Steinbeck, John, 1902-68, American writer, born in Salinas, Calif., studied at Stanford. He is probably best remembered for his strong sociological novel The Grapes of Wrath, considered one of the great American novels of the 20th century. Steinbeck's early novels-Cup of Gold (1929), The Pastures of Heaven (1932), and To a God Unknown (1933)-attracted little critical attention, but Tortilla Flat (1935), an affectionate（親切的）yet realistic novel about the lovely, Spanish-speaking poor of Monterey, was enthusiastically received.

A merciful understanding of the world's poor was to be Steinbeck's mark. The novel In Dubious Battle (1936) defends striking immigrant agricultural workers in the California fields. In the novel Of Mice and Men (1937; later made into a play), Steinbeck again presents immigrant workers, but this time in terms of human worth and integrity（完好）－a theme he also used in The Moon Is Down (1942; later made into a play), about Norwegian resistance to the Nazis. The Grapes of Wrath (1939; Pulitzer Prize), while treating the hard situation of dispossessed Dust Bowl farmers during the 1930s, presents a universal picture of victims of disaster. Steinbeck's description of the westward migration of the Joad family, and their following struggles in the agricultural industry of California, is realistic and moving, and he presents his inferior characters with nobility.

Steinbeck's other works are diverse, ranging from the literal account of a voyage, The Sea of Cortez (1941; written with the marine biologist E. F. Ricketts),to a moral story, The Pearl (1948); to a French folk piece, The Short Reign of Pippin IV (1957). Love of his native land shines through the delicately nostalgic story "The Red Pony" in The Long Valley (1938). The somewhat emotional attitude of Tortilla Flat appears again in Cannery Row (1945), The Wayward Bus (1947), and Sweet Thursday (1954). 

1. How many novels adapted into a play are mentioned in the passage ?_________.

A. Nine             B. Seven                C. Four             D. Two

2.Accoding to the passage , which of the following is true?

A. The Grapes of Wrath, is considered one of the great novels of this century.

B. Only in the novel In Dubious Battle Steinbeck referred to immigrant workers.

C. In The Grapes of Wrath, farmers living in Dust Bowl possess almost nothing.

D. All Steinbeck’s late works are related to his love of his native land.

3.We can learn from the passage that Steinbeck         .

A. did not draw much attention until Tortilla Flat was published

B. wrote all his novels in terms of human worth and integrity

C. presented poor but noble characters in all his novels

D. showed his love for his native land in The Short Reign of Pippin IV

4.The passage is mainly about Steinbeck’s          .

A. works                B. life             C. fame             D. prize

 

 

 

  F. Scott Fitzgerald, born on September 24, 1896, an American novelist, was once a student of St. Paul Academy, the Newman School and attended Princeton. University  for a short while. In 1917 he joined the army and was posted in Alabama, where he met his future wife Zelda Sayre. Then he had to make some money to impress her.

  His life with her was full of great happiness, as he wrote in his diary:“ My own happiness in the past often approached such joy that I could share it even with the person dearest to me but had to walk it away in quiet streets and take down parts of it in my diary.” 

This side of paradise, his first novel, was published in 1920. Encouraged by its success, Fitzgerald began to devote more time to his writing. Then he continued with the novel the Beautiful and Damned (1922), a collection of short stories Thales of the Jazz Age (1922), and a play The Vegetable (1923). But his greatest success was The Great Gatsby, published in 1925, which quick brought him praise from the literary world. Yet it failed to give him the needed financial security. Then, in 1926, he published another collection of short stories All the Sad Young Men.

However, Fitzgerald’s problems with his wife Zelda affected his writing. During the 1920s he tried to reorder his life, but failed. By 1930, his wife had her first breakdown and went to a Swiss clinic. During this period he completed novels Tender Is the Night in 1934 and The Love of the Last Tycoon in 1940. while his wife was in hospital in the United States, he got totally addicted to alcohol. Sheila Graham, his dear friend, helped him fight his alcoholism.

1.How many novels written by Fitzgerald are mentioned in the passage?

A. 5            B. 6            C. 7                D. 8

2.Which of the following is the correct order to describe Fitzgerald’s life according to the passage?

a. He became addicted to drinking.

b. He studied at St. Paul Academy.

c. He published his first novel This Side of Paradise.

d. The Great Gatsby won high praise.

e. He failed to reorder his life.

f. He joined the army and met Zelda.

A. f-c-e-a-b-d       B. b-e-a-f-c-d        C. f-d-e-c-b-a      D. b-f-c-d-e-a

3.We can infer from the passage that Fitzgerald            .

A. had made some money when he met Zelda in Alabama.

B. was well educated and well off before he served in the army

C. would have completed more works if his wife hadn’t broken down

D. helped his friend get rid of drinking while his wife was in hospital

4.The passage is probably followed by a concluding paragraph about          .

A. Zelda’s personal life

B. Zelda’s illness and treatment

C. Fitzgerald’s friendship with Graham

D. Fitzgerald’s contributions to the literary world

 

If you've been joining in chat room conversations, or trading e－mails with net pals (網(wǎng)友), you have become one of the millions who write in a special, short form of English.

Throughout the world, every night children and their elders are “talking” online－many of them are talking at the same time.

It's fast: trying talking to six people once. It's convenient: three or four words per exchange. It takes cleverness, concentration and quick fingers.

And it requires very simple language. There's neither time nor space for explanations. Why waste valuable time telling six friends you have to leave for a moment to take care of your little brother when BRB (be right back) will do?

Want to enter a conversation? Just type PMFJI (pardon me for jumping in)．

Interested in whom you're talking to? Type A/S/L, the nearly universal request to know your pal's age, sex and location. You may get 15/M/NY as a reply from your pal.

If something makes you laugh, say you're OTF (on the floor), or LOL (laughing out loud), or join the two into ROTFL (rolling on the floor laughing)．

And when it's time to get back to work or go to bed, you type GTG (got to go) or TTYL (talk to you later)．

People want to write as fast as possible, and they want to get their ideas across as quickly as they can. Capital letters are left in the dust, except when expressing feeling, as it takes more time to hold down the “Shift” key and use capitals. Punctuation (標點) is going too.

1.When people are online, they talk by ________.

A．using body language

B．drawing some strange pictures

C．making phone calls

D．making use of an especially short form of English

2.The underlined sentence in Para. 4 means that ________.

A．people should use words properly

B．people should know what time it is when they are talking

C．people online have to express themselves in a simple way

D．people should communicate in a funny way

3.If you get 17/F/NY as an answer to your A/S/L, it means________.

A．the people on the other end is 17 from New York and he is fine

B．you are talking to a girl who is 17 and lives in New York

C．you are talking to 17 girls who are from New York

D．the people you are talking to is a 17－foot tall New York girl

4.Which of the following is a way to save online time?

A．People seldom use capital letters or punctuation marks.

B．Many people draw pictures.

C．People only use the mouse instead of the keyboard.

D．People never use the “Shift” key.

 

The dirty, homeless man sat on the pavement, staring at the atones. He thought back more than twenty years to when he was a boy living in a small red brick house on this very street. He recalled the flower garden, the swing his dad made, and the bike he had saved up for months to buy.
The man shrugged impatiently, for the brightness of those pictures hurt him, and his memory travelled on another ten years. He had a job by then, plenty of friends and started to come home less. He did not really want to remember those years, nor the day when, because o’ debts, he had gone home planning to ask for money. He felt embarrassed, but he knew exactly where his dad kept the money. When his parents stepped out of the room, he took what he wanted and left.
That was the last time he had seen them. Ashamed, he went abroad, and his parents knew nothing about the years of wandering or time in prison. But locked in his cell he often thought of home. Once free, he would love to see his parents again, if they were still alive, and still wanted to see him.
When his prison time was up, he found -a job, but couldn’t settle. Something was drawing him home. He did not want to arrive penniless, so he hitchhiked most of the long journey back. But less than a mile from his destination he started to feel sick with doubt. Could they ever accept this man who had so bitterly disappointed them?
He spent most of that day sitting under a tree. That evening he posted a letter which, although short, had taken him hours to write. It ended with:
I know it is unreasonable of me to suppose you want to see me ... so it’s up to you. I’ll come early Thursday morning. If you want me home, hang a white handkerchief in the window of my old bedroom. If it’s there, I’ll come in; if not, I’ll wave good-bye and go.
And now it was Thursday morning and he was sitting on the pavement at the end of the street. Finally he got up and walked slowly toward the old house. He drew a long breath and looked.
His parents were taking no risks. ________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
The man threw his head back, gave a cry of relief and ran straight through the open front door.
【小題1】 Why did the man shrug impatiently (paragraph 2) while he was thinking of his childhood?

A．The thoughts made him angry.

B．He felt he had wasted time.

C．He was anxious to go home.

D．The sweet memory caused him much pain.

【小題2】Why did it take him hours to write the letter?

A．He doubted if his parents still lived in that house.

B．He had much news to tell his parents.

C．He felt ashamed to ask for forgiveness.

D．He was longing to return home and felt excited.

【小題3】 In what order did the following events take place?
a. He took the money from his parents.
b. He bought a bicycle with his savings.
c. He was sentenced to prison.
d. He wrote the letter home.
e. He sat on the pavement.
f. He hitchhiked back home.

A．b, a, c, d, e, f	B．b, a, c, f, d, e
C．a(chǎn), c, b, d, f, a	D．a(chǎn), d, b, c, e, f

【小題4】Which of the following best fits into paragraph 8 ?

A．Every inch of the house was covered in white. Sheets, pillowcases and table clothes had been placed on every window and door, making it look like a snow house.

B．The house before him was just as he remembered: the red bricks, the brown door and nothing else.

C．A colourful blanket was over the front door. On it, in large letters, was written, "Welcome home, son

D．A police car was parked in the drive way, and two officers stood at the front door.

【小題5】The best title of the passage is _______.

A．Sweet Memory	B．White Handkerchief
C．Abandoned Son	D．Leaving Home

Social networking isn't only for the under 40s. More than 25 percent of Americans 50 years and older stay connected using sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter, according to new research.
"The latest data tells us that more and more social networking is becoming a part of everyday life for Americans 50 plus," said Kevin Donnellan, the chief communications officer at AARP, which released the report.
Nearly a quarter of older Americans are on Facebook and 73 percent said they use it to stay in touch with relatives, but not just their children and grandchildren. "They are using the Internet to keep up with the world and the people who are important to them," said Jean Koppen, the author of the report. She added that older adults are also on Facebook to stay connected, not only with their family, but with their friends and peers. Almost 50 percent of older adults were introduced to the social networking sites by a family member, mainly a child or grandchild. "Just under one-fifth of adults aged 50 and older say they do not use the Internet," according to the report.
The findings are based on a telephone survey of 1,863 adults. In addition to keeping up on Facebook and Twitter older adults are also aware of the latest technology. Eighty-three percent had heard about the Apple iPad and 11 percent intended to buy one.
【小題1】What’s the main idea of the passage?             
A.       Social networking isn’t for the under 40s in the U.S.A.
B.       American old people’s way of life is quite fashionable.
C.       The Internet is also popular among the American over 50s.
D.       Facebook, MySpace and Twitter are hot websites in America.
【小題2】Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?    

A．Nearly 2000 adults took part in the survey on line.

B．The over 50s were introduced to the Internet by the young.

C．About 20% of adults aged 50 and older don’t like the Internet.

D．Many Americans 50 plus stay connected using the Internet.

【小題3】What’s the underlined sentence used for?    
E.                   It’s used as a reason for the popularity of the Apple iPad in America.
F.                   It’s used as an example of the older adults’ awareness of the latest technology.
G.                  It’s used as a suggestion to the readers who are interested in the IT products.
H.                  It’s used as a choice for the Americans intending to use Social networking.
【小題4】Where can we most probably read this passage?    
I.                     In an experiment introduction.
J.                    In a computer magazine.
K.                  In a product advertisement.
In a news report