Task 1
【答案】
1) They were orphans and had nobody to support them.
2) Each boy was given only one bowl of gruel for supper and no more — far from enough.
3) They boys were so hungry that they could not bear it any more. They decided that tone of them must ask the master for more gruel. Olive Twist was chosen by casting lots.
4) He never thought that any boy would dare to ask for more food than the given portion. Therefore, he was both surprised and angry on hearing Oliver’s request.
5) He was struck on the head by the master and pushed out of the room. And for a week Olive remained prisoner in the cellar.
【原文】
Oliver Twist had no parents and lived in the workhouse.
The room in which the boys had their food was a large stone hall. Each boy was given one bowl of gruel and no more. The bowls never needed washing. The boys polished them with their spoons. But still the boys were hungry.
Oliver Twist and the other boys suffered from slow starvation for three months. At last they got so wild with hunger that one of the boys, who was tall for his age, said:
"If this goes on, I am afraid I shall eat the boy who sleeps next me." He had wild hungry eyes and the boys believed him. The boys gathered and thought of a plan.
"One of us must walk up to the master at supper this evening and ask for more gruel," said one boy.
"Let us east lots," said another. "In that way we shall see who must go up to the master and ask for more."
So they cast lots. The lot fell to Oliver Twist. He had to go up to the master and ask for more gruel.
The evening came. The boys took their places and quickly ate up their gruel. Then they looked at Oliver. He rose from his place, bowl and spoon in hand, went up to the master and said, "Please, sir, I want some more." The master was a fat, healthy man, but he turned pale. "What!" he said at last.
Oliver repeated: "Please, sir, I want some more."
The master struck Oliver on the head and pushed him out of the room.
For a week Oliver remained a prisoner in the cellar.
Task 2
【答案】
A. 1) F 2) F 3) T
B.
1) d 2) b
【原文】
Mark Twain was a famous American writer. There were many stories about him. One day Mark Twain was fishing. A stranger came along.
"Good morning!" said the stranger.
"Good morning!" said Mark Twain. "Nice weather we're having!"
"Very nice indeed," said the stranger. "How was fishing?"
"Very good. I caught three trout here yesterday in just about an hour."
"Is that so?" said the stranger.
"Yes. I'm very fond of trout."
"By the way," said the stranger, "do you happen to know who I am?"
"No, I haven't any idea," said Mark Twain.
"Well, I'm the game warden of this county," said the stranger. "Fishing is not allowed here." Mark Twain paused a minute. Then he asked:
"By the way, do you know who I am?"
"No, I don't."
"Well, I am the biggest liar in the country."
Task 3
【答案】
A.
Name: Lewis Carroll
Occupation: mathematics; Oxford University
Literary works: Alice ’s Adventures in Wonderland; 1865;
Through the Looking-Glass; 1871
B.
These stories are about a dream world in which Alice meets strange creatures and has interesting adventures.
【原文】
Which would you rather be? A mathematician or a writer? Perhaps you will never be faced with this kind of choice. Lewis Carroll was both a mathematician and a writer. He was a lecturer in mathematics at Oxford University. But he is better known as the author of two of the most famous children ’ s books that have ever been written: Alice ’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass . The author ’s real name was Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, but he preferred to use the pen-name “Lewis Carroll” when he wrote Alice ’s Adventures in Wonderland and this is the name we remember him by.
Alice ’s Adventures in Wonderland was published in 1865, when its author was 33 years old; it was followed by Through the Looking-Glass in 1871. Both books were written for a real girl called Alice, but they have been read by millions of children since they were first published. These stories are about a dream world in which Alice meets strange creatures and has interesting adventures . I ’m sure you know this already, but if you don ’t, you had better read the stories yourselves.
Task 4
【答案】
the Greeks, closed the gates of the city and stayed behind the walls, the Greeks, a huge wooden horse, hide inside it, the horse, they stopped, hid their ships, Greek prisoner, the horse, The Greek soldiers, the wooden horse
【原文】
Many, many years ago there was a war between the Greeks and the Trojans. The Greek ships sailed up to the city of Troy. When the Trojans saw the Greek ships, they closed the gates of their city and stayed behind the walls. The Greeks attacked the city many times, but could not take it. Then one of the Greeks thought of a plan. The Greeks made a big wooden horse and had some
soldiers hide inside the horse. In the morning the Greeks burned their camps and sailed away. Only the big wooden horse remained in front of the city gate.
But the Greek ships did not sail far. The Greeks stopped at a place near Troy, where the Trojans could not see them, and hid their ships. At first the Trojans wanted to burn the wooden horse, but a Greek prisoner said, "Don't bum the horse. Bring it into Troy. It will help you."
The horse was very big, and the Trojans could not bring it in through the gate. They had to make a hole in the wall. Then they brought the wooden horse into the city. The next day was a holiday in Troy. At night all the Trojan soldiers fell asleep after a heavy festive drinking.
The Greek ships came back to Troy in the night. When everything was quiet, the Greek soldiers came out of the wooden horse and opened the gates of the city. The Greek army came into the city, killed many Trojans and took the city.
Task 5
【答案】
A.
1) c 2) a
B.
1) All the animals thought that he was the king of beasts. Actually he was a coward. He was afraid of human beings and other big animals. He roared only to scare them away and never really hurt them.
2) Dorothy and her dog wanted to get back to Kansas. The Scarecrow wanted some brains and the Tinman wanted a heart. The Lion wanted to have courage.
【原文】
The following story has been taken from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz written by L. Frank Baum in 1900. The book is a modern fairy tale and is one of the great favorites of American children.
One day a tornado carried away Dorothy and her dog Toto from their home in Kansa sand landed them in the wonderful land of Oz. Here they made friends with two strange fellows, a scarecrow and a tin man. The four were now on their way to the Emerald City where the Great Oz lived.
Just as the Tinman spoke there came from the forest a terrible roar, and the next moment a great Lion rushed into the road. With one blow of his paw he knocked the Scarecrow to the edge of the road, and then he hit the Tinman with his sharp claws. But, to the Lion's surprise, he could make no mark on the tin, though the Tinman fell over in the road and lay still.
Little Toto, now that he had an enemy to face, ran barking towards the Lion. The great beast had opened his mouth to bite the dog. Dorothy feared that Toto would be killed. She forgot all danger and rushed forward. She slapped the Lion upon his nose as hard as she could, and cried out:
"Don't bite Toto! You should be ashamed of yourself, a big beast like you, to bite a poor little dog!"
"I didn't bite him," said the Lion, as he rubbed his nose with his paw where Dorothy had hit it.
"No, but you tried to," she said in anger. "You are nothing but a big coward."
"I know," said the Lion, and he hung his head in shame. "I've always known it. But how can I
help it?"
"I don't know, I'm sure. But how can you hit a stuffed man like the poor Scarecrow?"
"Is he stuffed?" asked the Lion, in surprise, as he watched her pick up the Scarecrow and set him upon his feet, while she patted him into shape again.
"Of course he's stuffed," replied Dorothy. She was still angry.
"That explains it. He really went over easily," said the Lion. "It surprised me to see him turn around so. Is the other one stuffed also?"
"No," said Dorothy, "he's made of tin." And she helped the Tinman up again.
"He really hurt my claws," said the Lion. "When they scratched against the tin it made a cold shiver min down my back. What is that little animal you are so kind to?"
"He is my dog, Toto," answered Dorothy.
"Is he made of tin, or stuffed?" asked the Lion. "Neither. He's a meat dog," said the girl.
"Oh. He's a curious animal, and seems really small, now that I look at him. No one thinks of biting such a small, little thing except a coward like me," continued the Lion sadly.
"What makes you a coward?" asked Dorothy. She looked at the great beast in wonder, for he was as big as a small horse.
"I don't know," replied the Lion. "I suppose I was born that way. All the other animals in the forest expect me to be brave, for the Lion is everywhere thought to be the King of Beasts. I learned that if I roared very loudly every living thing was afraid and got out of my way. Whenever I've met a man I've been very much frightened; but I just roared at him, and he has always min away as fast as he could go. If the elephants, tigers and bears ever tried to fight me, I would run away — I'm such a coward; but just as soon as they hear me roar, they all try to get away from me, and of course I let them go."
"But that isn't right. The King of Beasts shouldn't be a coward," said the Scarecrow.
"I know it," said the Lion, and he wiped a tear from his eye with the tip of his tail. "It is a great sorrow, and it makes my life very unhappy. But whenever there is danger, my heart begins to beat fast."
"Perhaps you have heart disease," said the Tinman.
"It may be so," said the Lion.
"If you have," continued the Tinman, "you should be glad, for it proves you have a heart. For my part, I have no heart; so I can't have heart disease."
"Perhaps," said the Lion, "I am a coward because I have a heart."
"Have you brains?" said the Scarecrow.
"I suppose so. I've never looked to see," replied the Lion.
"I am going to the great Oz to ask him to give me some," remarked the Scarecrow, "for my head is stuffed with straw."
"And I am going to ask him to give me a heart," said the Tinman.
"And I am going to ask him to send me and Toto back to Kansas," added Dorothy. "Do you think Oz can give me courage?" asked the Cowardly Lion.
"Just as easily as he can give me brains," said the Scarecrow.
"Or give me a heart," said the Tinman.
"Or send me back to Kansas," said Dorothy.
"Then if you don't mind, I'll go with you," said the Lion, "for life is hard without courage." "You will be very welcome," answered Dorothy, "for you will help to keep away the other
wild beasts. I think they must be more cowardly than you if they allow you to scare them so easily."
"They really are," said the Lion, "but that doesn't make me any braver, and as long as I know myself to be a coward I shall be unhappy."
So once more the little company set off upon the journey. The Lion walked at Dorothy's side. Toto did not like the Lion at first, because he could not forget how nearly he had been crushed between the Lion's great jaws; but after a time he became more at ease, and before long Toro and the Cowardly Lion became good friends.
Task 6
【答案】
A.
1) Civil War
2) first, equality
3) battlefields, bloodiest
4) ordinary
B.
1) d 2) c
【原文】
Walt Whitman is often called the poet of American democracy. He lived during the American Civil War, and he admired President Abraham Lincoln very much.
Whitman was the first American poet who wrote about tree equality among all people. In a poem called "Song of Myself" he compared himself to all other people, and he found no difference. He wrote:
"...every atom belonging to me... belongs to you."
In the same poem Whitman spoke up for women. He wrote:
"The Female equally with the Male I sing."
He also wrote:
"In the faces of men and women I see God." and "A great city is that which has the greatest men and women."
Whitman understood war and the results of war. He worked in a hospital, taking care of wounded men. In a description of northern soldiers who had returned from prisons in the south he wrote: "The sight is worse than any sight of battlefields or any collection of wounded, even the bloodiest." In Whitman's words: "The real war will never get in the books."
Whitman was the first important American poet to write about ordinary people, using ordinary language.
Task 7
【答案】
A.
1) A red, red rose that’s newly spring in June and the melody that’s sweetly played in tune.
2) He will love her till all the seas are dried and the rocks melt in the sun.His love will last as long as the sands of life run(there is life on earth).
3) Yes, he is, and he will come back no matter how far it is.
B.
June---tune I---dry sun---run while ---mile
【原文】
O, my love is like a red, red rose,
That is newly sprung in June.
O, my love is like the melody,
That is sweetly played in tune.
As fair are you, my lovely lass,
So deep in love am I,
And I will love you still, my Dear,
Till all the seas go dry.
Till all the seas go dry, my Dear,
And the rocks melt with the sun!
O I will love you still, my Dear,
While the sands of life shall run.
And fare you well, my only Love,
And fare you well a while!
And I will come again, my Love,
Although it were ten thousand mile!
Task 8
【答案】
1) Tall stories, that is, unlikely ones.
2) Because he wanted to be a member of a certain club.
3) He went there because he was told that a lion came there each evening to drink water.
4) Sixteen times.
5) He killed sixteen lions.
【原文】
A famous French writer who wrote many books about England and the English people once wrote about the Englishman's fondness for improbable or tall stories. In one of his books about the First World War, an English priest tells the following story:
He had wanted to become a member of a certain club in Africa. In order to become a member, each person had to shoot at least one lion. The priest had never shot an animal in his life. So, armed with a rifle and accompanied by a young African boy, the priest set out one evening for a pool in the jungle where he was told a lion came each evening to drink. He waited patiently for a few hours until shortly before midnight when he heard a rustling noise. Sure enough a few yards away the head of a lion appeared above a bush that separated the priest and the pool. He aimed and fired. The head of the lion immediately fell behind the bush but a moment later reappeared. So the priest aimed and fired again. The head of the lion immediately fell behind the bush but a moment later reappeared. The priest fired again: the same result. He remained calm because he knew he had brought sixteen bullets with him. After his fourth attempt his aim seemed to become more and more inaccurate. In fact, after his fifteenth attempt the African boy had to warn him, "This is your last chance. If you miss this time, we are in trouble."
The priest then realized how serious the situation was, so he took a deep breath, aimed
very carefully and fired. They waited a moment, then slowly counted up to twenty: the head of the lion did not reappear. The priest was certain that at last he had shot his lion. They rushed forward together to the spot behind the bush. And what do you think they found? Sixteen lions.
Task 9
【答案】
I. a young prince who lived on land
A. rose to the surface of the sea and waited for the prince to come to her
B. never came
II. a witch
A. changed her fish’s tail into a pair of human legs
B. she gave the witch her tongue
III. the prince’s palace
A. her feet hurt terribly
B. didn’t love her
Ⅳ. a young princess
A. drive back into the sea
B. a spirit of the air and lived forever
【原文】
Copenhagen is the capital of Denmark. In Copenhagen harbor, you can see a statue of the Little Mermaid. I wonder if you know her story. It's a sad one.
That Little Mermaid fell in love with a young prince who lived on the land. Every night she used to rise up to the surface of the sea and sit staring at his palace, waiting for him to come to her. But he never came.
Finally she visited a witch. The witch changed her fish's tail into a pair of human legs so that she could go and live on land. But in return, the Little Mermaid had to give her tongue to the witch, so that she could never sing or speak again. She loved the prince so much that she gave it happily.
She went and lived in the prince's palace, and every night, she danced for him, although her strange new feet caused her terrible pain. But she didn't mind the pain. She waited and waited for the prince to fall in love with her.
But, although the prince liked the Little Mermaid very much, he didn't love her. He fell in love with a young princess and they got married. On their wedding night, the Little Mermaid sadly dived back into the sea. She had no tail now, only legs, and she thought that she would die. She didn't die, though. Because of her kind heart, she became a spirit of the air and lived forever.
Task 10
【答案】
A.
1) b 2) c 3) b 4) a 5) a
B.
No. 1[e] No. 2 [b] No. 3 [a] No.4 [d] No.5 [c]
【原文】
1) A wolf thought that by disguising himself as a sheep he could get enough to eat. So he put on a sheepskin and joined the flock without being discovered. At sunset the shepherd shut him with the
sheep in the fold. Then he felt hungry, so he picked up his knife and killed one of the sheep for his supper. But it was the wolf that he killed.
2) A bird in a cage at a window used to sing during the night. A bat which heard her came up and asked why she never sang by day, but only by night. She explained that there was a good reason: she was caught while she was singing in the daytime, and this had taught her a lesson. "One must be careful before one is caught, not after," said the bat.
3) Monkeys are said to have a strange habit. When twins are born to them, the mother will take care of only one of the twins. She will hold it tightly to her breast and neglect the other. But the one taken care of will die because it cannot breathe freely, while the neglected one will grow up strong and healthy.
4) A gnat alighted on a bull's horn. After it had stayed there a long time and felt like moving on, it asked the bull if he would like it to go now. "I didn't notice when you came," replied the bull, "and I shall not notice if you go."
5) A reed and an olive tree were quarrelling one day. They wanted to see which one was the stronger. Finally the olive tree said to the reed, "You are weak. You are easily bent by the wind." But the reed did not say a word. Before long a storm arose. The reed was tossed about and bent by the winds, but it was not hurt. The olive tree stood bravely against the storm and was broken by its force.
Task 11
【答案】
I.
A. struck a rock and began to break up.
B. sank too
C. had survived
II.
A. he was tied very firmly by a large number of fine ropes.
B. about forty little men shot at him with their arrows, which hurt like needles.
C. the little men gave him all the bread, meat and wine they had.
III.
was seven feet by three feet, equipped with twenty-two wheels and pulled by fifteen hundred little horses
【原文】
Gulliver was travelling by ship. The ship struck a rock and began to break up. Some of the sailors and Gulliver got away in a boat, but that sank too. In the end Gulliver was the only person who survived-who didn't drown. He kept on swimming, and just managed to reach land. By that time it was already evening. Gulliver kept on walking, but by then he was so exhausted that he lay down on the grass, and fell sound asleep.
He slept until the following morning. When he woke up, he could not move. His arms and legs were tied to the ground, very firmly, and so was his hair. There were a large number of very fine, thin ropes across his body, he discovered, and these prevented him from moving.
Gulliver could just manage to look down his body — that was all he could do — and there he saw, advancing up his body, about forty little men. These little men were only about six inches high. They were dressed as soldiers, and each one carried a bow and arrow. Gulliver shouted out, and when he did this, all the soldiers ran away, though they gradually came back again.
Gulliver decided to try to escape. He managed to break some of the ropes, and he was also able to free his head. But when he began to move, the soldiers shot at him with their arrows. These arrows were small but sharp like needles, and they hurt Gulliver. He decided to keep still and when he did so, the soldiers stopped shooting at him with their arrows.
By this time Gulliver was feeling very hungry, so he put his finger to his mouth, to show the little people that he needed food. They understood this, and they brought him bread and meat. Gulliver ate all the bread and meat, and then indicated that he was thirsty. Again he was understood, and the people brought him wine. In fact Gulliver drank all the wine that was available — all they had.
After that one of the king's officers came up to Gulliver. He spoke to him, and indicated that he had to go to the city, to the capital of the island. This was what the king had ordered. Guliver asked to be set free, but the officer refused. Gulliver again thought of trying to escape, but he remembered those arrows which the soldiers had shot at him, and he decided to do nothing. In any case he soon fell asleep, because of all the wine he had drunk.
While he was asleep, the people on the island made arrangements — got everything ready — to take Gulliver to the capital. They managed to get him on a cart which they had built specially to take him to the city. It was seven feet long, and three feet wide, and it had twenty-two wheels in all. It took about three hours to get Gulliver on the cart, and fifteen hundred horses to pull the cart to the city.
Task 12
Aesop was a very clever man who lived in Greece thousands of years ago. He wrote many good fables. He was known to be fond of jokes. One day, as he was enjoying a walk he met a traveler, who greeted him and said, “Kind man, can you tell me how soon I shall get to town?”
“Go, ” Aesop answered.
“I know I must go”, said the traveler, “but I should Like you to tell me how soon I shall get to town.”
“Go, ” Aesop said again angrily.
“This man must be mad,” the traveler thought and went on.
After he had gone some distance, Aesop shouted after him, “You will get to town in two hours. ” The traveler turned around in astonishment. “Why didn ’t you tell me that before? ” he asked.
“How could I have told you before?” answered Aesop. “I did not know how fast you could walk.