、y to smile before the cameraC. not smiling for photographs was the fashionD. photography technology then was not advanced【解析】选D。细节理解题。从原文倒数第二段可知“当时摄影时, 照片曝光时间比较长, 这使得拍照时, 人们很难保持微笑”。4. What might the writer think of the journalist covering the Lincoln-Douglas debate? A. His comment accurately reflect
13、ed his time. B. He created a false picture of Lincoln. C. He was prejudiced and self-centered. D. He was brave to point out Lincolns weakness. 【解析】选A。推理判断题。报道林肯与道格拉斯的辩论的记者所说的话准确地反映了当时那个时代。阅读理解。Survivors searched for loved ones on Monday in emergency centers across the northeast coast of Japan, with
14、thousands of people still missing after an earthquake and tsunami that probably killed more than 10,000 people. “Im looking for my parents and my elder brother,” Yuko Abe, weeping, said at an emergency center in a nearly flattened town of 24, 500 people. “I also cannot tell my relatives who live awa
15、y that I am safe, as mobile phones and telephones are not working.” Many people spent another freezing night huddling（蜷缩）in blankets around heaters in shelters along the coast, a scene of devastation after the earthquake sent a 10-meter wave surging（冲击） through towns and cities in the Miyagi region,
16、 including its main coastal city of Sendai. About 2,000 bodies were found on the shores of Miyagi. The nation struggled with the worst disaster since World War . Almost two million households were without power in the freezing north. There were about 1.4 million people without running water. Emiko O
17、hta, 52, wearing a mask and plastic gloves, searched through the remnants of her home in the port town of Kuji. The house had been reduced to a pile of dirt-covered rubble（碎石）. “I came to see if theres anything usable. All my kimonos（和服）are destroyed, but there are maybe some items of emotional valu
18、e here. I did find a bit of jewellery. Just a little,” she said. Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said food, water and other necessities such as blankets were being delivered by vehicles but because of damage to roads, authorities were considering air and sea transport. A few employees at a factory
19、 in Kuji that manufactured shipping parts showed up for work on Monday, even though it had been reduced to rubble. One young worker said he came because it was a workday. Factory Chief Teruo Nakano said everyone who worked there was safe and they were awaiting instructions from their leaders. He pla
20、nned to send workers home. 6. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as the damage caused by the earthquake and tsunami? A. Electricity cut off B. Lack of drinking water C. Road destruction D. Breakdown of air transport7. The underlined word “remnants” in the fifth paragraph probably means “_”. A.
21、ruins B. neighborhoods C. dustbins D. drawers 8. What is TRUE about the earthquake according to the passage? A. Its the worst one in Japanese history. B. It caused yet another natural disaster. C. It killed 24, 500 people by flattening the town. D. It has caused the extreme weather in the northeast.
22、 9. We can infer from the passage that _. A. kimonos and jewellery at this time are useless B. there are enough necessities in disaster-struck areas C. disaster-struck areas are accessible by ship and air D. the government is not doing its best to deliver supplies 10. The purpose of the last paragra
23、ph is to show _. A. how important the factory was B. how serious the damage to the factory was C. there is still hope after the destructive earthquake D. the Japanese value their work more than their life 【参考答案】610、DABCC阅读理解。In 1995, Susan Boyle went to Glasgow to audition (试演) for My Kind of people
24、, a televised talent show popular in the UKShe was immediately rejected. She was nervous during the audition, and felt she didnt perform well, but her brother said that she was rejected because of her plain looks. Boyle was not discouraged and continued to sing at church and at the karaoke nights in
25、 a local pub. Boyle suffered a personal loss in 1997, when her father passed away. After his death, Boyle put her big dreams on hold to care for her sick mother Bridget Boyle. The mother and daughter often talked of Susans possible fameBridget Boyle encouraged her daughter to take part in singing co
26、mpetitions. “She was the one who said I should enter Britains Got TalentWe used to watch it together.” Susan later told reporters“She thought I would win.” In 1999, Boyle used all of her savings to pay for a professional demo (样本唱片) tape ,which she sent to record companies. In 2002, Boyle began taki
27、ng singing lessons from voice coach Fred ONeil. In 2007, Boyles mother passed away at the age of 91. A neighbor reported that when Bridget Boyle died, her daughter “wouldnt come out for three or four days or answer the door or phone.” She lived alone with her cat, PebblesFor over a year, she refused
28、 to singBut in August of 2008, ONeil urged her to try out for Britains Got TalentConvinced that the performance would be an honor to her mother, Boyle auditioned in Glasgow, ScotlandShe sang I Dreamed A Dream, a hit song from the musical Les Miserables (悲惨世界), in the first round of the show, which w
29、as aired on April 11, 2009. The 47-year-old Scottish womans plain looks provided a sharp contrast (对比) to her powerfully beautiful voiceThe performance astonished the audience and the judgesOnline videos of her performance totaled over 40 million views within a weekAlthough she failed to win the fin
30、al of Britains Got Talent, Susan Boyle became globally popularHer first album I Dreamed A Dream has sold over five million copies.11. Bridget Boyles attitude towards her daughters musical talent can be described as _. A. critical B. doubtful C. indifferent D. optimistic12. From Paragraph 4 we learn
31、that Susan _. A. was slightly discouraged by her voice coach B. entered Britains Got Talent to prove her ability C. decided to give up her singing career D. was deeply affected by her mothers death13. Which of the following is TRUE about Susan Boyle? A. Her international fame grew rapidly in 2008. B
32、. Her audition for My Kind of People failed. C. She has never stopped singing since 1995. D. She was the winner of Britains Got Talent.14. Which of the following inferences makes sense according to the passage?A. Susan Boyle was convinced by her brother that her plain looks were disadvantageous to h
33、er success.B. It was at the age of forty that Susan Boyle established a student-teacher relationship with ONeil.C. Susan Boyle was so struck by her fathers death that she shut herself out from the neighborhood.D. The online views of Les Miserables numbered over 40 million within a week in 2009.15. I
34、n writing this passage, the author mainly intends to _. A. tell us how Boyles dream came true B. let us know more about Boyles personal life C. show how Boyle was influenced by her family D. explain how to enter and win a talent show【参考答案】1115、DDBBA（2014湖北卷）第二节：短文写作（共1题；满分30分）请根据以下提示，并结合具体事例，用英语写一篇短
35、文。Small things make a big difference. The small things we do can make us a responsible member of the society.注意：无须写标题；除诗歌外，文体不限；内容必须结合你生活中的具体事例； 文中不得透露个人姓名和学校名称；词数不少于120，如引用提示语则不计入总词数。【考点】考察开放性作文【写作指导】本文属于开放性作文，要求我们就：我们做的微小的事情都可以对我们的社会产生很大的影响。告诉我们要关注生活中的小事。仍然属于议论文，可以使用一般现在时和第三人称。当然也可以写成记叙文，叙述一件小事让我们
36、懂得要关注细节。要点：1.叙述生活中发生的一件小事；以及这件小事对我们产生的影响。2.说明任何一件小事都会对我们的社会产生很大的影响。告诉我们要重视这样的小事。首先要选择自己熟悉的短语或者句型，在你的能力范围之内，选择句式时要赋予变化，因为这样你才可以更好的驾驭。同时也要选择合适的连接词，把各个要点组织成一个完整的整体，如besides, further, last but not least等。在发表个人观点的时候，可以使用谚语来提升整个文章的档次和文采，也能增加得高分的可能性。【一句多译】我在去书店的路上，在十字路口等待的时候，一个十岁左右的女孩还被一辆开得很快的汽车撞倒。 I was o
37、n my way to the bookstore and was waiting for the green light at a crossing when a girl of about ten was knocked down by a passing car, which drove off quickly.I was on my way to the bookstore and was waiting for the green light at a crossing when a girl of about ten was knocked down by a passing ca
38、r, driving off quickly.【参考范文】It isnt hard to grow up into a responsible member of society. I can well remember an incident that happened on a rainy Sunday afternoon. I was on my way to the bookstore and was waiting for the green light at a crossing when a girl of about ten was knocked down by a pass
39、ing car, which drove off quickly. A man immediately rushed to the girl to give her first aid and I joined in without hesitation. Luckily she was not badly injured and we sent her to the nearest hospital. Compared with the escaped driver, I am proud of what I did.As a member of the society, I am aware that being responsible is what it takes to make a better society.
