B. He’s sympathetic. C. He’s grateful.

20. What does the speaker mainly talk about? A. How education shaped his life. B. How his language skills improved. C. How he managed his business well. 【答案】17. C 18. B 19. C 20. A 【解析】此为听力题，解析略 17. 此为听力题，解析略 18. 此为听力题，解析略 19. 此为听力题，解析略 20. 此为听力题，解析略 第二部分 阅读理解 第一节

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题纸上将该项涂黑。

A

In 1812, the year Charles Dickens was born, there were 66 novels published in Britain. People had been writing novels for a century—most experts date the first novel to Robinson Crusoe in 1719— but nobody wanted to do it professionally. The steam-powered printing press was still in its early stages; the literacy（识字） rate in England was under 50%. Many works of fiction appeared without the names of the authors, often with something like “By a lady.”Novels, for the most part, were looked upon as silly, immoral, or just plain bad.

In 1870, when Dickens died, the world mourned him as its first professional writer and publisher, famous and beloved, who had led an explosion in both the publication of novels and their readership and whose characters — from Oliver Twist to Tiny Tim— were held up as moral touchstones. Today Dickens’ greatness is unchallenged. Removing him from the pantheon of English literature （名人堂）would make about as much sense as the Louvre selling off the Mona Lisa.

How did Dickens get to the top? For all the feelings readers attach to stories, literature is a numbers game, and the test of time is extremely difficult to pass. Some 60,000 novels were published

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during the Victorian age, from 1837 to1901; today a casual reader might be able to name a half-dozen of them. It’s partly true that Dickens’ style of writing attracted audiences

from all walks of life. It’s partly that his writings rode a wave of social, political and scientific progress. But it’s also that he rewrote the culture of literature and put himself at the center. No one will ever know what mix of talent, ambition, energy and luck made Dickens such a distinguished writer. But as the 200th anniversary of his birth approaches, it is possible — and important for our own culture—to understand how he made himself a lasting one.

21. Which of the following best describes British novels in the 18th century? A. They were difficult to understand. B. They were popular among the rich. C. They were seen as nearly worthless. D. They were written mostly by women.

22. Dickens is compared with the Mona Lisa in the text to stress________. A. his reputation in France B. his interest in modern art C. his success in publication D. his importance in literature

23. What is the author’s purpose in writing the text? A. To remember a great writer. B. To introduce an English novel. C. To encourage studies on culture. D. To promote values of the Victorian age. 【答案】21. C 22. D 23. A

【解析】本文写于Charles Dickens诞辰200周年前夕，介绍了Charles Dickens在英国小说方面的重要贡献和深远影响。

21. 细节理解题。根据第一段对当时情况的描写nobody wanted to do it professionally. The steam-powered printing press was still in its early stages; the literacy（识字）rate in England was under 50%. Many works of fiction appeared without the names of the authors... Novels, for the most part, were looked upon as silly, immoral, or just plain bad.印刷技术落后，人们识字率低，作品上没有作者名字，小说被认为是愚蠢的不正常的，毫无价值可言。故选C。

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22. 推理判断题。根据第二段Dickens’ greatness is unchallenged.和列举的Charles Dickens小说的影响可知，把他和Mona Lisa相比是为了说明Charles Dickens在英国小说方面的重要性和Mona Lisa在绘画方面的重要性是一样的，故选D。

23. 写作意图题。根据文中对Charles Dickens及其作品在英国小说史上重要性的描写，和文章最后But as the 200th anniversary of his birth approaches, it is possible — and important for our own culture—to understand how he made himself a lasting one.可知本文是写于Charles Dickens诞辰200周年前夕，由此可知作者写本文是为了纪念这位伟大的作家。故选A。 【点睛】

推理判断题要求在理解表面文字的基础上，做出判断和推论，从而得到文章的隐含的意思和深层的意思，也就是通过文章中的文字信息，上下逻辑关系及事物的发展变化等已知的信息，推断出作者没有直接表达的态度和观点。 本文推理判断题的考法：

1. 推测文章的观点或结论。小题1要求判断18世纪英国小说的现状，根据第一段对当时情况的描写nobody wanted to do it professionally. The steam-powered printing press was still in its early stages; the literacy rate in England was under 50%.Novels, were looked upon as silly, immoral, or just plain bad.可知当时印刷技术落后，人们识字率低，小说被认为是愚蠢的不正常的，毫无价值可言。

2. 推测作者写作目的或意图。小题3判断本文的写作目的，根据文中对Charles Dickens及其作品在英国小说史上重要性的描写，和文章最后But as the 200th anniversary of his birth approaches, it is possible — and important for our own culture—to understand how he made himself a lasting one.可知本文是写于Charles Dickens诞辰200周年前夕，由此推断作者写本文是为了纪念这位伟大的作家。

B

Steven Stein likes to follow garbage trucks. His strange habit makes sense when you consider that he’s an environmental scientist who studies how to reduce litter, including things that fall off garbage trucks as they drive down the road. What is even more interesting is that one of Stein's jobs is defending an industry behind the plastic shopping bags.

Americans use more than 100 billion thin film plastic bags every year. So many end up in tree branches or along highways that a growing number of cities do not allow them at checkouts(收银台) . The bags are prohibited in some 90 cities in California, including Los Angeles. Eyeing these

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headwinds, plastic-bag makers are hiring scientists like Stein to make the case that their products are not as bad for the planet as most people assume.

Among the bag makers' argument: many cities with bans still allow shoppers to purchase paper bags, which are easily recycled but require more energy to produce and transport. And while plastic bags may be ugly to look at, they represent a small percentage of all garbage on the ground today The industry has also taken aim at the product that has appeared as its replacement: reusable shopping bags. The stronger a reusable bag is, the longer its life and the more plastic-bag use it cancels out. However, longer-lasting reusable bags often require more energy to make. One study found that a cotton bag must be used at least 131 times to be better for the planet than plastic.

Environmentalists don't dispute（质疑） these points. They hope paper bags will be banned someday too and want shoppers to use the same reusable bags for years. 24. What has Steven Stein been hired to do? A. Help increase grocery sales. B. Recycle the waste material. C. Stop things falling off trucks. D. Argue for the use of plastic bags.

25. What does the word “headwinds”in paragraph 2 refer to? A. Bans on plastic bags. B. Effects of city development. C. Headaches caused by garbage. D. Plastic bags hung in trees.

26. What is a disadvantage of reusable bags according to plastic-bag makers? A. They are quite expensive. B. Replacing them can be difficult. C. They are less strong than plastic bags. D. Producing them requires more energy. 27. What is the best title for the text? A. Plastic, Paper or Neither

B. Industry, Pollution and Environment C. Recycle or Throw Away

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